Geographic information system (GIS) software helps organizations turn complex geospatial data into clear, actionable insights. Whether you’re planning urban developments or managing sales territories, these tools make it possible to visualize trends and forecast outcomes, leading to improved, data-driven business decisions.

Each GIS platform offers different strengths. Some prioritize seamless file compatibility, while others focus on real-time collaboration or customization. Explore the best GIS software platforms and their top features to choose a system that aligns with your needs.

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The Top 7 GIS Mapping Programs

Today’s GIS software ranges from enterprise-grade platforms to lightweight, open-source options. Here are seven of the best GIS platforms available and their key strengths.

1. Felt

Felt is a cloud-native platform designed for collaborative work and high performance. It helps teams across industries build detailed maps, analyze large datasets, and share results with stakeholders. The platform is user-friendly and intuitive, letting you access spatial data faster.

Customize maps with a library of symbols and icons, or personalize your interface with our developer-friendly functionality. Felt aligns with your unique team workflow — seamlessly integrate maps with Power BI and Tableau, embed them in SharePoint, and share them with a quick link. Here are the pros of using Felt:

• Accessible workflows: The platform is straightforward, regardless of technical expertise. Developers can build apps and dashboards, enjoy advanced analysis and, while others can view statistics and results without desktop installation.
• Broad file support: The platform processes any geospatial dataset in seconds. Upload any file format, from Shapefile to GeoJSON, or connect directly with any cloud source.‍
• Interactive features: Users can sort and filter data for quick, accurate information. Add pop-ups, embed videos, and leave comments for a personalized experience.

2. Esri ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online is Esri’s first cloud-based GIS software, released in 2012. It provides spatial analysis, 3D visualization, and some sharing and commenting tools. Esri also offers ArcGIS Pro, a desktop platform focused on highly technical geoprocessing and data management. Reviews mention Esri can be resource-intensive, and many users report lagging and unexpected crashes.

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Pros:

• Varied software: Esri supports multiple tools for different teams, including cloud, desktop, and mobile platforms.
• Reliable support: The software has an extensive self-serve knowledge base and customer support system to answer questions and provide technical assistance.

Cons:

• Performance issues: Esri is resource-intensive, and many users report lagging and unexpected crashes.
  

3. Maptitude

Maptitude is online GIS software offering detailed spatial data analysis, territory management features, and map customization. It’s popular in industries like real estate and retail. Maptitude also provides offline desktop software, though reviews mention its overly complex interface and limited features.

Pros:

• Location planning: Maptitude specializes in area analysis, offering delivery route planning and drive time calculation.
• Map customization: The tool provides personalization features, letting you change colors, labels, and legends, or apply premade themes.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve: Users report that both the cloud and desktop versions of Maptitude are difficult to master. The platform also lacks support documentation, particularly for newer updates.
  

4. Mapinfo Pro

MapInfo Pro is a desktop-only GIS tool offering spatial analysis and data visualization. It’s versatile but aimed primarily at telecommunications businesses, helping teams monitor network growth, visualize towers and cell sites, and measure radio signal strength. Some reviewers shared having difficulty with large datasets, resulting in slow processing and rendering issues.

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Pros:

• Strong data analysis: It allows users to create thematic maps, manage multiple layers, and perform complex queries to study data in-depth. 
• Third-party extensions: While desktop tools don’t have the update frequency of cloud software, users can download add-ons from independent creators and MapInfo developers to improve functionality.

Cons:

• Poor performance: MapInfo has difficulty with large datasets, so users can experience slow processing, rendering issues, and file size limits with specific formats.
  

5. Saga GIS

Saga GIS is a free, open-source platform focusing on geoscientific applications like terrain and climate analysis, making it a good choice for researchers. However, reviews say it lacks an intuitive interface and has lower-quality cartography tools.

Pros: 

• Free and open source: Free GIS programs let teams try mapping tools with no investment, and open-source functionality allows developers to customize the experience.
• Specialized features: It offers specific geoscientific tools, including digital elevation model analysis, hydrology functions, and fire spread simulation.

