GraphHopper vs Tileserver PHP
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
GraphHopper
Fast and flexible open-source routing engine
VS
Tileserver PHP
Lightweight PHP server for map tiles and UTFGrids
| Feature | GraphHopper | Tileserver PHP |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Java | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,619 | ★ 594 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Directions API | Mapbox, Google Maps tiles |
Why pick each one
Choose GraphHopper if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Java
Choose Tileserver PHP if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is GraphHopper or Tileserver PHP better?
Neither is universally better. GraphHopper has the larger community, while Tileserver PHP is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GraphHopper and Tileserver PHP free and open-source?
Yes. GraphHopper is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tileserver PHP under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GraphHopper and Tileserver PHP with Docker?
GraphHopper: yes. Tileserver PHP: check the project docs for container support.