Leaflet vs mapcn
A data-driven comparison of two JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Key differences
- Leaflet has 3.7× as many GitHub stars as mapcn (45.7K vs 12.2K).
- Leaflet had more development activity over the last 12 months: 184 commits vs 113.
- Leaflet is licensed under BSD-2-Clause; mapcn under MIT.
- Leaflet is written primarily in JavaScript, mapcn in TypeScript.
- Leaflet is the older project: its repository was created in 2010, mapcn's in 2025.
By the numbers
- Leaflet
- mapcn
Show data as a table
| Metric | Leaflet | mapcn |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 45,704 | 12,238 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 184 | 113 |
| Contributors | 382 | 3 |
| Forks | 6,178 | 720 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Leaflet
- mapcn
Show data as a table
| Month | Leaflet | mapcn |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 20 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 16 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 21 | 15 |
| Jan 2026 | 21 | 33 |
| Feb 2026 | 9 | 13 |
| Mar 2026 | 18 | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | 21 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 18 | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | 1 | 13 |
| Jul 2026 | 36 | 18 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | 3 | 3 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Leaflet | mapcn |
|---|---|---|
| Description | JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps. | Map components for React built on MapLibre GL, styled with Tailwind and compatible with shadcn/ui. |
| Category | JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries | JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | v1.9.4 () | – |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 402 | 13 |
| Install | npm install leaflet | – |
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.