Software · head to head
MapQuest vs CesiumJS
MapQuest
Software
Free driving directions, live traffic updates, and road conditions for trip planning and navigation
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
CesiumJS
Software
Open-source JavaScript library for creating 3D globes and 2D maps with support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only CesiumJS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: MapQuest subscription tiers cost more per transaction than the pay as you go rate at low volume, since $119 a month for 30,000 transactions is roughly $0.004 each against $0.0045 on demand; CesiumJS the free Community tier does not permit commercial use
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which MapQuest and CesiumJS actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 MapQuest
Nothing recorded that CesiumJS does not also cover.
Only in CesiumJS
Nothing recorded that MapQuest 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.
MapQuest
- Geocoding, routing and static maps over an APInot CesiumJS
- Adding directions and place search to an applicationnot CesiumJS
CesiumJS
- Streaming 3D terrain, imagery and building data into web applicationsnot MapQuest
- Tiling and hosting large geospatial and reality capture datasetsnot MapQuest
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
MapQuest
- Subscription tiers cost more per transaction than the pay as you go rate at low volume, since $119 a month for 30,000 transactions is roughly $0.004 each against $0.0045 on demand
- The 50,000 free pay as you go transactions are described as available for a limited time rather than as a standing allowance
- Plan allowances are monthly and do not carry over
- Enterprise volume is custom priced
CesiumJS
- The free Community tier does not permit commercial use
- The cheapest commercial plan is $149 a month for an individual and $524 for a team
- Team accounts are capped at 5 members on both the Commercial and Premium plans
- Three separate quotas apply at once, being storage, monthly streaming and monthly reality modelling gigapixels, and exceeding any one of them constrains the account
- Streaming is capped at 15 GB a month on the free tier
Pricing, plan by plan
MapQuest
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the MapQuest review.
CesiumJS
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the CesiumJS review.
Which should you pick?
Choose MapQuest if
Nothing in the data separates MapQuest from CesiumJS on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is MapQuest or CesiumJS better?
- Neither clearly leads. MapQuest starts at On request and CesiumJS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, MapQuest or CesiumJS?
- CesiumJS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for MapQuest and Free for CesiumJS.
- Does MapQuest or CesiumJS run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use CesiumJS for free?
- Yes. CesiumJS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. MapQuest starts at On request.
- What is MapQuest best used for?
- MapQuest is most often used for geocoding, routing and static maps over an api, adding directions and place search to an application. Of those, geocoding, routing and static maps over an api and adding directions and place search to an application are not what CesiumJS is typically brought in for.