Docker Compose vs mprocs in 2026

Docker Compose and mprocs compared on what each does, what each costs, how each is installed and what to check before you pick one for your dev servers.

By SayDeploy · 2026-10-29

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

Docker Compose is a tool for defining and running multi-container applications ^[1]. DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard ^[2].

Option	Free to use	Paid plan	Account	Install
Docker Compose	Not published in the facts here	Docker Pro is for individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources ^[3]. Docker Team is for small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient ^[3]. Docker Hardened Images Select has a starting price of $5k per repo ^[3].	Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo, among its included usage ^[3].	Not published in the facts here
mprocs	Not published in the facts here	GitHub Premium Support with enterprise-grade 24/7 support ^[4]; Copilot for Business with enterprise-grade AI features ^[4]	Not published in the facts here	Not published in the facts here
DevWebUI	Free, core features need no account ^[2]	No paid tier is stated; it is free ^[2]	Not needed for core features ^[2]	devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases, or bun install then bun run dev ^[2]

The short answer

Docker Compose is a tool for defining and running multi-container applications ^[1]. It lets you manage services, networks, and volumes in a single YAML configuration file ^[1]. DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, and shows each one's status, CPU, memory and logs ^[2].

On needs, Docker Compose's page says it works in production, staging, development, testing, and CI workflows ^[1]. The mprocs facts here cover only its funding and GitHub's paid add-ons, so check its own pages for what it does day to day. DevWebUI's claims cover a dashboard for local dev servers ^[2], a small file per repo that lists the servers to run ^[2], and a way for AI assistants to control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[2].

What Docker Compose, mprocs is built for

Docker Compose's own page calls it a tool for defining and running multi-container applications ^[1]. With a single command, it creates and starts all the services from the configuration file ^[1]. It manages services, networks, and volumes in a single YAML configuration file ^[1]. Compose works in production, staging, development, testing, and CI workflows ^[1]. Compose Bridge transforms a Compose configuration file into configuration files for other platforms, such as Kubernetes ^[1].

The mprocs facts here do not describe what mprocs does. They cover GitHub Sponsors, a program that funds open source developers ^[4], and GitHub's paid add-ons: Premium Support with enterprise-grade 24/7 support ^[4], Copilot for Business with enterprise-grade AI features ^[4], and GitHub Advanced Security with enterprise-grade security features ^[4]. Check mprocs's own pages for what it does and how it is used.

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 ^[2]. One small file per repo lists the servers to run, and processes changed in the GUI are written back to that file ^[2].

When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask ^[2]. You can open any managed server through DevWebUI's own port at <escape><target>.localhost:4000</escape>, with HTTP and WebSocket (HMR) traffic passed through ^[2]. Errors are collected into one log that merges repeats and is kept across restarts, and each file:line link opens in your editor ^[2].

A compose block starts the repo's docker compose stack first, waits for its ports and sets DATABASE_URL-style environment variables ^[2]. You can also set threshold alert rules and see a history of the alerts that fired ^[2]. AI assistants can control your dev servers through 43 tools, using the same background service as the dashboard ^[2].

Pricing and fees

Docker's paid tiers are aimed at professionals and teams: Docker Pro is for individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources ^[3], and Docker Team is for small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient ^[3]. Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo ^[3]. The catalog of open source images in Docker Hardened Images Community is under Apache 2.0 ^[3]. Docker Hardened Images Select has a starting price of $5k per repo ^[3]. Its listed features include FIPS/STIG variants ^[3]. Additional Testcontainers Cloud runtime minutes cost $3 per 100 minutes, expiring at the end of the subscription period, for both CI and Desktop per subscription ^[3]. On-demand Cloud Runtime Minutes for both CI and Desktop cost $4 per 100 minutes, per subscription ^[3].

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account ^[2]. It is open source under the MIT License ^[2]. No paid tier price is stated in its sources.

