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Docker Desktop Free Tier No Longer Available for Big Corporations

More prominent organisations measured through specific quantities would involuntary be moved to a new subscription service.

Sept. 17, 2021, 1:04 p.m.

TL;DR

Docker has released a service agreement's for a change of subscription protocol which moved Enterprise users off the free tier of its Desktop utility as of August 31, 2021.

The new subscription catalogue consists of Personal, Pro, Team, and Business are the new pricing plans

Key Facts

1
The subscription arrangements shakeup is one of many drills aimed at the realisation of a balanced business model.
2
The specific quantities for enterprise-size evaluation are the number of employees or the weight of revenue.
3
Docker has introduced a new business subscription package.
4
The paid subscription is valued at at least $5 a user per month.
5
Relevant organisations have been issued a compliance deadline if they're to remain on board.

Details

In the twilight of August 2021, DevOps tool manufacturer Docker reprieved access to the free tier of its Desktop utility tool from big corporations, introducing a more expensive subscription package. In its search for a sustainable business model, Docker Desktop is juggling its entire subscription catalogue, also introducing a new Business subscription plan for first-rate organisations.

This would only surprise a minority of the DevOps community, considering the capacity to which Docker can be optimised. Big organisations have been leveraging the utility tool to perform scaled operations, shouldering the same expenses as the personal users and low capacity organisations. This move only applies to Docker Desktop, keeping other Docker offerings such as Docker Moby and Docker Engine clear of any imminent subscription changes.

The free tier has been renamed 'Docker Personal Plan' and remains accessible to individuals, non-profit organisations, educational institutions, small businesses and low-income startups.

Enterprise users would now be accommodated in the Docker Business Plan at a minimum cost of $5 per user every month. Docker Business is a cutoff from Docker Desktop that houses some new modifications like single sign-on (SSO), container registry access controls, software supply chain management and more for optimising Docker for scaled operations.

The new plan brings features like secure software supply chain management, single sign-on (SSO), container registry access controls, and more to organisations that use Docker at scale.

Now DevOps teams in organisations with at least 250 employees or $10m in revenue would know they have to plan towards January 31, 2022, the compliance deadline date. From the said date, Docker would start to enforce the new subscription agreement.

Though the news wasn't exactly a surprise to many, it didn't fail to amass as much criticism from the DevOps community as it garnered acclaim. Many described it as groundwork for erstwhile subscription inflation. Another faction voiced the difficulty of integration with a larger organisation's project for low-scale use and a worse case if the organisation decides not to comply with Docker Business Plan.

The new subscription catalogue consists of Personal, Pro, Team, and Business are the new pricing plans, replacing the old Free, Pro, Team, and Large plans. The Personal plan stays free, while the Pro plan costs $5 per month for individuals and $7 per month for teams. The new Business plan costs $21 per month per user.