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devenv vs Docker Compose in 2026

devenv and Docker Compose compared on what each does, what each costs, where each runs and what to check before you pick one for your dev setup.

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SayDeploy is published by LunarWerx, which makes some of the tools compared here.

devenv, Docker Compose and DevWebUI are compared here on what each does, what each costs, how each is installed, and what to check before you pick one for your dev setup.

OptionPrice and licencePaid tiersWhere it runsWhat it does
devenvMIT licensed [1]; no price publishedNot publishedLinux, macOS and WSL once Nix is installed [1]Declares packages, languages, services, tasks, secrets and tooling once for every developer and CI [1]
Docker ComposeNo Compose price in the facts here; Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub downloads per hour and 1 private repo [2]Docker Pro [2], Docker Team [2] and Docker Business [2]; prices not publishedProduction, staging, development, testing and CI workflows [3]Defines and runs multi-container applications [3]
DevWebUIFree, core features need no account [4]; MIT License [4]No paid tier is stated; the product is free [4]Prebuilt Windows x64 app; other systems run from source with Bun [4]Starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard [4]

The short answer

devenv can run 43 preconfigured services, including PostgreSQL, Redis and MySQL, for a project [1]. DevWebUI lets a developer start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs [4]. The Docker Compose facts available here say less about its functions, so the table below states the scope its pages give.

On needs, devenv's page covers installing on Linux, macOS and WSL once Nix is installed [1] and loading secrets without committing their values [1]. DevWebUI covers a dashboard for local servers [4] and a small file in each repo that lists the servers to run [4]. For Docker Compose, the facts here are too thin to match it to a specific need, so check its own pages before you choose it.

What devenv and Docker Compose are built for

devenv's page says it can load secrets from Keychain, 1Password, LastPass or dotenv without keeping their values in config files or committed .env files [1]. Its page also says it installs on Linux, macOS and WSL once Nix is installed [1].

The facts available for Docker Compose here cover Docker's plan limits rather than what the tool itself does, so this section does not describe its functions. The table gives the scope its pages state, and the pricing section below covers the plan facts that are available.

What DevWebUI is built for

DevWebUI is made by the team that publishes this site. It lets you start, stop and restart your local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs [4]. One small file per repo lists the servers to run, and changes made in the dashboard are written back to that file [4].

When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask [4]. Errors are collected into one log that merges repeats and is kept across restarts, and each file and line link opens in your editor [4]. Any managed server can be opened through DevWebUI's own port on your machine, with live page updates passed through [4].

A block in the repo file can start the project's Docker services first, wait for their ports and pass settings such as a database address to your servers [4]. You can set threshold alert rules and see a history of the alerts that fired [4]. A devwebui command-line tool can control processes without the dashboard [4], and AI assistants can control the same background service through 43 tools [4].

Pricing and fees

devenv is MIT licensed [1], and no price for devenv is published in the facts here. For Docker Compose, Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub downloads per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo [2]. Docker Hardened Images Community is free for every developer [2], and its Select plan starts at $5k per repo [2]. Those figures belong to Docker's image offerings, not to a fee for Compose itself, and no Compose price is published here.

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account [4]. It is open source under the MIT License [4]. No paid tier is stated for it, so the only price its sources give is free [4].

Setting it up and daily use

devenv installs on Linux, macOS and WSL once Nix is installed [1]. The facts here say nothing more about how devenv is used day to day, so this page does not describe that.

The Docker Compose facts here cover plan limits, not installation or daily use, so check its install guide before you decide.

On Windows, you download devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases, and on any operating system you run bun install and then bun run dev [4]. There is a prebuilt Windows x64 app, other systems run DevWebUI from source with Bun, and the tray app is Windows-only for now [4]. On Windows, a tray icon runs DevWebUI in the background with Open, Restart and Quit options [4]. Day to day, you can control servers from the dashboard [4] or from the command-line tool [4]. If the last shutdown was not clean, the next launch loads your projects but starts nothing automatically [4].

Things to check before you choose

Ask whether you need a set of preconfigured services for a project, or a dashboard for the dev servers you already run. devenv's page says it supports 43 preconfigured services, including PostgreSQL and Redis [1], while DevWebUI says it lets developers start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard [4].

Check your operating system. devenv's page names Linux, macOS and WSL once Nix is installed [1], while DevWebUI's prebuilt app is for Windows x64 [4].

Check where your secrets live. devenv can load them from Keychain, 1Password, LastPass or dotenv [1], so confirm how your team stores them before you commit to either tool.

Check what leaves your machine. DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you switch it off [4]. The facts here do not cover data handling for devenv or Docker Compose.

Check access if others can reach the tool. DevWebUI can require a credential for its API, with a few listed exceptions, and a browser gets one by typing a 6-digit pairing code the background service prints [4].

How to choose

If you need preconfigured services such as PostgreSQL or Redis, devenv's page says it supports 43 of them [1]. If you need secrets kept out of committed files, its page describes loading them from Keychain, 1Password, LastPass or dotenv [1].

If you want to start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard with status, CPU, memory and logs, DevWebUI covers that [4]. If you want the project's Docker services started before your servers run, DevWebUI covers that too [4]. If you want core features that are free and need no account, DevWebUI's core features are free and need no account [4]. If you want an AI assistant to control your dev servers, DevWebUI lets it use 43 tools [4].

For Docker Compose, the facts here do not match it to a need, so the table gives its stated scope and you should check its own pages.

Frequently asked questions

Is devenv free to use?

devenv is MIT licensed [1]. The facts available here give no price for devenv, so none is published on this page, and you should check its own pricing and license pages before you rely on it. Docker Compose's figures here are Docker plan limits rather than a Compose price, such as Docker Personal's 100 Docker Hub downloads per hour and 1 private repo [2]. Read each tool's license text for the exact terms that apply to your use.

Is Docker Compose free to use?

The facts available here do not give a price for Docker Compose itself, so none is published on this page. What they do give is Docker's plan limits, such as Docker Personal with 100 Docker Hub downloads per hour and 1 private repo [2]. Docker Hardened Images Community is free for every developer [2], and its Select plan starts at $5k per repo [2]. These describe Docker's image offerings rather than Compose, so confirm the Compose terms on Docker's own site.

How do you install devenv and Docker Compose?

devenv installs on Linux, macOS and WSL once Nix is installed [1], so Nix comes first. The facts available here give no installation steps for Docker Compose, so check Docker's own install guide before you start. DevWebUI installs by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases on Windows, and on any operating system you run bun install and then bun run dev [4]. A prebuilt Windows x64 app is available, while other systems run DevWebUI from source with Bun [4].

Can devenv or Docker Compose work with Claude?

The facts available here say nothing about AI assistant support for devenv or Docker Compose, so this page does not claim either one works with Claude. DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools, using the same background service as the dashboard [4]. Check each tool's own documentation for AI assistant support before you rely on it, since the sources for this page are silent on that point.

Does DevWebUI send any data about the machine?

DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you switch it off [4]. The facts available here say nothing further about what DevWebUI collects. They also do not cover data handling for devenv or Docker Compose, so read each tool's privacy terms before you use either one on sensitive work. For DevWebUI, the anonymous install ping is the only data collection described on this page.

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. [4]

Try DevWebUI

Sources

  1. devenv, devenv.sh, read 2026-10-20
  2. Docker Compose, docker.com/pricing, read 2026-10-07
  3. Docker Compose, docs.docker.com/compose, read 2026-10-07
  4. DevWebUI's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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