Leaflet vs MapLibre GL JS
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?
Leaflet
Lightweight JavaScript library for interactive maps
VS
MapLibre GL JS
Open-source interactive vector map library for the web
| Feature | Leaflet | MapLibre GL JS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, bare-metal | source, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 45,461 | ★ 11,304 |
| First released | 2011 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Maps JavaScript API | Mapbox GL JS, Google Maps JavaScript API |
Why pick each one
Choose Leaflet if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 45.5k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Choose MapLibre GL JS if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Mature project with 11.3k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Leaflet or MapLibre GL JS better?
Leaflet is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider MapLibre GL JS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Leaflet and MapLibre GL JS free and open-source?
Yes. Leaflet is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and MapLibre GL JS under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Leaflet and MapLibre GL JS with Docker?
Leaflet: check the project docs for container support. MapLibre GL JS: check the project docs for container support.