The main benefit of using Docker containers in software development is their ability to create a consistent development environment. This ensures that applications run seamlessly across different machines, minimizing the "it works on my machine" problem. Containers package all the dependencies required for an application, enabling easy deployment and scalability. Moreover, Docker enhances collaboration among development teams by allowing them to share containerized applications. This leads to faster development cycles, integrates continuous integration and continuous deployment practices, and ultimately accelerates time-to-market for software solutions.