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MapKit JS VS Leaflet

Compare MapKit JS VS Leaflet and see what are their differences

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MapKit JS logo MapKit JS

JavaScript API for interactive Apple maps

Leaflet logo Leaflet

Leaflet is a modern, lightweight open-source JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps.
  • MapKit JS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-21
  • Leaflet Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-13

MapKit JS features and specs

  • Integration with Apple Ecosystem
    MapKit JS seamlessly integrates with Apple’s services, enabling developers to utilize Apple’s mapping capabilities and ensuring consistency across Apple platforms.
  • High-Quality Map Data
    Apple provides high-quality, detailed maps with regular updates, offering users accurate geographic information.
  • Customizable Map Features
    Developers can customize map views, annotations, and overlays to better fit the design and functionality of their application.
  • Privacy Considerations
    Apple places a strong emphasis on user privacy, which can benefit developers concerned about user data protection.

Possible disadvantages of MapKit JS

  • Restricted to Apple Developer Program
    To use MapKit JS, developers must be enrolled in the Apple Developer Program, which involves a subscription fee.
  • Limited Browser Support
    MapKit JS may have limited support on non-Safari browsers, potentially affecting cross-browser compatibility.
  • Rate and Usage Limits
    There are usage limits for map views and requests, which can constrain applications with a large number of users or high traffic.
  • Less Extensive API Compared to Competitors
    Compared to other mapping services (e.g., Google Maps), MapKit JS might have fewer features and integrations available.

Leaflet features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Leaflet is designed to be easy on resources, making it fast to load and suitable for performance-critical applications.
  • Ease of Use
    The API is straightforward and well-documented, which makes it accessible for developers of all experience levels.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source means it is free to use and has a collaborative community contributing to its improvement.
  • Extensible
    Leaflet supports a wide range of plugins for additional functionality, allowing for customization and extension based on specific requirements.
  • Support for Mobile
    Leaflet is optimized for mobile browsers and touch devices, including multi-touch support.
  • Customizable
    It allows for extensive customization with a variety of map projections, tile layers, and interactive overlays.

Possible disadvantages of Leaflet

  • Limited Built-in Features
    Compared to some other mapping libraries, Leaflet has fewer built-in features out of the box.
  • Performance with Large Data Sets
    Rendering large data sets (such as many markers or complex geometries) can impact performance.
  • Steeper Learning Curve for Advanced Customization
    While basic use is straightforward, more advanced customizations can be challenging and may require deeper knowledge of JavaScript and Leaflet's architecture.
  • Limited 3D Support
    Leaflet is primarily designed for 2D maps, and doesn't natively support 3D visualizations, which may be a limitation for some applications.
  • Dependence on Third-party Services
    For certain functionalities like tile layers, geocoding, and routing, you may need to rely on third-party services, which can involve additional costs and dependencies.

Analysis of Leaflet

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Leaflet is a solid choice for creating interactive maps on the web, especially when performance and simplicity are priorities.

Why this product is good

  • Leaflet is considered a good JavaScript library for interactive maps due to its simplicity, performance, and ease of use. It provides an intuitive API, is lightweight, and works across various devices and browsers. Developers appreciate its extensibility through plugins and its active community that continuously supports and improves the library.

Recommended for

  • Web developers looking for an easy-to-use mapping solution.
  • Projects requiring lightweight and fast interactive maps.
  • Applications where mobile responsiveness is important.
  • Developers who want to extend functionality using a wide range of plugins.

MapKit JS videos

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Leaflet videos

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leaflet review

More videos:

  • Review - Labour Party Leaflet Review
  • Demo - Liberal Democrats Party Leaflet Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MapKit JS and Leaflet)

MapKit JS

Leaflet

Maps
11 11%
Maps
89% 89
Web Mapping
18 18%
Web Mapping
82% 82
Geocoding
100 100%
Geocoding
0% 0
Javascript UI Libraries
0 0%
Javascript UI Libraries
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MapKit JS and Leaflet

MapKit JS Reviews

18 Top Google Places API Alternatives for Points of Interest Data in 2022
With Apple’s MapKit JS, you can embed interactive Apple maps on your website as well as annotate points of interest or user destinations.
Source: traveltime.com

