Softwr

Libraries · head to head

Leafmap vs Sigil

Leafmap logo

Leafmap

Libraries

Python package for interactive geospatial mapping and analysis inside Jupyter notebooks

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sigil logo

Sigil

Publishing

Open source EPUB editor for working directly on the file, not generating it

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Sigil it produces no print output whatever, so any book that needs a paperback interior requires a completely separate tool and a second workflow.
  • They diverge on capability: Leafmap covers Multiple mapping backends, Sigil covers Direct EPUB editing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Leafmap and Sigil actually diverge.

Attributes where Leafmap and Sigil differ
AttributeLeafmapSigil
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOSWindows, macOS, Linux
CategoryLibrariesPublishing

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Leafmap

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

Only in Sigil

  • Direct EPUB editing
  • Code and preview views
  • EPUB 2 and EPUB 3
  • Regex across files
  • Validation
  • Python plugins

What people use each for

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

Leafmap

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

Sigil

  • Fixing an EPUB that a retailer validator has rejected, without re-exporting from the tool that generated itnot Leafmap
  • Correcting the table of contents, reading order or metadata in a file supplied by a conversion servicenot Leafmap
  • Preparing a back-catalogue title where the only surviving source is the EPUB itselfnot Leafmap
  • Applying a consistent stylesheet or a bulk text correction across every chapter of a book at oncenot Leafmap

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Sigil

  • It produces no print output whatever, so any book that needs a paperback interior requires a completely separate tool and a second workflow.
  • Meaningful use requires reading and writing HTML and CSS, which puts it out of reach of most authors who simply want a finished file.
  • There is no cloud storage, sync or collaboration, so the book exists as a file on one machine and version control is whatever you set up yourself.
  • Development depends on a small number of volunteer maintainers, so release timing and platform builds follow their availability rather than a roadmap, and a lapse in maintenance would leave no obvious successor.
  • It provides no distribution, no retailer connection and no Kindle-native output, so it sits in the middle of a workflow that other tools have to complete on both sides.

Pricing, plan by plan

Leafmap

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

Sigil

Free
  • SigilFree
    • GPL licensed with no cost or account required
    • Full functionality with no feature gating
    • Community support through forums and the issue tracker

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Sigil if

  • You need direct epub editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want code and preview views.
Sigil review

Questions people ask

Is Leafmap or Sigil better?
Neither clearly leads. Leafmap starts at Free and Sigil at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Leafmap or Sigil?
Leafmap starts at Free and Sigil at Free.
Does Leafmap or Sigil run on more platforms?
Leafmap runs on Linux, Windows, macOS. Sigil runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Leafmap for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Leafmap best used for?
Leafmap is most often used for a remote sensing course where students need interactive maps without learning javascript or a desktop gis, a researcher exploring stac-hosted satellite imagery inside a notebook before committing to a processing pipeline, an analyst producing a shareable interactive map from a geodataframe in a handful of lines, a team prototyping a geospatial visualisation before deciding whether to build it properly in a web framework. Of those, a remote sensing course where students need interactive maps without learning javascript or a desktop gis and a researcher exploring stac-hosted satellite imagery inside a notebook before committing to a processing pipeline are not what Sigil is typically brought in for.
What can Leafmap do that Sigil cannot?
Leafmap covers Multiple mapping backends, Notebook interactivity, Raster and COG support, STAC catalogue access. Sigil covers Direct EPUB editing, Code and preview views, EPUB 2 and EPUB 3, Regex across files.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Leafmap: Is Leafmap a product?

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

Sigil: Can I write my book in Sigil?

You can, but you should not. It is an EPUB editor, not a word processor, and writing long-form prose in it is unpleasant. Write elsewhere, import, then finish in Sigil.

Leafmap: Who maintains it?

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

Sigil: Does it make Kindle files?

Not natively. Produce a valid EPUB in Sigil and let Amazon convert it, or use a separate conversion tool for other Kindle formats.

Leafmap: Can I buy support?

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

Sigil: Is it safe to rely on a volunteer project for commercial work?

The files it produces are standard EPUB, so nothing is locked in. The risk is that maintenance stops, not that your books become unreadable.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Leafmap

More on Sigil

Keep looking

Other head to heads