Maptoolkit.org vs. OpenMapTiles
Both do the same job on paper: free, no-key vector basemaps for MapLibre, built on OpenStreetMap. In practice they solve different problems. OpenMapTiles isn't a hosted service at all - it's an open-source tile schema plus toolchain (Planetiler, Tilemaker) that you run yourself against OSM data, producing MBTiles or PMTiles you serve however you like. That makes it the most widely adopted open vector schema, with the largest ecosystem of compatible tools built around it - but you're on your own for infrastructure and map updates.
Maptoolkit.org is a free, production-grade tile server with opinionated cartography. The same tiles power commercial deployments at Deutsche Bahn, Red Bull Media House and the Austrian and German National Tourism Offices - including outdoor-specific styles (Hiking, Cycling, Winter), global hillshading, contour lines, water depths and 3D terrain out of the box. There's no self-hosting on the Community License, but you get edge-cached delivery across 350+ Cloudflare data centers and weekly OSM updates taken care for you.
See the cartography side by side
Note: Sample OpenMapTiles map limited to Athens, Greece, and surroundings.
The differences that matter.
All of these solutions are highly innovative, each tailoring to different strengths. Choose the one that best fits your 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 |
Compare cartographic density and file sizes
Colors are random. Feature density: Click on any feature to inspect its data. File size: Red squares show tile boundaries. The kB value in the top left corner (to the right of the tile number) shows its file size before compression. Note: Sample OpenMapTiles map limited to Athens, Greece, and surroundings.
Pick the one that fits your project.
Both are excellent within their remit. Here's the short version.
Pick OpenMapTiles if…
- You want full control of your tile pipeline - an open schema plus toolchain you build and host yourself.
- You want the widest ecosystem of compatible styles, tools and hosted providers (MapTiler and others) built around one schema.
- You like the cartography better.
Pick Maptoolkit if…
- You want a ready-to-use hosted tile service instead of running your own OpenMapTiles pipeline.
- You want outdoor-grade cartography (hiking, cycling, winter, hillshading, contour lines, water depths, 3D terrain) without building it yourself.
- You want weekly OSM updates and large data sizes for worldwide coverage to be taken care for you.
- You like the cartography better.
Frequently asked questions about Maptoolkit and OpenMapTiles
Can I switch between Maptoolkit and OpenMapTiles without changing my code?
Not directly. OpenMapTiles is a schema and open-source toolchain, not a single hosted style URL - you either run your own tile pipeline (Planetiler, Tilemaker) or buy hosted OpenMapTiles-schema tiles from a provider such as MapTiler, then point one of the OMT-compatible GL styles at it. Maptoolkit uses its own tile schema, so layer references won't carry over either way.
Can I self-host Maptoolkit like OpenMapTiles?
Not under the Community License. OpenMapTiles is fully self-hostable end-to-end - the schema, the Planetiler/Tilemaker build tools and most of its standard styles are open source, with no fee for the schema itself. Self-hosting or on-premise Maptoolkit is available through the Enterprise product.
Which service is better for outdoor and hiking maps?
Maptoolkit ships dedicated Hiking, Cycling and Winter styles plus global hillshading, contour lines, water depths and 3D terrain out of the box. OpenMapTiles ships a general-purpose schema and general-purpose styles (Basic, Bright, Positron, Dark Matter, Fiord Color, Toner) - outdoor-specific styling, hillshading and terrain are left to whoever builds on top of it.
Does either need an API key or a sign-up?
Maptoolkit.org does not. OpenMapTiles is a schema and a build toolchain rather than a hosted service, so it depends where the tiles come from: a server you run yourself needs no key, and MapTiler Cloud needs one.
How current is the OpenStreetMap data?
Maptoolkit.org rebuilds weekly from the full OpenStreetMap planet file. With OpenMapTiles the data is as current as the last time you ran the build.
Who operates each service?
Maptoolkit.org is operated by Toursprung GmbH from Austria and Germany, the company behind the commercial Maptoolkit platform. OpenMapTiles is maintained by MapTiler in Switzerland.