GraphHopper vs Tangram
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
Tangram
Flexible WebGL map rendering engine
| Feature | GraphHopper | Tangram |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,619 | ★ 2,335 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Directions API | Mapbox GL JS, Google Maps |
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 Tangram if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is GraphHopper or Tangram better?
Neither is universally better. GraphHopper has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GraphHopper and Tangram free and open-source?
Yes. GraphHopper is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tangram under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GraphHopper and Tangram with Docker?
GraphHopper: yes. Tangram: check the project docs for container support.