CARTO
Cloud-native location intelligence platform that runs spatial analysis inside your data warehouse.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web
Is CARTO free?
No, it's a paid product
- Free trial:
- 30 days
Checked on CARTO's site Nov 8, 2026
5 alternatives with a free optionSwitch from CARTO to
All 6
FeltStarting price: $199/month billed yearly (Team)
Google BigQueryStarting price: $6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand)
ArcGIS ProPaid
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 6
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About CARTO
CARTO is a web-based geospatial analytics platform built to work directly on top of cloud data warehouses such as BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift and Oracle rather than copying data into its own database. Analysts use its Builder tool to make interactive maps and dashboards from very large datasets, Workflows to chain spatial analysis steps without code, and a data catalogue to enrich their own data with demographics and other third-party layers. Developers get APIs and libraries for building map apps on the same data, and newer features add AI agents for spatial questions. It is aimed at enterprises in retail, telecoms, logistics, finance and government rather than hobbyists. Pricing is either pay-as-you-go with no upfront commitment or committed annual tiers quoted by sales, and it can be bought through the Google Cloud, AWS, Azure and Snowflake marketplaces. A free 30-day trial covers the whole platform with demo datasets.
Best for: Data teams that keep geospatial data in BigQuery, Snowflake or Databricks and want to analyse it in place.
CARTO pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from CARTO's own site, with the page it came from.
Pros and cons
What works
- Works directly on cloud data warehouses, no data copying
- No-code spatial Workflows alongside SQL and APIs
- Billing through major cloud marketplaces
- Full-platform 30-day free trial
Why people leave
- Needs a cloud data warehouse to get the most from it
- Committed plans are quote-only with a 12-month contract
- Trials can't be extended or used in production
CARTO vs Felt, Google BigQuery and ArcGIS Pro
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | CARTO | Felt | Google BigQuery | ArcGIS Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Verified price | — | $199/month billed yearly (Team) | $6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand) | — |
| Free plan | No | Yes, 3 seats and 25 viewers | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | No | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No | No | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web | Web | Windows |
Top CARTO alternatives
See all 6- 1Felt68.8
Easier collaborative web mapping for teams that don't need warehouse-scale analytics.
- 2Google BigQuery66.2
Built-in geography functions let you run spatial SQL where your data already lives, without a separate platform.
- 3ArcGIS Pro64.8
The industry-standard GIS suite with the deepest analysis toolset and Esri ecosystem.
- 4
QGIS61.8Free open-source desktop GIS for analysts who don't need a cloud platform.
- 5
kepler.gl57.5Free, open-source map explorer that renders millions of points in the browser, for visual analysis without a subscription.
Why people left CARTO
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from CARTO, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers
Write a review of CARTO
CARTO: common questions
What is CARTO?
CARTO: Cloud-native location intelligence platform that runs spatial analysis inside your data warehouse. Best for data teams that keep geospatial data in BigQuery, Snowflake or Databricks and want to analyse it in place. Available for Web.
Is CARTO free?
No, CARTO is a paid product.
How much does CARTO cost?
CARTO is a paid product. Free trial: 30 days; Marketplace billing: Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, Snowflake. Checked on CARTO's own site, November 2026.
Does CARTO have a free trial or refund?
Free trial: 30 days. Source: CARTO's own site.
Is CARTO open source?
No, CARTO is not open source. Open-source alternatives include QGIS and kepler.gl.
What platforms does CARTO run on?
CARTO is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to CARTO?
The highest-ranked CARTO alternatives right now are Felt, Google BigQuery and ArcGIS Pro. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
CARTO vs Felt: what's the difference?
CARTO is a paid product; Felt is free with paid plans. Both run on Web.