TLDR; I suppose this is a warning to contributors to OpenStreetMap that while MapTiler make use of our contributions their sole purpose is maximum profiteering from the mapping community.
As an active contributor to OpenStreetMap I had a use-case to create raster tiles of an existing map so that I can use that as a layer to help me transcribe data into OSM.
I had purchased MapTiler in 2021 for £137.46 and as shown in the email below it was valid for ‘perpetual‘ use.
But what does perpetual mean?
never ending, endless, uninterrupted
Source: Oxford Languages
But what does perpetual mean to MapTiler?
Finding another use-case this week to create a raster map from an openly-licensed scanned map image I wanted to create raster tiles that I could use as a layer in JOSM or ID editor to make it easier for me to add tags to OpenStreetMap.
However, I found that I could no longer log in to the MapTiler account page as it was forcing me to create a new account despite using the same email address as I had previously used. I contacted their customer support but as shown in the reply below MapTiler have renamed their product to ‘MapTiler Engine’ and introduced monthly charges for the software.
So there are several issues involved in this swindle by MapTiler:
- MapTiler had deactivated my user account
- MapTiler are not honouring previous purchases of the software before they changed the name of their software in 2022
- MapTiler have removed the download links from the website for the the previous versions of the software – and for which I had a valid license – thereby denying those with licenses to use the software
- MapTiler billing since 2022 means a charge of $299 any time you want to create tiles since the minimum billing unit is one year. This is a massive increase from the £137.46 I originally paid that is no longer being honoured by MapTiler.
- The $299 charge is not economical for hobbyists
- MapTiler customer service have not sent me a copy of the original license despite my requests
I suppose this is a warning to contributors to OpenStreetMap that while MapTiler make use of our contributions their sole purpose is maximum profiteering from the mapping community.
I am bringing this up with the FCBA in Switzerland so I will post any further updates.
