Mapping & Geospatial

Mapbox GL JS12.2k★

If you need interactive maps in a web app — not a static Google Maps embed, but maps you can tilt, rotate, fly through, and layer custom data on — Mapbox GL JS is the library that powers some of the best-looking maps on the internet. It renders vector tiles using WebGL, which means smooth 60fps panning and zooming with 3D building extrusions, custom styling, and data visualization layers. Here's where it gets complicated. Mapbox GL JS v1 was open source (BSD). Version 2+ switched to a proprietary license — you can view the source code, but you can't use it without a Mapbox access token, and that token ties you to Mapbox's pricing. Free tier: 50,000 map loads/month. After that, $5 per 1,000 loads. There's no self-hosting option for v2+. You need Mapbox's tile servers and API. The library itself loads from npm but phones home for tiles and authentication. Solo developers and small projects: the free tier is generous — 50K loads covers most side projects and small apps. Medium teams: costs become real. A site with 500K map loads/month runs ~$2,250/mo. That adds up fast. The catch: the license switch burned the community hard. MapLibre GL JS forked from the last open source version and is actively maintained. If you want truly free maps, start there instead.