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Evergreen ILS vs Leafmap

Evergreen ILS logo

Evergreen ILS

Libraries

Highly scalable open source library software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Leafmap logo

Leafmap

Libraries

Python package for interactive geospatial mapping and analysis inside Jupyter notebooks

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Evergreen ILS server installation is supported only on Debian 10, 11, 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04; Leafmap it is a Python library rather than an application, so there is nothing to buy, nothing to install for a non-technical colleague and no interface outside a notebook environment.
  • They diverge on capability: Evergreen ILS covers Circulation management, Leafmap covers Multiple mapping backends.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Evergreen ILS and Leafmap actually diverge.

Attributes where Evergreen ILS and Leafmap differ
AttributeEvergreen ILSLeafmap
Pricing modelopen-sourceOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, ApiLinux, Windows, macOS
Founded2006Unknown

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

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 Evergreen ILS

  • Circulation management
  • MARC cataloging
  • Acquisitions
  • Serials management
  • OPAC with faceted search
  • Patron management
  • Offline circulation
  • Consortia support

Only in Leafmap

  • Multiple mapping backends
  • Notebook interactivity
  • Raster and COG support
  • STAC catalogue access
  • Earth Engine integration
  • Basemap library
  • Vector data handling
  • Split map comparison

What people use each for

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

Evergreen ILS

  • Running a consortium-scale library catalogue and circulation systemnot Leafmap
  • Self-hosting an open source integrated library system across multiple branchesnot Leafmap

Leafmap

  • A remote sensing course where students need interactive maps without learning JavaScript or a desktop GISnot Evergreen ILS
  • A researcher exploring STAC-hosted satellite imagery inside a notebook before committing to a processing pipelinenot Evergreen ILS
  • An analyst producing a shareable interactive map from a GeoDataFrame in a handful of linesnot Evergreen ILS
  • A team prototyping a geospatial visualisation before deciding whether to build it properly in a web frameworknot Evergreen ILS

Where each one falls short

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

Evergreen ILS

  • Server installation is supported only on Debian 10, 11, 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
  • PostgreSQL 14 is the minimum supported version
  • OpenSRF 3.3.0 or later must be installed separately before Evergreen itself
  • Installation is a manual multi-service process requiring a dedicated PostgreSQL superuser account and shell access

Leafmap

  • It is a Python library rather than an application, so there is nothing to buy, nothing to install for a non-technical colleague and no interface outside a notebook environment.
  • Maintenance rests largely on one academic maintainer with grant funding, which makes long-term continuity a real consideration for anything beyond research use.
  • The API has moved quickly across releases, so notebooks written against an older version can break on upgrade, which undermines reproducibility in exactly the research settings where it is popular.
  • It abstracts over several third-party backends, so a bug or a rendering limitation is often in ipyleaflet, folium or MapLibre rather than in Leafmap, and diagnosing it means understanding the layer underneath anyway.
  • Large datasets rendered through notebook widgets become slow or unresponsive, so it does not scale to the data volumes a dedicated tiling service or desktop GIS handles comfortably.

Pricing, plan by plan

Evergreen ILS

Free
  • Self-HostedFree
    • Full ILS functionality
    • Circulation system
    • OPAC
  • Hosted (via partners)$200/month
    • Everything in Self-Hosted
    • Managed hosting
    • Professional support

Leafmap

Free
  • LeafmapFree
    • MIT licence
    • Installed from PyPI or conda-forge
    • No usage limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Evergreen ILS if

  • You need circulation management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Api.
  • You also want marc cataloging.
Evergreen ILS review

Choose Leafmap if

  • You need multiple mapping backends.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want notebook interactivity.
Leafmap review

Questions people ask

Is Evergreen ILS or Leafmap better?
Neither clearly leads. Evergreen ILS starts at Free and Leafmap at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Evergreen ILS or Leafmap?
Evergreen ILS starts at Free and Leafmap at Free.
Does Evergreen ILS or Leafmap run on more platforms?
Evergreen ILS runs on Web, Desktop, Api. Leafmap runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Evergreen ILS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Evergreen ILS best used for?
Evergreen ILS is most often used for running a consortium-scale library catalogue and circulation system, self-hosting an open source integrated library system across multiple branches. Of those, running a consortium-scale library catalogue and circulation system and self-hosting an open source integrated library system across multiple branches are not what Leafmap is typically brought in for.
What can Evergreen ILS do that Leafmap cannot?
Evergreen ILS covers Circulation management, MARC cataloging, Acquisitions, Serials management. Leafmap covers Multiple mapping backends, Notebook interactivity, Raster and COG support, STAC catalogue access.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Evergreen ILS: Is Evergreen ILS free?

Yes, Evergreen ILS is a free open source library management system. The software is available at no cost for libraries and organizations to install, deploy, and customize according to their needs.

Source
Leafmap: Is Leafmap a product?

No. It is an MIT-licensed Python package installed from PyPI or conda-forge. There is nothing to purchase.

Evergreen ILS: Does Evergreen ILS offer commercial support or hosting?

Evergreen ILS website does not list commercial hosting or support services. As an open source project, it relies on community contributions and institutional deployments. Libraries may arrange custom support through integrators or consultants, but no official commercial offerings are detailed on the website.

Source
Leafmap: Who maintains it?

Primarily Qiusheng Wu at the University of Tennessee, with community contributors, funded through research grants rather than sales.

Leafmap: Can I buy support?

No commercial support offering exists. Help comes from GitHub issues and the community.

Leafmap: Is it suitable for a production web application?

It is not designed for that. Use it for analysis and prototyping, then build production maps on MapLibre, deck.gl or a hosted service.

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