Google Maps vs Leaflet

Overview

Google Maps

Stacks42.5K

Followers29.8K

Votes568

Leaflet

Stacks1.5K

Followers1.1K

Votes112

GitHub Stars43.9K

Forks6.0K

Google Maps vs Leaflet: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this Markdown code, we will present the key differences between Google Maps and Leaflet.

Data Source: Google Maps primarily uses its own data source, providing accurate and up-to-date mapping information. On the other hand, Leaflet does not provide its own data source and requires integration with third-party mapping providers or custom data sources.
Pricing Model: Google Maps offers a pricing model based on usage, where beyond a certain limit, charges are applied for access to the mapping services. In contrast, Leaflet being an open-source library, does not have any costs associated with using its core functionalities.
API Limitations: Google Maps restricts the number of requests per day based on the pricing plan chosen. However, Leaflet does not have any built-in limitations on the number of requests, allowing developers more flexibility in terms of usage and scale.
Customizability: While both Google Maps and Leaflet can be customized to a certain extent, Leaflet provides more flexibility in terms of visual customization. Developers can easily modify the styling, add custom markers, and create personalized map designs using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Integration with Other Libraries: Leaflet can be easily integrated with other JavaScript libraries, such as React or Angular, allowing developers to combine various functionalities effectively. In contrast, Google Maps has its JavaScript library and ecosystem, requiring developers to work within its framework.
Offline Usage: Leaflet provides better support for offline usage by allowing developers to pre-cache and utilize map tiles locally. This is beneficial in scenarios where internet connectivity is limited or unreliable. Google Maps, however, heavily relies on an active internet connection for loading map data and functionalities.

In Summary, Google Maps and Leaflet have key differences in terms of data source, pricing model, API limitations, customizability, integration with other libraries, and offline usage capabilities.

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CLI (Node.js)

Manual

Advice on Google Maps, Leaflet

Adam

CPO at Split App

Feb 24, 2022

Needs adviceon

Google Maps

OpenStreetMap

We need some advice about the map services provider. We are a mobility app that just launched 5 months ago in Tunisia offering P2P carpooling. We are currently using Google Maps API for maps (Places API, Geocoding API, Directions API & Distance Matrix API). Thus, we received expensive bills from Google Cloud following the number of requests we are using. We are looking forward to reduce the number of requests in general because we can't afford these large bills at this stage, knowing that they are going to increase proportionally to the active users of the app. We tried to optimize multiple times but it isn't enough. We are searching for optimization advice or ideas on how we use the APIs, or other map providers (like OpenStreetMap or similar) that offers free or cheaper options than Google Maps, without lacking quality of information (we are in Tunisia and we have to choose options that have enough data about Tunisia). Thanks!

497k views497k

Comments

kumail09

Jan 26, 2022

Needs adviceon

Django

I want to create a highly interactive frontend that will be showing network data (large volume and size linestring dataset) The application will have a Django Backend. Which of these would be the best fit for mapping the point and line data (over 60 MB) which is very intense for a web application so I may consider using tiling. I also want to edit the line data and save it to database

2.9k views2.9k

Comments

StackShare

Apr 4, 2019

Needs advice

From a StackShare Community member: "We're a team of two starting to write a mobile app. The app will heavily rely on maps and this is where my partner and I are not seeing eye-to-eye. I would like to go with an open source solution like OpenStreetMap that is used by Apple & Foursquare. He would like to go with Google Maps since more apps use it and has better support (according to him). Mapbox is also an option but I don’t know much about it."

