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Maps · head to head

Geographic Calculator vs Felt

Geographic Calculator logo

Geographic Calculator

Maps

Geodetic coordinate conversion and datum transformation for survey, seismic and pipeline data

From
On request
Rated
-
Felt logo

Felt

Maps

Collaborative browser mapping with a free non-commercial tier and annual-only paid contracts

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Felt has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Geographic Calculator no pricing is published for any edition, so buyers negotiate blind and the perpetual versus subscription decision is made without a public list to anchor against.; Felt felt publishes no prices for Professional or Enterprise, so buyers cannot compare against ArcGIS Online or QGIS with hosting without entering a sales process
  • They diverge on capability: Geographic Calculator covers Geodetic parameter database, Felt covers Real-time collaboration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Geographic Calculator and Felt actually diverge.

Attributes where Geographic Calculator and Felt differ
AttributeGeographic CalculatorFelt
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: pricing model (quote), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Geographic Calculator

  • Geodetic parameter database
  • Batch coordinate conversion
  • Datum transformation with accuracy reporting
  • Time-dependent transformations
  • Seismic and well data handling
  • File translation
  • Job files and audit reports
  • GeoCalc and GeoCore SDK

Only in Felt

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Drag and drop data
  • Unlimited viewers
  • Field app with offline support
  • Dashboards
  • Live cloud sources
  • API and SDK

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Geographic Calculator

  • An offshore survey contractor delivering positions to an operator that requires a documented transformation path and residual accuracy, not just a reprojected filenot Felt
  • A pipeline operator reconciling decades of legacy survey data captured in several superseded datums into one current reference framenot Felt
  • A seismic processing team converting SEG-P1 navigation and SEG-Y headers between local grids and a global frame without silently losing metresnot Felt
  • A software vendor that needs correct geodesy inside its own product and licenses the GeoCalc SDK rather than building and maintaining a transformation cataloguenot Felt

Felt

  • An environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing GIS softwarenot Geographic Calculator
  • A utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking atnot Geographic Calculator
  • A planning department sharing a proposal map with the public where the viewer count is unpredictable and viewer seats would be uncostednot Geographic Calculator
  • A team of analysts who each hold data in different formats and want one map assembled in an afternoon rather than a weeknot Geographic Calculator

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Geographic Calculator

  • No pricing is published for any edition, so buyers negotiate blind and the perpetual versus subscription decision is made without a public list to anchor against.
  • Licence mobility is tied to being current on maintenance and support, which means a customer who lapses maintenance on a perpetual licence cannot move it to a new machine, effectively turning a perpetual purchase into a recurring cost.
  • It is a transformation engine, not a GIS: there is no meaningful analysis, cartography or editing, so most buyers end up also owning Global Mapper and paying twice for overlapping data handling.
  • The desktop product is Windows only, which is awkward for organisations standardised on macOS or Linux geospatial pipelines despite the cloud option covering only part of the workflow.
  • Blue Marble acquired Avenza in 2026 and is integrating a field data collection product, so engineering attention is spread across a wider portfolio than when Geographic Calculator was one of two products.

Felt

  • Felt publishes no prices for Professional or Enterprise, so buyers cannot compare against ArcGIS Online or QGIS with hosting without entering a sales process
  • Paid tiers are annual contract only with no monthly option, which excludes consultancies that need a tool for a single short engagement and forces them to the free non-commercial tier they are not licensed to use for client work
  • The API, JavaScript SDK and live warehouse connections are enterprise-only, so a mid-sized team that wants programmatic access has to buy the top tier rather than pay for one capability
  • Analytical depth is limited: there is no meaningful geoprocessing, topology checking or model building, so Felt sits beside a real GIS rather than replacing one
  • The Professional tier caps data processing at 25 GB a month and map views at 100,000 a month, which are easy to exceed with raster imagery or a public-facing map, and the overage terms are not published either

