Head-to-head · Container Registries
Quay vs Alibaba Cloud Container Registry
Quay 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 scoreQuay · 9.3/10
- Free planboth
- Free trialonly Quay
Quay scores higher on our rubric for container registries: 9.3 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.
On replication scope, Alibaba Cloud Container Registry gives you Global where Quay offers Multi-region.
Quay is the better fit for open-source teams needing hosted or self-hosted options. Alibaba Cloud Container Registry is the better fit for teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud.
- Quay fits best
Open-source teams needing hosted or self-hosted options
- Alibaba Cloud Container Registry fits best
Teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud
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Side by side
| Feature | Quay 9.3/10 Visit ↗ | Alibaba Cloud Container Registry 8.7/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 9.3 | 8.7 |
| Ranking | #2 in Container Registries | #8 in Container Registries |
| Best for | Open-source teams needing hosted or self-hosted options | Teams operating primarily in Alibaba Cloud |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Starting price | Free plan · 30-day trial | — |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | 30 days | — |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Support | Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs | Live chat, Tickets, Docs · 24/7 |
| Integrations | 5 integrations | 9 integrations |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Quay 4/4 · Alibaba Cloud Container Registry 4/4 | ||
| Image scanning | ✓ | ✓ |
| OCI artifacts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Immutable tags | ✓ | ✓ |
| Retention policies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Replication scope | Multi-region | Global |
| Included storage | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Maximum image size | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Quay is a container registry for developers and organizations that build, store, organize, scan, and distribute container images and other OCI artifacts. It supports web and API access, as well as self-hosted deployment. Project Quay is… 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 → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Quay — where it wins
- Automated vulnerability scanning with Clair
- OCI 1.1 referrers, immutable tags, and retention policies
- Mirroring and geo-replication for distributed repositories
Where it doesn't
- Project Quay and hosted Quay.io require a deployment choice
- Advanced controls may exceed basic image-storage needs
- Self-hosted deployment adds operational responsibility
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
- Quay9.3/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial
A flexible registry for teams that need hosted convenience or self-hosted control.
Visit QuayFull 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 →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update