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Head-to-head · Container Registries

8gears Container Registry vs Alibaba Cloud Container Registry

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score 8gears Container Registry #3 in Container Registries 9.2/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit 8gears

8gears Container Registry leads on 0 checks, Alibaba Cloud Container Registry on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest score8gears Container Registry · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly 8gears Container Registry

8gears Container Registry scores higher on our rubric for container registries: 9.2 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #8.

On replication scope, Alibaba Cloud Container Registry gives you Global where 8gears Container Registry offers Multi-region.

8gears Container Registry is the better fit for security-focused teams needing a full registry. Alibaba Cloud Container Registry is the better fit for teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud.

  • 8gears Container Registry fits best

    Security-focused teams needing a full registry

  • Alibaba Cloud Container Registry fits best

    Teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud

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Side by side

Feature 8gears Container Registry 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Alibaba Cloud Container Registry 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.7
Ranking #3 in Container Registries #8 in Container Registries
Best for Security-focused teams needing a full registry Teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Live chat, Community, Docs Live chat, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Integrations 12 integrations 9 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features 8gears Container Registry 4/4 · Alibaba Cloud Container Registry 4/4
Image scanning ✓ ✓
OCI artifacts ✓ ✓
Immutable tags ✓ ✓
Retention policies ✓ ✓
Specs
Replication scope Multi-region Global
Included storage 1000 GB Not checked yet
Maximum image size Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • OCI indexes and Helm charts support broader artifact workflows
  • Scanning, immutability, retention, and signed-image controls strengthen governance
  • Hosted, cloud, on-premises, air-gapped, and self-hosted deployment options
  • Free Personal Edition with 3 namespaces and 300 public repositories
  • OCI artifacts, Helm charts, scanning, immutability, and cleanup rules
  • Global replication, network controls, builds, and ActionTrail logging
Cons
  • The Individuals plan includes only 1 GB of storage
  • Community support is limited to the free Individuals plan
  • Advanced authentication and custom SLA are reserved for Enterprise
  • Personal Edition includes no SLA guarantee
  • Enterprise pricing varies by region
  • Enterprise image storage is billed through OSS usage
Our verdict

8gears Container Registry is a commercial Harbor distribution for teams, enterprises, cloud providers, and independent software vendors that need to store and distribute container images and other OCI artifacts. It supports web, API, and…

Read the review →

Alibaba Cloud Container Registry is a managed service for storing, securing, building, and distributing container images and cloud-native artifacts. It supports individual developers through the free Personal Edition and production teams…

Read the review →
  1. 8gears Container RegistryContainer Registries 9.2Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. Alibaba Cloud Container RegistryContainer Registries 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • 8gears Container Registry — where it wins

    • OCI indexes and Helm charts support broader artifact workflows
    • Scanning, immutability, retention, and signed-image controls strengthen governance
    • Hosted, cloud, on-premises, air-gapped, and self-hosted deployment options

    Where it doesn't

    • The Individuals plan includes only 1 GB of storage
    • Community support is limited to the free Individuals plan
    • Advanced authentication and custom SLA are reserved for Enterprise
  • Alibaba Cloud Container Registry — where it wins

    • Free Personal Edition with 3 namespaces and 300 public repositories
    • OCI artifacts, Helm charts, scanning, immutability, and cleanup rules
    • Global replication, network controls, builds, and ActionTrail logging

    Where it doesn't

    • Personal Edition includes no SLA guarantee
    • Enterprise pricing varies by region
    • Enterprise image storage is billed through OSS usage
  • 8gears Container Registry9.2/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A security-focused Harbor registry with OCI support, policy controls, and flexible deployment options.

    Visit 8gearsFull verdict →
  • Alibaba Cloud Container Registry8.7/10 · Free plan

    A broad registry service with a free tier and Alibaba Cloud-focused enterprise capabilities.

    Visit Alibaba CloudFull verdict →

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update