Is there a free alternative to QGIS?

Yes — CARTO, ArcGIS Online, Badger Maps offer free tiers or trials suitable for small teams and individuals.

Last updated: October 8, 2026

Best QGIS Alternatives for Android — 12 Compared in 2026

Q: What are the best alternatives to QGIS?

The top-rated alternatives to QGIS are MAPublisher, Maptitude, Badger Maps. Compare all 12 alternatives at https://www.spotsaas.com/list/qgis-alternative-for-android.

Explore 12 alternatives to QGIS — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

The top QGIS alternatives, at a glance

Quick answer

Want the short version? The top QGIS alternatives are CARTO, ArcGIS Online and Badger Maps. CARTO leads with a SpotScore of 9.4 and a 4.65★ rating. See the full comparison of all 12 on score, rating, and price below.

Ready to move on from QGIS? These 12 geographic information system software alternatives are the picks worth testing first. Our ranking leans on SpotScore, which weighs verified satisfaction against market presence, then star ratings and pricing model. Editors check each tool. Start with the table for a fast read, then go section by section below.

Product	SpotScore	Rating	Pricing	Best for
CARTONavigate your data with interactive mapping.	9.4	★★★★★ 4.65(75)	FreeFree Trial · Quotation Based	teams of all sizes
ArcGIS OnlineStreamline your location intelligence with ease.	9.2	★★★★☆ 4.49(147)	FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Based	teams of all sizes
Badger MapsNavigate your data with ease.	8.7	★★★★★ 4.82(166)	Freefrom $49/mo	teams of all sizes
MAPublisherEmpower your mapping with precision and ease.	8.3	★★★★★ 5(2)	Freefrom $1,499 Fixed License	teams of all sizes
UshahidiEmpowering communities through crowdsourcing.	8.2	★★☆☆☆ 2.25(2)	FreeFreemium · Open-source · Quotation Based	teams of all sizes
MapboxPowering location innovation with Mapbox.	9.8	★★★★☆ 4.42(45)	FreeFreemium · Open-source · Subscription · Quotation Based	teams of all sizes
MaptitudeEmpowering spatial data analysis with high-performance GIS software.	9.3	★★★★★ 4.91(156)	FreeFree Trial · One-time license · Open-source	teams of all sizes
Esri ArcGISMapping your world, one click at a time.	9.1	★★★★☆ 4.35(330)	Quotation Based	teams of all sizes
BatchGeoTransform your data into powerful maps.	8.9	★★★★★ 4.67(1019)	Subscription	teams of all sizes
MaptiveVisualize, analyze, and share your data with ease.	8.9	★★★★★ 4.62(46)	FreeFree Trial · Subscription	teams of all sizes
eSpatialAffordable GIS made easy for all.	8.9	★★★★★ 4.81(18)	Subscription · Quotation Based	teams of all sizes
MapRightEfficiently map your world with MapRight.	8.8	★★★★☆ 3.85(10)	Subscription	teams of all sizes

9.4

SpotScore

CARTO

Navigate your data with interactive mapping.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.7

75 verified reviews

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What is CARTO?

CARTO is a powerful yet easy to use Geographic Information System Software that allows for mapping and for the creation of interactive maps using the location data. Use it to create custom maps and locations, show spatial distributions of data, and make them searchable on the map. CARTO ...

ArcGIS Online

Streamline your location intelligence with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.5

147 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is ArcGIS Online?

ArcGIS Online from Esri is a most powerful, flexible and easiest-to-use location intelligence platform in the market today. Using ArcGIS Online for ArcGIS Cloud, ArcGIS for Server, or a combination of the two allows to start improving workflows faster with this set of web services, maps, apps ...

Badger Maps

Navigate your data with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.8

166 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Badger Maps?

Badger Maps software is a cost-effective professional tool for viewing, querying, and analyzing geographic information system (GIS) data. More of a mapping program than a CAD tool, Badger Maps provides an easy-to-use solution for viewing, querying, and analyzing geographic information systems ...

MAPublisher

Empower your mapping with precision and ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

5.0

2 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is MAPublisher?

MAPublisher is a desktop mapping and cartography plugin that lets users manage map layers, view map attributes, customize themes with stylesheets, create selection filters, and chart points with precision. It is used by private companies, government institutions, and educational organizations ...

Ushahidi

Empowering communities through crowdsourcing.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

2.3

2 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Ushahidi?

