Protomaps (self-hosted)
Open-source OpenStreetMap vector basemap served as a single PMTiles file from your own static storage or CDN. No geocoding.
Instead of paying per request, you download a free OpenStreetMap basemap and serve it as a single PMTiles file, so the bill is your own object storage and CDN egress, typically a few cents per thousand map loads. That suits teams comfortable running their own hosting, and data stays wherever it is hosted. There is no geocoding, so it needs pairing with a separate service. The hosted tile API is free for non-commercial use, but has no fixed price list for commercial users.
- Headquarters
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Parent jurisdiction
- 🇺🇸 United States
- EU self-serve plan
- Available; check eligible plans and regions
- GDPR DPA
- No / not documented
- Billing
- self-hosted
- Free tier
- Free and open source (BSD-3 code, ODbL OpenStreetMap data); basemap downloads are free.
- Open source
- Yes · self-hostable
- Website
- protomaps.com
- Source last checked
- 2026-10-06
- Pricing evidence
- Operating cost not estimated
Pricing
Operating cost not estimated · servers, licenses and engineering time are yours. See notes for software editions and license terms.
Self-hosted: you pay for compute/storage only (object storage plus CDN egress for the PMTiles file, typically a few cents per thousand map loads). Map tiles only, no geocoding. Data stays wherever you host it. Protomaps LLC (Delaware) also runs a hosted tile API that is free for non-commercial use and asks commercial users to become GitHub Sponsors (soft limit 1M tile requests/month); it has no fixed price list.
Managed alternatives
At 500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month. Adjust usage and requirements.
Protomaps has no bill to estimate: you pay for the servers, storage and time to run it. The cheapest managed option here is Stadia Maps at $1,440/yr, so running Protomaps yourself saves money only if hosting and upkeep stay below about $120 a month.
- Stadia Maps: $1,440/yr estimatedModeled ratesAssumes 15 vector tiles per map load. Panning and zooming increase the credit count.
- Geoapify: $3,588/yr estimatedModeled ratesAssumes 15 vector tiles per map load. Longer sessions and panning consume more credits.
- Amazon Location Service: $4,200/yr estimatedModeled ratesAssumes 15 tiles per map load. Panning, zooming and actual tile sizes can change cost.
- LocationIQ: $6,000/yr estimatedModeled ratesAssumes 15 vector tiles per map load. Daily caps and actual session activity also matter.
- HERE Location Services: $8,088/yr estimatedModeled ratesAssumes 15 tiles per map load. Tile activity and feature-specific transaction rules change cost.
No cheaper managed estimate matches your filters. Adjust your usage or compare with your actual contract bill.
The price difference leaves out migration costs, operating costs and any features you’d need to replace.
Self-hosted options
Operating cost is not estimated. These options are not counted as savings against managed services.
Want a European-owned provider? See European alternatives to Protomaps (self-hosted) among european maps & geocoding providers.
Other maps & geocoding comparisons
- Google Maps Platform vs Mapbox
- Mapbox vs MapTiler Cloud
- Google Maps Platform vs HERE Location Services
- Google Maps Platform vs Stadia Maps
Migration guides
Found a wrong rate or plan restriction? Report a correction with a current source.