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Maps · head to head

HERE Technologies vs Lonboard

HERE Technologies logo

HERE Technologies

Maps

Location data and technology company that provides mapping and location services to businesses globally

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: HERE Technologies pricing is complex and unpredictable, with additional fees for common functionalities creating surprise costs at scale; 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: HERE Technologies 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 HERE Technologies and Lonboard actually diverge.

Attributes where HERE Technologies and Lonboard differ
AttributeHERE TechnologiesLonboard
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Cross-platformLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded1985Unknown

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 HERE Technologies

  • 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.

HERE Technologies

  • Map data for automated and assisted drivingnot Lonboard
  • Connected driving, including hazard alerts and road surface analysisnot Lonboard
  • Supply chain planning and logistics digital twinsnot Lonboard
  • Geocoding, search and map rendering through hosted location servicesnot Lonboard
  • Fleet tour planning and routing across 200 countriesnot Lonboard

Lonboard

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

Where each one falls short

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

HERE Technologies

  • Pricing is complex and unpredictable, with additional fees for common functionalities creating surprise costs at scale
  • Lack of transparency in cost projections makes budgeting and forecasting difficult
  • Requires separate API keys and subscriptions for different feature categories, complicating integration
  • Customer support quality and responsiveness is inconsistent compared to competitors like Google Maps

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

HERE Technologies

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the HERE Technologies review.

Lonboard

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

Which should you pick?

Choose HERE Technologies if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cross-platform.
  • You also want user interface.
HERE Technologies 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 HERE Technologies or Lonboard better?
Neither clearly leads. HERE Technologies starts at Free and Lonboard at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HERE Technologies or Lonboard?
HERE Technologies starts at Free and Lonboard at Free.
Does HERE Technologies or Lonboard run on more platforms?
HERE Technologies runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cross-platform. Lonboard runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use HERE Technologies for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is HERE Technologies best used for?
HERE Technologies is most often used for map data for automated and assisted driving, connected driving, including hazard alerts and road surface analysis, supply chain planning and logistics digital twins, geocoding, search and map rendering through hosted location services. Of those, map data for automated and assisted driving and connected driving, including hazard alerts and road surface analysis are not what Lonboard is typically brought in for.
What can HERE Technologies do that Lonboard cannot?
HERE Technologies covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Lonboard covers GeoArrow binary transfer, GeoPandas input, deck.gl layers, Jupyter widget.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HERE Technologies: What does HERE Technologies provide?

HERE Technologies provides a comprehensive location platform including digital maps, routing and navigation APIs, geocoding, search, traffic, positioning, and telematics services for automotive, logistics, and enterprise applications.

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.

HERE Technologies: Does HERE offer a free tier?

Yes. HERE provides a free tier with 30,000 map requests per month, 5,000 routing transactions, and 30,000 geocoding transactions. Usage beyond these limits is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Source
Lonboard: Who maintains it?

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

HERE Technologies: What SDKs and APIs does HERE offer?

HERE provides REST APIs for maps, routing, geocoding, and search, plus SDKs for Android, iOS, Flutter, and JavaScript. The HERE SDK enables turn-by-turn navigation and location services for mobile and web applications.

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.

HERE Technologies: Is HERE's pricing transparent?

No. HERE uses a complex transaction-based pricing model with separate costs for different API categories. The pricing structure lacks transparency, making it difficult for customers to forecast costs at scale.

Source
Lonboard: Is it free for commercial use?

Yes, it is open source with no licence fee.

HERE Technologies: How has HERE's pricing changed?

HERE moved to a simplified transaction-based pricing model with free monthly allowances for common APIs. Users pay per transaction beyond the free tier, though the structure has been criticized for complexity and lack of cost transparency.

Source
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