Why I Switched From Docker Desktop to Rancher Desktop

I didn’t expect to make the switch. Like most developers, I had been using Docker Desktop for years. It was reliable, familiar, and frankly, the path of least resistance. But over time, I started noticing little annoyances turning into real friction. Performance dips, licensing changes, limited customization options… things started adding up. That’s when I stumbled onto Rancher Desktop, and before I knew it, I was migrating everything over. So, in this post, I’m going to walk you through exactly why I switched from Docker Desktop to Rancher Desktop — what led to the decision, what changed after, and whether I regret it (spoiler: I don’t).

Life Before the Switch

Before getting into the “why,” let me give you a snapshot of my setup. I was running Docker Desktop on a Windows machine, using WSL2, running Kubernetes occasionally through Docker’s built-in K8s support, and spinning up containers for development environments almost daily.

Docker Desktop was doing the job, but with caveats. For one, it was hogging memory. Even idle, Docker Desktop would sometimes chew through 2-4GB of RAM just sitting in the background. Every update seemed to introduce subtle slowdowns, and the Kubernetes integration, while convenient, never felt as solid or configurable as I wanted.

Then came the licensing change. Docker Desktop started requiring a paid subscription for professional use, and while the cost isn’t sky-high, it was enough to make me reevaluate whether it was worth it.

Discovering Rancher Desktop

Rancher Desktop wasn’t even on my radar until a colleague mentioned it in a casual Slack conversation. I initially brushed it off — I wasn’t looking to overhaul my local container workflow. But curiosity got the better of me. I installed it, played around with it, and found myself saying something I hadn’t said in a while: “Wait, this feels better.”

Rancher Desktop is open-source, lightweight, and gives you more control over the runtime and Kubernetes version. Unlike Docker Desktop, which hides a lot of the machinery under the hood, Rancher Desktop is far more transparent. You get to pick the container runtime (containerd or dockerd), switch Kubernetes versions easily, and see what’s going on under the hood.

That transparency was refreshing.

Performance: A Clear Win

If you’ve been using Docker Desktop on Windows or macOS, you know the pain of sluggishness. Spin up a few containers, and suddenly your fans are howling. Rancher Desktop felt leaner right out of the box. It uses nerdctl as a Docker-compatible CLI when you use containerd, and in my experience, it performs comparably — sometimes even faster — without the memory bloat.

The Kubernetes integration is where I noticed the biggest performance win. You can select the exact version you want, and it spins up faster. No more waiting for 10 minutes just to see “Kubernetes is starting” hover in your tray.

I also appreciated the simplicity of switching between containerd and dockerd. For projects that needed compatibility with existing Docker workflows, I could just toggle the option in the settings and move on.

Why I Switched From Docker Desktop to Rancher Desktop (No Regrets)

Let me be clear: the decision to switch wasn’t instant. I used Rancher Desktop side by side with Docker Desktop for about three weeks. During that time, I compared builds, tested Kubernetes compatibility, played with Compose files using nerdctl, and ensured volume mounts and networking were stable.

What clinched it for me was control.

With Docker Desktop, things were abstracted to a point where debugging became guesswork. Logs? Hidden. Runtime options? Limited. With Rancher Desktop, I could see exactly what was running, what was failing, and tweak things as needed. And all of this without jumping through licensing hoops or waiting for sluggish GUI elements to respond.

There’s also something empowering about using a tool that doesn’t feel like a walled garden. Rancher Desktop encourages tinkering. Want to change how your K8s cluster starts up? You can. Want to poke into your container runtime? Be my guest.

Day-to-Day Development Improved

Once I fully transitioned, my day-to-day dev experience got noticeably smoother. I wasn’t restarting Docker Desktop every time something weird happened. I wasn’t losing minutes waiting for containers to start. I wasn’t fiddling with K8s settings buried deep inside a GUI.

Instead, I was writing code, running containers, testing services, and moving on. Isn’t that the whole point?

Another bonus: no need to log in to a Docker account just to use the tool. That alone saved me from a few annoying sign-in loops and credential errors I used to get with Docker Desktop.

The One-Liner That Changed My Mind

I think the moment I truly realized I was done with Docker Desktop was when I typed nerdctl compose up and everything just… worked. No lag, no credential issues, no hidden background services chugging CPU. It was a reminder that simplicity and power don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

And that’s the essence of why I switched from Docker Desktop to Rancher Desktop.

But What About Compatibility?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Docker compatibility. If you’ve got projects with Dockerfiles, Compose files, and docker-compose commands baked into your muscle memory, is Rancher Desktop going to throw a wrench into your flow?

Here’s the honest answer: not really. When using the dockerd runtime, you still get the Docker CLI, and everything works as expected. When using containerd, you can use nerdctl, which supports most Docker CLI commands and even Compose (though with some syntax caveats). If you’re doing anything particularly exotic with Docker plugins or advanced networking, you’ll want to test those. But for most development workflows? Seamless.

I’ve converted five projects now, and only one needed a slight tweak to a Compose file. Everything else just worked.

Docker Desktop vs Rancher Desktop: Quick Comparison

Feature	Docker Desktop	Rancher Desktop
License	Freemium (Pro for Work)	Open-source
Container runtime	Docker Engine only	containerd or dockerd
Kubernetes support	Built-in	Built-in, customizable
Memory usage	Higher	Lower
Resource control	GUI slider	Configurable YAML
Performance	Slower on large setups	Faster and leaner
CLI	Docker CLI	Docker or nerdctl
UI	Polished GUI	Simple, functional
Open-source transparency	Limited	Full

Things to Watch Out For

To keep it real, Rancher Desktop isn’t perfect.

Learning curve with nerdctl: It mimics Docker, but not 100%. Some Compose flags may differ slightly.
Container volume quirks: Especially on Windows, path mapping might need extra care.
Fewer fancy GUI features: If you like pretty graphs and container views, Docker Desktop still has the edge.

But these are nitpicks. None of them were deal-breakers for me.

Community and Updates

One of the pleasant surprises has been the pace of updates and the responsiveness of the Rancher Desktop community. Issues I raised on GitHub actually got replies — sometimes within a day. Compared to Docker’s more corporate roadmap, Rancher Desktop feels alive, collaborative, and interested in developer feedback.

Final Thoughts: It’s Not Just About the Tool

When you spend 8+ hours a day developing, even small friction points can sap your energy. Switching from Docker Desktop to Rancher Desktop wasn’t just a technical decision — it was a quality-of-life upgrade.

I don’t miss the bloat, the paywalls, or the sluggish GUIs. I gained speed, simplicity, and control. If you’re still on the fence, I’d encourage you to try Rancher Desktop side-by-side for a week. You might be surprised how quickly it becomes your default.

And yes, it’s worth saying again: the reason why I switched from Docker Desktop to Rancher Desktop wasn’t out of frustration — it was about finding something that just fits better.