Ushahidi is an open source technology platform empowering communities through powerful crowdsourcing solutions. It enables citizens, journalists, governments and other organisations to collect, manage, visualise, and respond to external data. Ushahidi's user-generated report capabilities helps ...

Mapbox

Powering location innovation with Mapbox.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

4.4

45 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Mapbox?

Mapbox is a location data platform, serving developers, design studios, and enterprises globally. It provide the building blocks for businesses to integrate location into any product or service. Whether looking to make a bold geo-enabled statement or simply need a reliable map that's both easy ...

Maptitude

Empowering spatial data analysis with high-performance GIS software.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.9

156 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Maptitude?

Maptitude is a high-performance Geographic Information System (GIS) software. The product allows anyone to visualize, analyze, and map all kinds of spatial data like health care costs, demographics, census tracks, topographic maps, climate or electoral results on local or global scales. ...

Esri ArcGIS

Mapping your world, one click at a time.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Get Pricing Details

4.3

330 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Esri ArcGIS?

ArcGIS is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that allows user to view, analyze, edit, and display data that relates to locations they choose. Combine data, maps and geographic information to create informative and visually rich experiences that viewers can easily comprehend. ArcGIS software ...

BatchGeo

Transform your data into powerful maps.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

See Plans & Pricing

4.7

1019 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is BatchGeo?

BatchGeo is free geographic information system software that helps anyone with a GPS device or mobile phone to quickly create, edit, and display geographic data on the earth. BatchGeo is software for everyone: the average person who wants to view or map their favorite places; the entrepreneur ...

Maptive

Visualize, analyze, and share your data with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.6

46 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Maptive?

Maptive is an GIS software with amazing functionalities. For this application, the target market is first and foremost GIS professionals and decision makers that are seeking a powerful tool to manage large-scale datasets. The software can be used in many different industries as a common ground ...

eSpatial

Affordable GIS made easy for all.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

See Plans & Pricing

4.8

18 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is eSpatial?

eSpatial is a geographic information system (GIS) that offers all the features and functionality of expensive GIS software at an affordable price. Export data to a shapefile, add labels or images, edit, draw new features and create color-fill layers. eSpatial allows to quickly perform spatial ...

MapRight

Efficiently map your world with MapRight.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

See Plans & Pricing

3.9

10 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is MapRight?

MapRight is an intuitive and powerful Geographic Information System (GIS) software for tracking geographic information and data. Use MapRight to geocode addresses, integrate GPS tracks, display colored maps all on desktop. MapRight runs on multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, ...

QGIS vs its closest competitors

QGIS competes with 12 other geographic information system software tools tracked on Spotsaas. The closest by feature overlap are CARTO, ArcGIS Online and Badger Maps. Each is compared against QGIS on rating, pricing and feature coverage below.

Sites and apps like QGIS

Searches for "sites like QGIS" and "apps like QGIS" land on the same set of options as "QGIS alternatives" — the 12 options below cover both, whether you want a like-for-like replacement or something lighter.

What earned each QGIS alternative its spot

CARTO9.4Best for teams of all sizes

Feature-rich platform for spatial mapping, allowing multiple layers on each map for complex work demands.

Watch for: Intimidating learning curve at the beginning for users without data analytics expertise.

ArcGIS Online9.2Best for teams of all sizes

Combines mapping and analysis tools in a cloud-based environment.

Watch for: Subscription costs may be high for smaller organizations.

Badger Maps8.7Best for teams of all sizes

Easy to use with mapping capabilities for efficient route planning.

Watch for: Some users find the richness of features and customizations overwhelming without sufficient guidance or training.

MAPublisher8.3Best for teams of all sizes

Comprehensive mapping tools

Watch for: May require GIS knowledge

Ushahidi8.2Best for teams of all sizes

Crowdsourcing capabilities

Watch for: Dependent on user-generated data

Mapbox9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Offers a wide range of customization options and base map styles for detailed, distinctive map designs.

Watch for: Map-view-based pricing can lead to unexpectedly high costs for popular sites or high-traffic apps.

Maptitude9.3Best for teams of all sizes

Mapping tool with strong data analysis capabilities.

Watch for: Learning curve for complex features may require some training.

Esri ArcGIS9.1Best for teams of all sizes

Industry standard GIS software with a wide range of features and capabilities.

Watch for: Some users find the complexity of features and customizations daunting, especially for newcomers without proper support.

BatchGeo8.9Best for teams of all sizes

Easy to use, especially with Excel integration, making data uploading and mapping straightforward.

Watch for: Some users find the rich features and customization options overwhelming without proper guidance or support.

