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Docker HQ vs Portainer
Portainer is a mature, web-based container management platform. Docker HQ is a mobile-first app that manages your Docker hosts over plain SSH. Both are good tools — they solve the problem from different directions. Here's an honest look at where each fits.
| Feature | Docker HQ | Portainer |
|---|---|---|
| Primary interface | Native mobile app (iOS & Android) + web account | Web UI, self-hosted |
| How it connects | Direct SSH — nothing to install on your hosts | Agent or Edge agent deployed per environment |
| Setup | Add host address + SSH credentials, done | Deploy Portainer server, then agents per host |
| Containers, images, volumes, networks | Included | Included |
| Logs & terminal | Included, from your phone | Included, in the browser |
| Compose stacks | Included (Pro) | Included |
| Kubernetes | — | Included (a core strength) |
| Monitoring & down alerts with push | Included (Pro) — checks run even when the app is closed | Via add-ons / external tooling |
| Cloud backups with quotas | Included (Pro) | — |
| Team RBAC | Included | Included (deeper in Business/Enterprise) |
| Enterprise features (registries mgmt, edge fleets) | — | Included in paid tiers |
| Free tier | Free forever plan, no card | Community Edition (self-hosted) |
Choose Docker HQ if…
You want to check on and fix your Docker hosts from wherever you are — the phone in your pocket, not a laptop. Docker HQ connects over SSH, so there is no server to run and no agent to deploy: if you can SSH to a box, you can manage it in seconds.
You care about being told when something breaks. Server-side monitoring watches your hosts even when the app is closed and sends push notifications (or Slack, Discord, Telegram, webhooks) the moment a host goes down or a container exits.
Choose Portainer if…
You manage Kubernetes clusters alongside Docker, need a browser-based control plane your whole team lives in, or want enterprise features like centralized registry management and large edge-agent fleets. Portainer has been the standard self-hosted container UI for years, and it's excellent at that job.
Plenty of teams run both: Portainer as the desk tool, Docker HQ as the on-call tool.
Ready to try Docker HQ? Create a free account or see pricing.