Docker Compose vs Tilt in 2026: Pricing, Setup and Features
Docker Compose and Tilt compared with DevWebUI on features, setup, pricing and questions to ask before choosing a local dev tool.
SayDeploy is published by LunarWerx, which makes some of the tools compared here.
Docker Pro is for individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources. [1] Docker Team is for small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient. [1] Tilt is an open source tool with live updates for running containers. [2] [2] DevWebUI lets a developer start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard, with status, CPU, memory and logs for each server. [3] Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo. [1] Tilt's sources describe live updates and sharing development environments. [2] [2] DevWebUI's sources describe local dev server control, repo files for listing servers and AI assistant control through 43 tools. [3] [3] [3]
| Option | Free to use | Paid plan | Account | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docker Compose | Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo, among its included usage. [1] | Docker's sources give no price for Docker Pro, Docker Team or Docker Business; check Docker's pricing page. | not published | The sources here do not state an install method. |
| Tilt | Open source. [2] | not published | not published | The sources here do not state an install method. |
| DevWebUI | Free, and core features need no account. [3] | The sources here do not state a paid tier price for DevWebUI. | Not needed for core features. [3] | Windows install uses devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases, or any OS can run bun install then bun run dev. [3] |
The short answer
Docker Pro is for individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources. [1] Docker Team is for small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient. [1] Tilt is an open source tool. [2] DevWebUI lets a developer start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs. [3]
Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo. [1] Tilt's pages describe live_update, which deploys code to running containers in seconds not minutes. [2] DevWebUI's claims describe a repo file that lists the servers to run and a way for AI assistants to control dev servers through 43 tools. [3] [3]
What Docker Compose and Tilt are built for
Docker Personal lists 1 user, 1 Docker Scout-enabled repo, 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo. [1] Docker Pro is for individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources. [1] Docker Team is for small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient. [1]
Docker Business includes purchase via invoice and a 1 business day support response. [1] Docker also sells additional Testcontainers Cloud runtime minutes at $3 per 100 minutes, which expire at the end of the subscription period, and on-demand minutes for both CI and Desktop use at $4 per 100 minutes per subscription. [1] Docker Hardened Images Community is a catalog of open source images under Apache 2.0. [1] Docker Hardened Images Select starts at $5k per repo and adds FIPS/STIG variants on top of Community. [1]
Tilt's pages say it is open source. [2] Tilt says live_update deploys code to running containers in seconds not minutes. [2] Tilt also describes Snapshots as a way to share a dev environment and collaborate on issues. [2]
What DevWebUI is built for
DevWebUI is made by the team that publishes this site.
DevWebUI lets you start, stop and restart your local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs. [3] One small file per repo lists the servers to run, and DevWebUI writes processes changed in the GUI back to that file. [3]
When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask. [3] You can open any server it manages through DevWebUI's own address on your machine, with HTTP and WebSocket traffic passed through. [3] Errors are collected into one log that merges repeats and is kept across restarts, and each file:line link opens in your editor. [3]
DevWebUI can start a repository's Docker Compose containers first, wait until their ports are ready, and set up the database connection details. [3] You can set threshold alert rules and see a history of the alerts that fired. [3] AI assistants can control your dev servers through 43 tools. [3]
Pricing and fees
Docker's pages describe Docker Personal, Docker Pro, Docker Team and Docker Business. [1] [1] [1] [1] Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo. [1] Docker Business includes purchase via invoice and a 1 business day support response. [1]
DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. [3] It is open source under the MIT License. [3] The sources here do not state a paid tier price for DevWebUI.
Setting it up and daily use
Docker's pages do not describe detailed installation steps for Compose in the facts given here.
Tilt's pages describe live updates for code running in containers and Snapshots for sharing development environments. [2] [2] The sources here do not describe more setup steps.
On Windows, DevWebUI is installed by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases. [3] On any operating system, you run bun install and then bun run dev. [3] Daily use includes controlling servers from the dashboard or from a command-line tool that controls processes without the dashboard. [3] [3]
Things to check before you choose
Ask what you need the tool to manage. DevWebUI says it lets developers start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard. [3]
Check whether your workflow needs live code updates for running containers, or a dashboard for local dev servers. [2] [3]
Check pricing, account needs and the setup steps that matter for the machines where the tool will run.
How to choose
If you need to compare what each Docker plan page covers, the Docker Personal page describes included usage, the Docker Pro page is for individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources, the Docker Team page is for small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient, and the Docker Business page lists purchase via invoice and a 1 business day support response. [1] [1] [1] [1]
If the need is updating code in running containers quickly, Tilt's page describes live_update for that purpose. [2]
If the need is starting, stopping and restarting local dev servers from one dashboard with status, CPU, memory and logs, DevWebUI's claims describe that. [3]
If the need is AI assistant control of dev servers, DevWebUI's claims describe 43 tools for AI agents. [3]
Frequently asked questions
Is Docker Compose free to use?
Docker Personal includes 100 Docker Hub pulls per hour and 1 private Docker Hub repo, among its included usage. [1] Its sources here do not state a price for Docker Personal or for Compose itself, so check Docker's pricing page for current prices.
Is Tilt open source?
Tilt's page says it is open source. [2] Tilt also describes live_update, which deploys code to running containers in seconds not minutes. [2] Its pages describe Snapshots as a way to share a dev environment and collaborate on issues. [2]
How does DevWebUI work with local dev servers?
DevWebUI lets a developer start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs. [3] One small file per repo lists the servers to run, and processes changed in the GUI are written back to that file. [3]
Can Docker Compose and DevWebUI work with Docker services?
DevWebUI can start a repository's Docker Compose containers first, wait until their ports are ready, and set up the database connection details. [3]
How do you install DevWebUI?
On Windows, DevWebUI is installed by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases. [3] On any operating system, you run bun install and then bun run dev. [3] No other installation paths are given in the sources here.
DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. [3]
Try DevWebUISources
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