Best GIS Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Felt is ranked #1 of 63 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of QGIS and QGIS Cloud. The best-ranked option with a free plan is QGIS. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Google Earth Engine at $0.40/mo.
GIS software helps you view, analyze, and present geographic information. Compare raster data support and spatial analysis with web mapping and dashboard-building capabilities to match the tools to your work. Deployment choices and mobile apps can affect how you access or share results; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost considerations. Felt, QGIS, and QGIS Cloud are among the options shown. Consider the kinds of data you handle, the analysis you need to perform, and how you want others to explore or view the resulting maps.
63 GIS software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FeltWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 2 | QGISWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 3 | QGIS CloudWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 4 | GIS CloudWeb · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $5/mo | 6.6 | |
| 5 | GPXSeeWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | GRASS GISWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 7 | Google Earth EngineWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $0.40/mo | 6.5 | |
| 8 | Mapbox StudioWeb · Android · iPhone · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | MapServerWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 10 | NextGIS WebWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | €15/mo | 6.5 | |
| 11 | spoptWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 12 | swisslandstats-geopyLinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 13 | SuperMap GISWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 14 | StatSilkWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | $41.25/mo | 5.6 |
| 15 | wdparWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 16 | earthpyWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | geemapWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 18 | HyperCoastWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 19 | HyRiverWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 20 | rmapWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 21 | scikit-eoWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 22 | ThRasEWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 23 | icepyxWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 24 | MaptitudeWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | $66.25/mo | 5.3 |
| 25 | momepyWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment | Spatial analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felt | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | QGIS | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | advanced |
| 3 | QGIS Cloud | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | — |
| 4 | GIS Cloud | 6.6 | Free plan | $5/mo | Yes | — | cloud | advanced |
| 5 | GPXSee | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | desktop | none |
| 6 | GRASS GIS | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | advanced |
| 7 | Google Earth Engine | 6.5 | Free plan | $0.40/mo | Yes | — | hybrid | advanced |
| 8 | Mapbox Studio | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | MapServer | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | basic |
| 10 | NextGIS Web | 6.5 | Free plan | €15/mo | Yes | — | hybrid | basic |
| 11 | spopt | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | desktop | advanced |
| 12 | swisslandstats-geopy | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | SuperMap GIS | 5.7 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | advanced |
| 14 | StatSilk | 5.6 | No | $41.25/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | wdpar | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | basic |
| 16 | earthpy | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | basic |
| 17 | geemap | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | hybrid | advanced |
| 18 | HyperCoast | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | advanced |
| 19 | HyRiver | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | advanced |
| 20 | rmap | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | basic |
| 21 | scikit-eo | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | advanced |
| 22 | ThRasE | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | none |
| 23 | icepyx | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | basic |
| 24 | Maptitude | 5.3 | No | $66.25/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 25 | momepy | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | advanced |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which GIS software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Felt is ranked #1 of 63 with a score of 6.7. QGIS is second and QGIS Cloud third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Google Earth Engine has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.40/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.