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Maps · head to head

CesiumJS vs Felt

CesiumJS logo

CesiumJS

Maps

Open-source JavaScript library for creating 3D globes and 2D maps with support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Felt logo

Felt

Maps

Collaborative browser mapping with a free non-commercial tier and annual-only paid contracts

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CesiumJS the free Community tier does not permit commercial use; Felt felt publishes no prices for Professional or Enterprise, so buyers cannot compare against ArcGIS Online or QGIS with hosting without entering a sales process
  • They diverge on capability: CesiumJS covers Core Functionality, Felt covers Real-time collaboration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CesiumJS and Felt actually diverge.

Attributes where CesiumJS and Felt differ
AttributeCesiumJSFelt
Pricing modelopen-sourcequote
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CesiumJS

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

Only in Felt

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Drag and drop data
  • Unlimited viewers
  • Field app with offline support
  • Dashboards
  • Live cloud sources
  • API and SDK

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CesiumJS

  • Streaming 3D terrain, imagery and building data into web applicationsnot Felt
  • Tiling and hosting large geospatial and reality capture datasetsnot Felt

Felt

  • An environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing GIS softwarenot CesiumJS
  • A utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking atnot CesiumJS
  • A planning department sharing a proposal map with the public where the viewer count is unpredictable and viewer seats would be uncostednot CesiumJS
  • A team of analysts who each hold data in different formats and want one map assembled in an afternoon rather than a weeknot CesiumJS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CesiumJS

  • The free Community tier does not permit commercial use
  • The cheapest commercial plan is $149 a month for an individual and $524 for a team
  • Team accounts are capped at 5 members on both the Commercial and Premium plans
  • Three separate quotas apply at once, being storage, monthly streaming and monthly reality modelling gigapixels, and exceeding any one of them constrains the account
  • Streaming is capped at 15 GB a month on the free tier

Felt

  • Felt publishes no prices for Professional or Enterprise, so buyers cannot compare against ArcGIS Online or QGIS with hosting without entering a sales process
  • Paid tiers are annual contract only with no monthly option, which excludes consultancies that need a tool for a single short engagement and forces them to the free non-commercial tier they are not licensed to use for client work
  • The API, JavaScript SDK and live warehouse connections are enterprise-only, so a mid-sized team that wants programmatic access has to buy the top tier rather than pay for one capability
  • Analytical depth is limited: there is no meaningful geoprocessing, topology checking or model building, so Felt sits beside a real GIS rather than replacing one
  • The Professional tier caps data processing at 25 GB a month and map views at 100,000 a month, which are easy to exceed with raster imagery or a public-facing map, and the overage terms are not published either

Pricing, plan by plan

CesiumJS

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the CesiumJS review.

Felt

Free
  • PersonalFree
    • Free forever for non-commercial mapping
    • Map creation, upload and sharing
    • Not licensed for commercial use
  • Professional$undefined/year
    • 10 full-access seats with unlimited viewers
    • 25 GB of data processing per month
    • 100,000 map views per month
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Live cloud sources including Postgres, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks and S3
    • REST API and JavaScript SDK
    • AI features

Which should you pick?

Choose CesiumJS if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want user interface.
CesiumJS review

Choose Felt if

  • You need real-time collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want drag and drop data.
Felt review

Questions people ask

Is CesiumJS or Felt better?
Neither clearly leads. CesiumJS starts at Free and Felt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CesiumJS or Felt?
CesiumJS starts at Free and Felt at Free.
Does CesiumJS or Felt run on more platforms?
CesiumJS runs on Web. Felt runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use CesiumJS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CesiumJS best used for?
CesiumJS is most often used for streaming 3d terrain, imagery and building data into web applications, tiling and hosting large geospatial and reality capture datasets. Of those, streaming 3d terrain, imagery and building data into web applications and tiling and hosting large geospatial and reality capture datasets are not what Felt is typically brought in for.
What can CesiumJS do that Felt cannot?
CesiumJS covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Drag and drop data, Unlimited viewers, Field app with offline support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CesiumJS: Is Cesium ion free for commercial use?

Cesium offers a free Cesium ion community account, but the page does not explicitly state whether the free tier is permitted for commercial use or if restrictions apply to business applications.

Source
Felt: What does Felt cost?

Felt does not publish prices for Professional or Enterprise. Personal is free but licensed for non-commercial use only.

CesiumJS: What are the limits of the free Cesium ion community account?

The page only mentions that a free community account is available but does not disclose usage limits, storage quotas, or feature restrictions for the free tier.

Source
Felt: Can I pay monthly?

No. Paid plans are annual contracts. There is a 7 day trial of Professional.

CesiumJS: What do paid Cesium ion tiers cost?

The page does not provide specific pricing for paid tiers. It directs users to sign up for a free community account or contact Cesium directly for detailed pricing information.

Source
Felt: Do viewers cost anything?

No. Viewer access is unlimited on the paid plans, which is the main reason organisations with large map audiences choose it.

Felt: Is there a nonprofit discount?

Yes, 30 per cent for verified United States nonprofits, and free access for verified students and classrooms.

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