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Maps · head to head

Atlas.co vs ArcGIS Field Maps

Atlas.co logo

Atlas.co

Maps

Browser-based collaborative GIS with published per-seat pricing and a free tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ArcGIS Field Maps logo

ArcGIS Field Maps

Maps

Esri field data collection that cannot be bought on its own, only with an ArcGIS user type

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Atlas.co has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Atlas.co analytical depth is a long way short of a mature GIS: there is no serious raster analysis, network analysis, topology editing or geodetic control, so complex work still goes back to QGIS or ArcGIS.; ArcGIS Field Maps field Maps has no price of its own, so a project budget built from the product page misses the Creator seats, the Mobile Worker seats and the ArcGIS Online credits or Enterprise infrastructure that actually cost money
  • They diverge on capability: Atlas.co covers Browser GIS, ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Atlas.co and ArcGIS Field Maps actually diverge.

Attributes where Atlas.co and ArcGIS Field Maps differ
AttributeAtlas.coArcGIS Field Maps
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per monthIncluded with an ArcGIS user type licence
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, Web

Identical on both: 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 Atlas.co

  • Browser GIS
  • Workflow builder
  • Geocoding
  • Collaboration
  • Data import
  • Cheap viewer seats
  • Export and embed
  • AI credits

Only in ArcGIS Field Maps

  • Offline map areas
  • Smart forms
  • High-accuracy GNSS
  • Location sharing
  • Assignment dispatch
  • Indoor positioning
  • Direct editing of authoritative data

What people use each for

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

Atlas.co

  • A renewables developer screening sites against constraint layers who needs an answer this afternoon and has no GIS analyst availablenot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • A planning or property team that mainly needs colleagues to view and comment on maps, where $7 viewer seats replace expensive read-only GIS licencesnot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • A consultancy producing client-facing maps and embeds without maintaining desktop GIS installs across a distributed teamnot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • An analyst with an address spreadsheet who needs geocoding, buffering and a shareable map without learning a desktop GISnot ArcGIS Field Maps

ArcGIS Field Maps

  • A water utility whose inspectors update the same asset feature service the office GIS runs on, rather than filling in forms that someone re-keysnot Atlas.co
  • A county carrying out a sign inventory where crews work in areas without mobile coverage and need offline maps that sync laternot Atlas.co
  • An environmental team needing sub-metre positions from an external GNSS receiver recorded directly against the authoritative datasetnot Atlas.co
  • An organisation consolidating from Collector, Explorer, Tracker and Workforce onto a single app after Esri retired themnot Atlas.co

Where each one falls short

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

Atlas.co

  • Analytical depth is a long way short of a mature GIS: there is no serious raster analysis, network analysis, topology editing or geodetic control, so complex work still goes back to QGIS or ArcGIS.
  • Geocoding and workflow runs are metered per tier, and a single large address batch can exhaust a month’s Pro allowance in one afternoon, forcing an upgrade for a one-off job.
  • The company is at pre-seed stage with roughly $2m raised and a small team, so buyers embedding it in a business process carry meaningful continuity risk.
  • Annual billing is required to get the advertised prices, which removes the flexibility that would otherwise make a young vendor a low-risk trial.
  • There is no offline or field capability at all, so any organisation whose spatial work includes data collection needs a second tool alongside it.

ArcGIS Field Maps

  • Field Maps has no price of its own, so a project budget built from the product page misses the Creator seats, the Mobile Worker seats and the ArcGIS Online credits or Enterprise infrastructure that actually cost money
  • It only works against Esri feature services, so an organisation whose data is in PostGIS or a database without an ArcGIS layer must publish through Esri first, which is a platform decision rather than an app choice
  • Named user licensing means occasional or seasonal field staff still consume a full annual seat, and organisations with a large pool of infrequent collectors pay for capacity they use a few weeks a year
  • As a forms tool alone it is more rigid and more expensive than dedicated mobile forms products, so its value collapses if you are not already committed to ArcGIS
  • The consolidation of four apps into one changed established workflows, and organisations that had built processes around Collector or Workforce have had to rework them on Esri's timetable rather than their own

