Marzipano

Marzipano is a free 360° media viewer and browser-based panorama tool for building web tours from your own images. It suits developers, agencies, and technically comfortable teams that want editable files and deployment control. The trade-off is a do-it-yourself workflow: you prepare compatible panoramas, export the application, and handle hosting.

Overview

Marzipano turns panorama files into a web application built around its JavaScript viewer. The Marzipano Tool runs in a browser and creates the tour output without sending the source images to a server. That local processing is a meaningful advantage when image custody matters, while the file-format requirements make it less forgiving than services that accept a broader capture workflow.

The project is not an official Google product. Bug reports go through its GitHub issue tracker, while questions, suggestions, and comments are directed to a discussion group. Support therefore follows a community and developer model rather than a managed customer-service model.

Key features

The tool accepts sphere (equirectangular) or cubeface panoramas in JPEG or TIFF. Equirectangular files must use a 2:1 aspect ratio. Those constraints are straightforward for prepared 360° assets, but they add a conversion step if your source images arrive in another format or shape.

Before exporting, you can change panorama names, initial views, and other settings. The generated JavaScript, HTML, and CSS remain editable, so a developer can tailor the tour beyond the tool's controls.

The viewer uses WebGL and supports modern desktop and mobile browsers and devices. It is optimized for 360° images of any size and is 55KB when gzipped, keeping the viewer itself compact. A JavaScript API lets applications control the viewer, and interfaces can be built with standard HTML and CSS. The simple tour example includes hotspots and autorotate; another demonstration places overlays from services including YouTube, Google Maps, and Twitter. These capabilities provide a foundation for interactive tours, while the amount of implementation work depends on your own code.

Exported tours can be deployed on any web hosting platform. Developers can include Marzipano as a standalone JavaScript file or install it as a Node.js package with npm, giving both direct embedding and package-based integration paths.

Pricing

Marzipano Tool costs nothing, is currently free, and requires no account. The free plan has no stated seat or usage quota, but it does not include tour hosting; you supply the web hosting platform for exported projects. That makes the price compelling for teams already operating a site or static hosting, while organizations seeking an all-in-one hosted service will need to budget for hosting and implementation separately.

Platforms

Marzipano is available for web use and supports Android and iOS viewers through modern mobile browsers. Developers can also use its API, self-host exported tours, include the standalone JavaScript file, or install the Node.js package with npm. WebGL support is aimed at modern desktop and mobile devices, so older browsers are outside the stated compatibility target.

Who it's for

Choose Marzipano when you have panorama files in JPEG or TIFF, want browser-side preparation, and need control over the exported code and hosting destination. It is especially suitable for developers building a custom viewer, agencies delivering branded tours, and teams that prefer to keep image processing in the browser.

Look elsewhere if you need managed hosting, a capture-to-publish workflow, or a nontechnical editor that avoids JavaScript, HTML, and CSS work. The requirement to arrange hosting and to meet the input specifications shifts operational responsibility to you.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Free with no account required: the Marzipano Tool is priced at $0, removing subscription cost for the tool itself.
• Local browser processing: panorama files are processed in the browser rather than uploaded to a server.
• Deep customization: exported JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, plus a JavaScript API, support bespoke controls and layouts.
• Compact viewer: the 55KB gzipped size helps keep the viewing component lightweight.
• Flexible deployment: exported tours can run on any web hosting platform, with standalone-file and npm integration options.

Cons

• Hosting is your responsibility: the tool exports tours but does not host them.
• Strict source requirements: only JPEG or TIFF sphere/cubeface panoramas are accepted, and equirectangular images need a 2:1 ratio.
• Developer-oriented workflow: extensive customization assumes comfort editing web code rather than relying on a turnkey hosted editor.
• Modern-browser focus: WebGL support targets modern devices, not legacy browser environments.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of options, browse 3D Virtual Tour Software.

• GoThru is a freemium choice with Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, web, and extension support, plus pay-as-you-go tour charges.
• Asteroom suits users who want a paid service with a free tier and trial, including a $39.90 a month Professional plan.
• CloudPano is a hosted alternative with a free tier and a $22.50 a month Pro plan billed annually.
• Google Street View is another free option, though its Static API uses pay-as-you-go billing and requires billing credentials.
• InsideMaps fits iOS and web users seeking a property-focused service with project-based pricing.
• Kuula offers a freemium hosted approach, with a free Basic tier capped at 300 posts and 100 uploads per month.
• Matterport provides a freemium platform whose free tier allows one active space and two users.
• RICOH360 Tours is a paid-service alternative with a free starter tier, unlimited active tours, and unlimited storage.

Verdict

Marzipano is the right pick for developers and teams that want a free, lightweight 360° viewer they can customize and host anywhere. Its strongest reasons to choose it are browser-local processing, editable exports, and API-level control. Look elsewhere when you want hosting, capture tools, or a turnkey publishing service included, because Marzipano leaves those responsibilities with you.