Protomaps vs Tangram
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Protomaps | Tangram |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 50 · Fair |
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,056 | ★ 2,334 |
| First released | 2021 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Mapbox, Google Maps | Mapbox GL JS, Google Maps |
What are Protomaps and Tangram?
Protomaps
Protomaps is an open-source project for displaying maps from a single static file in the PMTiles format. It enables serverless map hosting on object storage or a CDN with no tile server required.
- Single-file map archives
- Serverless hosting
- Works on object storage
- Cheap to operate
Tangram
Tangram is an open-source map rendering engine that draws 2D and 3D maps using WebGL with fully customizable styling. It works with vector tiles and is designed for creative cartographic experiments.
- WebGL rendering
- 2D and 3D maps
- Custom styling
- Vector tile support
Protomaps vs Tangram: key differences
Protomaps is written in TypeScript, while Tangram is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Protomaps versus MIT for Tangram. Tangram is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Protomaps. Tangram is the more established project (first released 2013), while Protomaps arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Protomaps if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
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 Protomaps or Tangram better?
Neither is universally better. Protomaps has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Protomaps and Tangram free and open-source?
Yes. Protomaps is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Tangram under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Protomaps and Tangram with Docker?
Protomaps: check the project docs for container support. Tangram: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Protomaps or Tangram?
Tangram has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Protomaps. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.