# Deck.gl vs OpenLayers

## Key differences

- Deck.gl has 1.2× as many GitHub stars as OpenLayers (14.6K vs 12.6K).
- OpenLayers had more development activity over the last 12 months: 827 commits vs 418.
- OpenLayers is downloaded 3.5× as often on npm (923.1K vs 262.3K per week).
- Deck.gl is licensed under MIT; OpenLayers under BSD-2-Clause.
- Deck.gl is written primarily in TypeScript, OpenLayers in JavaScript.
- OpenLayers is the older project: its repository was created in 2012, Deck.gl's in 2015.

| | Deck.gl | OpenLayers |
|---|---|---|
| Description | WebGL framework for visual exploratory data analysis of large datasets. | Library for interactive web maps with support for many data sources, formats and projections. |
| GitHub stars | 14,623 | 12,602 |
| Commits (12 months) | 418 | 827 |
| Contributors | 288 | 332 |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Install | `npm install deck.gl` | `npm install ol` |

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/deck-gl-vs-openlayers/ · Data updated 2026-10-04 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).