Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Podman Desktop VS Portainer

Compare Podman Desktop VS Portainer and see what are their differences

Podman Desktop logo Podman Desktop

Containers and Kubernetes for application developers

Portainer logo Portainer

Simple management UI for Docker
  • Podman Desktop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-07
  • Portainer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-24

Podman Desktop features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    Podman Desktop provides a graphical user interface that makes it easier for users, especially those new to containerization, to manage and interact with containers without needing extensive command-line knowledge.
  • Rootless Mode
    Podman Desktop supports rootless containers, enhancing security by allowing users to run containers without requiring root access, reducing the risk of system-wide changes.
  • Compatibility with Docker
    Podman uses the Docker CLI, enabling easy transition for users familiar with Docker, and provides compatibility with Docker images and commands.
  • Daemonless Architecture
    Unlike Docker, Podman does not require a background daemon, improving simplicity and reducing system resource usage.
  • Pod Support
    It offers built-in support for Kubernetes-like pods, allowing users to manage multiple containers as a single unit, simplifying multi-container applications.

Possible disadvantages of Podman Desktop

  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to Docker, Podman has a less mature ecosystem with fewer third-party tools and integrations available for container management and orchestration.
  • Learning Curve
    For users familiar with Docker's daemon-based architecture, transitioning to Podman’s daemonless approach can require a learning curve and adaptation.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running containers in rootless mode may introduce performance overhead compared to traditional root-based container execution.
  • Less Community Support
    The community around Podman, while growing, is still smaller than Docker's, potentially leading to slower support and fewer community-created resources.

Portainer features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Portainer provides a simple and intuitive web-based UI that makes it easy for users to manage Docker environments and Kubernetes clusters, reducing the need for command-line operations.
  • Multi-platform Support
    Portainer supports a wide range of platforms including Docker, Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, and Azure ACI, allowing users to manage different containerization technologies from a single interface.
  • Simplified Management
    Portainer allows for easy deployment, configuration, and management of containers and services, streamlining operational tasks and improving productivity.
  • RBAC and Authentication
    Portainer includes built-in role-based access control (RBAC) and authentication mechanisms, enabling secure access management and user permissions control.
  • Monitoring and Insights
    Portainer provides built-in monitoring and analytics features that give insights into resource utilization, container health, and performance metrics.
  • Community Support
    Portainer has a large and active community, offering extensive documentation, forums, and third-party resources to help users troubleshoot issues and optimize their environments.

Possible disadvantages of Portainer

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to other enterprise-grade container management solutions, Portainer might lack some advanced features and customizations needed for large-scale, complex deployments.
  • Scalability Concerns
    While good for small-to-mid-sized environments, Portainer may face challenges in highly scaled or extremely high-availability environments due to its architecture and performance limitations.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    For certain specialized tasks or detailed performance monitoring, Portainer often requires the integration of external tools, which can complicate the overall setup and management process.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Use
    While basic features are user-friendly, leveraging advanced functionalities like managing Kubernetes can come with a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Resource Consumption
    Deploying Portainer adds an extra layer of resource consumption. The overhead might be minimal for small systems but could become significant in resource-constrained environments.

Podman Desktop videos

No Podman Desktop videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Portainer videos

Putting a UI around Docker with Portainer

More videos:

  • Demo - Portainer - The EASIEST WAY to manage your Docker apps! (Overview + Demo)
  • Review - Portainer for Docker Management

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Podman Desktop and Portainer)
Dev Ops
100 100%
0% 0
DevOps Tools
9 9%
91% 91
Developer Tools
19 19%
81% 81
Cloud Computing
31 31%
69% 69

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Podman Desktop and Portainer

