compare
Portainer vs Rancher
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | Portainer | Rancher |
|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Licence | Zlib | Apache-2.0 |
| Stars | 39k | 26k |
| Latest | 2.45.1 | v2.15.2 |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Release cadence | about 7 days between releases | about 1 day between releases |
| Active contributors | 17 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 41 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Both replace Lens. Alternatives to Lens →
PartialPortainerA web UI for Docker, Swarm and Kubernetes, with fewer Kubernetes views than Lens.
Full replacementRancherA web UI served from a management cluster, which also provisions and upgrades clusters.
Portainer
✓ signed The latest release, 2.45.1, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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Rancher
✓ signed The latest release, v2.15.2, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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