Docker Registry Comparison 2026: Harbor vs Quay vs ECR vs Docker Hub

Choosing the right container registry is critical for your Docker workflow. Whether youre running a small team or managing enterprise-scale deployments, the right registry can save hours per week and thousands in operational costs. This guide compares Docker Hub, Harbor, Quay, and AWS ECR—the four leading container registry solutions.

Quick Comparison

Docker Hub: The Default Choice

What Is Docker Hub?

Docker Hub is Docker Inc.s official registry and the most popular image repository. It hosts millions of public images and is the default registry for Docker CLI commands.

Advantages

• Free public registries: Unlimited public images at no cost
• Huge library: Millions of pre-built images (official + community)
• Default integration: Works seamlessly with Docker CLI
• Familiar: Most developers already have accounts
• Team plans: $5-180/month for private images
• Webhooks: Integrate with CI/CD pipelines

Disadvantages

• Limited features: No replication, no advanced RBAC
• Rate limits: 100 pulls per 6 hours for free users (anonymously: 20)
• No image scanning: Basic scanning, limited vulnerability data
• No private replication: Cant mirror to other registries automatically
• Security concerns: Many images unmaintained or contain vulnerabilities
• Single registry: No multi-region redundancy

Best For

Individual developers, open-source projects, small teams, development environments. Not recommended for enterprise production.

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Harbor: The Enterprise Solution

What Is Harbor?

Harbor is an open-source container registry developed by VMware (CNCF project). It provides enterprise features like replication, image scanning, and advanced access control.

Advantages

• Self-hosted: Full control, no cloud dependency
• Completely free: Open-source, no licensing costs
• Enterprise features: Replication, RBAC, webhooks, image scanning
• Multi-registry: Replicate between multiple Harbor instances
• Image scanning: Built-in vulnerability scanning (excellent)
• Helm support: Native Helm chart storage and management
• OCI compliance: Follows Open Container Initiative standards
• Large community: 20,000+ GitHub stars, active development

Disadvantages

• Self-hosted overhead: Requires infrastructure and maintenance
• Setup complexity: Takes 2-4 hours to properly configure
• No SaaS option: Must run your own instances
• Storage management: Must provision and maintain storage backend
• Learning curve: Complex UI and many configuration options

Real-World Costs

• Self-hosted: $500-1,000/month (2 servers + storage)
• Hardware: 4GB RAM + 100GB storage minimum
• Backup costs: Must backup registry data
• OpEx: DevOps time to manage and maintain

Best For

Enterprise organizations, regulatory compliance requirements, on-premises deployments, organizations wanting complete control, large teams needing replication.

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Quay: The Hybrid Option

What Is Quay?

Quay is a container registry developed by CoreOS (acquired by Red Hat/IBM). It offers both SaaS and self-hosted options with modern features and strong enterprise support.

Advantages

• Hybrid deployment: SaaS OR self-hosted (choose flexibility)
• Free tier: Generous free public registry
• SaaS option: $15-100/month (simpler than Harbor self-hosted)
• Red Hat backing: Enterprise support available
• Image scanning: Premium feature with excellent vulnerability detection
• RBAC: Advanced access control
• Kubernetes integration: Seamless with OpenShift and Kubernetes
• OCI compliance: Standards-compliant implementation

Disadvantages

• Less popular: Smaller community than Harbor
• Self-hosted setup: Similar complexity to Harbor if self-hosting
• Scanning requires premium: Basic scanning only in free tier
• Limited multi-registry: Replication not as robust as Harbor
• Enterprise tiers expensive: Premium features can cost $500+/month

Best For

Teams using Red Hat/OpenShift, organizations wanting SaaS with self-hosted option, enterprises needing professional support, teams willing to pay for premium features.

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AWS ECR: The Cloud-Native Choice

What Is AWS ECR?

AWS Elastic Container Registry (ECR) is Amazons managed container registry service. It integrates natively with AWS services (ECS, EKS, Lambda).

Advantages

• AWS integration: Seamless with ECS, EKS, Lambda, CodeBuild
• Pay-as-you-go: $0.07 per GB/month (10 GB costs $0.70)
• Managed service: No infrastructure to manage
• High availability: Built-in across availability zones
• IAM integration: Leverage AWS Identity and Access Management
• Lifecycle policies: Automatic image cleanup and rotation
• Cross-region replication: Built-in disaster recovery
• Image scanning: Free basic scanning included

Disadvantages

• AWS lock-in: Only works well with AWS infrastructure
• No multi-cloud: Cant easily replicate to non-AWS registries
• Learning curve: AWS-specific tooling and concepts
• Limited features: Fewer features than Harbor
• Not good for non-AWS: Awkward if using non-AWS Kubernetes

Real-World Costs

• Data storage: $0.07/GB/month
• Data transfer: $0.02/GB out (to internet)
• Example (100GB images): $7/month storage + $2/month outbound = $9/month

Best For

Organizations already on AWS, Kubernetes on EKS deployments, teams using AWS-native tools, startups wanting minimal operational overhead.

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Cost Comparison: Real-World Scenario

Scenario: Development team storing 500 GB of images, 5 developers, CI/CD integration

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Decision Matrix

Choose Docker Hub If

• Youre an individual developer or small team
• You mainly use open-source public images
• You need simplicity over features
• Budget is your primary concern

Choose Harbor If

• You need complete control (on-premises/private cloud)
• You require replication across multiple locations
• You want zero licensing costs
• You need advanced RBAC and security
• Youre building an internal platform

Choose Quay If

• You use Red Hat/OpenShift infrastructure
• You want hybrid SaaS + self-hosted option
• You need enterprise support
• Youre willing to pay for premium features

Choose AWS ECR If

• Youre running on AWS (EKS or ECS)
• You want minimal operational overhead
• You need tight IAM integration
• You want built-in cross-region replication

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Implementation Guide

Option 1: Docker Hub (Fastest)

docker login
docker tag myapp:latest username/myapp:latest
docker push username/myapp:latest

Option 2: Harbor (Best Features)

docker login harbor.example.com
docker tag myapp:latest harbor.example.com/library/myapp:latest
docker push harbor.example.com/library/myapp:latest

Option 3: AWS ECR (AWS Native)

aws ecr get-login-password --region us-east-1 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin 123456789.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
docker tag myapp:latest 123456789.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/myapp:latest
docker push 123456789.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/myapp:latest

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Recommendation by Organization Size

• Individual/Freelancer: Docker Hub free tier or Quay free tier
• Startup (< $1M revenue): Docker Hub Team ($10/mo) or AWS ECR ($30-50/mo)
• Growing Company (10-50 engineers): Quay SaaS ($50-100/mo) or Harbor self-hosted
• Enterprise (100+ engineers): Harbor self-hosted or Quay Enterprise with Red Hat support
• AWS-first companies: AWS ECR regardless of size

Key Takeaway

The best container registry depends on your deployment model:

• SaaS simplicity: Docker Hub or Quay (ease of use)
• Self-hosted power: Harbor (enterprise features)
• AWS integration: ECR (native tools)

For most organizations, Harbor (self-hosted) or Quay (SaaS) offer the best balance of features, control, and cost.