Best Geographic Information Systems 2025

What are Geographic Information Systems?

Geographic information systems (GIS) allow users to collect, manage, and analyze geospatial data. GIS can process complex geographic and demographic data to measure environmental impact, model real or hypothetical scenarios, and map landscapes in 3D. Some GIS products include collaboration tools, allowing multiple users to import data, alter maps, make annotations, and share documents.

GIS products are diverse, flexible, and powerful. They are used in a range of industries, such as environmental science, city planning, insurance, transportation, and health services. This is because GIS typically includes powerful data analysis and scenario planning tools. Additionally, the visualization tools in GIS allow users to construct maps with demographic, geospatial, and impact considerations in mind.These features allow for more thorough geospatial record-keeping.

GIS products combine elements of civil engineering software, computer-aided design (CAD) software, and oil and gas software to allow users to create accurate geospatial visualizations, measure environmental impact, and utilize demographic data. GIS products are different in that they can collect and analyze complex data sets, and thus tend to be more useful to environmental scientists and data analysts. Users who want strategic planning, automation, or robust 3D modeling features should browse products in the other listed categories.

Geographic Information System Features

Most geographic information systems have the following features:

• Spatial analysis
• Automated data collection
• Automated GPS data mining
• GPS tracking
• Geocoding and reverse geocoding
• Smart mapping
• Survey point sharing
• Map generation
• Data synchronization and visualization
• Statistical analysis
• Environmental impact analysis
• Transportation planning
• Demographic variable management
• Deed plotting and management
• Scenario builder
• Image and document management
• Report generation
• VR and AR integration
• Third party integration
• Cloud, web, and on-premise deployment

Geographic Information Systems Comparison

When choosing the best geographic information system (GIS) for you, consider the following:

Ease of use. GIS software typically has many visualization, data analysis, and report generation features. As such, they can be overwhelming for users who are not familiar with the features of a program. Less experienced users will find GIS products with customizable dashboards, automated data collection and importation, and report generation wizards to be helpful as they come to grips with the staggering number of features in most products. These options aren’t typically found in open source products, although there are numerous knowledge bases and community support websites that can help users learn those programs.

Operating systems. GIS software may not be accessible across all operating systems. Generally speaking, they can run on MacOS and Windows, so this won’t be a problem for most users. However, users running Linux and ChromeOS will find their software options limited. Additionally, many GIS systems don’t have support for mobile operating systems such as Android or iOS, so if these are major parts of your workflow, make sure a GIS product can work for you.

Industry: GIS is a field of products that can work with virtually any industry that utilizes demographic and geospatial information. However, some products are geared for use in specific industries, and as such have built in support for analysis techniques and common software used in those fields. For example, some GIS are geared more toward transportation and logistical concerns, and so you may find that somes products are easier to integrate based on these factors.

Hardware integrations: Drones, sensors, and devices part of the internet of things (IOT) are becoming increasingly common in fields that utilize GIS. However, not all GIS products can natively support data from these sources. If these are common parts of your data collection process, make sure that they can integrate with a GIS, either directly or through third party integrations.

Data ownership: Some GIS software have automated data collection and mining features. However, users may not have ownership of the data collected by these products. This is a problem that users who choose a subscription or cloud-based service may encounter more so than users who choose to purchase a product with a one-time licensing fee. If this is a concern for you, consult the vendors regarding this matter.

Pricing Information

There are several free GIS options, which have fewer features compared to paid options. Paid GIS software is priced using yearly subscription models or through one-time licensing fees. Subscription prices at their lowest tiers range between $150 to $2,000 per year. One-time fees range between $70 and $1,500. Free trials and demos are available from vendors.

More Resources

More resources are available on the TrustRadius blog:

• The Best Free GIS Software