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Maps · head to head

ArcGIS Field Maps vs Fused

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
Fused logo

Fused

Maps

Serverless Python for geospatial: write a UDF, get a map tile endpoint and an HTTP API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fused has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; Fused the price steps are brutal: $20 to $200 to $2,000 a month with no intermediate tier, so a two-person team that outgrows Starter faces a tenfold increase for what is often a modest capacity gap.
  • They diverge on capability: ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas, Fused covers User defined functions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where ArcGIS Field Maps and Fused differ
AttributeArcGIS Field MapsFused
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelIncluded with an ArcGIS user type licencePer month by compute tier
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows

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 ArcGIS Field Maps

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

Only in Fused

  • User defined functions
  • Instant tile endpoints
  • HTTP API
  • Caching
  • Workbench
  • Data stack connectors
  • Public UDF catalogue
  • Local execution

What people use each for

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

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 Fused
  • A county carrying out a sign inventory where crews work in areas without mobile coverage and need offline maps that sync laternot Fused
  • An environmental team needing sub-metre positions from an external GNSS receiver recorded directly against the authoritative datasetnot Fused
  • An organisation consolidating from Collector, Explorer, Tracker and Workforce onto a single app after Esri retired themnot Fused

Fused

  • A data team that wants to publish a dynamic layer computed from a large Parquet dataset without standing up and operating a tile servernot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • An analyst prototyping against Overture, Sentinel or Census data who needs a working map in an afternoon rather than a data engineering ticketnot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • An application that needs a geospatial computation exposed as an HTTP endpoint, where the alternative is a container, a queue and an on-call rotanot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • A consultancy delivering an interactive constraint or suitability map to a client, computed live from source data rather than pre-baked into static tilesnot ArcGIS Field Maps

Where each one falls short

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

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

Fused

  • The price steps are brutal: $20 to $200 to $2,000 a month with no intermediate tier, so a two-person team that outgrows Starter faces a tenfold increase for what is often a modest capacity gap.
  • Published tiers do not state the actual compute, storage or request allowances, so the only way to know whether $200 covers your workload is to run it and find out.
  • Fused is at pre-seed stage with a small team, and putting a customer-facing map behind a startup’s serverless platform is a continuity risk that a procurement review will flag.
  • It is Python-only and assumes competence with cloud-native geospatial formats; there is no path for an analyst who works in a desktop GIS and not in code.
  • Serverless execution means cold starts and per-tile latency on uncached views, so a first load of a heavy UDF over a wide area is noticeably slower than a pre-rendered tile set.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Fused

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Workbench access
    • AI assistant
    • Local UDF runs
  • Starter$20/month
    • Secrets management
    • Higher compute limits
    • Office hours support
  • Developer$200/month
    • Dedicated jobs
    • GitHub integration
    • Expanded compute, storage and AI token allowance
  • Professional$2000/month
    • Team collaboration
    • Dedicated training
    • Substantially increased usage limits

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Fused if

  • You need user defined functions.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want instant tile endpoints.
Fused review

Questions people ask

Is ArcGIS Field Maps or Fused better?
Neither clearly leads. ArcGIS Field Maps starts at On request and Fused at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ArcGIS Field Maps or Fused?
Fused has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ArcGIS Field Maps and Free for Fused.
Does ArcGIS Field Maps or Fused run on more platforms?
ArcGIS Field Maps runs on iOS, Android, Web. Fused runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Fused for free?
Yes. Fused has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ArcGIS Field Maps starts at On request.
What is ArcGIS Field Maps best used for?
ArcGIS Field Maps is most often used for a water utility whose inspectors update the same asset feature service the office gis runs on, rather than filling in forms that someone re-keys, a county carrying out a sign inventory where crews work in areas without mobile coverage and need offline maps that sync later, an environmental team needing sub-metre positions from an external gnss receiver recorded directly against the authoritative dataset, an organisation consolidating from collector, explorer, tracker and workforce onto a single app after esri retired them. Of those, a water utility whose inspectors update the same asset feature service the office gis runs on, rather than filling in forms that someone re-keys and a county carrying out a sign inventory where crews work in areas without mobile coverage and need offline maps that sync later are not what Fused is typically brought in for.
What can ArcGIS Field Maps do that Fused cannot?
ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas, Smart forms, High-accuracy GNSS, Location sharing. Fused covers User defined functions, Instant tile endpoints, HTTP API, Caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Fused: What does Fused actually give me?

A Python function becomes a map tile endpoint and an HTTP API on managed infrastructure, with caching, without you running a server.

ArcGIS Field Maps: What replaced Collector and Workforce?

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

Fused: How much does it cost?

Free, then $20, $200 and $2,000 per month for Starter, Developer and Professional. Usage allowances are not itemised publicly.

ArcGIS Field Maps: Does it work offline?

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

Fused: Can I run UDFs locally?

Yes, through the Python SDK, which is how most development is done before deploying.

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.

Fused: Does it replace PostGIS or BigQuery?

No. It reads from them. Fused is the compute and serving layer, not the store.

Fused: Is it a mature company?

No. It is a small pre-seed San Francisco company. The technology is real; the vendor risk is real too.

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