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Maps · head to head

GraphHopper vs Lonboard

GraphHopper logo

GraphHopper

Maps

Open-source routing engine for road networks, providing fast route calculations, turn-by-turn navigation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lonboard logo

Lonboard

Maps

Python map rendering in Jupyter that skips GeoJSON and moves millions of features without choking

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lonboard has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GraphHopper the free plan is non commercial use only; Lonboard it is a notebook visualisation library, not a mapping application, so there is no editing, no layout, no map export for print and no sharing beyond distributing the notebook or an HTML file
  • They diverge on capability: GraphHopper covers Core Functionality, Lonboard covers GeoArrow binary transfer.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GraphHopper and Lonboard actually diverge.

Attributes where GraphHopper and Lonboard differ
AttributeGraphHopperLonboard
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Windows

Identical on both: 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 GraphHopper

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

Only in Lonboard

  • GeoArrow binary transfer
  • GeoPandas input
  • deck.gl layers
  • Jupyter widget
  • Large dataset handling
  • Styling by attribute
  • Open source licence

What people use each for

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

GraphHopper

  • Routing, distance matrix and route optimisation over an APInot Lonboard
  • Map matching GPS traces and generating isochronesnot Lonboard

Lonboard

  • An analyst exploring a national road or parcel dataset in a notebook where pydeck or ipyleaflet becomes unusable at that sizenot GraphHopper
  • A researcher publishing a reproducible analysis where the visualisation must run from the same script as the processingnot GraphHopper
  • A data scientist joining spatial data to model outputs in pandas and needing to see the result immediately without exporting to a GISnot GraphHopper
  • A team building an internal analysis pipeline on GeoParquet that wants rendering without a serialisation step in the middlenot GraphHopper

Where each one falls short

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

GraphHopper

  • The free plan is non commercial use only
  • Free allows 500 credits a day, 5 locations per request and a single vehicle
  • Request complexity is capped per plan, at 30 locations and 2 vehicles on Basic at 69 EUR a month, rising to 200 locations and 20 vehicles on Premium at 479 EUR
  • Isochrone range is limited by plan, at 15 minutes on Basic and 30 on Premium
  • Credits are a daily allowance, so a busy day cannot draw on a quiet one

Lonboard

  • It is a notebook visualisation library, not a mapping application, so there is no editing, no layout, no map export for print and no sharing beyond distributing the notebook or an HTML file
  • Maintenance sits with Development Seed as an open source side output of a consultancy, so roadmap priorities follow client projects and there is no support contract to buy
  • Layer coverage is a subset of deck.gl, so an analyst needing a less common layer type has to drop to pydeck or write JavaScript rather than staying in Python
  • It expects data already in GeoPandas or Arrow form, which means the performance benefit depends on the rest of your pipeline being Arrow-friendly; reading a large Shapefile is still the slow step
  • Rendering happens in the browser, so very large datasets are ultimately limited by the client machine's memory and GPU rather than by the server, and a laptop will still fail on data a workstation handles

Pricing, plan by plan

GraphHopper

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the GraphHopper review.

Lonboard

Free
  • LonboardFree
    • Open source, no licence fee
    • No usage limits
    • Installed from PyPI or conda

Which should you pick?

Choose GraphHopper if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You also want user interface.
GraphHopper review

Choose Lonboard if

  • You need geoarrow binary transfer.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want geopandas input.
Lonboard review

Questions people ask

Is GraphHopper or Lonboard better?
Neither clearly leads. GraphHopper starts at On request and Lonboard at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GraphHopper or Lonboard?
Lonboard has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for GraphHopper and Free for Lonboard.
Does GraphHopper or Lonboard run on more platforms?
GraphHopper runs on Web. Lonboard runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Lonboard for free?
Yes. Lonboard has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GraphHopper starts at On request.
What is GraphHopper best used for?
GraphHopper is most often used for routing, distance matrix and route optimisation over an api, map matching gps traces and generating isochrones. Of those, routing, distance matrix and route optimisation over an api and map matching gps traces and generating isochrones are not what Lonboard is typically brought in for.
What can GraphHopper do that Lonboard cannot?
GraphHopper covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Lonboard covers GeoArrow binary transfer, GeoPandas input, deck.gl layers, Jupyter widget.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GraphHopper: Is the free plan actually usable for production?

No. The free tier is limited to non-commercial use only and includes 500 daily credits. To use GraphHopper in production, you need a paid plan starting at 69 euros per month.

Source
Lonboard: Why not just use pydeck?

pydeck serialises geometry to GeoJSON to reach the browser. Lonboard uses a binary GeoArrow pipeline, which is the reason it handles far larger datasets in the same notebook.

GraphHopper: What happens if I exceed my daily credit limit?

The page does not specify. Each tier has a daily credit limit (500 for free, 5,000 for Basic, 15,000 for Standard, 50,000 for Premium), but no overage policy is documented.

Source
Lonboard: Who maintains it?

Development Seed, a geospatial engineering consultancy, as an open source project. There is no commercial support offering.

GraphHopper: Does GraphHopper offer a trial period?

No. There is no trial period. You can start with the free plan to test, but commercial use requires a paid subscription.

Source
Lonboard: Does it work outside Jupyter?

It is built as a Jupyter widget. Exporting to standalone HTML is possible, but the intended environment is a notebook.

GraphHopper: How much does the Premium plan cost and what do I get?

Premium is 479 euros per month and includes 50,000 daily credits, up to 200 locations per request, up to 20 vehicles, email and phone support, and access to all APIs including routing and optimization.

Source
Lonboard: Is it free for commercial use?

Yes, it is open source with no licence fee.

GraphHopper: Is there a discount if I link back to GraphHopper?

Yes. A 20% discount is available with proper attribution. The page also mentions a 99.5% uptime SLA on paid plans only.

Source
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