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Maps · head to head

Leica Infinity vs Lonboard

Leica Infinity logo

Leica Infinity

Maps

Office software that combines total station, GNSS, level, UAV and scanner data into one survey project

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: Leica Infinity leica publishes no pricing at all and sells through dealers, so identical firms in different regions pay different rates for the same modules and cannot benchmark a quote.; 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: Leica Infinity covers Multi-sensor project, Lonboard covers GeoArrow binary transfer.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Leica Infinity and Lonboard actually diverge.

Attributes where Leica Infinity and Lonboard differ
AttributeLeica InfinityLonboard
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsLinux, 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 Leica Infinity

  • Multi-sensor project
  • Network adjustment
  • GNSS baseline processing
  • Point cloud handling
  • Surface and volume
  • Field data exchange
  • Imaging and UAV workflow
  • CAD, GIS and BIM export

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.

Leica Infinity

  • A survey practice running Leica instruments that wants control adjustment, GNSS post-processing and scan registration in one project rather than three packagesnot Lonboard
  • A contractor computing monthly earthworks volumes from drone and GNSS data measured against a design surface for payment applicationsnot Lonboard
  • A monitoring job comparing repeated survey epochs of a structure or slope where the adjustment history and residuals must be defensiblenot Lonboard
  • An office preparing stakeout data and control for field crews on Leica Captivate and receiving as-built observations back into the same projectnot Lonboard

Lonboard

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

Where each one falls short

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

Leica Infinity

  • Leica publishes no pricing at all and sells through dealers, so identical firms in different regions pay different rates for the same modules and cannot benchmark a quote.
  • It is modular, which means the advertised capability list is not what you get: sensor and processing modules are licensed separately and the useful configuration costs considerably more than the entry one.
  • Third-party instrument data is supported but always second-class; a mixed Leica and Trimble fleet will have one manufacturer’s raw data going through a lossier import path.
  • Windows only, with no macOS, Linux or browser option, which is a hard constraint for organisations moving field and office work to tablets or cloud desktops.
  • Perpetual licences require an ongoing customer care contract to receive updates and support, so the perpetual option saves less over five years than it first appears.

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

Leica Infinity

On request
  • Infinity perpetual licence$undefined/year
    • Bought once, owned outright
    • Modular by sensor and processing capability
    • Annual customer care contract needed for updates
  • Infinity subscription$undefined/year
    • Annual or multi-year term
    • Includes updates for the term
    • Modules added or removed at renewal

Lonboard

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Leica Infinity if

  • You need multi-sensor project.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want network adjustment.
Leica Infinity 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 Leica Infinity or Lonboard better?
Neither clearly leads. Leica Infinity 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, Leica Infinity or Lonboard?
Lonboard has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Leica Infinity and Free for Lonboard.
Does Leica Infinity or Lonboard run on more platforms?
Leica Infinity runs on Windows. 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. Leica Infinity starts at On request.
What is Leica Infinity best used for?
Leica Infinity is most often used for a survey practice running leica instruments that wants control adjustment, gnss post-processing and scan registration in one project rather than three packages, a contractor computing monthly earthworks volumes from drone and gnss data measured against a design surface for payment applications, a monitoring job comparing repeated survey epochs of a structure or slope where the adjustment history and residuals must be defensible, an office preparing stakeout data and control for field crews on leica captivate and receiving as-built observations back into the same project. Of those, a survey practice running leica instruments that wants control adjustment, gnss post-processing and scan registration in one project rather than three packages and a contractor computing monthly earthworks volumes from drone and gnss data measured against a design surface for payment applications are not what Lonboard is typically brought in for.
What can Leica Infinity do that Lonboard cannot?
Leica Infinity covers Multi-sensor project, Network adjustment, GNSS baseline processing, Point cloud handling. Lonboard covers GeoArrow binary transfer, GeoPandas input, deck.gl layers, Jupyter widget.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Leica Infinity: Is Leica Infinity available as a perpetual licence?

Yes. Leica sells Infinity both as a subscription and as a perpetual licence, though updates on a perpetual licence require an active customer care contract.

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.

Leica Infinity: How much does it cost?

Leica does not publish prices. Infinity is quoted per module through authorised dealers.

Lonboard: Who maintains it?

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

Leica Infinity: Does it work with non-Leica instruments?

It imports common third-party and standard formats, but Leica raw data is the first-class path. Expect reduced fidelity with competing raw formats.

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.

Leica Infinity: Is there a free version?

No, only a 30-day trial.

Lonboard: Is it free for commercial use?

Yes, it is open source with no licence fee.

Leica Infinity: Does it replace Cyclone for scanning?

No. Infinity handles scan data in a survey context; heavy registration and modelling work still belongs in Leica Cyclone.

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