Technology
Mapbox
Mapbox is for store finders and maps that have to look like the rest of the site. We style them, we budget them, and we keep the page in charge.
What it is
Mapbox is a mapping platform built on OpenStreetMap and a lot of Mapbox's own data: custom styles, vector tiles, navigation, search, and SDKs for web, iOS, and Android. The Weather Company, Snap, Facebook, and The New York Times have all used it when they wanted a map that did not look like Google's default, or when they wanted a different commercial relationship.
Studio is where the style is designed. GL JS is how it lands on a site. The map can match the type and colour of the product instead of dropping a blue-pin widget in a sidebar.
What it does
Teams use Mapbox for locators, data maps, logistics, and any interface where the map is a designed surface. Isochrones, matrix, and matching cover the cases Google also covers, with a different look and contract.
We style the map to the brand, budget the load, and keep a list fallback. The token is yours. A 4MB widget on a lander is a refuse.
Why we use it
Maps and location in the product, on a style you can own.
A locator that used the same greys as the site. A jobs board where the list leads and the map follows. A lander that still passed its weight budget because the map waited for a click. Tokens in your project. Usage is your bill.
If the map looks like a default demo, we have not designed it yet.
Built on it
The Weather Company
IBM's weather maps have used Mapbox as the tile and style layer.
Snap
Snapchat's map features have been a flagship Mapbox deployment.
Meta
Facebook has used Mapbox in location products.
The New York Times
News graphics and locators have shipped on Mapbox.
The Financial Times
Data maps and newsroom graphics on Mapbox styles.
Tell us what needs to ship.
You use a working prototype before the production build goes ahead.