Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenLayers VS Plotaroute

Compare OpenLayers VS Plotaroute and see what are their differences

OpenLayers logo OpenLayers

A high-performance, feature-packed library for all your mapping needs.

Plotaroute logo Plotaroute

Plotaroute is an application that enables you to plan an accurate and powerful outdoor route.
  • OpenLayers Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-27
  • Plotaroute Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-02-19

OpenLayers features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenLayers is free to use and is maintained by a robust community, enabling access to a wide range of functionalities without licensing fees.
  • Extensible
    The library is highly modular and customizable, allowing developers to extend its capabilities with plugins or by writing custom code.
  • Rich Feature Set
    Offers a wide array of features such as layer manipulation, vector drawing, and spatial analysis, making it suitable for complex mapping applications.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Supports major web browsers, ensuring a consistent experience across different user environments.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Easily integrates with other GIS tools and platforms, including GeoServer, PostGIS, and OGC standards.
  • Community Support
    Strong community support with extensive documentation, tutorials, and forums where developers can seek help and share knowledge.
  • Performance
    Efficient rendering capabilities for both vector and raster data, ensuring smooth performance for most use cases.

Possible disadvantages of OpenLayers

  • Complexity for Beginners
    Steep learning curve for beginners who may find the extensive features and configurations overwhelming.
  • Documentation Gaps
    Although extensive, the documentation can sometimes be incomplete or lacking in specific use-case examples.
  • Mobile Support
    Limited out-of-the-box support for mobile devices compared to some competing libraries, which may require additional customization.
  • Dependency Management
    Relying on multiple dependencies can complicate the setup process and require careful management to avoid conflicts.
  • File Size
    Can result in larger file sizes due to extensive functionalities, which may impact load times, especially on slower networks.

Plotaroute features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Plotaroute offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all experience levels to plan routes effectively.
  • Comprehensive Route Planning
    The platform provides a wide range of options for creating and customizing routes, including elevation profiles and different map views, catering to various activities such as running, cycling, and walking.
  • Route Sharing and Export
    Users can easily share routes or export them in different formats for use with GPS devices or other applications, enhancing the platform's versatility.
  • Community Features
    Plotaroute allows users to discover routes created by others, fostering a community of route-sharing enthusiasts and providing inspiration for new routes.

Possible disadvantages of Plotaroute

  • Limited Free Features
    The free version of Plotaroute has limited features, which may require users to upgrade to a paid subscription to access more advanced functionalities.
  • Occasional Performance Issues
    Some users report that the platform can experience slow loading times or glitches, especially when dealing with complex or long routes.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    Plotaroute is a web-based tool, which means that users must have a stable internet connection to utilize its features, potentially limiting access in remote areas.

Analysis of OpenLayers

Overall verdict

  • Yes, OpenLayers is generally considered a good JavaScript library for creating interactive maps.

Why this product is good

  • OpenLayers offers a wide range of features, including support for various map layers, projections, and controls, which makes it highly versatile for developers.
  • It is open-source, which means it is free to use and has a community of contributors constantly improving it.
  • The documentation is thorough and helpful, making it easier for developers to implement and troubleshoot their maps.
  • OpenLayers is highly customizable, allowing developers to tailor maps to specific project needs.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking to implement detailed and interactive web maps.
  • Projects that require support for multiple layers and data formats.
  • Those who need a customizable and robust mapping solution.

OpenLayers videos

Create Maps with Vector Tiles | OpenLayers | Mapbox GL JS

More videos:

  • Review - Membuat Peta Openlayers 3
  • Review - OpenLayers 3.x for Drupal

Plotaroute videos

plotaroute.com - Quick Start Tutorial

More videos:

  • Tutorial - plotaroute.com - Editing Routes Tutorial
  • Tutorial - plotaroute.com - Make Me A Route Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenLayers and Plotaroute)
B2B SaaS
100 100%
0% 0
Travel & Location
0 0%
100% 100
Business & Commerce
100 100%
0% 0
Maps
75 75%
25% 25

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenLayers and Plotaroute

OpenLayers Reviews

The Top 10 Alternatives to ArcGIS
OpenLayers is an open source JavaScript library for displaying map data on a web page. It provides a powerful, easy-to-use API for creating dynamic maps and making interactive queries to spatial data servers. OpenLayers has been used in many high-profile projects, including Google Earth, Wikimedia Maps, and CartoWeb. If youโ€™re interested in adding mapping functionality to...
Survey of the Best Online Mapping Tools for Web Developers: The Roadmap to Roadmaps
OpenLayers was developed by MetaCarta as an open source equivalent to Google Maps, and the first version was published in June 2006. OpenLayers is an onling mapping tool that implements a JavaScript API for building rich web-based geographic applications, with an API similar to the Google Maps API. OpenLayers gained a lot of traction very fast, and development in the...
Source: www.toptal.com

Plotaroute Reviews

We have no reviews of Plotaroute yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenLayers should be more popular than Plotaroute. It has been mentiond 32 times since March 2021. 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.

