head to head · open source
compose vs Youtarr
compose has 38,573 GitHub stars, 5,899 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Youtarr has 1,789 stars, 86 forks, 71 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. compose leads on adoption by 2,056% (38,573 vs 1,789 stars). compose is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Youtarr is written in JavaScript under ISC. compose has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Youtarr 5%. compose was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| compose | Youtarr | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 39K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | ISC |
| Written in | Go | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.9K | ⑂ 86 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick compose if
- You weight community size — 39K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Youtarr if
- You want the Youtarr feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the ISC license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Youtarr fits your workflow better
About compose
Table of Contents Docker Compose Where to get Docker Compose + Windows and macOS + Linux Quick Start Contributing Legacy Docker Compose Docker Compose is a tool for running multi container applications on Docker defined using the Compose file format. A Compose file is used to define how one or more containers that make up your application are configured. Once you have a Compose file, you can create and start your application with a single command: docker compose up . Note : About Docker Swarm Docker Swarm used to rely on the legacy compose file format but did not adopt the compose specification so is missing…
read the full compose overview →
About Youtarr
Youtarr Youtarr is a self hosted YouTube downloader that automatically downloads videos from your favorite channels and playlists. It provides metadata for multiple media servers, mirrors your subscribed YouTube playlists into Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby as native playlists, pulls watch status back from those servers so you can filter your library by what's been watched, and offers optional Plex integration for automatic library refreshes. Learn more at youtarr.com. Don't want to self host? You can also run Youtarr on ElfHosted with a managed deployment – see their Youtarr docs. Like Youtarr? Consider supporting…
read the full Youtarr overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is compose or Youtarr more popular?
compose has 38,573 GitHub stars and Youtarr has 1,789. compose has the larger community by that measure.
Are compose and Youtarr free?
Both are open source. compose is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Youtarr under ISC. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between compose and Youtarr?
compose is written in Go and Youtarr in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, compose or Youtarr?
Choose compose if you want the larger community (38,573 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Youtarr if its feature set, stack or ISC licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.