Mapcrafter vs squaremap
Mapcrafter
github.comsquaremap
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Mapcrafter | squaremap |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Minecraft World Map Viewers | 8.2 (#3) | 7.3 (#17) |
| License | Mapcrafter is free software available under the GPL license. | The project is licensed under the MIT License, and its Leaflet web UI frontend is licensed under the 2-clause BSD License. |
| Purpose | Mapcrafter is a high-performance Minecraft map renderer written in C++. | squaremap is a lightweight live world map viewer for Minecraft servers that generates a map viewable in a web browser. |
Plans
In their own words
Mapcrafter
Mapcrafter is free, GPL-licensed software that renders Minecraft worlds as images for viewing in a web browser with Leaflet.js. It offers top-down 2D and isometric 3D views, four world rotations, and day, night, and cave render modes. Overlays can display details such as slime-spawn and nighttime-monster locations, and markers can be generated from world data. Configuration files control which worlds are rendered, the views, and other rendering parameters. Listed capabilities include biome colors, incremental rendering, and multithreading.
Mapcrafter runs on Linux and Unix-like systems such as Mac OS; Windows support is experimental. Building it requires a C++ compiler, CMake, make, and libraries including libpng, libjpeg, and Boost components. Debian and Ubuntu packages are available. It supports offline viewing, server maps, and dimension maps, and requires Anvil world format and Minecraft 1.6 resource packs. The maintainer says new feature development is no longer possible, although issues and pull requests may still be addressed.
squaremap
squaremap is a free Minecraft server plugin or mod that generates a live world map viewable in a web browser. Its vanilla-like, top-down 2D presentation is designed for navigation and supports live updates, dimension maps, and markers or waypoints. Player markers can show yaw rotation, health, and armor. The project lists Paper, Fabric, NeoForge, and Sponge support; Fabric additionally requires Fabric API. An internal web server is enabled by default and uses port 8080 by default, although a host may restrict available ports. For advanced arrangements such as SSL certificates, the documentation recommends an external web server. Integrations include ChunkyBorder, Heatmap, PlotSquared, Residence, and Towny, plus add-ons for banners, claims, death spots, mobs, signs, skins, vanish, and WorldGuard. Developers can use the API to draw markers, shapes, and icons on rendered maps. Downloads are directed through Modrinth, with development builds on Jenkins. squaremap uses the MIT License, while its Leaflet frontend uses the 2-clause BSD License.