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Poetry vs virtualenv: catalog facts
Poetry	virtualenv
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Command line
Lock file for deterministic installs Builds sdists and wheels with one command	Keeps project dependencies separate from the system Python Lets you choose the Python version for each environment
Python only Its own workflow differs from plain pip and requirements files	Much of its core function is also covered by the built-in venv module Does not manage dependency lock files by itself
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: MIT
No account 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 October 1, 2026

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