Geoman alternative: vectorstream vs Geoman
Both edit shapes on a web map. The difference is how shared borders are handled, which map libraries are covered, and which tools sit behind a Pro license.
What each tool is
What vectorstream is
vectorstream is a geometry editor for web maps built on a topological data model: where two areas meet, the border is stored once, so an edit on one side is an edit on both. It runs on Leaflet, OpenLayers and MapLibre GL through adapters that share one editing core, and it is in pre-release: the free packages are on npm and Pro is a yearly license per developer seat. Besides shared borders, the editor includes cut, split, union and difference tools, snapping, an exact undo and a layer tree, each exercised by the project's own test suite rather than taken on faith.
- What Geoman is
- Geoman (geoman.io) describes itself as a drop-in editing library for Leaflet, MapLibre and Mapbox, with the same drawing and editing tools across all three. Its site presents Leaflet-Geoman, MapLibre-Geoman and Mapbox-Geoman as one toolkit. The free MapLibre and Mapbox packages use the MIT license; MapLibre-Geoman Pro uses a commercial license and adds tools such as splitting, scaling, measurements, auto tracing and undo/redo. The site reports 3.6M+ downloads, 2,500+ GitHub stars and 1,000+ development teams, and says it has been actively maintained since 2014. Leaflet-Geoman, the library for Leaflet, has its own comparison page.
- Editions
- Leaflet-Geoman, MapLibre-Geoman and Mapbox-Geoman; Leaflet-Geoman Pro is licensed separately Source: geoman.io
- Maintained since
- 2014 Source: geoman.io
- Free MapLibre and Mapbox packages
- MIT license Source: Geoman MapLibre docs
- MapLibre-Geoman Pro
- Commercial license; one license covers both the MapLibre and the Mapbox adapter Source: Geoman MapLibre docs
- Leaflet-Geoman Pro
- Installed through a separate npm registry Source: Geoman Pro install docs
- Pro price
- Starts at €999/year Source: geoman.io/pricing
This page compares Geoman as geoman.io presents it: Leaflet-Geoman, MapLibre-Geoman and Mapbox-Geoman as one toolkit. Where a tool or a tier differs between editions, the cell names the edition. Leaflet-Geoman, the library for Leaflet, has its own comparison page. It does not compare performance, bundle size or server-side rendering, since the vendor's own materials gave no measured figure to cite for those.
Feature comparison
Feature comparison of vectorstream and Geoman
| Feature | vectorstream | Geoman |
|---|---|---|
| Draw polygons, lines, rectangles, circles, markers and text | Yes | Yes Source: geoman.io |
| Vertex editing, drag, rotate and scale | Yes | Yes (on MapLibre-Geoman, vertex editing, dragging and rotation are free and scaling is a Pro tool) Source: Geoman MapLibre docs |
| Snapping while drawing and editing | Yes | Yes (on MapLibre-Geoman, snapping is free; the docs mark snapping to external sources with a star for Pro) Source: Geoman MapLibre docs |
| Cut, split, union and difference (Leaflet-Geoman) | Yes, on every plan | Pro modes, from the Internal tier (€999 per seat annually) Source: geoman.io/pricing |
| Cut and split (MapLibre-Geoman) | Yes, on every plan | Cutting is free; splitting is a Pro tool Source: Geoman MapLibre docs |
| Union and difference (MapLibre-Geoman) | Yes, on every plan | Pro (both are marked with a star in the Edit Modes docs, as are merge parts and explode) Source: Geoman Edit Modes docs |
| Copy, simplify and lasso selection (MapLibre-Geoman) | Yes, for areas only (copy and simplify work on areas; the lasso selects areas it encloses completely) | Pro (copy, line simplification and lasso are each marked with a star in the Edit Modes docs) Source: Geoman Edit Modes docs |
| Topology: shared borders stored once between neighbours | Yes | Not described as a data model (snapping and vertex pinning are described as keeping geometries gap-free) Source: geoman.io |
| Undo and redo | Yes, on every plan including Free; undo restores every neighbour an edit touched | Yes on MapLibre-Geoman, listed among the Pro tools Source: Geoman MapLibre docs |
| Several changes in one undo step | Yes (an edit that touches several shapes is one undo step) | Yes: batch(label, fn) commits all of a function's mutations as one undo step (the History & Undo/Redo page carries a star) Source: Geoman history docs |
| Layers | Yes (a layer tree: add, rename, hide, lock, reorder) | Data layers with add, show or hide and reorder, from Pro 0.11 on MapLibre-Geoman Source: Geoman data layers docs |
| GeoJSON import and export | Yes (geometry check on import, one FeatureCollection on export) | Yes (export returns the current FeatureCollection) Source: Geoman MapLibre docs |
| Geometry check | Yes, on GeoJSON import: a file with invalid geometry is refused with a message | Opt-in through the validateGeometry setting (Pro 0.11 upgrade notes); repair of duplicate vertices and self-intersecting polygons is one of the listed geometry utilities, next to validation Source: Geoman Pro 0.11 notes |
| Live measurements while drawing | Yes (side length, perimeter and area update live) | Measurements are listed as a Pro tool on MapLibre-Geoman Source: Geoman MapLibre docs |
| Number of supported map libraries | 3 — Leaflet, OpenLayers, MapLibre GL | 3 — Leaflet, MapLibre GL JS, Mapbox GL JS Source: geoman.io |
| OpenLayers adapter | Yes (one of three adapters) | Not listed Source: geoman.io |
| Mapbox GL adapter | No | Yes (Mapbox-Geoman) Source: geoman.io |
| License of the free MapLibre and Mapbox packages | MIT (free packages) | MIT Source: Geoman MapLibre docs |
Where vectorstream differs
Where vectorstream differs
- Shared borders, stored onceWhere two areas meet, vectorstream keeps a single edge. Dragging a shared corner or a straight edge reshapes both areas in the same edit. Geoman's site describes snapping and vertex pinning as the way to get clean, gap-free geometries; the sources checked do not describe shared borders as a stored data model.Source: geoman.io