OpenLayers mentions (32)

  • Scratching the Itch, Paying the Debt: How Community Keeps Legacy Open Source Projects Alive
    Every developer has that one project that started as a personal solution and unexpectedly found a life of its own. For me, that was FastKML, a library I built in 2012 to โ€œscratch my own itch.โ€ I needed to embed maps into a website, and at the time, KML was the de facto standard for visualizing geospatial data on the web. GeoJSON existed but was still in its infancy and unsupported by OpenLayers, which was then the... - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • OpenStreetMap's software ecosystem and tools
    Unlike commercial products like Google Maps, OpenStreetMap does not have an "official" map library that you are required to use. Among the most popular OSM map libraries for the web are Leaflet, which is the default map viewer on openstreetmap.org, and OpenLayers, which is considered more powerful but has a steeper learning curve. Alternatives like MapLibre have SDKs for web, Android, and iOS. Other popular map... - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • How to Host and Test PMTiles on GitHub Pages โ€” The Easiest Way to Serve Maps Without a Server
    You can host .pmtiles files (Protomaps tile archives) entirely on GitHub Pages and consume them using OpenLayers. This post shows how to:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • My Second Year as a Developer Advocate: A Journey Through Different Conferences
    Our talk, โ€œOpen Source Mapping Library Shoot Out,โ€ focused on comparing popular open-source mapping libraries like MapLibre GL JS, Leaflet, and OpenLayers, helping developers make informed decisions about the tools they use. This was my first time presenting at a third-party conference, but having my co-worker by my side made the experience less daunting and allowed me to focus more on delivering the content... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Zooming User Interface (ZUI)
    You probably know this, but in Google Maps at least, you can use browser zoom (ctrl/cmd +/-) to change the size of labels without zooming into the actual map. ------ Speaking of maps, I got to work a fun zoom project a few years ago: https://map.fieldmuseum.org/ We used https://openlayers.org/ and thought long and hard about how to best handle zooming and variable levels of information density & visual hierarchy.... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
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Plotaroute mentions (16)

  • Technical question: Is there a GPX editor software (or web-service) that has functionality to export a track file with automatically added "turn after turn" notifications?
    The track in the picture was exported from gpsies, then imported into plotaroute.com Thanks! Source: almost 4 years ago
  • How do you plan and train for long runs?
    My watch is a basic Garmin Forerunner 35 with my map functionality or turn/directions capability. If I'm running somewhere new (somewhere I need to drive to or in a different city) I'll occasionally use plotaroute.com to plot my route and either write the turns down on a small piece of paper I'll carry and glance at periodically or download the GPX file and upload it to use in the rungo app. That app gives audible... Source: almost 4 years ago
  • iwtl how to run a 12 min mile
    2: work towards walking ~2 miles in those 30 minutes (see plotaroute.com or strava to find distance). Consider adding 1-3x per week strength training, such as the minimal routine at r/bodyweightfitness. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Apps to plan hiking/trail running routes to follow with a smartwatch (Garmin Fenix)
    In other post I've been sugested to use plotaroute.com and I'm really liking it, a lot. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • GPS accuracy
    Short of using a physical tool to measure the route, your best option is to use an online tool like plotaroute.com to plot the route you took. Hopefully one of the apps is consistently more accurate than the other. Different apps on the same phone may indicate slightly (or significantly) different routes. That's because of differences in how each app gathers GPS coordinates at different times and frequencies, how... Source: about 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenLayers and Plotaroute, you can also consider the following products

AWS Snowball - AWS Snowball is a petabyte-scale data transport service that uses secure devices to transfer large amounts of data into and out of the AWS cloud.

Hiking Project - Better Data. Better Maps. Better Hikes

Net Solutions - Where innovation meets expertise. Award-winning digital solutions built for growth.

Trekarta - Trekarta is an application that is designed for travelers, hikers, and tourists to provide guidelines related to hiking, off-roading, boating, cycling, geocaching, and all the activities related to the outdoors.

Fluper - Fluper: Top Mobile App Development Company in USA, UK, UAE & INDIA that Specialises in iPhone (iOS), Android & Web App Development Services at Affordable cost.

PeakVisor - Your private mountain guide