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Docker Compose vs Podman Compose: catalog facts
Docker Compose	Podman Compose
Free Free to use.	Free Free and open source under the GPL 2.0 licence.
Command line	Command line
Whole stack described in one readable file Starts and stops multiple containers together	Runs existing docker-compose.yml files Rootless and daemonless
Needs Docker installed to run Aimed at single hosts rather than clusters	Needs a Podman network backend with DNS resolution Older Podman versions require the legacy 0.1.x branch
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.