Switched to OrbStack from Docker Desktop

(Not sponsored by OrbStack. In no way associated with them.)

OrbStack is an app for macOS whose promise is "Say goodbye to slow, clunky containers and VMs".

I find it to be true.

With Docker Desktop I always had the following issues, even if only from time to time:

• Crashes
• Hangs
• Takes up too much RAM or CPU from time to time
• Its interface is slow and clunky

I've been paying for OrbStack since November 2025, and I have not experienced any of these issues. They were a regular occurrence with Docker Desktop.

It even shuts down and starts up more quickly, which means I'm more willing to do it! Probably that contributes to its better performance, the fact that I can restart it. But even on a fresh start it performs better than Docker Desktop on a fresh start.

I'm willing to pay for working software. Despite Docker being around since 2013, and in 2024 reportedly having an ARR of >$200,000,000, they still produce a subpar experience with Docker Desktop.

I guess it's "good enough", therefore there isn't a need to make it "actually good software", even if they would be more successful if they did.