Global service map
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Quick answer: Do not use Mapbox directly for a mainland China product. Chinaready labels it Unavailable: overseas servers are slow or fail to load, new mainland signups are currently restricted, foreign basemaps lack a map review number (审图号), and Mapbox defaults to WGS-84 with no native GCJ-02 support. Prefer Amap, Baidu Maps, Tencent Maps, Tianditu. Availability in China: Unavailable.
Availability in China: Unavailable
Chinaready strongly recommends against using Mapbox directly in mainland China. The former Mapbox.cn China product is discontinued, and global Mapbox is not a workable production path. Three constraints matter more than a partial load test:
For navigation and location products, start with a licensed China map vendor. These stacks are built for mainland compliance, GCJ-02 (or vendor-specific) coordinates, fast local data updates, rich Chinese POI coverage, and complete web / App APIs:
| Option | Why teams pick it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amap (高德地图) | Mainstream default for China maps, routing, and LBS APIs | GCJ-02; strongest everyday substitute for Mapbox SDKs and tiles |
| Baidu Maps (百度地图) | Full domestic maps stack with rich POI and LBS coverage | Uses BD-09 (a further encryption of GCJ-02) — convert Mapbox WGS-84 points explicitly |
| Tencent Maps (腾讯地图) | Compliant mainland maps with WeChat / Mini Program-native location APIs | GCJ-02; a close fit when the product already sits in the Tencent ecosystem |
Tianditu (天地图), from the National Geomatics Center of China, provides a stable, compliant domestic map data source. Teams that want a Mapbox-like vector rendering stack can pair Tianditu tiles with open-source MapLibre GL (the Mapbox GL fork) for zero-cost deployment and to avoid overseas Mapbox cloud uncertainty. Register a free Tianditu account and use the issued Key before serving tiles.
For China-facing products, drop Mapbox. Prefer Amap, Baidu Maps, or Tencent Maps for commercial maps, or Tianditu plus MapLibre GL for an official national basemap.
Baidu Maps, Tencent Maps, and Tianditu appear on this alternatives page as orientation options — Chinaready does not add them as Explore / Landscape product tiles from this rewrite. Confirm SDK terms, keys, GCJ-02 / BD-09 handling, and map-review requirements before production adoption.
Mapped China-ready candidates
Amap (高德地图) is the mainstream China maps SDK and LBS platform: GCJ-02 coordinates, fast mainland loading, rich POI coverage, and full web / iOS / Android APIs — the practical default Mapbox substitute for China-facing navigation and location products.
Baidu Maps (百度地图) is a full domestic maps stack with timely data, strong Chinese POI coverage, and complete LBS APIs. Uses BD-09 coordinates (a further encryption of GCJ-02) — convert explicitly when migrating Mapbox WGS-84 points.
Tencent Maps (腾讯地图) provides compliant mainland maps, GCJ-02 coordinates, and WeChat / Mini Program-native location APIs — a close commercial substitute when the product already sits in the Tencent ecosystem.
Tianditu (天地图) is the official national basemap from the National Geomatics Center of China. Pair it with open-source MapLibre GL (the Mapbox GL fork) for a free, compliant Mapbox-like vector-map workflow without overseas Mapbox cloud.
No as a production default. Chinaready labels Mapbox as Unavailable and strongly recommends against using it directly. Overseas Mapbox servers are often extremely slow or fail to load from mainland China, new mainland signups are currently restricted, and the former Mapbox.cn product is discontinued.
Three reasons: Mapbox servers are overseas so maps often fail to load, and new mainland registration is restricted; China's map-publishing rules require a map-service qualification and a map review number (审图号), so an unreviewed foreign basemap is a non-compliant “problem map” with app-store takedown risk; and Mapbox uses WGS-84 with no native GCJ-02 support, which can offset points by hundreds of meters unless developers apply manual corrections.
Chinaready currently lists these China-market options for Mapbox: Amap, Baidu Maps, Tencent Maps, Tianditu. Prefer Amap (高德地图), Baidu Maps (百度地图), or Tencent Maps (腾讯地图) for licensed commercial SDKs and LBS APIs. Prefer Tianditu (天地图) with MapLibre GL when you need a free official national basemap and a Mapbox-like open-source renderer.
MapLibre GL is the open-source fork of Mapbox GL and can render domestic tiles, but it is a renderer — not a China map data license. Pair it with a compliant mainland data source such as Tianditu (天地图), or use a licensed vendor SDK (Amap, Baidu Maps, Tencent Maps). MapLibre does not by itself satisfy 审图号 / Surveying and Mapping Law requirements.
Pick a domestic SDK or Tianditu + MapLibre path, convert coordinates to GCJ-02 (or BD-09 for Baidu Maps), and confirm map-review / qualification requirements before launch. Use the interactive Chinaready Landscape for adjacent stack choices, then read Chinaready's main site for launch operating guidance. If the path remains unclear, book a call with Chinaready.
