Joseph Mwaura
Civil Engineering, 500+ employees
More than a year
“great fit for my work”
Pros
Has been a fantastic fit for my work because it offers a powerful platform that still feels user friendly. As someone who really enjoys working with GIS, I appreciate the broad range of features and tools it includes. It handles different kinds of geospatial data very well so I can work comfortably with shapefiles, raster images and database sources without trouble. The interface is simple to use and the layout customization options make it simple to explore the software and set up my workspace the way I want. Another big advantage is the large plugin and extension library which adds even more functionality for specific tasks. On top of that the active and supportive QGIS community makes a real difference since help, tutorials and useful resources are always available when I need them.
Cons
My time with it has been very positive and I have not run into any problems or concerns.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
10
Customer Support
10
Functionality
10
Salomon Nguilaye
Renewables & Environment, 500+ employees
More than a year
“excellent for business and research”
Pros
A very good software option for businesses and researchers.
Cons
The interface can be a bit difficult to master at first.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
7
Value for money
7
Customer Support
7
Functionality
9
Felipe Maciel
Education Management, 500+ employees
Less than a year
“versatile GIS powerhouse”
Pros
Having a free GIS tool this capable is a huge plus. It comes packed with lots of features and customization options for mapping, projecting and analyzing spatial data. It also connects well with online map services like Google and Bing which makes working with different basemaps really convenient. On top of that it's an excellent alternative to ArcGIS especially for anyone wanting a solid open source option without the cost.
Cons
Getting around the software can be a little challenging at first especially for someone new to GIS or without much experience using similar tools.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
9
Value for money
9
Customer Support
9
Functionality
10
Essoyomewe akodabi
Research, 1-10 employees
More than a year
“handy extensions”
Pros
Accessible to just about anyone and works well for all kinds of tasks especially once you install the different extensions.
Cons
Map digitization and georeferencing can still be challenging.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
10
Customer Support
9
Functionality
10
Emmanuel sagara
Higher Education, 1-10 employees
More than a year
“Simple to use”
Pros
Simple to use, it's free and anyone can contribute to it as well.
Cons
There are just a few improvements still needed in certain versions.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
9
Customer Support
9
Functionality
9
Emma Hain
Civil Engineering, 1-10 employees
More than a year
“efficient workflows”
Pros
After switching from ESRI while working in consulting, this software proved to be faster, more powerful and more stable for my work. It comes with a huge range of tools through GDAL, GRASS and SAGA and the default styles look really polished too. Working with Open Data, including ArcGIS REST Servers, has made my workflows much more efficient. Plugins like SLYR also help a lot when I need to work with ESRI products and QGIS is the go to software for running Tuflow. I also appreciate the yearly long term release and quarterly updates because it keeps improving alongside new technology. Using Geopackages in cloud environments has been another big plus for efficiency. On top of that sharing work with coworkers and clients is simple and there is plenty of help available through the documentation and the wider community on social media, email lists and Stack Overflow.
Cons
Labelling side could still use some further development although even with that limitation I'm still able to produce a complex fauna study map. Since the software is free, I also think corporations that rely on it should give back and contribute so development can keep moving forward.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
8
Value for money
10
Customer Support
9
Functionality
10
I Adjama
Renewables & Environment, 500+ employees
More than a year
“student friendly GIS tool”
Pros
It's free and it still runs well even on lower performance computers or laptops. At the very least, it is accessible for students and also works well for training companies.
Cons
No cons to mention.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
10
Customer Support
10
Functionality
10
Mauricio Orozco Cordoba
Construction, 1-10 employees
More than a year
“solid and free platform”
Pros
Being open source is a big advantage and it works well for GIS tasks without needing a paid license.
Cons
Some features in this software are a bit limited.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
9
Value for money
8
Customer Support
7
Functionality
9
Arnaud Dupont
Insurance, 500+ employees
More than a year
“fast calculations”
Pros
Importing data is very simple, calculations run quickly and the interface feels pleasant and easy to use.
Cons
Different coordinate systems can sometimes cause bugs during use and because there are so many tools available, it's possible to feel a bit lost at times.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
10
Customer Support
9
Functionality
9
Alexis Fernandez Sarabia
Environmental Services, 1-10 employees
More than a year
“packed with tools”
Pros
A solid piece of software and the fact that it's free for everyone makes it even better. It even comes with a wide range of tools to work with.
Cons
Nothing negative to add.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
10
Customer Support
9
Functionality
10
Sharanbasappa Warad
Education Management, 500+ employees
More than a year
“Practical option for small budget teams”
Pros
This app is a free open source desktop GIS that works across platforms which makes it a practical option for people and teams without a big software budget. It handles a wide variety of data formats and works well with both vector and raster datasets so it fits many different GIS workflows. Another big advantage is its large, active community, along with the many plugins and tools available to extend what the software can do. It also includes strong geoprocessing features, including spatial analysis and mapping tools and it integrates well with other software and systems making it a flexible choice for many applications.
Cons
Getting started can feel intimidating because the interface is not always beginner friendly and it can take a while to learn where everything is and use it confidently. It also does not always match the full feature set of some higher priced commercial GIS platforms. On top of that certain advanced functions may require coding or scripting knowledge which can make those features less accessible for some users.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
7
Customer Support
9
Functionality
9
Raju Lokhande
Education Management, 500+ employees
More than a year
“User friendly interface”
Pros
Being free and open source, this program gives users a solid way to visualize, manage, edit and analyze spatial data without sacrificing capability. It comes with a broad set of features, including support for many data formats, geoprocessing tools and a large plugin ecosystem that can expand what the software can do. The interface is user friendly enough that new users can get started without much training. It also runs on Windows, Mac and Linux which makes it a flexible option for all kinds of users. On top of that it is capable of working with large datasets and handling complex analysis although having strong enough hardware helps it perform at its best.
Cons
Familiarizing yourself with its features and functions can take some time if you are new to GIS concepts and terminology though the extensive documentation and online community resources do a lot to make that learning curve more manageable.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
8
Value for money
9
Customer Support
9
Functionality
10
Syed Salman Nazim
Telecommunications, 500+ employees
Less than a year
“integrates well”
Pros
Using this product is really easy, it integrates well with other tools and the Python customization is a big advantage since it lets you build whatever new features you need.
Cons
Would be better with stronger interactive options and the overal UX could be better.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
9
Value for money
8
Customer Support
7
Functionality
7
Milton Ceballos
Farming, 500+ employees
Less than a year
“very capable tool”
Pros
It being open source is a big plus and it's a very capable tool for geographic data mapping, working with variables tied to spatial data and running statistical calculations.
Cons
It's specialized software so it's really aimed more at professionals who already work in this field.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
7
Value for money
7
Customer Support
7
Functionality
8
Benedetta Concetti
Utilities, 11-50 employees
More than a year
“powerful features”
Pros
I had been used to a more famous and expensive competitor before and switching over was not too difficult since the interface is quite user friendly. I even came across some very useful features that were missing in the rival product. It's a valuable tool that lets you manage and visualize data from virtually any database and it has proven to be highly effective and flexible. I've used it both for scientific research and for institutional communication. It gets updated often and there is a large online community ready to help. I highly recommend it.
Cons
There are occasional bugs that can cause the software to crash but they are usually fixed quickly.
Rating Distribution
Ease of use
10
Value for money
10
Customer Support
9
Functionality
10