React Leaflet Maps vs Photon
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?
React Leaflet Maps
React components for embedding Leaflet maps
VS
Photon
Fast, typo-tolerant geocoder built on OpenStreetMap
| Feature | React Leaflet Maps | Photon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Hippocratic-2.1 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,598 | ★ 2,972 |
| First released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Maps React, Mapbox React | Google Geocoding API |
Why pick each one
Choose React Leaflet Maps if…
- Released under the Hippocratic-2.1 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 5.6k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Photon if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is React Leaflet Maps or Photon better?
React Leaflet Maps is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Photon if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are React Leaflet Maps and Photon free and open-source?
Yes. React Leaflet Maps is licensed under Hippocratic-2.1 and Photon under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run React Leaflet Maps and Photon with Docker?
React Leaflet Maps: check the project docs for container support. Photon: yes.