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Head-to-head · Container Engines

containerd vs Incus

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score containerd #3 in Container Engines 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit containerd
Incus #6 in Container Engines 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Incus

containerd leads on 0 checks, Incus on 1, and 4 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 scorecontainerd · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featurescontainerd · 3 of 4

containerd scores higher on our rubric for container engines: 9.0 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #6.

Incus offers image building; containerd doesn't. On image format, containerd gives you Both where Incus offers Oci. On runtime interface, Incus gives you Other where containerd offers Containerd.

containerd is the better fit for kubernetes and production runtime infrastructure. Incus is the better fit for modern container and VM management.

  • containerd fits best

    Kubernetes and production runtime infrastructure

  • Incus fits best

    Modern container and VM management

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Side by side

Feature containerd 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Incus 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.7
Ranking #3 in Container Engines #6 in Container Engines
Best for Kubernetes and production runtime infrastructure Modern container and VM management
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 7 integrations 5 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features containerd 3/4 · Incus 2/4
Rootless mode ✓ ✓
Image building — ✓ (best)
Kubernetes CRI ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Windows containers ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Image format Both Oci
Runtime interface Containerd Other
Supported host OS Linux, Windows Linux
Our review
Pros
  • Built-in Kubernetes CRI support
  • OCI image and runtime specification support
  • Rootless operation with user namespaces and RootlessKit
  • Manages system containers, OCI application containers, and virtual machines
  • Includes clustering, snapshots, backups, image transfer, and remote access
  • Offers detailed resource controls and device passthrough options
Cons
  • Windows runtime and snapshot plugins are not supported
  • Does not provide a native image-building workflow
  • Requires adjacent tools for broader developer workflows
  • The Incus daemon runs on Linux
  • Windows and macOS provide clients rather than server support
  • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of container-only teams
Our verdict

containerd is an open-source container runtime for systems that need core container functionality without a broader application platform. It runs as a daemon on Linux and Windows, handling image transfer and storage, container execution…

Read the review →

Incus brings system containers, OCI application containers, and virtual machines into one management layer. It is aimed at developers, infrastructure teams, and operators managing Linux-based workloads across local, remote, clustered, or…

Read the review →
  1. containerdContainer Engines 9.0Free plan
  2. IncusContainer Engines 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • containerd — where it wins

    • Built-in Kubernetes CRI support
    • OCI image and runtime specification support
    • Rootless operation with user namespaces and RootlessKit

    Where it doesn't

    • Windows runtime and snapshot plugins are not supported
    • Does not provide a native image-building workflow
    • Requires adjacent tools for broader developer workflows

  • Incus — where it wins

    • Manages system containers, OCI application containers, and virtual machines
    • Includes clustering, snapshots, backups, image transfer, and remote access
    • Offers detailed resource controls and device passthrough options

    Where it doesn't

    • The Incus daemon runs on Linux
    • Windows and macOS provide clients rather than server support
    • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of container-only teams

More comparisons

All container engines comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update