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TileServer GL vs Protomaps: catalog facts
TileServer GL	Protomaps
Best for: Developers hosting their own vector and raster map tiles	Best for: Web developers self-hosting OpenStreetMap basemaps cheaply
Free Free to download and run from the GitHub repository.	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.
Self-hosted	Web, Self-hosted, Command line
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	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
Needs your own tile data and some server setup Aimed at developers rather than casual map users	Aimed at developers building web maps, not end users Commercial use of the hosted API requires sponsorship
Self-hosted	Downloadable app, Self-hosted, Hosted service
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for TileServer GL github.com/maptiler/tileserver-gl Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Protomaps protomaps.com Catalog checked September 23, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.