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Plank vs Cairo-Dock: catalog facts
Plank	Cairo-Dock
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Minimal and lightweight by design Default dock on elementary OS, so it is well tested	Multiple docks with taskbar and launchers Applets that can be detached to the desktop
Deliberately limited features compared to more configurable docks Linux only	Linux only Plugins and applets are split across separate repositories
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026

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