Pannellum
Pannellum is a free, open-source panorama viewer for web pages, built with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and WebGL.
What Pannellum is
Pannellum is a free, open-source panorama viewer for web pages, 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 as 21kB gzipped. It can run on its own or be embedded through an iframe or JavaScript API. As static content, it can be hosted on virtually any web server; a CDN is also provided for low-to-medium traffic sites. Downloads include a minified standalone viewer and a separate source package with utilities and some documentation. If an equirectangular image includes Google Photo Sphere XMP metadata, Pannellum reads it automatically. Configuration options allow interface-string translation and custom hot spot links, handlers, and tooltips. The project uses the MIT License, and directs questions and bug reports to its GitHub issue tracker.
Good
- Free and open source under the MIT License
- Supports four panorama formats
- Can be embedded with an iframe or JavaScript API
- Static content can be hosted on virtually any web server
- Offers hot spots, tours, headings, and video
Watch out
- Large panoramas may not work across WebGL-capable devices
- CDN is provided for low-to-medium traffic sites
Who it suits
Pannellum suits developers and site owners who want to add panorama viewing to a web page. Its standalone and embed options support different integration approaches.
Verdict
Pannellum offers a compact, configurable way to display several panorama types in a browser. Check image dimensions and graphics-driver compatibility for the devices you need to support.
Plans and prices
From Pannellum's own pricing page, checked 14 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | free and open-source viewer · self-hosted deployment |
| Pannellum | Free | Free and open source · MIT License |
The facts
Each one read from Pannellum's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Academic publication
- The Journal of Open Source Software paper was submitted on 2019-07-16 and published on 2019-08-31.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Academic review outcome
- The JOSS review issue records the software paper as accepted and published for version 2.5.3.checked 14 Oct 2026
- API surface
- The API documents viewer and renderer controls including scene loading, hotspot management, orientation, fullscreen, movement and event listeners.checked 14 Oct 2026
- CDN files
- The download page provides pannellum.htm plus jsDelivr URLs for pannellum.js and pannellum.css.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Compass
- Compass headings are listed as a built-in feature.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Viewer settings can be supplied through URL parameters or a JSON configuration file.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Configuration options include user-facing string translation and custom hot spot links, handlers, and tooltip functions.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The project publishes an overview, tutorials, examples, configuration reference and API reference.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The download page offers a minified standalone viewer and a separate source code download with utilities and some documentation.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Embedding
- Pannellum can run standalone, inside an iframe, or through its JavaScript API.checked 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.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Framework support
- The project describes itself as framework-free.checked 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.checked 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.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Hotspots and tours
- Hotspots can show information and connect multiple panoramas into virtual tours.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Independent adoption
- A Karlstad University project used Pannellum for a hosted laboratory tour with room navigation hotspots and contextual information points.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Independent classification
- AlternativeTo lists Pannellum as free, open source and web-based, with eight listed alternatives.checked 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.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Integration
- The overview says Google Photo Sphere XMP metadata is automatically read and used when provided with an equirectangular image.checked 4 Oct 2026
- License
- Pannellum is distributed under the MIT license.checked 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.checked 4 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser requirements
- The feature page lists full support for Firefox 23+, Chrome 24+, Safari 8+, Internet Explorer 11+ and Edge with suitable graphics drivers.checked 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.checked 4 Oct 2026
The company
- Company structure
- The project identifies Matthew Petroff as its developer rather than naming a software company.checked 14 Oct 2026
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