The Best ArcGIS AlternativesTop GIS Software & Map Services like ArcGIS

ArcGIS is described as 'Offers unique capabilities and flexible licensing for applying location-based analytics to your business practices' and is a GIS software in the travel & location category. There are more than 50 alternatives to ArcGIS for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Web-based, Linux, Mac and SaaS apps. The best ArcGIS alternative is QGIS, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like ArcGIS are R (programming language), GeoSpy, GRASS GIS and Placemark.

ArcGIS iconArcGIS
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ArcGIS offers unique capabilities and flexible licensing for applying location-based analytics to your business practices.

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ArcGIS alternatives page was last updated Jan 24, 2025
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  1. QGIS icon

    QGIS

     112 likes
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    A fully featured, user friendly, open source Geographic Information System (GIS) with similar power to ArcGIS and MapInfo.

    55 QGIS alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    QGIS main window while editing a project

    QGIS Features

    1. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Microsoft Office integration
    2.  Arc GIS
    3.  Multiplatform
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Route Planning
    7.  Table manager
    8.  Community-based

    QGIS VS ArcGIS

     
    Comments about QGIS as an Alternative to ArcGIS
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    May 23, 2017
    4

    QGIS can read geodatabases. The software is frequently updated and print composer is very good alternative to ArcGIS for map layouts.

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive Aug 14, 2022
    0

    powerfull, stable, userfriendly, beautiful rendering and free.

    Guest
    Positive May 2, 2020
    0

    The GUI is pretty simple and intuitive and it runs decent on windows (at least as fast as ArcMap), but on GNU/Linux it flies. And since the license is GPL you can use it for different purposes (from educational to research or commercial) without worrying for a sue.

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    3 of 10 comments
    ArcGIS Icon
    QGIS icon

    • Almost everyone thinks QGIS is a great ArcGIS alternative.

    • QGIS is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & Linux alternative to ArcGIS.

    • QGIS is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to ArcGIS.

    • QGIS is Free and Open SourceArcGIS is Paid and Proprietary
  2. R (programming language) icon

    R (programming language)

     216 likes
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    R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is a GNU project which is similar to the S language and environment which was developed at Bell Laboratories (formerly AT&T, now Lucent Technologies) by John Chambers and colleagues. R can be consider.

    99 R (programming language) alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NZ flagNew Zealand

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    R (programming language) screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Data Mining
    2.  Communities
    3.  Quantitative data analysis
    4.  Data science
    5.  Automatic data loading
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Support for scripting
    8.  Portable

    R (programming language) VS ArcGIS

     
    Comments about R (programming language) as an Alternative to ArcGIS
    chtfn
    Positive Oct 28, 2020
    0

    Even though this programming language is not specific to spatial data, the vast collection of R packages available for importing, processing, analysing, converting and visualising spatial makes it an excellent alternative that can create fully reproducible processes. Searching "R Spatial" online will bring up a wealth of books, tutorials and resources.

    ArcGIS Icon
    R (programming language) icon
    • R (programming language) is Free and Open SourceArcGIS is Paid and Proprietary
    • R (programming language) is Customizable and LightweightArcGIS is not according to our users
  4. GeoSpy icon

    GeoSpy

     8 likes
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    Easily find a photo's location with GeoSpy, the AI-powered tool for precise photo geolocation. Perfect for investigations, OSINT, and discovering where photos were taken.

    5 GeoSpy alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    GeoSpy screenshot 1

    GeoSpy Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Location-based
    3.  GPS Location Tracking
    4.  AI-Powered
    5.  OSINT

    GeoSpy VS ArcGIS

     
    Comments about GeoSpy as an Alternative to ArcGIS
    kylefmohr
    Negative Jan 24, 2025
    0

    They are comparable only in the sense that they both use maps, but serve entirely different purposes

    ArcGIS Icon
    GeoSpy icon

    • GeoSpy is the most popular Web-based & SaaS alternative to ArcGIS.

    • GeoSpy is Freemium and ProprietaryArcGIS is Paid and Proprietary
  5. GRASS GIS icon

    GRASS GIS

     26 likes
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    GRASS GIS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System) is an open source, free software (FOSS) Geographical Information System (GIS) with raster, topological, vector, image processing, and visualization functionality.

    37 GRASS GIS alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Attribute table manager under the Tcl/Tk GUI

    GRASS GIS VS ArcGIS

     
  6. Placemark icon

    Placemark

     4 likes
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    The Placemark application. This is a web application that lets you import, create, export, visualize, and publish geospatial data. It supports many geospatial data formats, and many editing operations, both algorithmic, like buffering, and drawing-based.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    Placemark screenshot 1

    Placemark Features

    1.  Data visualization
    2.  Spatial visualization
    3.  Geospatial analysis

    Placemark VS ArcGIS

     

    • Placemark is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to ArcGIS.

    • Placemark is Free and Open SourceArcGIS is Paid and Proprietary
  7. Atlas: GIS & Maps icon

    Atlas: GIS & Maps

     6 likes
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    The new standard for GIS software. Simple and powerful. Step into Atlas to explore, analyze and share geospatial data.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Atlas: GIS & Maps screenshot 1

    Atlas: GIS & Maps Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Route Planning
    3.  GIS Data
    4.  Geospatial analysis
    5.  Dashboard
    6.  Interactive map

    Atlas: GIS & Maps VS ArcGIS

     
  9. Maptitude icon

    Maptitude

     23 likes
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    Business mapping software (geographic information system) that delivers affordable, easy-to-use, professional mapping tools for mapping in these sectors: franchising, health care, business, territories, site selection, sales, marketing, banking, more.

    34 Maptitude alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Maptitude screenshot 1

    Top Maptitude Features

    1.  Route Planning
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Nearby Search
    4.  Import CSV Data
    5.  Geotagging
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  No Coding Required
    8.  Points of Interest (POI)
    9.  Geocoding
    10.  Route optimization
    11.  Location-based

    Maptitude VS ArcGIS

     
    Comments about Maptitude as an Alternative to ArcGIS
    RHoskins
    Positive Aug 14, 2015
    0

    Same vector GIS functionality, easier to use, additional capabilities not in ArcGIS, excellent documentation and tech support ... less than 1/2 the price.

    ArcGIS Icon
    Maptitude icon
    • Maptitude is Freemium and ProprietaryArcGIS is Paid and Proprietary
  10. Plus Codes icon

    Plus Codes

     1 like
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    A plus code address looks like a regular address, but with a short code where the street name and number would be. These addresses exist for any location, even for places where there are no roads.

    41 Plus Codes alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Plus Codes screenshot 1

    Plus Codes Features

    1.  Geocoding

    Plus Codes VS ArcGIS

     
  11. PiinPoint icon

    PiinPoint

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    PiinPoint helps scaling brands to make informed decisions about what markets to go to next and why. Our leading GIS analytics platform centralizes your real estate planning workflow for site selection, real estate approvals, network performance forecasting and store operations...

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    PiinPoint screenshot 1

    PiinPoint Features

    1.  Geospatial analysis
    2.  Data analytics

    PiinPoint VS ArcGIS

     

    • PiinPoint is the most popular commercial alternative to ArcGIS.

    • PiinPoint is Paid and ProprietaryArcGIS is also Paid and Proprietary
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