How Projektor compares
Honest, side-by-side comparisons against the tools people actually use — and the one line none of them can match: genuinely free, MIT open-source, and zero-install in the browser.
The free, browser-based MadMapper alternative
MadMapper is the reference desktop projection mapper — perpetual licenses start from around €479, it's macOS/Windows only, and it's closed source. Projektor does the core mapping job in a browser tab, for free, under an MIT license you can actually fork, embed, and ship commercially.
Read the comparison →HeavyM alternativeThe free, browser-based HeavyM alternative
HeavyM makes beginner-friendly projection mapping, but its free trial is time-limited and watermarked, the paid tiers are a real spend, and it's a macOS/Windows desktop install with no web or Linux build. Projektor keeps the fast, approachable workflow — in a browser tab, free, and MIT open source.
Read the comparison →Free projection mapping softwareFree projection mapping software — in your browser
Plenty of "free" projection mapping has a catch: MadMapper's and Resolume's demos watermark the output and HeavyM's trial expires. The genuinely-free desktop options are open source but uneven — MapMap (GPLv3) still gets commits yet hasn't tagged a release since 2018, Splash (GPLv3) ships slowly (0.10.8 landed in 2024), and VPT is effectively frozen at its 2018 release. A couple of free browser mappers now exist too (map.club, 4mapper). Projektor is free with no catch — no watermark, no timer, no account — and it's MIT-licensed, so you can fork and embed it.
Read the comparison →Browser-based projection mappingProjection mapping that runs in your browser
Projection mapping has usually meant a desktop install — download a multi-hundred-megabyte app, buy a license, and hope it runs on your OS. Projektor is the whole editor in a browser tab: open a link and you can try the warp instantly. It's not the only free browser mapper anymore (map.club and 4mapper also run in a tab), but it's the most capable actively-developed MIT-licensed one.
Read the comparison →Open-source projection mappingOpen-source projection mapping you can actually fork
The open-source projection mappers most people know are copyleft desktop apps with uneven cadence: MapMap (GPLv3) still gets commits but hasn't tagged a release since 2018, Splash (GPLv3) ships slowly (0.10.8 landed in 2024), and VPT is source-available and effectively frozen at its 2018 release. Projektor is a fresh, actively-developed, MIT-licensed codebase — and it runs in the browser instead of a per-OS binary.
Read the comparison →Resolume alternativeThe free, browser-based Resolume alternative
Resolume is the industry-standard VJ and media-server software — Avenue is from ~$299 and Arena from ~$799 (perpetual, one computer), the demo is watermarked, and it's a macOS/Windows install. Projektor won't replace a media server, but for browser-based projection mapping it's free, MIT-licensed, and opens from a link.
Read the comparison →TouchDesigner alternativeThe free, browser-based TouchDesigner alternative
TouchDesigner is a deep, node-based visual-programming environment — powerful and general-purpose, but not mapping-specific, with a steep learning curve. Its Non-Commercial license is free (output capped at 1280×1280), Educational is from ~$300 and Commercial from ~$600, and it's a Windows/macOS install. Projektor is purpose-built for projection mapping, MIT-licensed, and runs in a browser tab.
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