ArcGIS AlternativesOnly apps categorised as GIS Software for Mac

ArcGIS is not available for Mac but there are some alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best Mac GIS Software alternative is QGIS, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to ArcGIS and eight of them are GIS Software available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac GIS Software alternatives to ArcGIS are GRASS GIS, SAGA GIS, gvSIG Desktop and Mapserver.

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Alternatives list

  1. QGIS icon

    QGIS

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

    56 QGIS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    QGIS main window while editing a project
     
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    70
    Comments about QGIS as an Alternative to ArcGIS
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    4

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    powerfull, stable, userfriendly, beautiful rendering and free.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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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. 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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Attribute table manager under the Tcl/Tk GUI
     
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    13
  4. SAGA GIS icon

    SAGA GIS

     5 likes
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    SAGA - System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses - is a Geographic Information System (GIS) software with immense capabilities for geodata processing and analysis. SAGA is programmed in the object oriented C++ language and supports the implementation of new functions with a...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    SAGA GIS screenshot 1
     
  5. gvSIG Desktop icon

    gvSIG Desktop

     5 likes
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    gvSIG is a Geographic Information System (GIS), that is, a desktop application designed for capturing, storing, handling, analyzing and deploying any kind of referenced geographic information in order to solve complex management and planning problems.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    gvSIG Desktop
     
  6. Mapserver icon

    Mapserver

     4 likes
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    MapServer is an Open Source platform for publishing spatial data and interactive mapping applications to the web. Originally developed in the mid-1990’s at the University of Minnesota, MapServer is released under an MIT-style license, and runs on all major platforms (Windows...

    38 Mapserver alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  7. PostGIS icon

    PostGIS

     23 likes
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    PostGIS adds support for geographic objects to the PostgreSQL object-relational database. In effect, PostGIS "spatially enables" the PostgreSQL server, allowing it to be used as a backend spatial database for geographic information systems (GIS), much like ESRIs SDE...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Preview in DB Manager
     
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    6
    Comments about PostGIS as an Alternative to ArcGIS
    Guest
    Negative
    4

    While PostGIS can collect GIS data, its primary functionality is that of a database and doesn't provide most of the feature set that ArcGIS has.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ArcGIS Icon
    PostGIS icon

    • Most users think PostGIS is a great ArcGIS alternative.

    • PostGIS is Free and Open SourceArcGIS is Paid and Proprietary
  9. OpenJUMP GIS icon

    OpenJUMP GIS

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    OpenJUMP is an open source Geographic Information System (GIS) written in the Java programming language. It is developed and maintained by a group of volunteers from around the globe.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    OpenJUMP GIS screenshot 1
     
  10. Magic Maps icon

    Magic Maps

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    Magic Maps is a simple mapping and data-analysis package for macOS, with a focus on ease-of-use and clean, Mac-native graphics.

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Magic Maps screenshot 1
     
8 of 8 ArcGIS alternatives