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Maps · head to head

Lonboard vs OpenRouteService

Lonboard logo

Lonboard

Maps

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenRouteService logo

OpenRouteService

Maps

Open-source routing, geocoding, and isochrone APIs based on OpenStreetMap data for developers and enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; OpenRouteService free tier limited to 500 Isochrones requests per day
  • They diverge on capability: Lonboard covers GeoArrow binary transfer, OpenRouteService covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lonboard and OpenRouteService actually diverge.

Attributes where Lonboard and OpenRouteService differ
AttributeLonboardOpenRouteService
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsLinux, macOS, WindowsWeb

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 Lonboard

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

Only in OpenRouteService

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Lonboard

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

OpenRouteService

  • Directions routing for cars, trucks, bikes, walking, hiking, wheelchairnot Lonboard
  • Reachability analysis with isochrones for time and distance calculationsnot Lonboard
  • Many-to-many distance matrix calculationsnot Lonboard
  • Location geocoding and conversion to coordinatesnot Lonboard
  • Points of interest discovery and mappingnot Lonboard
  • Elevation data enrichment using SRTM satellite datanot Lonboard
  • Vehicle routing problem optimizationnot Lonboard

Where each one falls short

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

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

OpenRouteService

  • Free tier limited to 500 Isochrones requests per day
  • API restrictions exist but details not fully documented on main page
  • Specific pricing tiers and costs not published on primary website

Pricing, plan by plan

Lonboard

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

OpenRouteService

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the OpenRouteService review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose OpenRouteService if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want user interface.
OpenRouteService review

Questions people ask

Is Lonboard or OpenRouteService better?
Neither clearly leads. Lonboard starts at Free and OpenRouteService at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lonboard or OpenRouteService?
Lonboard starts at Free and OpenRouteService at Free.
Does Lonboard or OpenRouteService run on more platforms?
Lonboard runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. OpenRouteService runs on Web.
Can I use Lonboard for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Lonboard best used for?
Lonboard is most often used for an analyst exploring a national road or parcel dataset in a notebook where pydeck or ipyleaflet becomes unusable at that size, a researcher publishing a reproducible analysis where the visualisation must run from the same script as the processing, a data scientist joining spatial data to model outputs in pandas and needing to see the result immediately without exporting to a gis, a team building an internal analysis pipeline on geoparquet that wants rendering without a serialisation step in the middle. Of those, an analyst exploring a national road or parcel dataset in a notebook where pydeck or ipyleaflet becomes unusable at that size and a researcher publishing a reproducible analysis where the visualisation must run from the same script as the processing are not what OpenRouteService is typically brought in for.
What can Lonboard do that OpenRouteService cannot?
Lonboard covers GeoArrow binary transfer, GeoPandas input, deck.gl layers, Jupyter widget. OpenRouteService covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

OpenRouteService: How much does OpenRouteService cost?

OpenRouteService is free to use and open source. The free tier includes up to 500 Isochrones requests per day. Specific pricing for higher usage tiers is not published on the main pricing page.

Source
Lonboard: Who maintains it?

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

OpenRouteService: Is there a free version of OpenRouteService?

Yes, OpenRouteService is completely free to use and built on open source technology. All services are presented as free to use and based on user-generated and collaboratively collected geographic data from OpenStreetMap.

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.

Lonboard: Is it free for commercial use?

Yes, it is open source with no licence fee.

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