OpenStreetMap Carto vs Tangram
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?
OpenStreetMap Carto
The standard map style for OpenStreetMap rendering
VS
Tangram
Flexible WebGL map rendering engine
| Feature | OpenStreetMap Carto | Tangram |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | CC0-1.0 | MIT |
| Language | CartoCSS | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,723 | ★ 2,335 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Maps | Mapbox GL JS, Google Maps |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenStreetMap Carto if…
- Released under the CC0-1.0 license
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in CartoCSS
Choose Tangram if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenStreetMap Carto or Tangram better?
Tangram is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenStreetMap Carto if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenStreetMap Carto and Tangram free and open-source?
Yes. OpenStreetMap Carto is licensed under CC0-1.0 and Tangram under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenStreetMap Carto and Tangram with Docker?
OpenStreetMap Carto: check the project docs for container support. Tangram: check the project docs for container support.