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QGIS alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll GIS software

Top picks

Common reasons people leave QGIS: less integrated with Esri's ArcGIS Online and Enterprise services, and support comes from the community or third-party firms, not one vendor. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces QGIS, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. ArcGIS Pro currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1ArcGIS Pro logoArcGIS ProPaid—NoWindows4 of 468.8
2GRASS logoGRASSOpen source—YesWindows, macOS, Linux5 of 564.8
3Felt logoFeltFree plan + paid$199/month billed yearly (Team)NoWeb5 of 561.8
4MapTiler logoMapTilerFree plan + paid$30/month (USD)NoWeb, Self-hosted, Windows +24 of 442.3
  1. ArcGIS Pro logo

    1. ArcGIS ProTop pick

    Best for: Organisations standardised on Esri that need enterprise GIS and vendor support

    PaidWindows

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from QGIS

    The commercial industry standard, with tight links to ArcGIS Online and Esri's enterprise tools.

    Pros

    • Deep integration with ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise
    • 2D, 3D and time-aware maps in one app
    • Automation with Python and ModelBuilder
    • Built-in AI models for imagery analysis

    Cons

    • Runs on Windows only
    • Licensed through ArcGIS user types, which costs more than free alternatives
    • Tied to Esri's platform for sharing and collaboration
    Visit ArcGIS Pro 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 ArcGIS Pro a good QGIS alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Platforms
    Windows only
    Checked Nov 8, 2026esri.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    21 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026esri.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Licensing
    Three license levels
    Checked Nov 8, 2026esri.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Automation
    Python and ModelBuilder
    Checked Nov 8, 2026esri.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. GRASS logo

    2. GRASS

    Best for: Researchers and analysts who need heavy raster, terrain or hydrology processing and can script it

    Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux

    64.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from QGIS

    Free and open source with deeper raster, terrain and hydrology analysis, often used alongside QGIS.

    Pros

    • Very deep set of raster, vector and imagery analysis modules
    • Python API and command line make large batch jobs repeatable
    • Built-in temporal framework for time-series rasters
    • Free under the GPL, with decades of documentation and teaching material

    Cons

    • Steeper learning curve than QGIS, with its own project and region concepts
    • Weak at cartography and print layouts compared with QGIS or ArcGIS Pro
    • The desktop GUI looks dated next to commercial GIS tools
    Visit GRASS Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    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 GRASS a good QGIS alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    GNU GPL v2 or later
    Checked Nov 8, 2026grass.osgeo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, conda
    Checked Nov 8, 2026grass.osgeo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    In development since
    1982
    Checked Nov 8, 2026grass.osgeo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Python API
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026grass.osgeo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Latest macOS release
    8.5.0
    Checked Nov 8, 2026grass.osgeo.org(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Felt logo

    3. Felt

    Best for: Teams that need to share and edit maps with non-GIS colleagues in the browser

    Free plan + paidWeb

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from QGIS

    Browser-based maps teams can edit together in real time, with free viewers and a QGIS plugin on paid plans.

    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 ×0.377
    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 Felt a good QGIS 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)
  4. MapTiler logo

    4. 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

    42.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from QGIS

    Hosted or self-hosted basemaps and tiles that plug into QGIS and web apps.

    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 ×0.312
    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 QGIS 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)

The best QGIS alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

ArcGIS Pro logo

Best QGIS alternative for most people

ArcGIS Pro

The commercial industry standard, with tight links to ArcGIS Online and Esri's enterprise tools.

GRASS logo

Best QGIS alternative for a free option

GRASS

Free and open source with deeper raster, terrain and hydrology analysis, often used alongside QGIS.

Felt logo

Best QGIS alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Felt

Browser-based maps teams can edit together in real time, with free viewers and a QGIS plugin on paid plans.

GRASS logo

Best QGIS alternative for open source

GRASS

Free and open source with deeper raster, terrain and hydrology analysis, often used alongside QGIS.

MapTiler logo

Best QGIS alternative for self-hosting

MapTiler

Hosted or self-hosted basemaps and tiles that plug into QGIS and web apps.

GRASS logo

Best QGIS alternative for Mac

GRASS

Free and open source with deeper raster, terrain and hydrology analysis, often used alongside QGIS.

ArcGIS Pro logo

Best QGIS alternative for Windows

ArcGIS Pro

The commercial industry standard, with tight links to ArcGIS Online and Esri's enterprise tools.

GRASS logo

Best QGIS alternative for Linux

GRASS

Free and open source with deeper raster, terrain and hydrology analysis, often used alongside QGIS.

Felt logo

Best QGIS alternative for working in the browser

Felt

Browser-based maps teams can edit together in real time, with free viewers and a QGIS plugin on paid plans.

QGIS alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to QGIS?

ArcGIS Pro ranks first right now. The commercial industry standard, with tight links to ArcGIS Online and Esri's enterprise tools. GRASS and Felt follow it in our ranking.

QGIS vs ArcGIS Pro: what's the difference?

QGIS is free and open source; ArcGIS Pro is a paid product. QGIS is open source and ArcGIS Pro is not. Only QGIS runs on macOS and Linux.

Is QGIS free?

QGIS is free and open source. Price: Free and open source. Checked on QGIS's own site, November 2026.

How much do QGIS alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked QGIS alternatives: Felt, $199/month billed yearly (Team); MapTiler, $30/month (USD). Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to QGIS?

Yes. GRASS (open source), Felt (free plan + paid) and MapTiler (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to QGIS?

Yes: GRASS.

Which QGIS alternatives work on Linux?

GRASS and MapTiler run on Linux.

Why do people switch from QGIS?

The complaints we hear most: 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.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces QGIS, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.