Portainer Alternatives
Portainer is fine, but a lot of homelabbers outgrow it. It runs a separate agent on every host, its stacks are not stored as plain compose files you can edit on disk, and a chunk of the access-control and registry features sit behind the paid Business Edition. For managing a handful of Docker Compose stacks, Dockge does the same job with less weight and keeps your compose files as real files. Here are the alternatives worth running and which one fits.
Updated 2026-07-16 · by Jonathan Caruso
Top pick
Dockge
Dockge is the closest fit for the common case: managing Docker Compose stacks on one or a few hosts. It reads and writes your compose files as plain files in a folder, so nothing gets locked inside a database and you can still edit them by hand or from git. The UI is quick, it converts docker run commands into compose, and it comes from Louis Lam, who also wrote Uptime Kuma. It is free under the MIT license.
The options
Dockge
MIT, freeA lightweight web UI for Docker Compose stacks that stores each stack as a real compose file in a folder.
Visit Dockge site- Runs on
- Docker, ~100-200 MB RAM. Runs on a Pi.
- Pick it if
- You manage compose stacks on one or a few hosts and want your compose files to stay editable files, not database rows.
Komodo
GPL-3.0, freeA multi-server build and deploy tool that manages Docker across many hosts through lightweight agents, with git-based config and alerting.
Visit Komodo site- Runs on
- A core server plus a small Periphery agent per host. ~256-512 MB RAM for the core.
- Pick it if
- You run more than one server and want declarative, git-tracked config, image builds, and monitoring in one place.
Arcane
BSD-3-Clause, freeA modern web UI for Docker built in SvelteKit, covering containers, images, networks, volumes, and compose, with agents for extra hosts.
Visit Arcane site- Runs on
- Docker, ~150-300 MB RAM.
- Pick it if
- You want a clean, current all-purpose web dashboard that feels more like Portainer than Dockge does.
Lazydocker
MIT, freeA terminal UI for Docker. Browse containers, view logs, check stats, and restart things without leaving the shell. No web server.
Visit Lazydocker site- Runs on
- A single binary. Negligible resources.
- Pick it if
- You live in the terminal or SSH into the box and want fast container management with nothing to host.
Dozzle
MIT, freeA real-time log viewer for containers with basic start, stop, and restart actions. Supports Docker, Swarm, and Kubernetes.
Visit Dozzle site- Runs on
- Docker, well under 100 MB RAM.
- Pick it if
- Your main need is watching live logs across containers, with light controls, and you already deploy stacks another way.
How to choose
Start with what you are actually managing. If it is Docker Compose stacks on a single host, or two, Dockge is the pick. It keeps each stack as a normal compose file in a directory, so you can edit it in Dockge, by hand, or from git and everything stays in sync. That is the one place Portainer frustrates people: its stacks live in Portainer's own store and editing the file on disk drifts from what the UI shows. For the direct head-to-head, see Dockge vs Portainer.
Once you run several servers, Komodo is the stronger tool. It puts a small Periphery agent on each host, builds images from git, and lets you declare your whole setup in tracked config files so a rebuild is repeatable. It also does alerting and basic monitoring, which Portainer leaves to other tools. Arcane sits closer to Portainer's shape: a modern, general web dashboard for containers, images, networks, and volumes, with agents when you add hosts. Pick Arcane if you want the Portainer feel with a cleaner, newer UI.
If you do not want to host another web app at all, Lazydocker gives you a terminal UI that is just a binary: browse containers, tail logs, and restart things over SSH. Dozzle is the narrow pick when logs are the real reason you open Portainer. It streams live logs across every container and adds light start and stop controls, while you keep deploying stacks with compose or one of the tools above.
The verdict
Run Dockge. For the common homelab job, managing a few Docker Compose stacks, it does what Portainer does with less weight and keeps your compose files as files you own. Move to Komodo when you run several servers and want git-tracked config, builds, and alerting in one place. Choose Arcane if you want Portainer's general web-dashboard shape with a newer UI, Lazydocker if you would rather manage containers from the terminal, and Dozzle if live logs are the real reason you keep opening Portainer. Portainer itself is still the right call if you need Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, or role-based access control. If you are also weighing the container runtime underneath all this, see Docker vs Podman.
FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Portainer?
Dockge, for most people. It is free under the MIT license, runs in a small container, and manages Docker Compose stacks while keeping each one as a plain compose file you can still edit by hand. Komodo is the better free pick if you manage several servers, and Lazydocker is free with nothing to host at all.
Is Portainer still free?
Yes. Portainer Community Edition is free and open source and covers most home use. The paid Business Edition adds things like richer access control and registry management; it is free for up to three nodes, then a paid per-node subscription above that. The features people miss most, RBAC and some registry options, are the ones gated to Business Edition.
Is Dockge better than Portainer?
For managing compose stacks on one or a few hosts, many people prefer Dockge because it is lighter and stores your stacks as real compose files instead of inside its own database. Portainer does more overall: it manages Docker Swarm and Kubernetes and has role-based access control. If you only run Compose on a couple of machines, Dockge is simpler; if you need Swarm, Kubernetes, or team access control, keep Portainer.
How do I manage Docker on multiple servers without Portainer?
Komodo is built for it. It runs a small Periphery agent on each host and manages them from one core server, with git-tracked config and image builds so deployments are repeatable. Arcane and Dozzle also support extra hosts through agents. Dockge can connect to other Dockge instances but is happiest on a single host.
What is the lightest Portainer alternative?
Lazydocker if you are comfortable in a terminal: it is a single binary with almost no footprint and no web server. Among web UIs, Dockge and Dozzle are the lightest, each running in a small container that is fine on a Raspberry Pi.
Do these alternatives support Docker Compose?
Dockge is built around Compose and edits your compose files directly. Komodo and Arcane both deploy compose stacks as well, with Komodo adding git-based config on top. Lazydocker and Dozzle work at the container level rather than authoring compose, so pair them with compose files you keep yourself.