Pannellum

Free plan Open source APISelf-hostedWeb

What Pannellum is

Pannellum is a free, open-source panorama viewer for the web, built with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and WebGL. It displays equirectangular, partial, cubic, and multi-resolution panoramas, with hot spots, tours, compass headings, and video support. Rendering can use WebGL or CSS 3D, and the viewer is listed at 21kB gzipped. It can run on its own or be embedded with an iframe or JavaScript API. As static content, it can be hosted on virtually any web server; a CDN is provided for low-to-medium traffic sites. Downloads include a minified standalone viewer and a separate source package with utilities and some documentation. When an equirectangular image includes Google Photo Sphere XMP metadata, Pannellum reads and uses it automatically. Configuration options include translating interface strings and customizing hot spot links, handlers, and tooltips. The MIT-licensed project lists support for several browsers with appropriate graphics drivers. It recommends keeping equirectangular images preferably to 4096 pixels wide for support across WebGL-capable devices.

Who it suits

Pannellum suits developers who want to embed or self-host a panorama viewer on a website. Its configuration options support projects that need tours, hot spots, or translated interface text.

What it does well

Free and open source under the MIT License.
Supports four panorama formats.
Can run standalone or embed through iframe or JavaScript API.
Static content can be hosted on virtually any web server.
Includes hot spots, tours, compass headings, and video support.

What to know first

Recommends equirectangular images preferably no wider than 4096 pixels.
API HTML escaping defaults to false.
Support questions and bug reports go to GitHub issues.

Limits

The project recommends keeping equirectangular images preferably to 4096 pixels wide for support across WebGL-capable devices; 8192 pixels is acceptable for most devices. For the API, HTML escaping defaults to false, while it is always enabled in the standalone viewer.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Pannellum	Free and open source · MIT License	Free
Free	free and open-source viewer · self-hosted deployment	Free

As pannellum.org lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit https://pannellum.org/.
Download the minified standalone viewer or the source package with utilities and documentation.
Host the static content on a web server, or use the CDN for a low-to-medium traffic site.
Run the viewer standalone or embed it with an iframe or JavaScript API.
Configure supported panorama formats, interface strings and hot spot behavior as needed.

Verdict

Pannellum offers a compact, self-hostable viewer with several panorama formats and embedding options. Check the image-size guidance and API security configuration when planning an implementation.

Questions

How much does Pannellum cost?

Pannellum is free and open source under the MIT License; its listed plan is free.

Is there a free trial?

No free trial is listed; Pannellum is provided as a free plan.

Which platforms does Pannellum support?

The listed platforms are API, self-hosted and web.

Can Pannellum be embedded in a website?

Yes. It can run standalone or be embedded through an iframe or JavaScript API.

What license does Pannellum use?

Pannellum is distributed under the MIT License.

Which browsers are listed as supported?

The feature documentation lists Firefox 23+, Chrome 24+, Safari 8+, Internet Explorer 11+ and Edge, with appropriate graphics drivers.

Facts from Pannellum's own pages

Academic publication: The Journal of Open Source Software paper was submitted on 2019-07-16 and published on 2019-08-31. · theoj.org, 14 Oct 2026
Academic review outcome: The JOSS review issue records the software paper as accepted and published for version 2.5.3. · github.com, 14 Oct 2026
API surface: The API documents viewer and renderer controls including scene loading, hotspot management, orientation, fullscreen, movement and event listeners. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Browser requirements: The feature page lists full support for Firefox 23+, Chrome 24+, Safari 8+, Internet Explorer 11+ and Edge with suitable graphics drivers. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Browser support: The features page lists full support for Firefox 23+, Chrome 24+, Safari 8+, Internet Explorer 11+, and Edge, with appropriate graphics drivers. · pannellum.org, 4 Oct 2026
CDN files: The download page provides pannellum.htm plus jsDelivr URLs for pannellum.js and pannellum.css. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Company structure: The project identifies Matthew Petroff as its developer rather than naming a software company. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Compass: Compass headings are listed as a built-in feature. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Configuration: Viewer settings can be supplied through URL parameters or a JSON configuration file. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Customization: Configuration options include user-facing string translation and custom hot spot links, handlers, and tooltip functions. · pannellum.org, 4 Oct 2026
Documentation depth: The project publishes an overview, tutorials, examples, configuration reference and API reference. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Downloads: The download page offers a minified standalone viewer and a separate source code download with utilities and some documentation. · pannellum.org, 4 Oct 2026
Embedding: Pannellum can run standalone, inside an iframe, or through its JavaScript API. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Extensibility: The published paper says external code can add custom controls and connect the viewer to other page elements such as maps. · theoj.org, 14 Oct 2026
Framework support: The project describes itself as framework-free. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Hosting: Pannellum is static content that can be hosted on virtually any web server, and a CDN is provided for low-to-medium traffic sites. · pannellum.org, 4 Oct 2026
Hosting model: Because the distribution is static content, it can be placed on nearly any web server; an official CDN is also provided. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Hotspots and tours: Hotspots can show information and connect multiple panoramas into virtual tours. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Independent adoption: A Karlstad University project used Pannellum for a hosted laboratory tour with room navigation hotspots and contextual information points. · kau.se, 14 Oct 2026
Independent classification: AlternativeTo lists Pannellum as free, open source and web-based, with eight listed alternatives. · alternativeto.net, 14 Oct 2026
Independent listing: SourceForge describes its Pannellum page as an unaffiliated exact mirror of the GitHub project and showed the last update as 2026-02-19. · sourceforge.net, 14 Oct 2026
Integration: The overview says Google Photo Sphere XMP metadata is automatically read and used when provided with an equirectangular image. · pannellum.org, 4 Oct 2026
License: Pannellum is distributed under the MIT license. · pannellum.org, 14 Oct 2026
Limit: The overview recommends limiting equirectangular images to preferably 4096 pixels wide for support across WebGL-capable devices; 8192 pixels is acceptable for most devices. · pannellum.org, 4 Oct 2026

Where Pannellum stands on Freedom251

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