head to head · open source
compose vs Youtarr
compose has 38,175 GitHub stars, 5,817 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Youtarr has 1,570 stars, 67 forks, 71 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. compose leads on adoption by 2,332% (38,175 vs 1,570 stars). compose is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Youtarr is written in TypeScript under ISC. compose has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Youtarr 4%. 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 | ★ 38K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | ISC |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 67 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick compose if
- You weight community size — 38K 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 TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Youtarr fits your workflow better
About compose
Docker Compose is an Apache 2.0 licensed Go tool that defines and runs multi container applications on Docker from a single Compose file, aimed at developers and operators who need several containers to start together as one isolated application.
read the full compose overview →
About Youtarr
Youtarr is a self hosted web application that downloads, organizes, and schedules YouTube channel and playlist content and supplies it with metadata to Plex, Kodi, Emby, and Jellyfin, built for people who run their own media server and want their subscriptions archived, ad free, and offline.
read the full Youtarr overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is compose or Youtarr more popular?
compose has 38,175 GitHub stars and Youtarr has 1,570. 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 TypeScript. 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 (38,175 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Youtarr if its feature set, stack or ISC licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.