Deck.gl vs OpenLayers
A data-driven comparison of two JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Deck.glWebGL framework for visual exploratory data analysis of large datasets.
OpenLayersLibrary for interactive web maps with support for many data sources, formats and projections.
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.
By the numbers
- Deck.gl
- OpenLayers
Show data as a table
| Metric | Deck.gl | OpenLayers |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 14,623 | 12,602 |
| npm downloads / week | 262,347 | 923,068 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 418 | 827 |
| Contributors | 288 | 332 |
| Forks | 2,275 | 3,193 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Deck.gl
- OpenLayers
Show data as a table
| Month | Deck.gl | OpenLayers |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 15 | 69 |
| Nov 2025 | 2 | 98 |
| Dec 2025 | 17 | 49 |
| Jan 2026 | 19 | 63 |
| Feb 2026 | 29 | 52 |
| Mar 2026 | 61 | 114 |
| Apr 2026 | 67 | 68 |
| May 2026 | 16 | 37 |
| Jun 2026 | 13 | 57 |
| Jul 2026 | 58 | 123 |
| Aug 2026 | 71 | 51 |
| Sep 2026 | 50 | 46 |
Side by side
| Attribute | 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. |
| Category | JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries | JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | v9.4.0 () | v10.10.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 433 | 753 |
| Install | npm install deck.gl | 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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Deck.gl
WebGL framework for visual exploratory data analysis of large datasets.
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OpenLayers
Library for interactive web maps with support for many data sources, formats and projections.