Is Leaflet or Nominatim better?

Neither clearly leads. Leaflet starts at Free and Nominatim at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Leaflet or Nominatim?

Leaflet has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Leaflet and On request for Nominatim.

Does Leaflet or Nominatim run on more platforms?

Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.

Can I use Leaflet for free?

Yes. Leaflet has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nominatim starts at On request.

What is Leaflet best used for?

Leaflet is most often used for embedding interactive maps in a web page, mobile-friendly map interfaces across desktop and mobile browsers, mapping where bundle size matters, at roughly 42 kb of javascript, extending a basic map with plugins rather than adopting a full platform. Of those, embedding interactive maps in a web page and mobile-friendly map interfaces across desktop and mobile browsers are not what Nominatim is typically brought in for.

Maps · head to head

Leaflet vs Nominatim

Leaflet

Maps

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

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Nominatim

Maps

Open-source geocoding tool for OpenStreetMap data, providing address search and reverse geocoding capabilities

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Leaflet has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Leaflet 2D only with no support for 3D features, tilt, or rotation; Nominatim the public API allows an absolute maximum of 1 request per second
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Leaflet and Nominatim actually diverge.

Attributes where Leaflet and Nominatim differ
Attribute	Leaflet	Nominatim
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	Unknown	freemium
Free tier	Yes	No

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Leaflet

Nothing recorded that Nominatim does not also cover.

Only in Nominatim

Nothing recorded that Leaflet 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.

Leaflet

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

Nominatim

Geocoding and reverse geocoding servicesnot Leaflet
Address lookup and location searchnot Leaflet
OpenStreetMap-based geolocation datanot Leaflet

Where each one falls short

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

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

Nominatim

The public API allows an absolute maximum of 1 request per second
Bulk geocoding must run in a single thread and cannot be distributed across machines
Scripts running longer than a day or on a schedule are limited to 4 requests per minute
Autocomplete search against the public API is explicitly prohibited
Systematic queries such as grid based reverse lookups and complete data downloads are prohibited
Reselling geocoding results or acting as an API intermediary is prohibited
Every request must send a valid HTTP Referer or User-Agent identifying the application, and default library headers are rejected
Results must be cached client side, and repeated identical queries can lead to blocking
Attribution to OpenStreetMap under ODbL must be displayed

Pricing, plan by plan

Leaflet

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Leaflet review.

Nominatim

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Nominatim review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Leaflet if

You want to start without paying.

Leaflet review

Choose Nominatim if

Nothing in the data separates Nominatim from Leaflet on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Nominatim review

Questions people ask

Is Leaflet or Nominatim better?: Neither clearly leads. Leaflet starts at Free and Nominatim at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Leaflet or Nominatim?: Leaflet has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Leaflet and On request for Nominatim.
Does Leaflet or Nominatim run on more platforms?: Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Leaflet for free?: Yes. Leaflet has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nominatim starts at On request.
What is Leaflet best used for?: Leaflet is most often used for embedding interactive maps in a web page, mobile-friendly map interfaces across desktop and mobile browsers, mapping where bundle size matters, at roughly 42 kb of javascript, extending a basic map with plugins rather than adopting a full platform. Of those, embedding interactive maps in a web page and mobile-friendly map interfaces across desktop and mobile browsers are not what Nominatim is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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

Nominatim: Is Nominatim free?

Nominatim is open source software built on OpenStreetMap data. It appears to be free to use, though commercial usage may require separate licensing or terms. Check the project repository or contact support for clarity on licensing.

Source

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

Nominatim: What is Nominatim's pricing model?

Nominatim does not publish a standard pricing model on its website. As open source software, it is available for free, but commercial or large-scale deployments may require reviewing their licensing terms or contacting project maintainers.

Source

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

Leaflet: What is the file size of Leaflet?

Leaflet weighs about 42 KB of JavaScript.

Source

Leaflet vs Nominatim

Leaflet

Nominatim

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Leaflet

Only in Nominatim

Both cover

What people use each for

Leaflet

Nominatim

Where each one falls short

Leaflet

Nominatim

Pricing, plan by plan

Leaflet

Nominatim

Which should you pick?

Choose Leaflet if

Choose Nominatim if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Leaflet

More on Nominatim

Keep looking

Other head to heads