GRASS GIS vs GIS Cloud

GRASS GIS9.1Visit GIS Cloud8.4Visit

Higher score GRASS GIS #2 in Geographic Information Systems 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit GRASS GIS

vs

GIS Cloud #7 in Geographic Information Systems 8.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 4 features Visit GIS Cloud

• GRASS GIS fits best

  Advanced raster, terrain, and scientific GIS analysis

• GIS Cloud fits best

  Teams needing web GIS and offline field collection

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Side by side

Feature	GRASS GIS 9.1/10 Visit ↗	GIS Cloud 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.4
Ranking	#2 in Geographic Information Systems	#7 in Geographic Information Systems
Best for	Advanced raster, terrain, and scientific GIS analysis	Teams needing web GIS and offline field collection
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	$5/device/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Community, Docs, Live chat	Email, Docs
Integrations	7 integrations	11 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features GRASS GIS 0/4 · GIS Cloud 1/4
Spatial analysis	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mobile apps	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Offline use	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Map publishing	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Cloud
Supported data formats	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Advanced raster, terrain, hydrology, and temporal analysis Supports Python, C, R, command-line, GUI, and Jupyter workflows Works with GDAL/OGR, PostgreSQL, SQLite, QGIS, and WPS servers	Create, edit and share maps in a browser with vector and raster support Collect GPS field data offline with custom forms for points, lines and polygons Connect external databases and publish maps through WMS and WFS
Cons	Analysis focus is narrower than broad map composition and publishing workflows Primarily a locally installed desktop and command-line system Browser access relies on notebooks or third-party services, not vendor SaaS	Seat-based plans are billed annually, which may not suit monthly purchasing Feature and storage limits vary by plan, including organization-level storage caps On-premises deployment is available on demand rather than as a standard plan
Our verdict	GRASS GIS is a free, open-source geospatial processing engine for raster, vector, 3D raster, imagery, and temporal data. Researchers, environmental analysts, GIS professionals, and developers can use it for spatial modeling, visualization,… Read the review →	GIS Cloud brings browser-based map editing, spatial analysis, publishing and mobile field collection into one GIS suite. It is aimed at organizations working with location data, including government, utilities, engineering, construction,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• GRASS GIS — where it wins

  • Advanced raster, terrain, hydrology, and temporal analysis
  • Supports Python, C, R, command-line, GUI, and Jupyter workflows
  • Works with GDAL/OGR, PostgreSQL, SQLite, QGIS, and WPS servers

  Where it doesn't

  • Analysis focus is narrower than broad map composition and publishing workflows
  • Primarily a locally installed desktop and command-line system
  • Browser access relies on notebooks or third-party services, not vendor SaaS

• GIS Cloud — where it wins

  • Create, edit and share maps in a browser with vector and raster support
  • Collect GPS field data offline with custom forms for points, lines and polygons
  • Connect external databases and publish maps through WMS and WFS

  Where it doesn't

  • Seat-based plans are billed annually, which may not suit monthly purchasing
  • Feature and storage limits vary by plan, including organization-level storage caps
  • On-premises deployment is available on demand rather than as a standard plan

• GRASS GIS9.1/10 · Free plan

  A free, analysis-focused GIS with deep raster, terrain, hydrology, and scripting tools.

  Visit GRASS GISFull verdict →
• GIS Cloud8.4/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A flexible web GIS with offline field collection, spatial tools and cloud or self-hosted deployment.

  Visit GIS CloudFull verdict →