Pelias 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?
Pelias
Modular open-source geocoder powered by Elasticsearch
VS
TileServer GL
Serve vector and raster map tiles from MBTiles
| Feature | Pelias | TileServer GL |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Twig | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,562 | ★ 2,872 |
| First released | 2014 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google Geocoding API, Mapbox Geocoding | Mapbox |
Why pick each one
Choose Pelias if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (3.6k GitHub stars)
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 Pelias or TileServer GL better?
Neither is universally better. Pelias 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 Pelias and TileServer GL free and open-source?
Yes. Pelias is licensed under MIT and TileServer GL under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pelias and TileServer GL with Docker?
Pelias: yes. TileServer GL: yes.