QGIS vs uMap
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?
QGIS
Free and open-source geographic information system
VS
uMap
Create and share custom maps on OpenStreetMap
| Feature | QGIS | uMap |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,183 | ★ 1,576 |
| First released | 2002 | 2013 |
| Replaces | ArcGIS | Google My Maps |
Why pick each one
Choose QGIS if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Mature project with 14.2k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Choose uMap if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is QGIS or uMap better?
Neither is universally better. QGIS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are QGIS and uMap free and open-source?
Yes. QGIS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and uMap under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run QGIS and uMap with Docker?
QGIS: check the project docs for container support. uMap: yes.