Leaflet Reviews

Top 15 Price Monitoring Tools For E-Commerce In 2022
Leaflet.js is the most popular open-source JavaScript library for providing mobile-friendly interactive maps. With a simple, easy-to-use interface, it is the perfect solution for all of your data management needs. It operates well right out of the box on all major platforms and devices. The platform offers the following services:
Source: adscale.com
Top 5 Open-Source Google Maps Alternatives in 2022
The Leaflet is another open source interactive maps software that comes with self-hosting capabilities. This map application is lightweight and easy to use. Above all, it is available for all desktop and mobile platforms such as Android, IOS, and web. Further, this offline maps app is highly extensible and offers a well-documented API for third-party integrations. This open...
Source: blog.containerize.com
The Best Data Visualization Tools - Top 30 BI Software
Leaflet leverages OpenStreetMap data and adds HTML5/CSS3 visualizations and interactivity on top to ensure everything is responsive and mobile ready. Its extensive plugin repository lets you add heatmaps , masks and animated markers. Leaflet is open source JavaScript library designed for creating interactive mobile-friendly maps and ships at only 33kb. This Javascript...
Source: improvado.io
Farewell, Google Maps
On a positive note we were impressed by the quality of open source code for operating maps (Leaflet). Some advanced functions which we had implement ourselves on Google side were readily available in Leaflet.
Source: www.inderapotheke.de
Survey of the Best Online Mapping Tools for Web Developers: The Roadmap to Roadmaps
It is safe to say that Leaflet was born as a reaction to OpenLayers’ bloat, clutter and complexity. Vladimir Agafonkin was asked to build a wrapper around OpenLayers, but he instead created a simple and lightweight OpenLayers alternative, and in May 2011 Leaflet was born. Vladimir focused on simplicity, performance and usability for this online map tool. The core library...
Source: www.toptal.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Leaflet seems to be a lot more popular than MapKit JS. While we know about 137 links to Leaflet, we've tracked only 6 mentions of MapKit JS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MapKit JS mentions (6)

  • Understanding Mapbox API Integration: A Deep Dive
    Mapkit JS (Apple): Sleek, privacy-focused mapping solution with excellent iOS integration, beautiful default styling, and high-performance rendering, though with more limited customization options than some alternatives. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Apple Maps on the web launches in beta
    Odd, since the underlying MapKit JS supports Firefox. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/mapkitjs/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Apple Maps on the web launches in beta
    Apple says that MapKit.JS works on Firefox, so this beta web page is probably just working out bugs before they release for FF. Perhaps a rendering issue? https://developer.apple.com/documentation/mapkitjs/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Apple Maps API
    If it's important that it's Apple Maps specifically, you can use Mapkit JS. Source: over 2 years ago
  • iOS 15 Is Available
    > offer Apple Maps on the web If they wanted to, they could easily do that. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/mapkitjs: “Use this JavaScript API to embed interactive maps directly into your webpages or apps across different platforms and operating systems, including iOS and Android. Like MapKit for native apps, you can also add annotations and overlays to the map to call out points of interest or user... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
View more

Leaflet mentions (137)

  • Step-by-Step: Leaflet Custom Marker with Geoapify Icons
    Leaflet is a lightweight and powerful JavaScript library for building interactive maps. By default, Leaflet comes with simple map markers, but in many applications—especially those involving points of interest, events, or branding—you’ll want to customize how those markers look. - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Creating a Custom Map From Images in Leaflet
    In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to create a custom map using a large image in Leaflet, a lightweight JavaScript library for building interactive maps in web applications. - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
  • Interactive Map
    The map is based on the Leaflet module, which is entirely open-source and free. It can pull imagery from any source, so I chose OpenStreetMap, since it is also free. - Source: dev.to / 25 days ago
  • Building a Location-Based App with Appwrite
    React Leaflet because we’re using React and Leaflet is an open source mobile friendly maps library with lots of plugins. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Understanding Mapbox API Integration: A Deep Dive
    Leaflet with OpenStreetMap: Cost-effective open-source solution with no vendor lock-in, lightweight JavaScript library perfect for basic mapping needs, though lacking some advanced features found in commercial options. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MapKit JS and Leaflet, you can also consider the following products

Google Maps - Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

jQuery - The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.

Mapbox - An open source mapping platform for custom designed maps. Our APIs and SDKs are the building blocks to integrate location into any mobile or web app.

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

LocationIQ - Mapping APIs and Mapping and GIS

Babel - Babel is a compiler for writing next generation JavaScript.

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