Web Map Kit › Publish a QGIS map online
How to publish a QGIS map online: 5 ways compared
You've styled a map in QGIS and someone wants to open it on their phone, zoom in and click things. Here are the realistic options, what they cost and when each one is the right choice.
Short answer. For a small map and no budget, use the free qgis2web plugin and host the folder yourself. If people must edit data or you need WMS/WFS, use a QGIS Server-based service such as Lizmap or QGIS Cloud. For a fast, view-only map of a large dataset with no server and free hosting, use Web Map Kit (our plugin, $17 once), which publishes vector tiles to your own Cloudflare account in one click.
The five options side by side
| Option | What you get | Large datasets | Hosting and cost | Set-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Export a PDF or image | A static picture of your layout | Any size, but not interactive | Free | Minutes |
| qgis2web (free plugin) | A Leaflet or OpenLayers website folder with popups and a layer list; very wide QGIS style support | Layers usually load whole as GeoJSON, so maps slow down with thousands of features | Free plugin; you upload the folder to hosting you choose (GitHub Pages, Netlify, your own server) | Minutes, plus hosting |
| QGIS Cloud | Your QGIS project served by a hosted QGIS Server, with a web client | Yes, server-side rendering | Free plan: 50 MB database, non-commercial and non-government use only. Pro: €65/month | Minutes (plugin upload) |
| Lizmap | An open-source web client on QGIS Server: editing, printing, access control | Yes, server-side rendering | Self-host on your own server (free software, you run it), or hosted Lizmap plans from €50/month | Hours to days self-hosted; minutes hosted |
| Web Map Kit (ours) | A mobile-first MapLibre web map with your styles, legend, popups and search; a manager for all your published maps | Yes: vector tiles in one PMTiles file, only what's on screen loads (our demo has 35,000 points) | $17 once. Maps live in your Cloudflare R2 account; the free tier is 10 GB of storage with no bandwidth fees | About 5 minutes the first time, then one click |
Sources: QGIS Cloud plans, Lizmap plans, Cloudflare R2 pricing, qgis2web. Prices change; check the providers' pages before you decide.
Which one should you use?
- You only need to show the map in a report or print: export a PDF from the QGIS layout. Nothing else is needed.
- A small map (a few hundred features), zero budget, and you're happy to host files: qgis2web. It supports the widest range of QGIS styling and lets you pick Leaflet or OpenLayers.
- People need to edit data, log in, print from the web or use WMS/WFS: a QGIS Server-based option. Lizmap if you (or your IT team) can run a server or pay for hosting; QGIS Cloud for quick hosted publishing, remembering the free plan is non-commercial only.
- A view-only map of real-sized data (thousands to hundreds of thousands of features) that must be fast on phones, with no server to maintain: Web Map Kit.
Publishing with Web Map Kit, step by step
- Install the plugin. In QGIS 3.28 or newer: Plugins → Manage and Install Plugins → Install from ZIP.
- Connect free hosting once. The set-up wizard asks for one Cloudflare API token and creates the storage bucket and public address for you (about 2 minutes).
- Style your layers in QGIS as usual. Single, categorized and graduated styles, proportional circles, labels, field aliases and layer transparency carry over.
- Click Create web map. Pick a title, the layers and a web address. The plugin builds vector tiles and uploads them.
- Share the link. It opens on any phone or computer. Run it again later and the same link updates.
The full walk-through, with screenshots and troubleshooting, is in the Web Map Kit guide. Try the live demos: 35,000 power plants and US tornado paths since 1950.
What Web Map Kit doesn't do
So you can choose honestly: published maps are public to anyone with the link (no passwords), view-only (no editing), and rule-based or expression-based QGIS styles are simplified to one colour with a warning. If you need those, a QGIS Server-based option is the better fit.
Questions
Can I publish a QGIS map online for free?
Yes. qgis2web is free and you host its output yourself, for example on GitHub Pages. QGIS Cloud's free plan gives 50 MB for non-commercial use. Web Map Kit costs $17 once, and its maps are hosted on Cloudflare R2's free tier (10 GB of storage, no bandwidth fees).
What's the best way to share a large QGIS layer on the web?
Vector tiles, so the browser only loads what's on screen. Web Map Kit builds them automatically in a single PMTiles file; see how to export QGIS layers to PMTiles if you'd like to do it by hand.
Do I need a server?
Not for a read-only interactive map: qgis2web and Web Map Kit produce static files. You need QGIS Server (or a service built on it) for WMS/WFS, editing, web printing or password-protected maps.
Can people edit data on the web map?
Only with a server-based option such as Lizmap or QGIS Cloud Pro. Static web maps are view-only.