In the dynmap vs bluemap choice, pick BlueMap for a 3D map on a current release, on Paper, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge or Sponge. Pick Dynmap for older Forge, Fabric or Paper releases, or for chat and region overlays. Pick squaremap for a flat vanilla-style map.
This comparison reads each project's Modrinth listing and its GitHub or home page, all read on 9 October 2026. We did not install, render or time any of them, so no speed claim here is ours.
The decision table
| Fact | Dynmap | BlueMap | squaremap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map style | Google Maps-like web map, several renderers | 3D models of the surface | Top-down 2D, vanilla map style |
| Fabric builds | 1.14.4 to 1.21.11 | 1.15.2 to 26.3, needs Fabric API | 1.19.3 to 26.3, needs Fabric API |
| Forge builds | 1.12.2 to 1.21.11 | 1.14.4 to 26.3 | Stopped at 1.20.1 (1.2.0, 15 September 2023) |
| NeoForge builds | None listed | 1.20.2 to 26.3 | 1.20.2 to 26.3 |
| Paper builds | 1.10.2 to 1.21.4 | 1.13 to 26.3 | 1.19.3 to 26.3 |
| Spigot builds | 1.10.2 to 1.21.4 | 1.13 to 26.3 | None listed |
| Sponge builds | None listed | 1.16.5 to 26.3 | 1.19.3 to 26.3 |
| Folia builds | None listed | 1.19 to 26.3 | 1.20.1 to 26.3 |
| Newest release | v3.8 on Fabric and Forge (14 January 2026); 3.7-beta-8 beta on Paper and Spigot (15 January 2025) | 5.28 on every platform (25 September 2026) | 1.3.13.2 (17 September 2026) |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT | MIT, with the Leaflet front end under BSD 2-clause |
| Modrinth downloads, read 9 October 2026 | 497,542 | 526,871 | 162,773 |
What each one renders
Dynmap
Dynmap
@mikeprimm · Server Plugin
Checked Source and install notes
Dynmap describes itself as a Google Maps-like map. Its page says it can render worlds with different renderers, some suited to performance and some to high detail. The browser view shows players with their faces, chat messages, the in-game time and the weather, and viewers can chat to players in-game. WorldGuard, Residence, Towny and Factions regions appear through separate Dynmap-* plugins.
BlueMap
BlueMap
@BlueColored · Server Plugin
Checked Source and install notes
BlueMap reads your world files and generates 3D models of the whole surface, so you can look at the world in a browser as if you were in-game, or from far away. Its home page says that as a plugin or mod it renders asynchronously to the server thread and never blocks it directly. As long as the CPU is not fully used, the server should not slow down while it renders. That is BlueMap's own statement, not something we measured.
squaremap
squaremap
@jpenilla · Server Plugin
Checked Source and install notes
squaremap draws a simple top-down 2D view in the vanilla map rendering style, designed for navigation. Its page calls the render times ultra fast and shows player markers with yaw rotation, health and armor. It offers APIs to draw markers, shapes and icons, plus addons for popular plugins.
Server software and mod loaders
BlueMap has the widest list: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Folia and Sponge, all with 5.28 builds reaching 26.3. It also runs from the command line without a server. Only its Fabric build requires another file, Fabric API. A server plugin goes into the plugins folder, as in our plugin install guide.
squaremap covers Paper, Folia, Sponge, NeoForge and Fabric up to 26.3, with Fabric needing Fabric API. Its Forge builds stopped at 1.20.1 in September 2023 while the other loaders carried on. It lists no Spigot build.
Dynmap reaches furthest back, to 1.10.2 on Paper and Spigot and 1.12.2 on Forge. Its Fabric and Forge builds reach 1.21.11 on Modrinth, while its README platform table lists narrower ranges (Forge 1.12.2 to 1.20.6, Fabric 1.14.4 to 1.21.4). It lists no NeoForge, Sponge or Folia build. Its Bukkit-labelled builds stopped at 1.19.4.
How each stores and serves the map
Dynmap stores tiles as flat files by default. It also supports MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, MariaDB and AWS S3, and S3 can hold the map and host the site. On Forge and Fabric, SQL drivers are usually not included, and the README points to separate driver mods. Its integrated web server needs no setup, and you browse to port 8123. You can instead copy its web files into Apache or a similar web server.
BlueMap runs its own web server by default, bound to all network interfaces on port 8100 and hosting the bluemap/web folder. You can disable it in the config. It also sends a small report with the implementation name and plugin version to its author, and the page says all metrics can be turned off.
For squaremap, the sources state only that it generates and manages a live map viewable in any web browser, with a Leaflet front end. They give no storage backend or port, so we give none.
When the choice is already made for you
- A Forge server below 1.14.4: only Dynmap lists builds that old, down to 1.12.2.
- A NeoForge, Sponge or Folia server: BlueMap or squaremap. Dynmap lists none of these.
- A Spigot server: Dynmap or BlueMap. squaremap lists no Spigot build.
- A Paper server newer than 1.21.4: BlueMap or squaremap. Dynmap's last Paper build stops there.
- A Forge server on a current release: BlueMap, since squaremap's Forge builds stopped at 1.20.1.
If you are still choosing server software, see Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur. For the plugin and mod split, read plugins vs mods vs data packs.
Trade-offs of each
- Dynmap: the most storage options and the oldest releases, but a Paper and Spigot beta from January 2025 and no NeoForge build. Its README also limits who may redistribute modified builds.
- BlueMap: the broadest platform list and a 3D view, but a built-in web server open on all interfaces by default, and a metrics report you must switch off yourself.
- squaremap: the plainest map, with no 3D and no extra weight claimed beyond its own wording, but a stopped Forge line and no Spigot build.
The Modrinth counts above are not a quality ranking, and none of the three pages gives a render benchmark. For a modded host, hosting a Fabric or NeoForge server covers the base setup these maps sit on.