OSM2CDR and Maperitive: a comparison by the numbers
Maperitive is a free desktop program that draws maps from OpenStreetMap data; OSM2CDR hands over a ready file from the browser, with nothing to install. Below are the figures from both sides and our own gaps. The Maperitive data was taken on 2026-10-14.
Checked on 2026-10-14. http://maperitive.net/
| Criterion | OSM2CDR | Maperitive |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | in the browser: a frame on the map or a place from the catalogue, the file is built on the server from our copy of OpenStreetMap; no program to install and no data to download beforehand | a desktop program: Windows with .NET 4, Linux and Mac through Mono; OpenStreetMap data is loaded into it |
| Export formats | 140 in the catalogue, 136 served now | raster (PNG, JPG and others), SVG, 3D in COLLADA, web tiles and MBTiles, OziExplorer and Google Earth (the list on the home page) |
| Drafting formats (DWG, DXF, CDR) | yes: DWG, DXF and CDR are among the catalogue formats | not in the export list on the home page; the SVG opens in Inkscape and Illustrator |
| Area ceiling per order | 5 km2 at maximum detail, 5000 km2 at city level, the whole planet at overview level | not named on the home page: the area depends on the loaded data and the computer |
| Map styling | a choice of ready-made styles | text stylesheets with rules, scripting, a Python API, hillshading and labelled relief contours |
What we do not have
- We have no program that runs entirely on your computer: Maperitive is installed locally, while our file is built on the server.
- There is no offline mode: the map is built on our server, not on your computer.
- We have no stylesheet or scripting language of our own: styling is picked from ready-made styles, not written as rules.
What their site shows
- The author is Igor Brejc; the licence, according to the OpenStreetMap wiki, is proprietary and free of charge; the source code is closed.
- The latest version in the OpenStreetMap wiki card is dated 2018-02-27.
- The program's site answers over http only (https did not answer on 2026-10-14); the download is the Maperitive-latest.zip archive.
- There is a headless console mode and a command line — maps can be built by a script.
Data licence: ODbL
Our files are built from OpenStreetMap data. The OpenStreetMap database is released under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0, and its cartography under CC BY-SA 2.0.
ODbL permits commercial use: the file may go into a project, into print and into sale. Two conditions apply. First, credit the source: «© OpenStreetMap contributors». Second, if you publish a modified or extended DATABASE, it must be released under the same terms; this does not extend to a drawing in which the map became a background.
We hand the attribution over with the file: the line «© OpenStreetMap contributors» goes into the sheet caption and into the export metadata, and for terrain the elevation source is printed next to it. Nothing has to be added by hand — it is enough to keep that line visible.
Licence texts: https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright