Mapbox vs TileStache

Overview

Mapbox

Stacks803

Followers939

Votes113

GitHub Stars1.9K

Forks384

TileStache

Stacks1

Followers15

Votes0

GitHub Stars764

Forks287

Mapbox vs TileStache: What are the differences?

Mapbox and TileStache are both mapping platforms that are used for creating custom maps and serving map tiles. However, there are some key differences between the two that developers should be aware of when choosing which platform to use.

Data Sources: Mapbox primarily uses data from OpenStreetMap and other third-party sources, while TileStache allows users to bring in their own data sources such as shapefiles or GeoJSON files. This gives developers more flexibility in the types of data they can use for their maps.
Styling Options: Mapbox offers a wide range of pre-designed styles and themes that users can apply to their maps with just a few clicks. On the other hand, TileStache provides more customization options for styling maps, allowing developers to have more control over the visual appearance of their maps.
Tile Rendering: Mapbox uses their own rendering technology to generate map tiles, which can result in faster load times and smoother map interactions. TileStache, on the other hand, relies on server-side rendering, which may be slower in comparison to Mapbox's rendering method.
Hosting: Mapbox offers a cloud-based hosting service for serving map tiles, which can be convenient for developers who prefer a managed solution. TileStache, on the other hand, requires users to host their own server for serving map tiles, which gives developers more control over the hosting environment but also requires more technical expertise.
Community Support: Mapbox has a larger and more active user community, with extensive documentation and resources available for developers. TileStache, while still supported, may not have as robust of a community presence, which could make it more challenging for developers to find help and resources when needed.
Pricing: Mapbox offers a variety of pricing plans, including a free tier for small projects and pay-as-you-go options for larger projects. TileStache, being open-source, is free to use but may require more resources and investment in setup and maintenance for hosting and customization.

In Summary, Mapbox and TileStache differ in their data sources, styling options, tile rendering methods, hosting solutions, community support, and pricing models.

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Advice on Mapbox, TileStache

StackShare

Apr 4, 2019

Needs advice

From a StackShare Community member: "We're a team of two starting to write a mobile app. The app will heavily rely on maps and this is where my partner and I are not seeing eye-to-eye. I would like to go with an open source solution like OpenStreetMap that is used by Apple & Foursquare. He would like to go with Google Maps since more apps use it and has better support (according to him). Mapbox is also an option but I don’t know much about it."

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Detailed Comparison

Mapbox	TileStache
We make it possible to pin travel spots on Pinterest, find restaurants on Foursquare, and visualize data on GitHub.	TileStache is a Python-based server application that can serve up map tiles based on rendered geographic data. You might be familiar with TileCache, the venerable open source WMS server from MetaCarta. TileStache is similar, but we hope simpler and better-suited to the needs of designers and cartographers.
Develop mobile and web applications with Mapbox.js, our open-source JavaScript library.;Build native applications on iOS with the Mapbox iOS SDK or on iOS and OS X with MBXMapKit.;Build native applications for Android. Use Mapbox, OpenStreetMap, and other tile sources in your app, as well as overlays like GeoJSON data and interactive tooltips.;SSL maps	-
Statistics
GitHub Stars 1.9K	GitHub Stars 764
GitHub Forks 384	GitHub Forks 287
Stacks 803	Stacks 1
Followers 939	Followers 15
Votes 113	Votes 0
Pros & Cons
Pros 28 Best mapping service outside of Google Maps 22 OpenStreetMap 15 Beautifully vectorable 11 Fluid user experience 8 Extensible	No community feedback yet

What are some alternatives to Mapbox, TileStache?

Google Maps

Create rich applications and stunning visualisations of your data, leveraging the comprehensiveness, accuracy, and usability of Google Maps and a modern web platform that scales as you grow.

Leaflet

Leaflet is an open source JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps. It is developed by Vladimir Agafonkin of MapBox with a team of dedicated contributors. Weighing just about 30 KB of gzipped JS code, it has all the features most developers ever need for online maps.

OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is built by a community of mappers that contribute and maintain data about roads, trails, cafés, railway stations, and much more, all over the world.

OpenLayers

An opensource javascript library to load, display and render maps from multiple sources on web pages.

ArcGIS

It is a geographic information system for working with maps and geographic information. It is used for creating and using maps, compiling geographic data, analyzing mapped information, sharing and much more.

CSV2GEO

It provides live conversion of batch addresses into geographic coordinates (address to lat long) or turn coordinates into well formatted address. It creates and publishes interactive maps.

MapTiler

It is a software for map tile rendering. It has been designed for producing seamless maps and aerial photo layers covering whole countries. The rendering is fast and efficient, and it can fully utilize multiple CPUs to 100%.

MAPS.ME

MAPS.ME is an open source cross-platform offline maps application, built on top of crowd-sourced OpenStreetMap data. It was publicly released for iOS and Android.

LocationIQ

Free and Fast Geocoding Service

Stadia Maps

We enable devs to contextualize their data on a map and build complicated apps involving routing, time zones, and more with our APIs. We hate billing surprises as much as you, and if you send us an email, you'll get a real human reply.

Related Comparisons

Mapbox vs TileStache: What are the differences?

Data Sources: Mapbox primarily uses data from OpenStreetMap and other third-party sources, while TileStache allows users to bring in their own data sources such as shapefiles or GeoJSON files. This gives developers more flexibility in the types of data they can use for their maps.
Styling Options: Mapbox offers a wide range of pre-designed styles and themes that users can apply to their maps with just a few clicks. On the other hand, TileStache provides more customization options for styling maps, allowing developers to have more control over the visual appearance of their maps.
Tile Rendering: Mapbox uses their own rendering technology to generate map tiles, which can result in faster load times and smoother map interactions. TileStache, on the other hand, relies on server-side rendering, which may be slower in comparison to Mapbox's rendering method.
Hosting: Mapbox offers a cloud-based hosting service for serving map tiles, which can be convenient for developers who prefer a managed solution. TileStache, on the other hand, requires users to host their own server for serving map tiles, which gives developers more control over the hosting environment but also requires more technical expertise.
Community Support: Mapbox has a larger and more active user community, with extensive documentation and resources available for developers. TileStache, while still supported, may not have as robust of a community presence, which could make it more challenging for developers to find help and resources when needed.
Pricing: Mapbox offers a variety of pricing plans, including a free tier for small projects and pay-as-you-go options for larger projects. TileStache, being open-source, is free to use but may require more resources and investment in setup and maintenance for hosting and customization.

In Summary, Mapbox and TileStache differ in their data sources, styling options, tile rendering methods, hosting solutions, community support, and pricing models.

Mapbox vs TileStache

Overview