QGIS vs Sampler
A data-driven comparison of two Data visualization apps & tools: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Key differences
- Sampler and QGIS have a similar number of GitHub stars (14.8K vs 14.5K).
- QGIS had more development activity over the last 12 months: 6,488 commits vs 0.
- QGIS is licensed under GPL-2.0; Sampler under GPL-3.0.
- QGIS is written primarily in C++, Sampler in Go.
- QGIS is the older project: its repository was created in 2011, Sampler's in 2019.
- Sampler has had no commits since Oct 6, 2022.
By the numbers
- QGIS
- Sampler
Show data as a table
| Metric | QGIS | Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 14,461 | 14,810 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 6,488 | 0 |
| Contributors | 343 | 14 |
| Forks | 3,539 | 667 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- QGIS
- Sampler
Show data as a table
| Month | QGIS | Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 445 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 468 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 601 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 603 | 0 |
| Feb 2026 | 691 | 0 |
| Mar 2026 | 630 | 0 |
| Apr 2026 | 615 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 630 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 551 | 0 |
| Jul 2026 | 268 | 0 |
| Aug 2026 | 346 | 0 |
| Sep 2026 | 640 | 0 |
Side by side
| Attribute | QGIS | Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Desktop geographic information system for viewing, editing, analyzing and mapping geospatial data. | Terminal dashboard that runs shell commands and visualizes their output, configured with YAML. |
| Category | Data visualization apps & tools | Data visualization apps & tools |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Status | Active | Inactive |
| Latest release | final-3_44_15 () | v1.1.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 5,443 | 57 |
| Install | – | go get github.com/sqshq/sampler |
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.