Replace / Mapbox
Best free Mapbox alternatives (open source, self-hosted) 2026
The best open-source alternative to Mapbox is MapLibre GL JS or Protomaps, self-hosted on Railway. Vector maps you host. MapLibre GL JS is BSD-3-Clause; Protomaps is BSD-3-Clause PMTiles — Mapbox without the map load meter.
Estimated save $1,200 a year.
Open the stackStart on Railway
How Mapbox compares
| Mapbox | MapLibre GL / Protomaps | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hosted subscription | Open-source or fair-code license; you pay the host |
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Self-hosted on Railway or any VPS |
| Rough monthly cost | Public list price not verified this run | Hosting only — no SaaS seat meter in this repo |
- MapLibre GL JS
BSD-3-Clause vector map renderer in the browser
- Protomaps
BSD-3-Clause PMTiles archives you host as a single file
FAQ
- What is the best free open-source Mapbox alternative?
- The best open-source alternative to Mapbox is MapLibre GL JS or Protomaps, self-hosted on Railway. Vector maps you host. MapLibre GL JS is BSD-3-Clause; Protomaps is BSD-3-Clause PMTiles — Mapbox without the map load meter.
- Is it free?
- The MapLibre GL / Protomaps licenses are open source or fair-code. You still pay hosting (Railway or any VPS) and any APIs the stack calls. There is no Mapbox seat or task bill on this path.
- Can I migrate from Mapbox?
- Yes. Start with the workflows or data you actually use, then cut over. The MapLibre GL / Protomaps stack page has the agent prompt and the cost table; most teams rebuild the slice that matters and leave old Mapbox links until they expire.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open the MapLibre GL / Protomaps stack, copy the agent prompt, and deploy on Railway (one service, PORT, and a volume when the app needs disk). Placeholder: serve a PMTiles file (or a tile server) plus a static page that loads MapLibre GL JS. A volume for the archive. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. Geocoding/routing stays on /stacks/osm-maps.
- What does this replace?
- Mapbox. The published small-team estimate on this stack is $1,200 a year.
Related pages
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