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Maps · head to head

Felt vs Leaflet

Felt logo

Felt

Maps

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Leaflet logo

Leaflet

Maps

Leading open-source JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps, used by millions of developers worldwide

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; Leaflet 2D only with no support for 3D features, tilt, or rotation
  • They diverge on capability: Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Leaflet covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Felt and Leaflet actually diverge.

Attributes where Felt and Leaflet differ
AttributeFeltLeaflet
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

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 Felt

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

Only in Leaflet

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Felt

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

Leaflet

  • Embedding interactive maps in a web pagenot Felt
  • Mobile-friendly map interfaces across desktop and mobile browsersnot Felt
  • Mapping where bundle size matters, at roughly 42 KB of JavaScriptnot Felt
  • Extending a basic map with plugins rather than adopting a full platformnot Felt

Where each one falls short

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

Leaflet

  • 2D only with no support for 3D features, tilt, or rotation
  • Performance degrades when rendering large datasets of complex vector geometries without optimization
  • Limited dynamic styling support; style is fixed on the server when using raster tiles
  • Lacks native support for WMS features; requires plugins like Leaflet.WMS and complex feature identification is cumbersome
  • Requires external tile service for map imagery; does not provide map tiles natively

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Leaflet

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Leaflet review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Leaflet if

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

Questions people ask

Is Felt or Leaflet better?
Neither clearly leads. Felt starts at Free and Leaflet at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Felt or Leaflet?
Felt starts at Free and Leaflet at Free.
Does Felt or Leaflet run on more platforms?
Felt runs on Web, iOS, Android. Leaflet runs on Web.
Can I use Felt for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Felt best used for?
Felt is most often used for an environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing gis software, a utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking at, a planning department sharing a proposal map with the public where the viewer count is unpredictable and viewer seats would be uncosted, a team of analysts who each hold data in different formats and want one map assembled in an afternoon rather than a week. Of those, an environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing gis software and a utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking at are not what Leaflet is typically brought in for.
What can Felt do that Leaflet cannot?
Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Drag and drop data, Unlimited viewers, Field app with offline support. Leaflet covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Felt: What does Felt cost?

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

Leaflet: Is Leaflet free and open source?

Yes. Leaflet is open-source JavaScript library licensed for free use. Over 400 plugins add capabilities like marker clustering, heatmaps, drawing tools, geocoding, and routing.

Source
Felt: Can I pay monthly?

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

Leaflet: How do I include Leaflet in my project via CDN?

Leaflet is available on multiple free CDNs including unpkg, cdnjs, and jsDelivr. Include the CSS stylesheet from https://unpkg.com/[email protected]/dist/leaflet.css and JavaScript from https://unpkg.com/[email protected]/dist/leaflet.js in your HTML head.

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.

Leaflet: What mapping services does Leaflet support?

Leaflet integrates seamlessly with various mapping services including OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Bing, and other custom tile providers, allowing developers to choose the best base layer.

Source
Felt: Is there a nonprofit discount?

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

Leaflet: What is the file size of Leaflet?

Leaflet weighs about 42 KB of JavaScript.

Source
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