TileServer GL vs wanderer
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?
TileServer GL
Serve vector and raster map tiles from MBTiles
VS
wanderer
Trail database where you can upload your recorded tracks or create new
| Feature | TileServer GL | wanderer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,872 | ★ 3,802 |
| First released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Mapbox | — |
Why pick each one
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
Choose wanderer if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is TileServer GL or wanderer better?
Neither is universally better. wanderer has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are TileServer GL and wanderer free and open-source?
Yes. TileServer GL is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and wanderer under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run TileServer GL and wanderer with Docker?
TileServer GL: yes. wanderer: yes.