ArcGIS Alternatives for Mac

    ArcGIS is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best Mac alternative is QGIS, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to ArcGIS and 11 are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to ArcGIS are R (programming language) (Free, Open Source), GRASS GIS (Free, Open Source), PostGIS (Free, Open Source) and Mapserver (Free, Open Source).

    This page was last updated Nov 5, 2020
    1. QGIS, formerly Quantum GIS, is a user friendly open source Geographic Information System (GIS) licensed under the GNU General Public License that runs on Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, and Windows and supports numerous vector, raster, and database formats and functionalities.
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      QGIS vs ArcGIS opinions
      Almost everyone thinks QGIS is a great alternative to ArcGIS.
       all • positive • negative      relevance • date
      QGIS can read geodatabases. The software is frequently updated and print composer is very good alternative to ArcGIS for map layouts.
      Top positive comment  about 4 years ago

      4
      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.
      Top positive comment  about 1 year ago

      0
      caiocco QGIS runs on multiple platforms, has a strong community and is becoming more and more mature. You can do almost everything using QGIS and it integrates very well with GRASS and SAGA for additional power.
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

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      yes. because for linux this is the only option available.
      Positive comment • almost 3 years ago

      -1
      u can do everything in qgis what u can do in ArcGIS but also in QGIS u have full acces to the source code and all is free
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

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      Closest in terms of UI, and gets a lot of extra power from integration with other packages like Grass and orfeo.
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

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      Free with same functionality.
      Positive comment • almost 4 years ago

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      7 of 9 comments
    2. R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics.
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      R (programming language) vs ArcGIS opinions
      pros, cons and recent comments
      chtfn 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.
      Positive comment • 9 months ago

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    4. GRASS GIS

      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
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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.
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        Almost everyone thinks GRASS GIS is a great alternative to ArcGIS.

      • PostGIS

        • Free • Open Source
        • Mac
        • Windows
        • Linux
        • BSD
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          PostGIS adds support for geographic objects to the PostgreSQL object-relational database.
          No screenshots yet
          PostGIS vs ArcGIS opinions
          Some users think PostGIS is a great alternative to ArcGIS, some don't.
          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.
          Negative comment • about 6 years ago

          4

        • Mapserver

          • Free • Open Source
          • Mac
          • Windows
          • Linux
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            MapServer is an Open Source platform for publishing spatial data and interactive mapping applications to the web.
            No screenshots yet

          • gvSIG Desktop

            • Free • Proprietary
            • Mac
            • Windows
            • Linux
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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.
            • Maximize the use of your Excel spreadsheet data. Make mapping the easiest. Transform Excel data into visual analysis. We lead in data simplification and presentation. We are committed to deliver the tools needed to outpace competition.
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            • SAGA GIS

              • Free • Open Source
              • Mac
              • Windows
              • Linux
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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.
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            • Spotzi is an easy-to-use online GIS/data mapping platform for businesses/professionals you can try for FREE. With a short learning curve, people can immediately start with creating maps from data. Spotzi also has a datashop with readymade maps + data.
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            • OpenJUMP GIS

              • Free • Open Source
              • Mac
              • Windows
              • Linux
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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.
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            Showing 10 of 11 alternatives