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Maps · head to head

OpenRouteService vs Potree

OpenRouteService logo

OpenRouteService

Maps

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Potree logo

Potree

Maps

Open source WebGL viewer for publishing very large point clouds in a browser

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: OpenRouteService free tier limited to 500 Isochrones requests per day; Potree there is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • They diverge on capability: OpenRouteService covers Core Functionality, Potree covers Octree streaming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenRouteService and Potree actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenRouteService and Potree differ
AttributeOpenRouteServicePotree
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux

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 OpenRouteService

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

Only in Potree

  • Octree streaming
  • Large dataset rendering
  • Measurement tools
  • Clipping and profiles
  • Annotations
  • Attribute colouring
  • PotreeDesktop
  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

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

OpenRouteService

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

Potree

  • A drone survey firm delivering a point cloud to a client who has no desktop software, by publishing a browser viewer link instead of a 40 GB LAZ filenot OpenRouteService
  • A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot OpenRouteService
  • An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot OpenRouteService
  • A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot OpenRouteService

Where each one falls short

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

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

Potree

  • There is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • Conversion is a separate manual step with PotreeConverter, and building an automated publishing pipeline around it is engineering work the project does not provide.
  • Rendering quality and performance depend on the client machine and WebGL support, so a client on a locked-down corporate laptop with poor graphics may see a viewer that stutters or fails outright.
  • A WebGPU rewrite, Potree-Next, is in progress and is not a drop-in upgrade, so current integrations face an eventual migration with no vendor to manage it.
  • There is no access control, user management or audit layer; anyone with the URL sees the data unless you build authentication around the static files yourself, which is a real problem for confidential sites.

Pricing, plan by plan

OpenRouteService

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the OpenRouteService review.

Potree

Free
  • PotreeFree
    • BSD-style open source licence
    • Unlimited datasets and viewers
    • Self-hosted on any static web server

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenRouteService if

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

Choose Potree if

  • You need octree streaming.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large dataset rendering.
Potree review

Questions people ask

Is OpenRouteService or Potree better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenRouteService starts at Free and Potree at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenRouteService or Potree?
OpenRouteService starts at Free and Potree at Free.
Does OpenRouteService or Potree run on more platforms?
OpenRouteService runs on Web. Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use OpenRouteService for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is OpenRouteService best used for?
OpenRouteService is most often used for directions routing for cars, trucks, bikes, walking, hiking, wheelchair, reachability analysis with isochrones for time and distance calculations, many-to-many distance matrix calculations, location geocoding and conversion to coordinates. Of those, directions routing for cars, trucks, bikes, walking, hiking, wheelchair and reachability analysis with isochrones for time and distance calculations are not what Potree is typically brought in for.
What can OpenRouteService do that Potree cannot?
OpenRouteService covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Potree: Does Potree cost anything?

No. It is open source and free. You supply the hosting, which for a static viewer is inexpensive.

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
Potree: Is there commercial support?

No. There is no vendor and no support contract. Support is GitHub issues and the community.

Potree: Who maintains it?

It originated at TU Wien and is maintained principally by Markus Schütz, with community contributions.

Potree: Can it handle very large clouds?

Yes, hundreds of millions of points, because PotreeConverter builds a multi-resolution octree that streams only what is visible.

Potree: Is my data private?

Only if you make it so. Potree serves static files with no built-in authentication, so access control is entirely your responsibility.

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