Headway vs QGIS
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?
Headway
Self-hostable maps stack you can run yourself
VS
QGIS
Free and open-source geographic information system
| Feature | Headway | QGIS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,957 | ★ 14,183 |
| First released | 2022 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Google Maps | ArcGIS |
Why pick each one
Choose Headway if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Choose QGIS if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Mature project with 14.2k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Headway or QGIS better?
QGIS is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Headway if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Headway and QGIS free and open-source?
Yes. Headway is licensed under Apache-2.0 and QGIS under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headway and QGIS with Docker?
Headway: yes. QGIS: check the project docs for container support.