183k views183k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Google Maps	Leaflet
Create rich applications and stunning visualisations of your data, leveraging the comprehensiveness, accuracy, and usability of Google Maps and a modern web platform that scales as you grow.	Leaflet is an open source JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps. It is developed by Vladimir Agafonkin of MapBox with a team of dedicated contributors. Weighing just about 30 KB of gzipped JS code, it has all the features most developers ever need for online maps.
Maps Image APIs;Places API;Web Services;Google Earth API;Maps API Licensing;Google Maps API for Work	Tile layers;Drag panning with inertia;Scroll wheel zoom;Multi-touch zoom;Zoom animation;Hardware acceleration on iOS;Smart polyline/polygon rendering
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 43.9K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 6.0K
Stacks 42.5K	Stacks 1.5K
Followers 29.8K	Followers 1.1K
Votes 568	Votes 112
Pros & Cons
Pros 253 Free 136 Address input through maps api 82 Sharable Directions 47 Google Earth 46 Unique Cons 5 Google Attributions and logo 2 Only map allowed alongside google place autocomplete	Pros 34 Light weight 29 Free 12 Evolutive via plugins 11 OpenStreetMap 10 Strong community

What are some alternatives to Google Maps, Leaflet?

Mapbox

We make it possible to pin travel spots on Pinterest, find restaurants on Foursquare, and visualize data on GitHub.

OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is built by a community of mappers that contribute and maintain data about roads, trails, cafés, railway stations, and much more, all over the world.

OpenLayers

An opensource javascript library to load, display and render maps from multiple sources on web pages.

ArcGIS

It is a geographic information system for working with maps and geographic information. It is used for creating and using maps, compiling geographic data, analyzing mapped information, sharing and much more.

CSV2GEO

It provides live conversion of batch addresses into geographic coordinates (address to lat long) or turn coordinates into well formatted address. It creates and publishes interactive maps.

MapTiler

It is a software for map tile rendering. It has been designed for producing seamless maps and aerial photo layers covering whole countries. The rendering is fast and efficient, and it can fully utilize multiple CPUs to 100%.

MAPS.ME

MAPS.ME is an open source cross-platform offline maps application, built on top of crowd-sourced OpenStreetMap data. It was publicly released for iOS and Android.

LocationIQ

Free and Fast Geocoding Service

Stadia Maps

We enable devs to contextualize their data on a map and build complicated apps involving routing, time zones, and more with our APIs. We hate billing surprises as much as you, and if you send us an email, you'll get a real human reply.

CARTO

The CARTO platform empowers everyone, from business analysts to data scientists, to turn location data into business outcomes. We accelerate innovation, power new use cases and disrupt business models through Location Intelligence.

Related Comparisons

Google Maps vs Leaflet: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this Markdown code, we will present the key differences between Google Maps and Leaflet.

Data Source: Google Maps primarily uses its own data source, providing accurate and up-to-date mapping information. On the other hand, Leaflet does not provide its own data source and requires integration with third-party mapping providers or custom data sources.
Pricing Model: Google Maps offers a pricing model based on usage, where beyond a certain limit, charges are applied for access to the mapping services. In contrast, Leaflet being an open-source library, does not have any costs associated with using its core functionalities.
API Limitations: Google Maps restricts the number of requests per day based on the pricing plan chosen. However, Leaflet does not have any built-in limitations on the number of requests, allowing developers more flexibility in terms of usage and scale.
Customizability: While both Google Maps and Leaflet can be customized to a certain extent, Leaflet provides more flexibility in terms of visual customization. Developers can easily modify the styling, add custom markers, and create personalized map designs using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Integration with Other Libraries: Leaflet can be easily integrated with other JavaScript libraries, such as React or Angular, allowing developers to combine various functionalities effectively. In contrast, Google Maps has its JavaScript library and ecosystem, requiring developers to work within its framework.
Offline Usage: Leaflet provides better support for offline usage by allowing developers to pre-cache and utilize map tiles locally. This is beneficial in scenarios where internet connectivity is limited or unreliable. Google Maps, however, heavily relies on an active internet connection for loading map data and functionalities.

In Summary, Google Maps and Leaflet have key differences in terms of data source, pricing model, API limitations, customizability, integration with other libraries, and offline usage capabilities.

Google Maps vs Leaflet

Overview

Google Maps vs Leaflet: What are the differences?