Rancher Desktop
Rancher Desktop is a free, open-source developer tool for Windows, macOS and Linux. Container Management and Kubernetes on the Desktop. It has 7,402 GitHub stars and is released under the Apache-2.0 license, and people use it instead of Docker Desktop.
github.com/rancher-sandbox/rancher-desktop (opens in a new tab)
Data as of from the GitHub API; description from the project's repository. Report an error
About Rancher Desktop
Rancher Desktop is an open-source project that brings Kubernetes and container management to the desktop. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. This README pertains to the development of Rancher Desktop. For user-oriented information about Rancher Desktop, please see [rancherdesktop.io][home]. For user-oriented documentation, please see [docs.rancherdesktop.io][docs].
Replaces
Commercial software people commonly use Rancher Desktop instead of.
- Docker Desktop
Similar apps
More open-source code editors and developer tools
Rio
raphamorim/rio
A hardware-accelerated GPU terminal emulator focusing to run in desktops and browsers.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Code editors & developer toolsWindowsmacOSLinuxDbgate
dbgate/dbgate
Database manager for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, SQLite and others.
Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Code editors & developer toolsWindowsmacOSLinuxLiteide
visualfc/liteide
LiteIDE is a simple, open source, cross-platform Go IDE.
Maintained · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Code editors & developer toolsWindowsmacOSLinuxVimr
qvacua/vimr
VimR — Neovim GUI for macOS in Swift.
Active · last commit Oct 10, 2026
Code editors & developer toolsmacOSMacvim
macvim-dev/macvim
Vim - the text editor - for macOS.
Maintained · last commit Oct 23, 2026
Code editors & developer toolsmacOSX11docker
mviereck/x11docker
Run GUI applications and desktops in docker and podman containers.
Maintained · last commit Jul 5, 2026
Code editors & developer toolsWindowsmacOSLinux
Is Rancher Desktop free and open source?
Yes. Rancher Desktop's source code is public on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license, which is OSI-approved or FSF-free, so you can use, copy and change it for free.
How do I install Rancher Desktop?
Download the installer for Windows, macOS and Linux from its GitHub Releases page (latest: v1.24.0) or the project website.
Can Rancher Desktop replace Docker Desktop?
Rancher Desktop is commonly used as a free alternative to Docker Desktop. Features differ, so check that it opens the file formats and covers the workflows you rely on before switching.