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Docker Desktop vs Pods: catalog facts
Docker Desktop	Pods
Freemium Free for personal use, education, open source projects and small businesses. Larger…	Free Free and open source under the GPL 3.0 license.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux
Everything in one installer: engine, Compose, Kubernetes and a dashboard The reference implementation, so every tutorial assumes it	Native GNOME interface Works with both Podman and Docker, local or remote
Paid subscription required above a company size threshold Closed source, unlike the Docker engine itself	Linux only, distributed mainly as a Flatpak No Compose or Kubernetes management mentioned
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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