Pricing, plan by plan

Atlas.co

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 3 projects
    • 3 editors
    • 1 GB storage
  • Pro$23/month
    • 10 projects
    • 10 GB storage
    • 10,000 geocoding runs
  • Team$72/month
    • Unlimited projects
    • Viewer seats at $7 per month
    • 25,000 geocoding runs
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Unlimited storage and workflows
    • 100,000 geocoding runs
    • White-labelled embeds

ArcGIS Field Maps

On request
  • Mobile Worker user type$undefined/year
    • Field editing in Field Maps included with no additional purchase
    • Cannot author maps; requires a Creator seat elsewhere in the organisation
    • Priced per named user per year
  • Creator user type$undefined/year
    • Required to author and publish the maps that field workers use
    • At least one Creator needed before Field Maps can be deployed
    • Includes Field Maps editing as well as authoring
  • ArcGIS Enterprise deployment$undefined/year
    • Field Maps against self-hosted ArcGIS Enterprise instead of ArcGIS Online
    • Server licensing and infrastructure priced separately
    • Quoted through Esri or a distributor

Which should you pick?

Choose Atlas.co if

  • You need browser gis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want workflow builder.
Atlas.co review

Choose ArcGIS Field Maps if

  • You need offline map areas.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want smart forms.
ArcGIS Field Maps review

Questions people ask

Is Atlas.co or ArcGIS Field Maps better?
Neither clearly leads. Atlas.co starts at Free and ArcGIS Field Maps at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Atlas.co or ArcGIS Field Maps?
Atlas.co has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Atlas.co and On request for ArcGIS Field Maps.
Does Atlas.co or ArcGIS Field Maps run on more platforms?
Atlas.co runs on Web. ArcGIS Field Maps runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Atlas.co for free?
Yes. Atlas.co has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ArcGIS Field Maps starts at On request.
What is Atlas.co best used for?
Atlas.co is most often used for a renewables developer screening sites against constraint layers who needs an answer this afternoon and has no gis analyst available, a planning or property team that mainly needs colleagues to view and comment on maps, where $7 viewer seats replace expensive read-only gis licences, a consultancy producing client-facing maps and embeds without maintaining desktop gis installs across a distributed team, an analyst with an address spreadsheet who needs geocoding, buffering and a shareable map without learning a desktop gis. Of those, a renewables developer screening sites against constraint layers who needs an answer this afternoon and has no gis analyst available and a planning or property team that mainly needs colleagues to view and comment on maps, where $7 viewer seats replace expensive read-only gis licences are not what ArcGIS Field Maps is typically brought in for.
What can Atlas.co do that ArcGIS Field Maps cannot?
Atlas.co covers Browser GIS, Workflow builder, Geocoding, Collaboration. ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas, Smart forms, High-accuracy GNSS, Location sharing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Atlas.co: How much does Atlas.co cost?

Starter is free, Pro is $23 per user per month and Team is $72 per editor per month with viewers at $7, all billed annually. Enterprise is quoted.

ArcGIS Field Maps: Can I buy Field Maps on its own?

No. It is included with the Mobile Worker, Creator and GIS Professional user types, and you need at least one Creator in the organisation to author maps.

Atlas.co: Can it replace ArcGIS or QGIS?

For visualisation, light analysis and sharing, often yes. For raster, network or geodetic work, no.

ArcGIS Field Maps: What replaced Collector and Workforce?

Field Maps. Esri merged Collector, Explorer, Tracker and Workforce into it and retired the separate apps.

Atlas.co: What is the viewer seat?

A read-only seat at $7 per month on the Team plan, intended for stakeholders who consume maps rather than build them.

ArcGIS Field Maps: Does it work offline?

Yes. Map areas are downloaded in advance and edits synchronise when connectivity returns.

Atlas.co: Where is the company based?

Oslo, Norway. It was founded in 2021 and has raised around $2m in pre-seed funding.

ArcGIS Field Maps: Can it write to a non-Esri database?

Not directly. The data must be published as an ArcGIS feature service, which may sit over an enterprise geodatabase you already run.

Atlas.co: Is there a free tier?

Yes, Starter gives three projects, three editors and 1 GB of storage with metered geocoding and workflow runs.

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