Podman Desktop Reviews

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Portainer Reviews

Self Hosting Like Its 2025
I’ve been using Portainer for quite some time, and its widespread adoption in both homelab and professional environments makes it an excellent tool for learning through practical application. In my view, it stands out as the most stable web-managed container control interface available. It integrates seamlessly with Docker, Kubernetes, and even Podman. Portainer offers an...
Source: kiranet.org
Top 10 Best Container Software in 2022
If you are hunting for a container software that can easily integrate with Ubuntu, then LXC is a reliable option. For semi-managed clustering, you can go for CoreOS. The business purposes solved by Portainer covers querying dockerHub repositories and it is in deed a good tool for beginners.
OpenShift alternatives
The main advantage of Portainer is the flexibility of the software. In addition to Kubernetes, Docker Swarm and Docker can be used to manage clusters and containers. Portainer is based on open-source software and is offered in a freely available community version as well as a paid version with enterprise support. The software can be installed in cloud environments, on edge...
Source: www.ionos.com
7 Best Containerization Software Solutions of 2022
Portainer has one pricing edition that costs $0. A free trial of Portainer is also available if your for more advanced features.
Source: techgumb.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Portainer might be a bit more popular than Podman Desktop. We know about 35 links to it since March 2021 and only 35 links to Podman Desktop. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Podman Desktop mentions (35)

  • Quadlet: Running Podman containers under systemd
    I am part of the Podman Desktop[1] team, and I am personally a big fan of Podman Quadlets! Recently I took the journey to deep dive into Quadlets, and see how it can be integrated into Podman Desktop. With the extension system we have (very similar to VS-Code), I created an extension called `Podman Quadlets` and wrote a blog on our website[2]. It integrate with Podlet[3] (but I am trying to move away from it, as I... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Docker Desktop Alternative
    I would also encourage people to look at Podman desktop which has pretty good support from Red Hat. https://podman-desktop.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Docker Desktop Alternative
    What does this offer that podman desktop does not? https://podman-desktop.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Minimal tips to run isolated code
    Thus motivated, install Podman Desktop, a Docker-compatible Linux containers tool with Podman. After Podman Desktop is installed and running, open a terminal and. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Use local AI Models easily for Development and Experimentation
    Podman Desktop AI Lab is a recently announced extension for Podman Desktop, aimed at simplifying the development, testing, and running of generative AI (GenAI) applications locally on developers' workstations. This tool provides an intuitive graphical interface, making it easier for developers to integrate AI capabilities into their applications without requiring extensive infrastructure or AI expertise. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
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Portainer mentions (35)

  • Deploy multiple apps on a single VPS with Docker
    Portainer also provides an open-source version. In comparison to Sliplane and Dokku, it lacks a deploy pipeline. It comes with a web-based UI and offers some features to manage more advanced cluster setups. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Every Project Deserves its CI/CD pipeline, no matter how small
    Portainer is a really great web UI which will help us to manage all our Docker hosts and Docker Swarm clusters very easily. Let's take a look at its interface where it lists all our stacks available in the swarm. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • paperless-ngx on Synology DS220+
    I've installed the container manager from Synology (Docker) and added portainer.io for better access. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Selfhosting Vaultwarden, How Is It Done?
    There are some docker management systems around, portainer.io seems popular, with a GUI (graphical user interface) and configurable templates. Also cloud management systems/cloud hosting seem to offer a GUI to create and manage containers. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Dashy - Cant get the widgets to show
    I am really new to the home lab game. I have been using linux heavily since I got my two pi's and set up docker, portainer.io, pi hole, dashy, etc. The problem I am having is no matter how many ways I try to add a widget as simple as a clock to my dashy it just break the whole page. I enabled highlighting in my nano so I could see any errors but I am still not finding what I am doing wrong. Does anybody have... Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Podman Desktop and Portainer, you can also consider the following products

Podman - Simple debugging tool for pods and images

Kubernetes - Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers

OrbStack - Fast, light, simple Docker & Linux on macOS

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Docker - Docker is an open platform that enables developers and system administrators to create distributed applications.

Docker Desktop - Docker Desktop is a one-click-install application that lets you to build, share, and run containerized applications and microservices.