- Undo and redo on every planIn vectorstream, undo restores the previous state exactly, including every neighbour an edit touched, and redo works the same way; both are part of the Free plan. In Geoman, the MapLibre docs list undo/redo among the Pro tools.Source: Geoman MapLibre docs
- OpenLayers, as a first-class adaptervectorstream runs the same editing core behind adapters for Leaflet, OpenLayers and MapLibre GL. Geoman lists Leaflet, MapLibre and Mapbox; OpenLayers is not among them. A project that runs an OpenLayers map would need a different editor from Geoman, rather than one editing core for every map it runs. Mapbox GL is the reverse: Geoman has an edition for it and vectorstream has no Mapbox GL adapter.Source: geoman.io
- Checked GeoJSON in, GeoJSON outShapes import as GeoJSON after a geometry check, so a file with invalid geometry is refused with a message before anyone edits it, and a document exports as one GeoJSON FeatureCollection again. In vectorstream the check is part of the import. Geoman has geometry checks too: its Pro 0.11 upgrade notes describe them as opt-in, switched on through the validateGeometry setting.Source: Geoman Pro 0.11 notes
- Pre-release statusThe free vectorstream packages are on npm under the MIT license, like the free MapLibre-Geoman and Mapbox-Geoman packages, with the proprietary Pro package on top. Pro is a yearly license per developer seat, and the prices in the table are its current list prices, excl. VAT. Every capability named on this page is backed by a passing test in the editor's own suite, listed in the project's verified-capabilities file.
Differs
Where Geoman differs
- A long track recordGeoman says it has been actively maintained since 2014 and reports 3.6M+ downloads, 2,500+ GitHub stars and 1,000+ development teams. vectorstream is in pre-release and has no comparable record of real deployments yet.Source: geoman.io
- Mapbox GL in the same toolkitGeoman offers editions for Leaflet, MapLibre GL JS and Mapbox GL JS and says the same drawing and editing tools work the same way across all three. A team on Mapbox GL has an edition to reach for; vectorstream has no Mapbox GL adapter today.Source: geoman.io
- A documented Pro toolsetOn MapLibre-Geoman, Pro adds tools such as splitting, scaling, measurements, auto tracing and undo/redo, and the docs mark further features, among them snapping to external sources and data layers, with a star. A team that wants auto tracing has a named Pro tool for it.Source: Geoman MapLibre docs
- Geometry utilitiesThe Pro 0.11 upgrade notes list geometry utilities: validation, repair of duplicate vertices and self-intersecting polygons, coordinate-grid snapping, positive and negative buffering, and WKT import and export; they also list repairGeometry() among the programmatic edit methods. vectorstream has no buffer tool and no WKT import or export; it imports and exports GeoJSON.Source: Geoman Pro 0.11 notes
- A free tier and a tiered paid splitFor Leaflet-Geoman, the pricing page lists a free Community tier (€0) and paid tiers: Internal (€999 per seat annually), Commercial (€1499 per seat annually, minimum 3 seats, for SaaS and customer-facing use) and Enterprise (custom, 10+ seats, unlimited deployments and OEM distribution), with volume discounts for 3+ seats and a license key emailed after payment.Source: geoman.io/pricing
Pricing and status
Pricing and status
| Plan | vectorstream | Geoman |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free, MIT license | Leaflet-Geoman Community: €0; free MapLibre and Mapbox packages: MIT license |
| Internal Use | from €890, per year, excl. VAT | Internal: €999 per seat annually (Leaflet-Geoman Pro) |
| Commercial | from €1,490, per year, excl. VAT | Commercial: €1499 per seat annually, minimum 3 seats (Leaflet-Geoman Pro) |
| Enterprise / OEM | Custom, on request | Enterprise: custom, 10+ seats, unlimited deployments and OEM distribution (Leaflet-Geoman Pro) |
vectorstream's plan names match its own pricing page: Free, Internal Use, Commercial and Enterprise / OEM, with the current list prices. Geoman's tiers are listed next to the closest vectorstream tier. The pricing page checked shows the Leaflet-Geoman prices and says the prices of the other libraries sit behind a product switch; prices for MapLibre-Geoman and Mapbox-Geoman Pro are not described on the pages checked. Verify the prices there before relying on this table, since prices can change after this page was last checked.
Last verified: 2026-11-04. Checked against the vendor's own site and public packages; vectorstream's own facts come from our verified-capabilities list, each with a passing test. Where the other vendor's materials did not address a point, this page says "not described" rather than guessing at an answer. Read the docs
FAQ
Questions about this comparison
Is Geoman the same as Leaflet-Geoman?
geoman.io presents Leaflet-Geoman, MapLibre-Geoman and Mapbox-Geoman as one toolkit for Leaflet, MapLibre and Mapbox, and says that Leaflet-Geoman Pro is licensed separately. This page covers the toolkit as a whole and names the edition wherever a tool or a tier differs. Leaflet-Geoman, the library for Leaflet, has its own comparison page.
Which map libraries does vectorstream support?
vectorstream has adapters for Leaflet, OpenLayers and MapLibre GL, and all three run the same editing core, so the tools behave alike on each.
When does Geoman make more sense than vectorstream?
Geoman covers Mapbox GL as well as Leaflet and MapLibre GL, and reports a track record since 2014. It is the stronger choice today for a project on Mapbox GL, or one that wants an editor with a long record of real deployments. A project that needs shared borders between adjacent shapes, or runs an OpenLayers map, is the clearer case for vectorstream instead.