Amazon ECR vs Harbor comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and GoHarbor are both solutions in the Container Registry category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3, while GoHarbor is ranked #3 with an average rating of 9.0. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 16.7% mindshare in CR, compared to GoHarbor’s 18.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of GoHarbor users who would recommend it.

Amazon ECR

Read 23 Amazon ECR reviews

3,828 Views
3,828 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Harbor

Read 2 Harbor reviews

3,828 Views
3,828 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Amazon ECR

Harbor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Amazon ECR and Harbor compete in the container registry category, focusing on secure and scalable container management. Amazon ECR has an advantage in cloud-native support and pricing flexibility due to its integration with AWS, while Harbor stands out with its strong security and extensibility.

Features:Amazon ECR offers deep integration with AWS, auto-scaling capabilities, and strong encryption standards. Harbor features advanced security such as vulnerability scanning and role-based access control. It is compatible with various container orchestration platforms, promoting versatility for users seeking a platform-agnostic solution.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Amazon ECR leverages AWS's infrastructure for straightforward deployment and efficient customer support. Harbor requires more manual configuration for on-premises or hybrid setups but provides flexibility for diverse deployment scenarios. The complexity of Harbor's deployment can be challenging compared to the smoother experience and extensive support of Amazon ECR.

Pricing and ROI:Amazon ECR’s pricing integrates with AWS’s pay-as-you-go model, offering cost-effective scaling that benefits ROI for organizations using AWS. Harbor, as an open-source solution, reduces initial setup costs and offers significant long-term ROI through its customizable framework, although it may involve higher initial infrastructure investment. Harbor's cost-effectiveness in hybrid and multi-cloud setups makes it appealing for enterprises focused on cost management and resource optimization.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon ECR vs. Harbor Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon ECR vs. Harbor

September 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon ECR

Ranking in Container Registry

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Harbor

Ranking in Container Registry

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Container Registry category, the mindshare of Amazon ECR is 16.7%, down from 18.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Harbor is 18.5%, down from 26.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Registry Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Amazon ECR	16.7%
Harbor	18.5%
Other	64.8%

Container Registry

Featured Reviews

PrashantaPaudel

Wordpress Trainer at SpeedZone.fi

Has supported container workflows through fast image handling and seamless service integrations

The most valuable feature of Amazon ECR is that we can push and pull faster than other similar products. It means saving and retrieving more efficiently. This is not manual dragging and dropping, but rather programmatic taking and saving. I have used Amazon ECR with Lambda, EC2, and EFS. These are integrable services where you can call Amazon ECR from anywhere in AWS. If my product is not always dependent totally on Amazon ECR only, but if the product is dependent on Amazon ECR only, then having a low time to load, low time to save, and a faster containerizing process time would affect the software's response time. This is important.

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reviewer2584182

DevOps Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Enhance security with automated vulnerability detection and private registry support

We use Harbor for Docker containers to build from our GitLab CI/CD pipeline. This pipeline then automatically pushes to our Harbor instance. We are still working on storing Helm charts in the Harbor instance as well Harbor has improved our organization's security and stability in our container…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The ECR solution is good. It is integrated with AWS, and it's free. Everything is free, which makes it nice to use."

"The main feature I value is the ability to deposit and retrieve images."

"I recommend using AWS services for their availability, scalability, performance, and observability."

"The integration with AWS services is very easy, and the deployment and initial setup are pretty straightforward."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the scanning of images for vulnerabilities."

"ECR provides robust security features, including image scanning and vulnerability assessment, supported by AWS identity and access management for fine-grained access control."

"In the case of Amazon ECR, there are various valuable features we can see. Currently, there are image-scanning capabilities that we use."

"The most valuable feature is that Amazon ECR is very simple and useful."

More Amazon ECR pros

"Right now this is the leading product in this category."

"We decided to switch to using Harbor because there is nothing like it amongst these tools."

"The most valuable feature of Harbor is its security scanning capability."

Cons

"There were some initial connectivity issues, especially when accessing ECR from our on-prem setup."

"If Amazon ECR had CI/CD also integrated into it, then it would probably be better."

"I would appreciate a feature in Amazon ECR that allows direct image downloads from open source into ECR, bypassing the current need to first pull the image to my server."

"There were a few issues related to the roles, policies, and retrieval of data when trying to fetch images for deployment on Amazon ECS. This can involve permissions and configuration complexities."

"It would be great if they could also provide a reference to fix the errors or vulnerabilities in the images rather than just notifying us about them."

"Its support for system architecture needs improvement."

"I suggest making it more aligned with the Docker registry version two API specification."

"There is no room for improvement mentioned; it's good as is."

More Amazon ECR cons

"The GUI interface can be better and more user-friendly."

"The GUI needs to improve."

"There is a need for more support for public repositories, like the Google Cloud GTR, which is not as integrated as desired."

"The product should integrate better with other storage options."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's prices are high in India as compared to the US."

