Cesium vs OpenLayers
A data-driven comparison of two JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
CesiumWebGL 3D globes and maps.
OpenLayersLibrary for interactive web maps with support for many data sources, formats and projections.
Key differences
- Cesium has 1.3× as many GitHub stars as OpenLayers (15.8K vs 12.6K).
- Cesium had more development activity over the last 12 months: 3,159 commits vs 827.
- OpenLayers is downloaded 1.6× as often on npm (923.1K vs 570.1K per week).
- Cesium is licensed under Apache-2.0; OpenLayers under BSD-2-Clause.
By the numbers
- Cesium
- OpenLayers
Show data as a table
| Metric | Cesium | OpenLayers |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 15,798 | 12,602 |
| npm downloads / week | 570,055 | 923,068 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 3,159 | 827 |
| Contributors | 311 | 332 |
| Forks | 3,882 | 3,193 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Cesium
- OpenLayers
Show data as a table
| Month | Cesium | OpenLayers |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 271 | 69 |
| Nov 2025 | 99 | 98 |
| Dec 2025 | 85 | 49 |
| Jan 2026 | 191 | 63 |
| Feb 2026 | 392 | 52 |
| Mar 2026 | 527 | 114 |
| Apr 2026 | 369 | 68 |
| May 2026 | 274 | 37 |
| Jun 2026 | 236 | 57 |
| Jul 2026 | 189 | 123 |
| Aug 2026 | 349 | 51 |
| Sep 2026 | 177 | 46 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Cesium | OpenLayers |
|---|---|---|
| Description | WebGL 3D globes and maps. | Library for interactive web maps with support for many data sources, formats and projections. |
| Category | JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries | JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | 1.146 () | v10.10.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 1,601 | 753 |
| Install | npm install cesium | npm install ol |
Which should you choose?
Popularity and activity are only part of the story. Consider which ecosystem you work in, the chart types and interactions you need, how much data you render, and whether the license fits your project. Both tool pages list alternatives if neither is quite right.
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Cesium
WebGL 3D globes and maps.
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OpenLayers
Library for interactive web maps with support for many data sources, formats and projections.