What Geofabrik does

Geofabrik GmbH is a privately held German geospatial services firm headquartered in Karlsruhe, founded in 2007 by Frederik Ramm and Jochen Topf and led today by Managing Directors Christine Karch and Frederik Ramm. The company specializes in extracting, processing, and commercializing OpenStreetMap (OSM) data for commercial and governmental users who require structured, reliable, GIS-ready outputs from the otherwise community-driven and tagging-complex OSM project. With a staff of 1-10, Geofabrik occupies a deep specialist niche in the open geodata ecosystem rather than competing head-on with hyperscale mapping platforms.

The product portfolio is structured around three layers. First, data products: free daily-updated raw OSM extracts, paid vector data exports in shapefile/GeoPackage/File Geodatabase formats, plus specialized datasets (routeable road networks, administrative boundary polygons, power networks, postal code polygons, contour lines/hillshade). Second, hosted APIs: Overpass API, geocoding (Nominatim or Photon), routing (OSRM or GraphHopper with car/truck/foot profiles, isochrones, map matching), and vector/raster tile servers including the proprietary GfStaticmap service and the Shortbread-schema vector tile platform. Third, professional services: consulting, training (in German or English), custom software development, and turnkey server setup (approximately EUR 2,500 for a worldwide daily-updated tile server).

Geofabrik's revenue model is a hybrid of annual-prepaid subscriptions (API tiers EUR 40-550/month, WMS starting at EUR 40/month, Spider Graph at EUR 35/month flat-rate), one-time data exports (EUR 200-1,800 per shapefile depending on geographic scope), and bespoke professional services engagements. Free data downloads act as a top-of-funnel lead generator for paid products. Customers range from enterprise users such as SNCF (railway routing) and I bike Cph (cycling navigation tile server) to GIS professionals, web developers, and publishers; the firm's go-to-market is community-led, anchored in active OSM Foundation membership, conference participation (FOSSGIS, State of the Map, Intergeo), and direct consultative sales. No external venture or private equity investment is disclosed.

Name

Geofabrik

Legal name

Geofabrik GmbH

Website

https://geofabrik.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Geofabrik GmbH processes and commercializes OpenStreetMap data, offering vector exports, hosted APIs (geocoding, routing, Overpass), tile servers, consulting, and training to enterprises, GIS professionals, and developers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial data services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs) (BPAMANAB), Geocoding, Search & Place Data Platforms (BPAMANAC)

Keywords

• Geodata processing
• Openstreetmap services
• Web mapping solutions
• Geospatial APIs
• Spatial data exports

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. API Services (Overpass API, Geocoding, Routing): Subscription-based services for Overpass API, geocoding (Nominatim/Photon), and routing (OSRM/GraphHopper) with monthly/annual billing based on request volume tiers. Fees charged for one year in advance.
2. Tile Servers (Raster and Vector): Hosted tile server services with monthly subscription tiers based on tile requests. Includes Static Map service. Customers receive API keys for access.
3. WMS Server Access: OGC-compliant WMS server access with monthly subscription starting at EUR 40 for small volume access.
4. Custom Shapefiles and Vector Data Exports: One-time or recurring orders for custom geographic extracts with pricing based on area (city/county/country/continent/world) and data volume. Handling charges for export services.
5. Consulting Services: Advisory services for OpenStreetMap-related projects, data quality assessment, and strategic guidance for companies adopting OSM.
6. Training: Onsite and offsite training in German or English covering OSM data usage, GIS integration with PostgreSQL/PostGIS and QGIS, and web mapping with OpenLayers.
7. Server Setup and Hosting: Installation and configuration of OpenStreetMap servers (tile, geocoding, routing, database) on client or Geofabrik hardware. Ballpark figure of EUR 2,500 for worldwide daily updated tile server setup.
8. Spider Graph Reachability Analysis: Web application for reachability analyses with flat-rate subscription model at EUR 35/month.
9. Tile Packages: Pre-generated tile packages for offline use sold as one-time purchases. Ballpark estimates: EUR 300 for 100,000 tiles, EUR 500 for 1 million tiles, EUR 700 for 10 million tiles.
10. Printed Maps: Design and production of printed maps including prepress files and local printing/folding services.
11. Free Data Downloads: Free shapefiles and OSM raw data extracts available for download. Serves as community support and lead generation for paid services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Geofabrik extracts, selects, and processes OpenStreetMap geodata into structured, edited vector datasets (shapefiles, GeoPackage, File Geodatabase exports), hosts geospatial APIs (Overpass, Geocoding, Routing), runs raster and vector tile servers plus OGC-compliant WMS, and sells related professional services such as consulting, training, server setup, and printed map production. Its portfolio turns raw, tag-driven OSM data into ready-to-use products for GIS and web mapping.

