kepler.gl vs Mapeo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | kepler.gl | Mapeo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 0 · At risk |
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,023 | ★ 25 |
| First released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Tableau, ArcGIS | ArcGIS, Google My Maps |
What are kepler.gl and Mapeo?
kepler.gl
kepler.gl is an open-source, high-performance web application for visualizing large-scale geospatial datasets. It can be self-hosted to explore location data with maps, heatmaps, and 3D layers.
- Large dataset visualization
- Heatmaps and 3D layers
- No coding required
- Browser-based
Mapeo
Mapeo is an offline-first, peer-to-peer mapping tool designed for communities to document territory and observations. It syncs map data directly between devices without a central server.
- Offline-first data collection
- Peer-to-peer sync
- Community mapping focus
- No central server
kepler.gl vs Mapeo: key differences
Kepler.gl is written in TypeScript, while Mapeo is built with JavaScript. Kepler.gl has the considerably larger community, at 12,023 GitHub stars versus 25.
Why pick each one
Choose kepler.gl if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 12k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Mapeo if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is kepler.gl or Mapeo better?
Neither is universally better. kepler.gl has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are kepler.gl and Mapeo free and open-source?
Yes. kepler.gl is licensed under MIT and Mapeo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run kepler.gl and Mapeo with Docker?
kepler.gl: check the project docs for container support. Mapeo: check the project docs for container support.