compare
Podman Desktop vs Rancher Desktop
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | Podman Desktop | Rancher Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Stars | 8.1k | 7.4k |
| Latest | v1.29.3 | v1.24.0 |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Release cadence | too few releases | about 19 days between releases |
| Active contributors | 47+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 7+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Both replace Docker Desktop. Alternatives to Docker Desktop →
Full replacementPodman DesktopContainers, images, pods and a local Kubernetes through Podman, with Docker API compatibility.
Full replacementRancher DesktopContainers and Kubernetes on the desktop, with containerd or dockerd underneath.
Both replace OrbStack. Alternatives to OrbStack →
PartialPodman DesktopManages containers, pods and a local Kubernetes from a GUI, without Linux machines.
PartialRancher DesktopContainers and a local Kubernetes on macOS, Windows and Linux.
Podman Desktop
- v1.30.42026-10-05pre-release
- v1.30.32026-09-30pre-release
- v1.30.22026-09-30chore: Bump Podman v5 to 5.8.8, v6 to 6.1.3 (backport #19451) by @mergify[bot] inpre-release
- v1.30.12026-09-28chore(test): ssh connection broken after svelte 5 migration (backport #19350) by @mergify[bot] inpre-release
- v1.30.02026-09-21chore: 📢 Bump version to 1.30.0pre-release
Podman Desktop
unsigned The latest release, v1.29.3, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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Rancher Desktop
✓ signed The latest release, v1.24.0, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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