Product overview

Geofabrik operates as a geodata processing and mapping services platform built on OpenStreetMap data. The offering combines free data downloads with a comprehensive suite of paid products including vector data exports (Shapefiles, GeoPackage, File Geodatabase), specialized data products (Routeable Vector Data, Boundary Polygons, Power Networks, Postal Code Polygons), and cloud-hosted APIs (Geocoding with Nominatim/Photon, Routing with OSRM/GraphHopper, Overpass API, Vector Tiles). These are delivered through multiple channels: APIs for programmatic access, hosted tile servers (raster and vector), WMS services, and printed map production. Supporting services include consulting, training, custom software development, and server setup. The portfolio spans from basic data access (Downloads) through professional GIS integration (Vector Data Exports, Shapefiles) to advanced routing and reachability analysis (Routing API, Spider Graph), unified by OpenStreetMap as the core data foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Geofabrik Standard: A slightly modified version of OSM Carto used on the OpenStreetMap website, colorful with details and local language labeling.
• Geofabrik English
• Geofabrik German
• Geofabrik Topo
• Geofabrik Basic Color
• Geofabrik Basic Pastel
• Geofabrik Basic Greyscale
• Spider Graph
• OSM Bright
• OSM Bright + Public Transport
• Toner
• OSM Carto

Products and services

• OpenStreetMap Downloads Free daily-updated downloads of OpenStreetMap raw data in PBF format, shapefiles, and country/continent diff updates for developers, analysts, and researchers needing ready-made OSM extracts.
• Vector Data Exports Paid vector exports in GeoPackage, shapefile, and File Geodatabase formats using the 'OpenStreetMap Data in Layered GIS Format' standard, priced by area and data volume, targeted at GIS professionals.
• Shapefiles
• Overpass API Service
• Geocoding Service
• Routing Service
• Spider Graph (Reachability Analysis)
• Raster Tile Server
• Vector Tile Server
• Tile Packages
• WMS Server
• Printed Maps
• Consulting
• Training
• Custom Software Development
• Server Setup

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1 million changes made to OpenStreetMap daily

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OpenStreetMap FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeofabrik is a proud member of the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The Foundation provides governance for the OSM project and operates core infrastructure. Geofabrik's membership demonstrates deep commitment to the OSM ecosystem.
• OpenStreetMap GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeofabrik is a supporter of OpenStreetMap Germany (openstreetmap.de), the German local chapter supporting OSM adoption and community in Germany.
• Open Source Routing Machine (OSRM)coreTechnology or IntegrationOSRM is an open source routing engine used by Geofabrik for car routing services. Geofabrik operates routing servers based on OSRM for customer API access.
• GraphHoppercoreTechnology or IntegrationGraphHopper is an open source routing engine used for car, truck, and foot routing. Geofabrik operates GraphHopper-based routing servers with additional features like isochrones.
• NominatimcoreTechnology or IntegrationNominatim is open source geocoding software used by the official OpenStreetMap website. Geofabrik offers hosted Nominatim services with daily updated data.
• Shortbread (Vector Tile Schema)coreTechnology or IntegrationShortbread is the vector tile schema used by Geofabrik's vector tile servers. Only map styles developed for this schema can be used with Geofabrik's hosted vector tile servers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mapbox: Mapbox is a much larger commercial mapping platform offering vector tiles, geocoding, routing, and SDKs built largely on OSM data. It is a broad incumbent with far greater scale, while Geofabrik focuses on raw data exports and hosted services for the GIS/OSM-expert segment.
• HERE Technologies: HERE is a global incumbent in mapping, geocoding, routing, and location services serving enterprise and automotive customers. It competes with Geofabrik on routing and geocoding APIs but operates at hyperscale with proprietary data assets.
• TomTom: TomTom is a long-established mapping and location technology provider offering geocoding, routing, and traffic APIs to enterprise customers. It overlaps Geofabrik's geocoding/routing offerings but at much larger scale and with proprietary map data.

Direct peers

• MapTiler: MapTiler offers OSM-based raster and vector tiles, self-hosted map packages, and geocoding/routing APIs with a similar product mix to Geofabrik — competing head-to-head for OSM-derived tile and map data customers globally.
• Stadia Maps: Stadia Maps provides OSM-based hosted map tiles, routing, and geospatial APIs as a commercial alternative to public OSM services. Like Geofabrik, it monetizes the reliability gap left by overloaded public OSM infrastructure.
• GraphHopper: GraphHopper offers a commercial routing engine and Directions API for car, truck, foot, and bike profiles. Geofabrik both uses GraphHopper technology and competes for routing-as-a-service customers — directly overlapping on routing API and isochrone offerings.
• Stamen Design: Stamen Design creates cartographic styles (notably 'Toner', which Geofabrik resells) and produces OSM-based map visualizations. It is a peer in the OSM map-style and tile-design space with overlapping customer segments in publishing and web mapping.
• LocationIQ: LocationIQ provides OSM-based geocoding, routing, and tile APIs as a hosted commercial alternative to public OSM services, mirroring Geofabrik's positioning on reliability and commercial SLAs for developers.
• Geoapify: Geoapify offers OSM-based geocoding, routing, isolines, and map tile APIs on subscription plans. It competes with Geofabrik across the same API surface — geocoding, routing, isochrones — for SMB and enterprise developers.

Emerging players

• Komoot: Komoot develops Photon, an open-source geocoder that Geofabrik offers as part of its hosted geocoding stack, and is a major commercial user of OSM data for outdoor routing. Direct overlap in routing API and OSM-based services makes it a thematic peer.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/geofabrik
• Facebookfacebook.com/Geofabrik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/geofabrik-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Geofabrik