Harbor
MantisBT
| Feature | Harbor | MantisBT |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $4.95/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 3.9 / 5 |
| Best For | enterprise-devops, container-teams, security-teams, regulated-industries | developers, small-teams, open-source-projects, budget-conscious-teams |
| Founded | 2016 | 2000 |
| Container Registry | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vulnerability Scanning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rbac | ✓ | ✗ |
| Image Signing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Replication | ✓ | ✗ |
| Garbage Collection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Audit Logs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bug Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Fields | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email Notifications | ✗ | ✓ |
| Role Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plugins | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Harbor Pros
- Completely free and CNCF graduated project
- Built-in vulnerability scanning (Trivy integration)
- Image signing and policy enforcement
- Multi-registry replication for geo-distribution
✗ Harbor Cons
- Requires self-hosting and infrastructure management
- UI is functional but not modern
- Initial setup complexity for production
✓ MantisBT Pros
- Free and open-source
- Easy to set up
- Lightweight
- Extensible with plugins
✗ MantisBT Cons
- Dated interface
- Limited agile features
- Small community vs alternatives
The Verdict
Harbor is built for enterprise devops and container teams, with a focus on container-registry and vulnerability-scanning. MantisBT targets developers and small teams and leads with bug-tracking and custom-fields.
Harbor uses custom enterprise pricing, while MantisBT starts at $4.95/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Harbor edges out on user ratings (4.3 vs 3.9). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Harbor offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while MantisBT takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Harbor has a slight overall edge — but if free and open-source matters most to you, MantisBT may still be the right call.