OpenMapTiles vs TileServer GL
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?
OpenMapTiles
Toolset for generating vector tiles from OpenStreetMap
VS
TileServer GL
Serve vector and raster map tiles from MBTiles
| Feature | OpenMapTiles | TileServer GL |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | PLpgSQL | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,133 | ★ 2,872 |
| First released | 2016 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Mapbox | Mapbox |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenMapTiles if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PLpgSQL
Choose TileServer GL if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenMapTiles or TileServer GL better?
Neither is universally better. OpenMapTiles has the larger community, while TileServer GL is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenMapTiles and TileServer GL free and open-source?
Yes. OpenMapTiles is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and TileServer GL under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenMapTiles and TileServer GL with Docker?
OpenMapTiles: yes. TileServer GL: yes.