Comparison
DockZ vs Colima
Colima is a free, open-source CLI that runs Docker in a Lima VM. DockZ shares the open-source, real-dockerd approach and adds a native dashboard around it.
At a glance
| DockZ | Colima | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache 2.0 | MIT |
| Interface | Native dashboard + menu bar + CLI | CLI only |
| Install | DMG, no Homebrew, no admin password | Homebrew (Lima, QEMU or VZ) |
| Docker engine | Upstream dockerd in Alpine | Upstream dockerd |
| Kubernetes | Multi-node k3s / k8s templates | Single-node k3s (colima start --kubernetes) |
| General Linux VMs | Alpine / Debian / Ubuntu | Via Lima |
| VM snapshots + rollback | APFS copy-on-write | — |
| Platforms | macOS 15+, Apple Silicon | macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), Linux |
Why people pick DockZ
- Free and open source (Apache 2.0) — no seat counting, no license audit.
- One ~8 MB native app: Docker engine, a Portainer-style dashboard, Multipass-style Linux machines and k3s/k8s playgrounds.
- Manage remote Docker hosts over SSH or mutual TLS; TLS keys stay in the Mac's Secure Enclave.
- Self-healing VM: if the engine stops answering, DockZ restarts it on its own.
When Colima is the better choice
- You want a scriptable, terminal-only setup, or need Intel Macs or Linux hosts.
- You already manage Lima VMs and want to keep one tool.
Switching takes a few minutes
- Install DockZ from the DMG and launch it; the first launch builds the VM image and, if you have no
dockerCLI, installs the official one. - DockZ registers a
dockzDocker context:docker context use dockz. Your images, compose files and commands stay the same. - Images live per engine — re-pull them (or
docker save/docker load) and recreate volumes you need.
Try DockZ
Download the DMG
Free, open source, ~8 MB (3.5 MB download). macOS 15+ on Apple Silicon.
Comparison as of October 2026, based on each product's public documentation. Spotted something out of date? Open an issue.