Pricing, plan by plan

Geographic Calculator

On request
  • Geographic Calculator (node-locked)$undefined/year
    • Perpetual or subscription licence
    • Locked to a single machine
    • Annual maintenance and support required to transfer a licence
  • Geographic Calculator (floating)$undefined/year
    • Shared across a team from a licence server
    • Higher price than node-locked
    • Suited to occasional users across several offices
  • GeoCalc SDK$undefined/year
    • Embed the geodetic engine in your own application
    • Developer and runtime licensing
    • Quoted per deployment

Felt

Free
  • PersonalFree
    • Free forever for non-commercial mapping
    • Map creation, upload and sharing
    • Not licensed for commercial use
  • Professional$undefined/year
    • 10 full-access seats with unlimited viewers
    • 25 GB of data processing per month
    • 100,000 map views per month
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Live cloud sources including Postgres, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks and S3
    • REST API and JavaScript SDK
    • AI features

Which should you pick?

Choose Geographic Calculator if

  • You need geodetic parameter database.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want batch coordinate conversion.

Choose Felt if

  • You need real-time collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want drag and drop data.

Questions people ask

Is Geographic Calculator or Felt better?
Neither clearly leads. Geographic Calculator starts at On request and Felt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Geographic Calculator or Felt?
Felt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Geographic Calculator and Free for Felt.
Does Geographic Calculator or Felt run on more platforms?
Geographic Calculator runs on Windows, Web. Felt runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Felt for free?
Yes. Felt has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Geographic Calculator starts at On request.
What is Geographic Calculator best used for?
Geographic Calculator is most often used for an offshore survey contractor delivering positions to an operator that requires a documented transformation path and residual accuracy, not just a reprojected file, a pipeline operator reconciling decades of legacy survey data captured in several superseded datums into one current reference frame, a seismic processing team converting seg-p1 navigation and seg-y headers between local grids and a global frame without silently losing metres, a software vendor that needs correct geodesy inside its own product and licenses the geocalc sdk rather than building and maintaining a transformation catalogue. Of those, an offshore survey contractor delivering positions to an operator that requires a documented transformation path and residual accuracy, not just a reprojected file and a pipeline operator reconciling decades of legacy survey data captured in several superseded datums into one current reference frame are not what Felt is typically brought in for.
What can Geographic Calculator do that Felt cannot?
Geographic Calculator covers Geodetic parameter database, Batch coordinate conversion, Datum transformation with accuracy reporting, Time-dependent transformations. Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Drag and drop data, Unlimited viewers, Field app with offline support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Geographic Calculator: Is Geographic Calculator the same as Global Mapper?

No. Global Mapper is a general desktop GIS. Geographic Calculator is a dedicated geodetic conversion and datum transformation tool with audit reporting.

Felt: What does Felt cost?

Felt does not publish prices for Professional or Enterprise. Personal is free but licensed for non-commercial use only.

Geographic Calculator: Can I still buy a perpetual licence?

Yes. Blue Marble offers perpetual as well as subscription licensing, but a perpetual licence can only be moved between machines while maintenance is current.

Felt: Can I pay monthly?

No. Paid plans are annual contracts. There is a 7 day trial of Professional.

Geographic Calculator: Why not just use QGIS or PROJ?

For routine reprojection they are fine. Geographic Calculator is bought when the transformation path, its accuracy and a documented audit trail must be defensible to a client or regulator.

Felt: Do viewers cost anything?

No. Viewer access is unlimited on the paid plans, which is the main reason organisations with large map audiences choose it.

Geographic Calculator: Is there a cloud version?

Yes, Geographic Calculator Cloud provides browser access to the transformation catalogue.

Felt: Is there a nonprofit discount?

Yes, 30 per cent for verified United States nonprofits, and free access for verified students and classrooms.

Geographic Calculator: What changed with the Avenza acquisition?

Blue Marble acquired Avenza Systems in 2026, adding Avenza Maps mobile field data collection to the portfolio. Ask about roadmap commitments before signing a long maintenance term.

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