Tileserver PHP vs Traccar
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?
Tileserver PHP
Lightweight PHP server for map tiles and UTFGrids
VS
Traccar
Open-source GPS tracking platform
| Feature | Tileserver PHP | Traccar |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 594 | ★ 7,563 |
| First released | 2013 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Mapbox, Google Maps tiles | Google Maps, Life360 |
Why pick each one
Choose Tileserver PHP if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Traccar if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Tileserver PHP or Traccar better?
Neither is universally better. Traccar has the larger community, while Tileserver PHP is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Tileserver PHP and Traccar free and open-source?
Yes. Tileserver PHP is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Traccar under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tileserver PHP and Traccar with Docker?
Tileserver PHP: check the project docs for container support. Traccar: yes.