Free Vector Tile Providers Compared
Maptoolkit.org is a free, production-grade vector basemap for the open web - no API key, no sign-up, no request limits. It's built on OpenStreetMap data and served as standard MapLibre style URLs under the Maptoolkit Community License, with outdoor map tiles including hillshading, contour lines and 3D terrain out of the box, in Hiking, Cycling and Winter styles. The same tiles power commercial deployments at Deutsche Bahn, Red Bull Media House and the Austrian and German National Tourism Offices.
It isn't the only free option, though. This page lines up Maptoolkit.org against the other free, OSM-based vector basemap projects for MapLibre. Click the detail pages to compare the cartography.
The alternatives.
All of these solutions are highly innovative, each tailoring to different strengths. Choose the one that best fits your technical stack and project requirements.
| Dimension | Maptoolkit.org | OpenMapTiles | Protomaps | OpenFreeMap | VersaTiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available as | Free tile server | Do-it-yourself toolchain | Limited tile server, data download | Free tile server, data download | Free tile server, data download |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free tile server for non-commercial use, free downloads | Free | Free |
| Monthly request limits | unlimited | 1M tile requests | unlimited | unlimited | |
| Attribution | © Maptoolkit © Openstreetmap + logo | © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors | © Protomaps © OpenStreetMap | OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles – Data from OpenStreetMap | © OpenStreetMap contributors |
| API key / sign-up | None | API key | None | None | |
| Commercial use | (< €1M/year) | (downloads only) | |||
| OSM updates | Weekly | Daily (API) | Weekly | Several times per year | |
| Max data zoom | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Tile schema | Maptoolkit | OpenMapTiles | Protomaps | OpenMapTiles | Shortbread |
| Standard styles | Summer, Light, Hiking, Winter, Dark, Street, Cycling (7) | OpenMapTiles, Basic, Bright, Positron, Dark Matter, Fiord Color, Toner (7) | Light, Dark, White, Grayscale, Black (5) | Liberty, Positron, Bright, Dark, Fiord (5) | Colorful, Eclipse, Graybeard, Shadow, Neutrino (5) |
| Style editor | MapMaker | tiles.versatiles.org | |||
| Hillshading / contour lines | Just hillshade, download only | ||||
| Swiss-style rock drawing in the Alps | |||||
| Water depths | Download only | ||||
| 3D terrain | Download only | ||||
| Labels for regions, mountain ranges, valleys, etc. | |||||
| Provider | Maptoolkit.com, Austria & Germany | Maptiler.com, Switzerland | Brandon Liu (individual), USA | Zsolt Ero (individual), Hungary | Michael Kreil (individual), Germany |
| Privacy | Privacy Policy | Privacy info | Privacy Policy |
Maptoolkit Enterprise License
All the alternatives above - including Maptoolkit.org's own Community License - are free, best-effort tile services. None of them come with an SLA, dedicated support, self-hosting on your own infrastructure, or APIs beyond vector tiles.
The Maptoolkit Enterprise License is the sister product built for exactly that: larger projects, dedicated infrastructure, an SLA, your own geodata via Maptoolkit Connectors, and access to the full API suite - routing, geocoding, static maps, elevation and more - on top of the same cartography.
|
Community License | Enterprise License |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | ||
| MCP Server | ||
| Cartography | ||
| Worldwide high-quality vector basemap | ||
| Hillshading & 3D terrain | ||
| 3D buildings | ||
| Weekly data updates | ||
| Custom stylesheets | ||
| Your own geodata via Maptoolkit Connectors | ||
| GDPR-ready, hosted in Europe | ||
| Service | ||
| Service level | Best effort | SLA |
| Support | Community | Dedicated |
| Project manager | Dedicated | |
| Direct developer access | ||
| APIs beyond vector tiles | ||
| Raster Tiles API | ||
| Static Maps API | ||
| Printmaps API | Optional | |
| Routing API | ||
| Map Matching API | ||
| Isochrone API | ||
| Maptoolkit Connectors | ||
| Enhancement APIs | ||
| Elevation API | ||
| Weather API | ||
| Geocoding API | ||
Frequently asked questions
Which of these should I choose?
It depends on whether you want a hosted style URL or your own infrastructure. Maptoolkit.org and OpenFreeMap serve hosted style URLs you point MapLibre at. Protomaps and VersaTiles distribute files you host yourself. OpenMapTiles is a schema and a build toolchain. The table above compares them row by row.
Can I self-host Maptoolkit?
Not under the Community License. The tile server is closed, and the license does not cover bulk extraction, offline tile generation or mirroring. Self-hosting and on-premise arrangements go through the Enterprise License. The other four projects on this page are all self-hostable.
Do all of these work with MapLibre GL JS?
Yes, all five render in MapLibre. How you load them differs: Maptoolkit.org, OpenFreeMap and VersaTiles give you a style URL, Protomaps needs the pmtiles protocol registered first, and OpenMapTiles depends on which tile server you run.
Are they all free for commercial use?
The terms differ and are worth reading rather than assuming. Maptoolkit.org allows commercial use under EUR 1M annual consolidated revenue with fewer than 10 FTE employees. Each of the others sets its own conditions. OpenStreetMap attribution is required under the ODbL in every case.
Does the tile schema matter if I switch?
It matters if you added your own layers. Swapping a basemap is one call to map.setStyle(). Custom layers that reference source-layer names break when the schema underneath changes, and these projects do not share one: Maptoolkit has its own, documented in the schema reference. Basemap-only use is unaffected.