Mapeo vs QGIS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mapeo | QGIS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 0 · At risk | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 25 | ★ 14,425 |
| First released | 2017 | 2002 |
| Replaces | ArcGIS, Google My Maps | ArcGIS |
What are Mapeo and QGIS?
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
QGIS
QGIS is a professional, full-featured geographic information system for creating, editing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data. It runs on the desktop and supports many data formats and plugins.
- Full GIS analysis toolkit
- Many data format support
- Large plugin ecosystem
- Map composer
Mapeo vs QGIS: key differences
Mapeo is written in JavaScript, while QGIS is built with C++. Licensing differs — MIT for Mapeo versus GPL-2.0 for QGIS. Mapeo is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for QGIS. QGIS is the more established project (first released 2002), while Mapeo arrived in 2017. QGIS has the considerably larger community, at 14,425 GitHub stars versus 25.
Why pick each one
Choose Mapeo if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose QGIS if…
- Free professional GIS
- Huge plugin ecosystem
- Reads nearly any spatial format
Watch out for
- Desktop app, not a server
- Steep learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Mapeo or QGIS better?
Neither is universally better. QGIS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mapeo and QGIS free and open-source?
Yes. Mapeo is licensed under MIT and QGIS under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mapeo and QGIS with Docker?
Mapeo: check the project docs for container support. QGIS: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Mapeo or QGIS?
Mapeo has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for QGIS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.