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Maps · head to head

Felt vs GRASS GIS

Felt logo

Felt

Maps

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GRASS GIS logo

GRASS GIS

Maps

Long-running open source geospatial analysis engine for raster, vector and terrain processing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; GRASS GIS the location and mapset data model requires importing data into a structured database with a fixed coordinate system before analysis, which is a real barrier for anyone used to opening files directly.
  • They diverge on capability: Felt covers Real-time collaboration, GRASS GIS covers Raster analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Felt and GRASS GIS actually diverge.

Attributes where Felt and GRASS GIS differ
AttributeFeltGRASS GIS
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Windows, macOS

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 Felt

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

Only in GRASS GIS

  • Raster analysis
  • Hydrological modelling
  • Terrain analysis
  • Vector topology
  • Temporal framework
  • Image processing
  • Python API
  • QGIS integration

What people use each for

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

Felt

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

GRASS GIS

  • A hydrologist delineating watersheds and modelling flow accumulation over a large digital elevation modelnot Felt
  • A research group building a reproducible time series analysis of satellite imagery that must be rerunnable years laternot Felt
  • An environmental agency running viewshed and solar radiation analysis for planning assessments without buying commercial GIS seatsnot Felt
  • A QGIS user who needs a specific processing algorithm that only exists in the GRASS toolboxnot Felt

Where each one falls short

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

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

GRASS GIS

  • The location and mapset data model requires importing data into a structured database with a fixed coordinate system before analysis, which is a real barrier for anyone used to opening files directly.
  • The native graphical interface is dated and inconsistent compared with QGIS or ArcGIS, so most users end up running GRASS through QGIS and never learn the tool they are actually depending on.
  • There is no vendor, so contractual support, service levels and liability do not exist by default and must be arranged with an independent consultancy that may not cover your jurisdiction.
  • Cartographic output and map layout are weak relative to the analysis capability, meaning a second tool is always needed to produce a publishable map.
  • Module naming and argument conventions are idiosyncratic and long-standing, so scripts are durable but the learning curve is steep and transferable skills from other GIS packages help less than expected.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

GRASS GIS

Free
  • GRASS GISFree
    • GNU GPL licence
    • All modules included
    • No user or seat limits

Which should you pick?

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

Choose GRASS GIS if

  • You need raster analysis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want hydrological modelling.
GRASS GIS review

Questions people ask

Is Felt or GRASS GIS better?
Neither clearly leads. Felt starts at Free and GRASS GIS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Felt or GRASS GIS?
Felt starts at Free and GRASS GIS at Free.
Does Felt or GRASS GIS run on more platforms?
Felt runs on Web, iOS, Android. GRASS GIS runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Felt for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Felt best used for?
Felt is most often used for an environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing gis software, a utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking at, a planning department sharing a proposal map with the public where the viewer count is unpredictable and viewer seats would be uncosted, a team of analysts who each hold data in different formats and want one map assembled in an afternoon rather than a week. Of those, an environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing gis software and a utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking at are not what GRASS GIS is typically brought in for.
What can Felt do that GRASS GIS cannot?
Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Drag and drop data, Unlimited viewers, Field app with offline support. GRASS GIS covers Raster analysis, Hydrological modelling, Terrain analysis, Vector topology.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Felt: What does Felt cost?

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

GRASS GIS: Who maintains GRASS GIS?

An international volunteer and academic developer community under the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. It originated at the US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in 1982.

Felt: Can I pay monthly?

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

GRASS GIS: Can I buy commercial support?

Not from a vendor. Independent consultancies in the OSGeo ecosystem offer paid support and development, and availability varies by region.

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.

GRASS GIS: Do I need to use its interface?

No. Most people run GRASS algorithms through the QGIS processing toolbox or from Python.

Felt: Is there a nonprofit discount?

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

GRASS GIS: Is it suitable for production use?

Yes for analysis pipelines, and it is used by agencies and research institutions. Plan for community support rather than a service level agreement.

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