Mapbox Studio vs MapServer
Mapbox Studio
mapbox.comMapServer
mapserver.orgSide by side
| Figure | Mapbox Studio | MapServer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Spec score · GIS Software | 8.6 (#4) | 7.8 (#26) |
| Spec score · Geo Tools | 8.4 (#3) | 7.6 (#15) |
| Spec score · Location Platform Software | 8.6 (#4) | 7.7 (#10) |
| Support | Mapbox lists self-serve resources, account help, and technical assistance among its support options. | The project directs users to a list of companies offering professional MapServer support. |
| What it does | Mapbox Studio is a visual tool for designing map styles, adding custom data, fonts and icons, and publishing hosted styles for applications. | MapServer is an open source geographic data rendering engine written in C that creates interactive geographic image maps. |
Plans
Mapbox Studio
- Mapbox GL JS (Map Loads)Free
- Mapbox StudioFree
- Maps SDKs for MobileFree
- Pay-as-you-goFree
- Static Images APIFree
In their own words
Mapbox Studio
Mapbox Studio is a suite for designing custom map styles and managing location data. You can upload and edit Shapefiles, GeoJSON, and CSV data, which Studio converts into vector tiles. Style controls cover colors, typography, road width, point-of-interest density, sky, 3D buildings, and terrain. Studio can visualize point, line, and polygon data through options such as choropleths and scaled point maps. You can add your own fonts, icons, and textures to a map design. Published styles can be used through Mapbox SDKs and APIs; a stylesheet can also be downloaded or a high-resolution image exported for print. Component styles work with Maps SDK for Web v1.0+, iOS v5.0+, and Android 8.0+. Users cannot author their own Style Components, and components cannot be restored after they are ejected from a style. The plan costs nothing and is available to all Mapbox users, though related API and custom tileset usage may be billed separately. Mapbox says it was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in San Francisco.