Mapbox: Custom map styles, vector tiles and location APIs for developers. Tippecanoe: Build vector tilesets from large GeoJSON.
| Mapbox | Tippecanoe | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Basemaps & Map Tiles | Geodata Utilities & Converters |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Open source |
| Starts at | See website | Free |
| Free tier | Monthly free web map loads and API requests | — |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Software licence | — | BSD-2-Clause |
| API | Yes | — |
| Platforms | Web, JavaScript, iOS, Android, API | Command line, macOS, Linux |
| Made by | Mapbox | — |
| Commercial use | Allowed | Check terms |
| Export / print images | With conditions | Check terms |
| Offline / caching | With conditions | Check terms |
| Visits from MapTools | 8 | 1 |
| Visit | Visit |
Mapbox features
- Mapbox Studio style editor
- Mapbox GL JS and mobile SDKs
- Geocoding, directions, isochrone APIs
- Satellite and terrain layers
- Static Images API
Commercial use is allowed under Mapbox's terms. Static and printed maps must be attributed like a photo credit. Images from the Mapbox Studio print export require contacting Mapbox sales before use. Offline use is limited to the mobile SDKs' offline features.
Mapbox alternativesTippecanoe features
- MBTiles and PMTiles output
- Feature dropping by zoom
- Handles huge datasets
Summary based on public information. Check each provider's current pricing and terms.