Kiri OrbStack alternative
Free · Apache 2.0 Mac, Windows and Linux
An OrbStack alternative that's free at work.
Kiri is a native Mac app for Docker containers, Kubernetes and Linux machines, like OrbStack. It is also free for commercial use, open source, and runs on Windows and Linux. On the same Mac it starts a container in 22 ms; OrbStack takes 279 ms.
Kiri moves your images, volumes and containers over from OrbStack, so you can switch without rebuilding.
Measured
Faster than OrbStack where it counts.
Four engines on one Apple silicon Mac, each limited to the same 2 CPUs and 8 GB, driven by the same docker CLI with the same warm images. Medians, lower is better for times.
| Measurement | Kiri | Docker Desktop | OrbStack | Colima |
|---|---|---|---|---|
docker run --rm alpine true | 22 ms | 178 ms | 279 ms | 152 ms |
docker exec … true | 15.7 ms | 47.7 ms | 32.5 ms | 36.8 ms |
| Container lifecycle through the Docker API | 3.1 ms | 163 ms | 238 ms | 88 ms |
| Containers started in parallel | 88.9 /s | 11.4 /s | 8.2 /s | 12.9 /s |
| 200 MB out of a container | 223 MB/s | 45 MB/s | 87 MB/s | 63 MB/s |
| Bind mount read, 1 GB | 1724 MB/s | 1354 MB/s | 3240 MB/s | 5235 MB/s |
2 November 2026, Kiri 0.1.13, Docker Desktop 4.90.0, OrbStack 2.2.4, Colima 0.10.3. Where another engine wins, the table says so: Colima reads bind mounts faster. On Windows Kiri starts a container in 78 ms against Docker Desktop's 491 ms. Method, every row and the caveats: benchmarks.
Side by side
Kiri and OrbStack, and the rest.
| Feature | Kiri | Docker Desktop | OrbStack | Colima |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Linux | Yes, no VM | In a VM | No | Yes |
| Free at work | Yes | Paid over 250 staff | Paid | Yes |
| Open source | Apache 2.0 | No | No | MIT |
| Desktop app | Native | Electron | Native | CLI only |
docker, Compose, buildx | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kubernetes | Yes | Yes | Yes | k3s |
| Public link to a container | Kiri Share | No | No | No |
docker run on a Mac | 22 ms | 178 ms | 279 ms | 152 ms |
Docker Desktop needs a paid subscription in companies with more than 250 employees or more than $10 million a year in revenue. OrbStack is free for personal use and paid for work. Checked November 2026; each project's own pages have the current terms.
Coming from OrbStack
What you keep, and what you gain.
A native Mac app
AppKit and the system WebKit, a menu bar item, your containers' files in Finder at ~/Kiri. No Electron.
Kubernetes and Linux machines
kiri k8s start gives you a single-node cluster in about 20 s. kiri machine create dev gives you an Ubuntu shell with your user and /Users at the same path.
No shim per container
OrbStack keeps a process for every container: 143 containers held 1.13 GB in shims on our test Mac. Kiri keeps none.
Free at work, open source
No commercial licence, under Apache 2.0. Read the code, build it, send a fix.
Windows and Linux too
Your team on Windows or Linux gets the same engine and the same kiri commands.
A public link to any container
Kiri Share puts a running container on an HTTPS link with one click.
Switching
Keep your commands. Change the engine.
Install Kiri
On a Mac, the app. On Windows, a per-user installer for WSL2. On Linux, a
.debor.rpm:curl -fsSL https://runkiri.com/install.sh | bash.Bring your things over
Kiri moves images, volumes and containers over from Docker Desktop or OrbStack, so nothing is rebuilt. Keep the old one installed while you try it.
Run what you always run
$ docker compose upKiri adds a
kiridocker context, so thedockerCLI, Compose, buildx and your IDE talk to Kiri.
Questions
Asked often.
Is there a free alternative to OrbStack?
Yes. Kiri is free for personal and commercial use and open source under Apache 2.0. Colima is free too but has no desktop app.
Is Kiri faster than OrbStack?
On most of what we measured, yes: on one Mac with the same 2 CPUs and 8 GB, docker run took 22 ms on Kiri and 279 ms on OrbStack, and Kiri started containers in parallel ten times faster. OrbStack accepted more new HTTP connections and read bind mounts faster; the benchmarks page shows every row.
Can I move my containers from OrbStack to Kiri?
Yes. Kiri imports images, volumes and containers from OrbStack and Docker Desktop. Keep OrbStack installed while you try Kiri; it uses its own socket and docker context.
Does Kiri run Kubernetes like OrbStack?
Yes. kiri k8s start gives you a single-node Kubernetes cluster in about 20 seconds, shown in Kiri's window under Pods and Services.
Does Kiri run on Windows and Linux?
Yes. OrbStack is Mac-only; Kiri runs on macOS, on Windows inside WSL2 and on Linux with no VM.
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