Setting it up and daily use

The Docker Compose facts here do not give an install command. Its page says that with a single command, you create and start all the services from your configuration file ^[1].

The mprocs facts here do not give an install command or day to day usage. They cover GitHub Sponsors, a program that funds open source developers ^[4], and GitHub's paid add-ons such as Premium Support with enterprise-grade 24/7 support ^[4]. Check mprocs's own pages for setup and routine use.

On Windows, DevWebUI is installed by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases ^[2]. On any operating system, you run bun install and then bun run dev ^[2]. There is a prebuilt Windows x64 app, other systems run it from source with Bun, and the tray app is Windows-only for now ^[2]. On Windows, a tray icon keeps DevWebUI running in the background and has Open, Restart and Quit options ^[2].

Daily, you control servers from the dashboard ^[2] or from a devwebui command-line tool that lets you control servers without the dashboard ^[2]. If the last shutdown was not clean, the next launch loads your projects but starts nothing automatically ^[2].

Things to check before you choose

Ask what you need the tool to manage: multi-container applications, or local dev servers during development. Docker Compose's page speaks of defining and running multi-container applications ^[1], and DevWebUI's claims speak of local dev servers ^[2].

Check your operating system. DevWebUI has a prebuilt Windows x64 app, and other systems run it from source with Bun ^[2].

Check cost and accounts. Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo ^[3]. The mprocs facts here do not state a price, so check its own pages.

Check what data leaves your machine. DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1 ^[2]. Check Docker Compose's and mprocs's own pages for their data handling, since the facts here do not cover it.

Check access control if others can reach the tool. DevWebUI can be set to ask for a key before other programs can control it, and a browser gets that key by typing a 6-digit pairing code, with a few listed exceptions ^[2].

How to choose

If you need to define and run multi-container applications, Docker Compose's page says that is what it does ^[1].

If you want to manage services, networks, and volumes in a single YAML configuration file, Docker Compose's page describes that ^[1].

If you want to start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard with status, CPU, memory and logs, DevWebUI's claims describe that ^[2].

If you want a small file in your repo that lists the servers to run ^[2], with Docker services started first ^[2], DevWebUI's claims describe that.

If you want an AI assistant to work with the tool, DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[2]. The mprocs facts here do not describe an AI assistant, so check its own pages.

If you want a free tool with no account for core features, DevWebUI's claims say that ^[2].

Frequently asked questions

Is Docker Compose free to use?

The catalog of open source images in Docker Hardened Images Community is under Apache 2.0 ^[3]. Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo ^[3]. Docker Pro is for individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources ^[3], and Docker Team is for small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient ^[3]. The facts here do not give a dollar price for Docker Pro or Docker Team, so those prices are not published here.

Is mprocs free to use?

The mprocs facts here do not state a price for mprocs itself. They cover GitHub Sponsors, a program that funds open source developers ^[4], and GitHub's paid add-ons such as Premium Support with enterprise-grade 24/7 support ^[4] and Copilot for Business with enterprise-grade AI features ^[4]. Check mprocs's own pages for its license and any costs.

How do you install Docker Compose and mprocs?

The Docker Compose facts here do not give an install command. Its page says that with a single command, you create and start all the services from your configuration file ^[1]. The mprocs facts here do not give an install command either. They cover GitHub Sponsors, a program that funds open source developers ^[4]. Check each tool's own pages for install steps.

Can Docker Compose or mprocs work with AI assistants?

The Docker Compose facts here do not describe an AI assistant. The mprocs facts here cover GitHub Copilot for Business, an add-on with enterprise-grade AI features ^[4], but they do not say how it works with mprocs. DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[2]. Check each tool's own pages for AI assistant support.

Does DevWebUI send any data about the machine?

DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1 ^[2]. Its sources here say nothing further about data collection. For Docker Compose and mprocs, the facts here do not cover data handling, so check their own pages and your account terms before relying on either tool in a sensitive setting.

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. ^[2]

Try DevWebUI