MapChart vs StoryMapJS

MapChart is a map-making service for coloring countries, states and other regions, then downloading the result as an image. Its library contains more than 100 world, continent, country, subdivision and fantasy maps. You can change colors, patterns, backgrounds, borders and legends, hide areas, zoom and save configurations for later editing. Selected maps accept Excel data imports. The website provides free high-resolution downloads, and maps made with the service use a CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Official add-ons connect Google Sheets and Airtable data to map creation and display. iOS and Android apps support making, previewing, sharing and downloading PNG maps. Website configurations can move to or from the mobile app as text files. The free plan includes the main tools and maps. Mobile Premium costs €4.99, paid once, Mobile Premium Max €8.99, paid once, and MapChart Plus $39.99 a year.

StoryMapJS is a free, open-source web tool for building narratives tied to place. A story is arranged as slides, each representing a segment and carrying a map location that readers can follow. Slides can contain photos, video, sound, tweets, and other embedded media. Authors search for locations by name and adjust the position by dragging a map pin. Stories may use ordinary cartographic maps or large images, including gigapixel maps. Basemap choices include OpenStreetMap Standard and Cooper Hewitt Watercolor, with Mapbox maps also supported. OpenStreetMap Standard is listed as a no-cost option; Mapbox and Stadia basemaps may have usage-based fees. The publishing tool supplies HTML for embedding a finished StoryMap on another website. The authoring tool asks permission to store files in the user’s Google Drive. StoryMapJS runs on the web, supports custom data import and built-in location data, and offers interactive output, web embedding, HTML export, and brand customization. Knight Lab describes it for journalists and storytellers whose work depends on place.