Maptive8.9Best for teams of all sizes

Powerful data management

Watch for: Can be expensive for small users

eSpatial8.9Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface and easy steps for creating daily travel routes.

Watch for: Lack of dark mode feature, which could enhance user experience.

MapRight8.8Best for teams of all sizes

Very easy to use and requires no training, making it suitable for beginners and non-tech users.

Watch for: Lack of detail and zoning information may limit in-depth analysis for some users.

Why teams look for a QGIS alternative

If you're considering a QGIS alternative, you're probably running into one of these:

Output templates are not readily available, requiring additional time for configuring settings when doing layout.
Some features, like the search feature, need improvement to be on par with other GIS applications.
Certain advanced capabilities of QGIS may be complex for newcomers without proper guidance or support.
The software's GUI and processing capabilities could be more user-friendly and improved.

Key things to look for in a QGIS alternative

Looking at the 12 geographic information system software alternatives through the data: 8 offer a free tier; paid plans run $49–$1499, with Badger Maps the cheapest entry point; and MAPublisher is the highest rated at 5★ across 2 reviews.

How we rank, in short.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

What are the best alternatives to QGIS?

The top-rated alternatives to QGIS are MAPublisher (5.0★), Maptitude (4.9★), Badger Maps (4.8★). Compare all 12 alternatives side-by-side above.

What features should I look for in a Geographic Information System Software alternative?

When evaluating alternatives to QGIS, prioritize: Spatial Analysis, Map Creation, Labeling, Interoperability, Image Exporting, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

How difficult is it to migrate from QGIS to an alternative?

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply QGIS is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend narrowing to 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

How to narrow down your QGIS alternative

On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — CARTO, ArcGIS Online and Badger Maps let you evaluate without paying upfront.
If real-user ratings matter most: MAPublisher has the strongest star rating (5★) among the options with verified reviews.
Want the safest pick: CARTO has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.4) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Before you switch from QGIS

To replace QGIS smoothly, treat data first. Export it, confirm the new tool can import it, and check feature parity for the work you actually do. Pilot on a free tier before rolling out, and keep QGIS running until everything has moved over cleanly.

Compare top products

CARTO

Maptive

eSpatial

MapRight

ArcGIS Online

Ushahidi

Maptive

eSpatial

Esri ArcGIS

eSpatial

Maptive

MapRight

ArcGIS Online

Esri ArcGIS

ArcGIS Online

BatchGeo

CARTO

Mapbox

About the reviewer

Rajat Gupta

Rajat Gupta is the founder of Spotsaas. Over the past two years, he has reviewed 2,000+ tools across CRM, HR, AI, and finance — applying hands-on product research and a background in commerce and the CFA program to evaluate software through a business and ROI lens. His goal: help teams make software decisions they won't regret.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].

Best QGIS Alternatives for Android — 12 Compared in 2026

The top QGIS alternatives, at a glance

CARTO

Navigate your data with interactive mapping.

ArcGIS Online

Streamline your location intelligence with ease.

Badger Maps

Navigate your data with ease.

MAPublisher

Empower your mapping with precision and ease.

Ushahidi

Empowering communities through crowdsourcing.

Mapbox

Powering location innovation with Mapbox.

Maptitude

Empowering spatial data analysis with high-performance GIS software.

Esri ArcGIS

Mapping your world, one click at a time.

BatchGeo

Transform your data into powerful maps.

Maptive

Visualize, analyze, and share your data with ease.

eSpatial

Affordable GIS made easy for all.

MapRight

Efficiently map your world with MapRight.

QGIS vs its closest competitors

Sites and apps like QGIS

What earned each QGIS alternative its spot

Why teams look for a QGIS alternative

Key things to look for in a QGIS alternative

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to narrow down your QGIS alternative

Before you switch from QGIS

Compare top products

CARTO

Maptive

eSpatial

MapRight

ArcGIS Online

Ushahidi

Maptive

eSpatial

Esri ArcGIS

eSpatial

Maptive

MapRight

ArcGIS Online

Esri ArcGIS

ArcGIS Online

BatchGeo

CARTO

Mapbox

Research Popular Software and Services

About the reviewer

Compare top products

CARTO

Maptive

eSpatial

MapRight

ArcGIS Online

Ushahidi

Maptive

eSpatial

Esri ArcGIS

eSpatial

Maptive

MapRight

ArcGIS Online

Esri ArcGIS

ArcGIS Online

BatchGeo

CARTO

Mapbox

Research Popular Software and Services

About the reviewer