Free SVG Maps

Free SVG Maps compared with Mapbox and Esri ArcGIS
Free SVG Maps	Mapbox	Esri ArcGIS
Output type: Ready-made static vector files in SVG format, covering the world, Africa, the USA with states and counties, and a long list of countries and regional subdivisions such as French departments. You download a file and edit it like any vector drawing.	Output type: Interactive vector maps rendered in the browser with Mapbox GL JS, with tiles requested from Mapbox servers at display time. The map is a live service, not a file you own.	Output type: Hosted basemaps, tiles and static maps delivered through the ArcGIS Location Platform, plus mapping and geoprocessing services built for GIS workflows.
Typical use and expertise: Suited to web designers, journalists and data visualization authors who colour regions with their own values in HTML, CSS or a vector editor. No GIS knowledge is needed, but there is no geodetic analysis either.	Typical use and expertise: Aimed at web and mobile developers who write JavaScript to style layers and add data. Some programming skill is required.	Typical use and expertise: Aimed at GIS analysts and developers. Spatial analysis, geocoding, routing and enrichment services exist, so expertise requirements are higher than for a simple map graphic.
Licence and cost: The site states that commercial use is allowed. The site owner also advises reading the licence details because attribution is expected. A paid tier exists, but the downloads page does not describe what it adds.	Licence and cost: Pay-as-you-go with a free monthly allowance listed at 50,000 web map loads, 200,000 vector tile requests and 50,000 static image requests. Costs rise with traffic.	Licence and cost: Pay-as-you-go with free monthly allowances listed at 2 million basemap tiles, 20,000 non-stored geocodes and 20,000 routes. Technical support is a paid option.
Dependency and hosting: A downloaded file has no runtime dependency, so it works offline and on any static site. There is no account, no API key and no usage meter.	Dependency and hosting: Requires an account and an access token, and map loads are counted and billed beyond the free allowance.	Dependency and hosting: Requires an ArcGIS account and subscription, and usage of each service is metered against the listed allowances.
When to choose it: Choose it for a choropleth, an infographic or a printed figure where a clean administrative outline is enough and the map will not zoom to street level.	When to choose it: Choose it when users must pan and zoom smoothly through real geography with custom styling.	When to choose it: Choose it when the map is part of a wider GIS workflow that needs analysis, geocoding or routing.

Free SVG Maps compared with Mapbox and Esri ArcGIS

Free SVG Maps

Mapbox

Esri ArcGIS

Output type: Ready-made static vector files in SVG format, covering the world, Africa, the USA with states and counties, and a long list of countries and regional subdivisions such as French departments. You download a file and edit it like any vector drawing.

Output type: Interactive vector maps rendered in the browser with Mapbox GL JS, with tiles requested from Mapbox servers at display time. The map is a live service, not a file you own.

Output type: Hosted basemaps, tiles and static maps delivered through the ArcGIS Location Platform, plus mapping and geoprocessing services built for GIS workflows.

Typical use and expertise: Suited to web designers, journalists and data visualization authors who colour regions with their own values in HTML, CSS or a vector editor. No GIS knowledge is needed, but there is no geodetic analysis either.

Typical use and expertise: Aimed at web and mobile developers who write JavaScript to style layers and add data. Some programming skill is required.

Typical use and expertise: Aimed at GIS analysts and developers. Spatial analysis, geocoding, routing and enrichment services exist, so expertise requirements are higher than for a simple map graphic.

Licence and cost: The site states that commercial use is allowed. The site owner also advises reading the licence details because attribution is expected. A paid tier exists, but the downloads page does not describe what it adds.

Licence and cost: Pay-as-you-go with a free monthly allowance listed at 50,000 web map loads, 200,000 vector tile requests and 50,000 static image requests. Costs rise with traffic.

Licence and cost: Pay-as-you-go with free monthly allowances listed at 2 million basemap tiles, 20,000 non-stored geocodes and 20,000 routes. Technical support is a paid option.

Dependency and hosting: A downloaded file has no runtime dependency, so it works offline and on any static site. There is no account, no API key and no usage meter.

Dependency and hosting: Requires an account and an access token, and map loads are counted and billed beyond the free allowance.

Dependency and hosting: Requires an ArcGIS account and subscription, and usage of each service is metered against the listed allowances.

When to choose it: Choose it for a choropleth, an infographic or a printed figure where a clean administrative outline is enough and the map will not zoom to street level.

When to choose it: Choose it when users must pan and zoom smoothly through real geography with custom styling.

When to choose it: Choose it when the map is part of a wider GIS workflow that needs analysis, geocoding or routing.