# Mapnik

> Toolkit for rendering maps, widely used to render OpenStreetMap tiles.

- Category: [C++ visualization libraries & applications](https://awesomedataviz.com/categories/cpp/)
- Website: http://mapnik.org
- Repository: https://github.com/mapnik/mapnik
- License: LGPL-2.1
- Language: C++
- Status: Active (commits in the last 90 days)
- GitHub stars: 3,965
- Commits in the last 12 months: 191
- Contributors: 98
- Last commit: Sep 23, 2026
- Latest release: v4.3.2 (Sep 23, 2026)
- Topics: Maps & geospatial visualization

## Overview

Mapnik is an open-source C++ visualization tool released under the LGPL-2.1 license. Its GitHub repository has 3,965 stars, 839 forks, and 98 contributors. It is actively developed with 191 commits in the last 12 months. The latest release, v4.3.2, was published on Sep 23, 2026.

## Alternatives

- [ImPlot](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/implot/): Immediate-mode plotting library for Dear ImGui. (6.2K stars)
- [PlotJuggler](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/plotjuggler/): Open-source Qt5 application to plot charts (based on Qwt). (6.2K stars)
- [Matplot++](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/matplotpp/): C++ graphics library for data visualization with a MATLAB-like API. (4.9K stars)
- [F3D](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/f3d/): Cross-platform, fast, and minimalist 3D viewer with scientific visualization tools. (4.7K stars)
- [ROOT](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/root/): CERN framework for analyzing, storing and visualizing large scientific datasets. (3.3K stars)
- [VTK](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/vtk/): Open-source library for 3d Graphics, image processing and visualization. (3.2K stars)

## Comparisons

- [ImPlot vs Mapnik](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/implot-vs-mapnik/)
- [Mapnik vs PlotJuggler](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/mapnik-vs-plotjuggler/)
- [Mapnik vs Matplot++](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/mapnik-vs-matplotpp/)
- [F3D vs Mapnik](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/f3d-vs-mapnik/)

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/mapnik/ · Data updated 2026-10-04 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).