Compare software

crictl vs nerdctl: catalog facts
crictl	nerdctl
Free Free to use; the source is published on GitHub.	Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license.
Linux, Command line	Linux, Command line
Works with any CRI-compatible container runtime Useful for debugging directly on a Kubernetes node	Same commands as docker, so existing habits carry over Runs Docker Compose files
Aimed at debugging, not at running workloads day to day Requires a CRI runtime and knowledge of Kubernetes	Requires containerd rather than working with an existing Docker daemon Many advanced features are optional extras that need separate setup
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: Apache-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.