"The main difference between Amazon ECR and other solutions, like Google Kubernetes Engine, is that I haven't personally used GKE. However, I know that GKE costs around $60 per month, which is quite cost-effective."

"The product is expensive."

"My company currently has Amazon ECR under the pay-as-you-go model. The tool is more affordable than Azure Container Registry, and it's worth the money."

"The solution's price is reasonable compared to its competitors"

"Amazon ECR does not have a high cost."

"The cost of the product is free."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	7

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon ECR?

When it comes to pricing for Amazon ECR, that is the only area AWS has to look into. Services like IoT services or SageMaker are very high, and many times customers complain that while the initial ...

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What needs improvement with Amazon ECR?

For potential areas of improvement in Amazon ECR, I need to check if AWS has features similar to Azure Defender for scanning, getting vulnerabilities, and patching recommendations. Regarding additi...

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What is your primary use case for Amazon ECR?

The main use case for Amazon ECR is that whatever containerized image we are building will be pushed to Amazon ECR, and then it will get deployed into a Kubernetes cluster. I appreciate that if my ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Harbor?

Harbor is open source and part of the graduated Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) landscape, making it a cost-effective solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Harbor?

There is a need for more support for public repositories, like the Google Cloud GTR, which is not as integrated as desired. Additionally, more example implementations for installation using Ansible...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Harbor?

See all answers

Comparisons

JFrog Container Registry vs Amazon ECR

Compared 16% of the time

Azure Container Registry vs Amazon ECR

Compared 13% of the time

Google Container Registry vs Amazon ECR

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) vs Amazon ECR

Compared 8% of the time

DigitalOcean Container Registry vs Amazon ECR

Compared 7% of the time

More Amazon ECR Competitors

JFrog Container Registry vs Harbor

Compared 35% of the time

Red Hat Quay vs Harbor

Compared 12% of the time

Azure Container Registry vs Harbor

Compared 12% of the time

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) vs Harbor

Compared 12% of the time

VMware Harbor Registry vs Harbor

Compared 5% of the time

More Harbor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon ECR

September 2026

Download Amazon ECR product report

Buyer's Guide

Container Registry

September 2026

Download Harbor product report

Also Known As

Amazon Elastic Container Registry

No data available

Overview

Amazon ECR provides efficient storage and management for Docker images, supporting seamless integration with AWS services. It offers private and public repositories, emphasizing security and elasticity for microservices and CI/CD workflows.

Amazon ECR is a robust platform for managing Docker containers, offering users swift operation and centralized management capabilities with intuitive features. This service supports Docker integration, enhancing security with image vulnerability scanning. Its strong alignment with AWS services like ECS and EKS facilitates efficient deployment of containerized applications. Users benefit from features like version control, load balancing, and enhanced scalability. Encryption and IAM policies ensure secure access control, making it ideal for microservices and continuous integration workflows.

What are the key features of Amazon ECR?

Swift Operation: Delivers fast performance for container management.
Docker Integration: Seamlessly works with existing Docker environments.
Image Vulnerability Scanning: Strengthens security by identifying vulnerabilities.
Private & Public Repositories: Offers flexible storage options for images.
Load Balancing: Enhances performance within AWS infrastructure.
Encryption & IAM Policies: Supports secure access controls for users.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Operational Efficiency: Streamlined workflows with AWS service integration.
Security Enhancements: Robust protection against vulnerabilities.
Scalability: Capability to handle growing workloads seamlessly.
Flexibility: Handles microservices and monolithic architectures alike.
Cost-effectiveness: Reduces overheads through automation and integration.

AWS ECR is widely adopted across industries, offering reliable image storage and management solutions. Its flexibility allows tech companies to implement DevOps pipelines with ease, automating image updates and facilitating CI/CD processes. It empowers teams managing containerized applications, especially in sectors highly dependent on scalable and secure cloud infrastructure.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Harbor offers an innovative container image registry solution designed to improve security, compliance, and the efficiency of application management for enterprises.

Harbor is trusted by enterprises for its ability to securely store, scan, and manage container images. Known for its robust security features and integration capabilities, Harbor helps organizations streamline their container management processes, ensuring compliance and operational efficiency.

What are Harbor's most important features?

Vulnerability Scanning: Automatically scans all container images to identify vulnerabilities.
Role-Based Access Control: Ensures secure access management with multi-level authorizations.
Image Replication: Provides support for replicating images across multiple registries.
Content Signing and Verification: Offers image signing for secure image distribution.
Extended API and Webhooks: Facilitates integration into existing workflows with ease.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Enhanced Security: Automated vulnerability checks improve trust in deployed applications.
Regulatory Compliance: Meets industry regulations with stringent security protocols.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlines container lifecycle management and accelerates development pipelines.

Harbor is widely adopted across sectors such as finance and healthcare, offering enhanced control over container management. Its implementation improves secure data handling and compliance in industries with strict regulatory oversight, ensuring confident and efficient operations.

GoHarbor

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

AXA, Talking Data

Buyer's Guide

Amazon ECR vs. Harbor

September 2026

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