Open-source GIS software is a fantastic option for organizations on a budget or anyone looking to learn GIS without a huge financial commitment.
New to GIS? Check out our beginner's guide to GIS These platforms tend to offer more updates and greater functionality, but the top tier options can be quite expensive. In contrast, commercial GIS involves a paid subscription or a one-time per user fee. That said, some open-source options are still quite powerful. In most case, free GIS software doesn't have the same functionality and support as commerical GIS. Open-source GIS software is free and the source code is openly available - meaning anyone can study it and/or make changes.
GIS software comes in two general formats: open-source and commercial.
