diff --git a/cmd/containerd-stress/density.go b/cmd/containerd-stress/density.go
index 6359254a1..27b537dd2 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd-stress/density.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd-stress/density.go
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ var densityCommand = cli.Command{
 			Exec:        cliContext.GlobalBool("exec"),
 			JSON:        cliContext.GlobalBool("json"),
 			Metrics:     cliContext.GlobalString("metrics"),
+			Snapshotter: cliContext.GlobalString("snapshotter"),
 		}
 		client, err := config.newClient()
 		if err != nil {
@@ -66,7 +67,7 @@ var densityCommand = cli.Command{
 			return err
 		}
 		logrus.Infof("pulling %s", imageName)
-		image, err := client.Pull(ctx, imageName, containerd.WithPullUnpack)
+		image, err := client.Pull(ctx, imageName, containerd.WithPullUnpack, containerd.WithPullSnapshotter(config.Snapshotter))
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -91,6 +92,7 @@ var densityCommand = cli.Command{
 				id := fmt.Sprintf("density-%d", i)
 
 				c, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id,
+					containerd.WithSnapshotter(config.Snapshotter),
 					containerd.WithNewSnapshot(id, image),
 					containerd.WithNewSpec(
 						oci.WithImageConfig(image),
diff --git a/cmd/containerd-stress/exec_worker.go b/cmd/containerd-stress/exec_worker.go
index cda1d04cd..981055455 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd-stress/exec_worker.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd-stress/exec_worker.go
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ func (w *execWorker) exec(ctx, tctx context.Context) {
 	id := fmt.Sprintf("exec-container-%d", w.id)
 	c, err := w.client.NewContainer(ctx, id,
 		containerd.WithNewSnapshot(id, w.image),
+		containerd.WithSnapshotter(w.snapshotter),
 		containerd.WithNewSpec(oci.WithImageConfig(w.image), oci.WithUsername("games"), oci.WithProcessArgs("sleep", "30d")),
 	)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go b/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go
index 19d9dec82..2706b826d 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go
@@ -149,6 +149,11 @@ func main() {
 			Usage: "set the runtime to stress test",
 			Value: plugin.RuntimeRuncV2,
 		},
+		cli.StringFlag{
+			Name:  "snapshotter",
+			Usage: "set the snapshotter to use",
+			Value: "overlayfs",
+		},
 	}
 	app.Before = func(context *cli.Context) error {
 		if context.GlobalBool("json") {
@@ -171,6 +176,7 @@ func main() {
 			JSON:        context.GlobalBool("json"),
 			Metrics:     context.GlobalString("metrics"),
 			Runtime:     context.GlobalString("runtime"),
+			Snapshotter: context.GlobalString("snapshotter"),
 		}
 		if config.Metrics != "" {
 			return serve(config)
@@ -191,6 +197,7 @@ type config struct {
 	JSON        bool
 	Metrics     string
 	Runtime     string
+	Snapshotter string
 }
 
 func (c config) newClient() (*containerd.Client, error) {
@@ -222,7 +229,7 @@ func test(c config) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	logrus.Infof("pulling %s", imageName)
-	image, err := client.Pull(ctx, imageName, containerd.WithPullUnpack)
+	image, err := client.Pull(ctx, imageName, containerd.WithPullUnpack, containerd.WithPullSnapshotter(c.Snapshotter))
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -247,11 +254,12 @@ func test(c config) error {
 	for i := 0; i < c.Concurrency; i++ {
 		wg.Add(1)
 		w := &worker{
-			id:     i,
-			wg:     &wg,
-			image:  image,
-			client: client,
-			commit: v.Revision,
+			id:          i,
+			wg:          &wg,
+			image:       image,
+			client:      client,
+			commit:      v.Revision,
+			snapshotter: c.Snapshotter,
 		}
 		workers = append(workers, w)
 	}
@@ -261,11 +269,12 @@ func test(c config) error {
 			wg.Add(1)
 			exec = &execWorker{
 				worker: worker{
-					id:     i,
-					wg:     &wg,
-					image:  image,
-					client: client,
-					commit: v.Revision,
+					id:          i,
+					wg:          &wg,
+					image:       image,
+					client:      client,
+					commit:      v.Revision,
+					snapshotter: c.Snapshotter,
 				},
 			}
 			go exec.exec(ctx, tctx)
diff --git a/cmd/containerd-stress/worker.go b/cmd/containerd-stress/worker.go
index 0b9b2801a..c0b17ab62 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd-stress/worker.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd-stress/worker.go
@@ -35,9 +35,10 @@ type worker struct {
 	count    int
 	failures int
 
-	client *containerd.Client
-	image  containerd.Image
-	commit string
+	client      *containerd.Client
+	image       containerd.Image
+	commit      string
+	snapshotter string
 }
 
 func (w *worker) run(ctx, tctx context.Context) {
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ func (w *worker) run(ctx, tctx context.Context) {
 func (w *worker) runContainer(ctx context.Context, id string) (err error) {
 	// fix up cgroups path for a default config
 	c, err := w.client.NewContainer(ctx, id,
+		containerd.WithSnapshotter(w.snapshotter),
 		containerd.WithNewSnapshot(id, w.image),
 		containerd.WithNewSpec(oci.WithImageConfig(w.image), oci.WithUsername("games"), oci.WithProcessArgs("true")),
 	)