Compare software

OrbStackPodman Desktop
Freemium

Free for personal use. Commercial use requires a paid licence.

 Free

Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, with no company size restriction.

macOS Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Starts in seconds and uses far less memory and battery than Docker Desktop
  • Runs full Linux machines alongside containers with host networking integration
  • No licence fee regardless of company size
  • Installs and updates Podman itself, so there is one thing to manage
  • macOS only
  • Commercial use requires a paid licence
  • Electron, so it is heavy for a dashboard
  • Podman's rootless model behaves differently from Docker in ways that surprise people
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Closed source Open source
License not stated License: Apache-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed No account needed
Not stated if it works offline Works offline

Checked September 22, 2026

Checked September 21, 2026

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