Compare software

Podman vs Docker Engine: catalog facts
Podman	Docker Engine
Free The open-source software is available without a license fee. Hosting, hardware and…	Free Free to use.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Command line
Rootless containers with no background daemon to run as root Command line is a near drop-in replacement for Docker	Standard runtime for container images Controlled from the command line and scriptable
Rootless networking and volume permissions behave differently from Docker and can surprise you Podman Desktop is a separate download from the engine	No graphical interface of its own Requires some command-line familiarity
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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