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Head-to-head · Container Registries

Harbor vs Alibaba Cloud Container Registry

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Harbor #1 in Container Registries 9.4/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Harbor
Alibaba Cloud Container Registry #8 in Container Registries 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Alibaba Cloud

Harbor 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 scoreHarbor · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly Alibaba Cloud Container Registry

Harbor scores higher on our rubric for container registries: 9.4 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #8.

Harbor is the better fit for teams wanting a capable open-source registry. Alibaba Cloud Container Registry is the better fit for teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud.

  • Harbor fits best

    Teams wanting a capable open-source registry

  • Alibaba Cloud Container Registry fits best

    Teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Harbor 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Alibaba Cloud Container Registry 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.7
Ranking #1 in Container Registries #8 in Container Registries
Best for Teams wanting a capable open-source registry Teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Open source —
Free plan Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web, Linux Web
Support Community, Docs Live chat, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Integrations 9 integrations 9 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Harbor 4/4 · Alibaba Cloud Container Registry 4/4
Image scanning ✓ ✓
OCI artifacts ✓ ✓
Immutable tags ✓ ✓
Retention policies ✓ ✓
Specs
Replication scope Not checked yet Global
Included storage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Maximum image size Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports OCI images, indexes, and other OCI artifacts
  • Combines scanning, signing, immutability, retention, and RBAC
  • Replicates with Harbor and other major registries
  • 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
  • Requires self-hosted deployment and ongoing administration
  • No AI features for AI-assisted registry workflows
  • Web and API access still depend on your hosting environment
  • Personal Edition includes no SLA guarantee
  • Enterprise pricing varies by region
  • Enterprise image storage is billed through OSS usage
Our verdict

Harbor is a self-hosted, open-source container registry for organizations managing container images and cloud-native artifacts. It fits teams that want control over deployment and registry policies without a proprietary license. Projects…

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. HarborContainer Registries 9.4Open source
  2. Alibaba Cloud Container RegistryContainer Registries 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Harbor — where it wins

    • Supports OCI images, indexes, and other OCI artifacts
    • Combines scanning, signing, immutability, retention, and RBAC
    • Replicates with Harbor and other major registries

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires self-hosted deployment and ongoing administration
    • No AI features for AI-assisted registry workflows
    • Web and API access still depend on your hosting environment

  • 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
  • Harbor9.4/10 · Open source

    A self-hosted Harbor registry with strong policy, scanning, signing, and replication controls.

    Visit HarborFull 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

All container registries comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update