GraphHopper vs OpenMapTiles
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
OpenMapTiles
Toolset for generating vector tiles from OpenStreetMap
| Feature | GraphHopper | OpenMapTiles |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Java | PLpgSQL |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,619 | ★ 3,133 |
| First released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google Directions API | Mapbox |
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 OpenMapTiles if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PLpgSQL
Frequently asked questions
Is GraphHopper or OpenMapTiles better?
GraphHopper is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenMapTiles if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are GraphHopper and OpenMapTiles free and open-source?
Yes. GraphHopper is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenMapTiles under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GraphHopper and OpenMapTiles with Docker?
GraphHopper: yes. OpenMapTiles: yes.