Free CARTO alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

5 of the 6 CARTO alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). Felt, Google BigQuery and QGIS rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Verified price	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Felt	Free plan + paid	$199/month billed yearly (Team)	No	Web	5 of 5	68.8
2	Google BigQuery	Free plan + paid	$6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand)	No	Web	4 of 4	66.2
3	QGIS	Open source	—	Yes	Windows, macOS, Linux	4 of 4	61.8
4	kepler.gl	Open source	—	Yes	Web, Self-hosted	5 of 5	57.5
5	MapTiler	Free plan + paid	$30/month (USD)	No	Web, Self-hosted, Windows +2	4 of 4	57.5

1. FeltTop pick
Best for: Teams that need to share and edit maps with non-GIS colleagues in the browser
Free plan + paidWeb
68.8
score / 100
Why switch from CARTO
Easier collaborative web mapping for teams that don't need warehouse-scale analytics.
Pros
Real-time co-editing and commenting with free viewers
Imports common GIS formats and live data sources on paid plans
QGIS plugin and REST API connect it to existing workflows
Cons
Free plan can't upload your own data or export
Paid plans are costly for individuals
Far less analysis depth than a desktop GIS
Visit Felt Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.3100
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Felt a good CARTO alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
Free plan
Yes, 3 seats and 25 viewers
Checked Nov 8, 2026felt.com(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$199/month billed yearly (Team)
Checked Nov 8, 2026felt.com(opens source in a new tab)
Extra seat
$49/month yearly or $59 monthly
Checked Nov 8, 2026felt.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free trial
7 days of Business
Checked Nov 8, 2026felt.com(opens source in a new tab)
QGIS integration
QGIS plugin on paid plans
Checked Nov 8, 2026felt.com(opens source in a new tab)
2. Google BigQuery
Best for: Teams on Google Cloud or GA4 who want a warehouse with no servers to manage
Free plan + paidWeb
66.2
score / 100
Why switch from CARTO
Built-in geography functions let you run spatial SQL where your data already lives, without a separate platform.
Pros
Fully serverless, with nothing to size or keep running
Monthly free query and storage allowance for small projects
Native exports from Google Analytics 4 and other Google products
Machine learning models can be trained in plain SQL
Cons
Tied to Google Cloud; there is no self-hosted version
On-demand billing by data scanned can surprise teams that query wide tables
Less control over performance tuning than with your own cluster
Visit Google BigQuery Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.341
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Google BigQuery a good CARTO alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Serverless
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free query allowance
First 1 TiB per month
Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand)
Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free storage
First 10 GiB per month
Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
3. QGIS
Best for: Analysts, researchers and organisations that want full desktop GIS without licence fees
Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux
61.8
score / 100
Why switch from CARTO
Free open-source desktop GIS for analysts who don't need a cloud platform.
Pros
Free for any use under the GPL, with no seat licences
Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
Strong cartography with layouts, atlases and reports
Large plugin library and Python scripting
Cons
Less integrated with Esri's ArcGIS Online and Enterprise services
Support comes from the community or third-party firms, not one vendor
Frequent releases mean plugins can lag behind new versions
Visit QGIS Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.377
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is QGIS a good CARTO alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
License
GPL-2.0
Checked Oct 30, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
Checked Nov 8, 2026qgis.org(opens source in a new tab)
Release tracks
Long-term and latest releases
Checked Nov 8, 2026qgis.org(opens source in a new tab)
Price
Free and open source
Checked Nov 8, 2026qgis.org(opens source in a new tab)
4. kepler.gl
Best for: Analysts and developers who want fast, free visual maps of large point and trip datasets
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted
57.5
score / 100
Why switch from CARTO
Free, open-source map explorer that renders millions of points in the browser, for visual analysis without a subscription.
Pros
Free and MIT licensed
Renders millions of points in the browser
Embeddable React component and a Jupyter widget
No account needed for the demo app
Cons
No spatial analysis toolbox like a desktop GIS
Collaboration and sharing need your own hosting setup
Embedding requires React and Redux knowledge
Visit kepler.gl Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.363
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is kepler.gl a good CARTO alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
MIT
Checked Nov 6, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Built on
MapLibre GL and deck.gl
Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.kepler.gl(opens source in a new tab)
Scale
Millions of points
Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.kepler.gl(opens source in a new tab)
Embedding
React component
Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.kepler.gl(opens source in a new tab)
Jupyter
Yes, widget
Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.kepler.gl(opens source in a new tab)
5. MapTiler
Best for: Developers who need hosted or offline basemaps and geocoding without Google Maps or Mapbox pricing
Free plan + paidSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted, Windows, macOS, Linux
57.5
score / 100
Why switch from CARTO
Cheaper hosted maps and data hosting with a free tier and self-hosted server option.
Pros
Free plan with no billing details required
Self-hosted and offline option via MapTiler Server
Usage-based pricing with published per-session rates
Works with QGIS, ArcGIS and MapLibre
Cons
Free plan is for non-commercial use and pauses at its quota
Free maps carry the MapTiler logo
Fewer navigation and routing features than Mapbox
Visit MapTiler Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.363
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is MapTiler a good CARTO alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Free plan
$0, non-commercial use
Checked Nov 8, 2026maptiler.com(opens source in a new tab)
Flex plan
$30/month (USD)
Checked Nov 8, 2026maptiler.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free plan sessions
5,000 per month
Checked Nov 8, 2026maptiler.com(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes
Checked Nov 8, 2026maptiler.com(opens source in a new tab)

Quick comparison

1. FeltTop pick

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

2. Google BigQuery

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

3. QGIS

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

4. kepler.gl

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

5. MapTiler

Pros

Cons

Verified facts