When starting a MapLibre project that requires drawing and editing capabilities for geospatial data, such as polygons, lines, and points, developers face a choice of a) either building a geospatial editing tool from scratch or b) using an existing library. Building a proprietary tool allows for customization, but is often costly and adds time to project release. Therefore selecting an existing geospatial editing library is typically recommended.
Within the MapLibre ecosystem, the most popular choice for geospatial drawing/editing tools is Mapbox-GL-Draw which currently sits at around 222k weekly downloads at npmjs.com. Mapbox-gl-draw is a drawing and editing library developed specifically for Mapbox GL JS by Mapbox, but also works within the MapLibre ecosystem. It focuses on providing essential drawing tools with a lightweight, easy-to-integrate library.
MapLibre-Geoman has recently entered as an alternative to Mapbox-GL-Draw. MapLibre-Geoman leverages the functionality of Leaflet-Geoman, the most popular drawing and editing plugin for Leaflet. MapLibre-Geoman was created to bring a strong toolset of geospatial editing capabilities to the MapLibre ecosystem. It is aimed a both smaller hobby projects and larger commercial projects.
Feature Comparison MapLibre-Geoman vs Mapbox-GL-Draw
Below is a feature comparison of the two libraries.
| MapLibre-Geoman | Mapbox-GL-Draw | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small projects and commercial use cases | Hobby projects |
| Basic editing | Yes (e.g. drag, edit, rotate) | Yes (e.g. drag, edit, rotate) |
| Advanced editing | Comprehensive (e.g. scaling, measurement, copy, undo/redo, spatial analysis) | Some advanced editing tools (e.g. merging, custom modes) |
| UI Controls | Flexible and customizable | Basic, toggleable |
| Support | Full customer support available | No dedicated support, only through Mapbox |
| Licensing | Free and paid versions available | Open Source |
This feature comparison should help you in making the right choice for your MapLibre project.
When to Choose MapLibre-Geoman
MapLibre-Geoman is the right choice when:
- You need advanced editing capabilities such as snapping, measurement tools, or undo/redo.
- You work in industries requiring precision, such as utilities, real estate, or drone operations.
- You prefer or are transitioning to MapLibre over Mapbox for cost or licensing reasons.
- You want a customizable and developer-friendly experience with potential access to Pro features.
When to Choose Mapbox-GL-Draw
Mapbox-GL-Draw is the right choice when:
- You are already deeply embedded in the Mapbox ecosystem.
- Your drawing and editing requirements are simple and do not require advanced customization.
- You need a lightweight library for basic use cases.
Just the beginning of MapLibre-Geoman
The Geoman team is committed to continue to evolve the MapLibre-Geoman library as the MapLibre ecosystem expands. If you want to chat with us about geospatial apps leveraging MapLibre, you can reach us at sales@geoman.io.