Software · head to head
CesiumJS vs Mapzen
CesiumJS
Software
Open-source JavaScript library for creating 3D globes and 2D maps with support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Mapzen
Software
Mapzen was an open-source mapping platform that provided geocoding, routing, and map rendering services
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only CesiumJS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: CesiumJS the free Community tier does not permit commercial use; Mapzen the vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 2 January 2018 priced its mobility APIs on a free tier plus overage model: Turn-by-Turn navigation free for the first 5,000 requests per month then 50 cents per additional 1,000 requests, and Isochrone and Optimized Route each free for the first 100 requests per month then $1.50 per additional 1,000 requests; Mapzen shut down as a project in 2018 shortly after this capture and this pricing no longer applies to any live service
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CesiumJS and Mapzen actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
Nothing recorded that Mapzen does not also cover.
Only in Mapzen
Nothing recorded that CesiumJS does not also cover.
Both cover
- Core Functionality
- User Interface
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 Mapzen
- Tiling and hosting large geospatial and reality capture datasetsnot Mapzen
Mapzen
No use cases recorded yet. See the Mapzen review.
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
Mapzen
- The vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 2 January 2018 priced its mobility APIs on a free tier plus overage model: Turn-by-Turn navigation free for the first 5,000 requests per month then 50 cents per additional 1,000 requests, and Isochrone and Optimized Route each free for the first 100 requests per month then $1.50 per additional 1,000 requests; Mapzen shut down as a project in 2018 shortly after this capture and this pricing no longer applies to any live service
Pricing, plan by plan
CesiumJS
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the CesiumJS review.
Mapzen
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Mapzen review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Mapzen if
Nothing in the data separates Mapzen from CesiumJS on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is CesiumJS or Mapzen better?
- Neither clearly leads. CesiumJS starts at Free and Mapzen at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CesiumJS or Mapzen?
- CesiumJS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CesiumJS and On request for Mapzen.
- Does CesiumJS or Mapzen run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use CesiumJS for free?
- Yes. CesiumJS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mapzen starts at On request.
- 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 Mapzen is typically brought in for.