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Protomaps vs TileServer GL: catalog facts
Protomaps	TileServer GL
Best for: Web developers self-hosting OpenStreetMap basemaps cheaply	Best for: Developers hosting their own vector and raster map tiles
Free + paid options Software and planet download are free; the hosted API is free for noncommercial use and needs GitHub sponsorship… Full pricing details for Protomaps Software and planet download are free; the hosted API is free for noncommercial use and needs GitHub sponsorship for commercial use.	Free Free to download and run from the GitHub repository.
Web, Self-hosted, Command line	Self-hosted
Serves maps from a single static file with no tile server Free OpenStreetMap basemap for the whole planet All 4 strengths for Protomaps Serves maps from a single static file with no tile server Free OpenStreetMap basemap for the whole planet CLI can extract just the area you need Works with MapLibre through a plugin	Serves both vector and raster tiles Server-side rendering with MapLibre GL Native All 4 strengths for TileServer GL Serves both vector and raster tiles Server-side rendering with MapLibre GL Native Works with MapLibre, Leaflet, OpenLayers and WMTS clients Docker images including a light variant
Aimed at developers building web maps, not end users Commercial use of the hosted API requires sponsorship	Needs your own tile data and some server setup Aimed at developers rather than casual map users
Downloadable app, Self-hosted, Hosted service	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Protomaps protomaps.com Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for TileServer GL github.com/maptiler/tileserver-gl Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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