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Maps · head to head

Emlid Studio vs Felt

Emlid Studio logo

Emlid Studio

Maps

Free desktop GNSS post-processing that works with other manufacturers' receivers as well as Emlid's

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Felt logo

Felt

Maps

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Emlid Studio it is free but it is not open source, so if Emlid changes direction or ends the product there is no community fork and no way to keep it maintained; 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: Emlid Studio covers RINEX conversion, Felt covers Real-time collaboration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Emlid Studio and Felt actually diverge.

Attributes where Emlid Studio and Felt differ
AttributeEmlid StudioFelt
Pricing modelFree of charge, no licence feequote
PlatformsWindows, macOSWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Emlid Studio

  • RINEX conversion
  • Static post-processing
  • Kinematic post-processing
  • Drone PPK geotagging
  • Third party receiver support
  • Emlid Flow point extraction
  • Solution quality reporting

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.

Emlid Studio

  • A drone operator whose RTK link dropped to float during a flight and needs to recover centimetre accuracy from the logs afterwardsnot Felt
  • A surveyor establishing a base station coordinate from a two hour static occupation against a national CORS stationnot Felt
  • A research team with mixed brand receivers that cannot justify a manufacturer office suite licencenot Felt
  • An archaeologist geotagging survey photography to a local grid without buying a commercial photogrammetry pipelinenot Felt

Felt

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

Where each one falls short

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

Emlid Studio

  • It is free but it is not open source, so if Emlid changes direction or ends the product there is no community fork and no way to keep it maintained
  • Support is a community forum with no service level, which is a problem for a commercial survey firm that needs an answer before a deliverable deadline rather than when someone volunteers one
  • It only post-processes; there is no network adjustment, no project management, no least squares reporting suitable as a survey record, so it does not replace an office suite
  • The software exists to sell Emlid receivers, so features that matter to owners of competing hardware are unlikely to be prioritised even though third party RINEX is accepted
  • Results depend on the quality of the base data and on the user understanding fix, float and single solutions, and the interface will happily produce a poor solution without stopping an inexperienced operator

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

Emlid Studio

Free
  • Emlid StudioFree
    • No licence fee and no seat limit
    • Windows and macOS
    • Works with RINEX from non-Emlid receivers

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 Emlid Studio if

  • You need rinex conversion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS.
  • You also want static post-processing.
Emlid Studio review

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.
Felt review

Questions people ask

Is Emlid Studio or Felt better?
Neither clearly leads. Emlid Studio starts at Free and Felt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Emlid Studio or Felt?
Emlid Studio starts at Free and Felt at Free.
Does Emlid Studio or Felt run on more platforms?
Emlid Studio runs on Windows, macOS. Felt runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Emlid Studio for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Emlid Studio best used for?
Emlid Studio is most often used for a drone operator whose rtk link dropped to float during a flight and needs to recover centimetre accuracy from the logs afterwards, a surveyor establishing a base station coordinate from a two hour static occupation against a national cors station, a research team with mixed brand receivers that cannot justify a manufacturer office suite licence, an archaeologist geotagging survey photography to a local grid without buying a commercial photogrammetry pipeline. Of those, a drone operator whose rtk link dropped to float during a flight and needs to recover centimetre accuracy from the logs afterwards and a surveyor establishing a base station coordinate from a two hour static occupation against a national cors station are not what Felt is typically brought in for.
What can Emlid Studio do that Felt cannot?
Emlid Studio covers RINEX conversion, Static post-processing, Kinematic post-processing, Drone PPK geotagging. Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Drag and drop data, Unlimited viewers, Field app with offline support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Emlid Studio: Is Emlid Studio really free?

Yes, with no seat limit and no paid tier. Emlid makes its money on GNSS receivers.

Felt: What does Felt cost?

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

Emlid Studio: Does it work with receivers from other manufacturers?

Yes. It accepts standard RINEX logs, so a base or rover from another brand can be processed.

Felt: Can I pay monthly?

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

Emlid Studio: Is it open source?

No. It is free of charge but proprietary, so there is no community fork if the product is discontinued.

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.

Emlid Studio: Can I use it as my survey office software?

No. It handles post-processing only. Network adjustment, drafting and deliverable production need other tools.

Felt: Is there a nonprofit discount?

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

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