Luke and Leia in a life pod from the Falcon. Frequently found on sizable capital ships, a lifeboat was essentially a large escape pod. These vessels could accommodate anywhere from ten to fifty people, and certain models were even classified as starships themselves. Compared to escape pods, life boats offered superior supplies and could sustain passengers for an extended period. Certain versions featured sublight drives, while others were even equipped with hyperdrives.
The Millennium Falcon had escape pods, including a two-person lifeboat used by Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo to reach the surface of Skye.
The Imperial Military's official field manual, Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide, drew a comparison between the planets of the Galactic Empire and lifeboats drifting in the vacuum of realspace, even though they weren't technically lifeboats.