Cons:

• Complexity: Saga GIS has a steep learning curve, a challenging interface, and limited sharing capabilities.
  

6. QGIS

QGIS is an open-source desktop mapping tool that lets users view various spatial information, including Vector and Raster data. The platform offers deep, location-based analysis, making it a popular choice — in fact, many teams create maps in QGIS before enhancing them in Felt.

Pros: 

• Versatile analysis: QGIS supports multiple file types and has varied data analysis features.
• Strong community: The platform has a global community offering documentation and forums for thorough troubleshooting and learning.

Cons:

• Challenging for beginners: QGIS is a powerful tool but it can be complex for beginners to become oriented.
• Difficult to share: QGIS is desktop based making it challenging to share results across organizations and teams.
  

7. Carto

Carto is designed for business analytics and strategy, offering demographic insights and market planning. While it provides data analysis, the platform isn’t a traditional GIS tool and lacks functionality like advanced 3D imagery and industry-specific charting.

Pros:

• Business focus: Carto provides tools for location-based decision-making and pattern tracking.
• Powerful Spatial SQL Engine: Allows complex spatial operations like joins, buffers, intersections, clustering, etc.

Cons:

• Learning curve: as a technical data analysis product, getting started can be challenging for business users.

What Types of Data Can GIS Platforms Import?

For a GIS tool to be truly useful, it must support the right data formats. Cartography software acts as the bridge between raw information and meaningful insights, but only if it can receive, process, and visualize the files your team already relies on. Here are the main file types that GIS platforms typically handle:

• Vector data: These formats represent geographical features with shapes such as points, lines, and polygons. Because they’re mathematically based, they’re easy to scale to any size without losing clarity. Common formats include Shapefiles, GeoJSON, and GeoPackage.
• Raster data: Raster files store information in a uniform grid of cells or pixels, with each cell containing a numeric value tied to a specific attribute, like elevation, soil type, or temperature. They’re ideal for measuring environmental conditions and trends that spread across areas. Popular formats include GeoTIFFs and ASCII grids, as well as common image types like JPEG and PNG.
• Spreadsheets: Many GIS programs can interpret structured tabular data. Files from Excel (.XLS or .XLSX) or flat files like .CSV can be imported to map territories, customer lists, and demographic statistics. With the right configuration, a spreadsheet column of addresses becomes a dynamic layer on your map. 
• Images and PDFs: Some mapping tools let users upload images to enhance context. For instance, a tourism business may overlay a JPEG of a monument or attach a PDF guide with attraction details. This type of visual layering helps make presentations more human-friendly. 
• AutoCAD: Engineering and design teams often rely on AutoCAD for drafting. Many GIS tools allow users to upload drawing exchange format files, which capture 2D designs and schematics. Adding these to a GIS platform enables teams to view technical drawings alongside geospatial data for improved project visualization. 
• Layer groups: Some GIS platforms let users upload multi-layered files, like spreadsheets with multiple tabs. When imported, these produce maps with separate but related datasets that you can toggle, style, and analyze independently. 

Felt supports all of these formats and more. The Upload Anything feature lets you drag and drop nearly any file type directly into the workspace. The system automatically processes the data, analyzes it, and renders it into a clear, interactive map. What’s more, QGIS users can share their maps and model outputs directly to Felt with Felt’s QGIS plugin. This means teams can move from raw files to customized visualizations in minutes without any additional setup. 

Experience the Future of GIS With Felt

Modern GIS software helps businesses create data-driven strategies and make smarter decisions. With its fully cloud-native system, Felt is moving this technology forward. It transforms location-based data into interactive maps accessible to developers and stakeholders. Teams can collaborate efficiently, build custom apps in minutes, and streamline workflows. Felt prioritizes security with SOC 2 certification and GDPR compliance, ensuring sensitive data stays fully protected.

Unlock your data’s full potential with Felt.