Alternatives to proprietary GIS software

Google Maps Platform alternatives

16 tools

Google's suite of mapping APIs covering maps, routes, places and geocoding. Powerful but usage-based pricing scales quickly and locks you into Google's terms.

Mapbox alternatives

11 tools

Popular commercial mapping platform with GL-based rendering, studio-designed basemaps and navigation APIs. Pricing and the closed-source GL JS v2+ push many teams toward open alternatives.

ArcGIS alternatives

10 tools

Esri's enterprise GIS platform spanning desktop (ArcGIS Pro), server and cloud. The industry standard, but expensive licensing drives teams to open-source stacks.

HERE Technologies alternatives

8 tools

Commercial location platform with strong routing, geocoding and fleet APIs built on automotive-grade map data. Enterprise contracts and opaque pricing are common pain points.

TomTom alternatives

5 tools

Location technology company offering routing, traffic and map APIs from its navigation heritage. Competitive, but open routing engines on OSM data are increasingly capable.

Bing Maps alternatives

3 tools

Microsoft's mapping platform with imagery, geocoding and routing APIs. Being folded into Azure Maps, and many developers prefer open rendering libraries anyway.

Google Earth alternatives

2 tools

Google's 3D globe for exploring satellite imagery and terrain. Great for browsing, but closed and limited for building custom 3D geospatial applications.

Google Earth Engine alternatives

1 tool

Google's cloud platform for planetary-scale satellite imagery analysis. Free for research but proprietary, and commercial use requires a paid license.

MapInfo Pro alternatives

1 tool

Precisely's long-standing desktop GIS for business analytics and mapping. Per-seat licensing and a dated toolchain lead many teams to modern open desktops.