Maps · head to head
ArcGIS Field Maps vs Global Mapper
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
- -
Global Mapper
Maps
A GIS and lidar desktop that still sells a genuine perpetual licence with published prices
- From
- $700/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- 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; Global Mapper it is Windows only with no macOS or Linux build, so mixed-platform teams end up running a virtual machine and lose graphics performance on large point clouds
- They diverge on capability: ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas, Global Mapper covers Format breadth.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ArcGIS Field Maps and Global Mapper actually diverge.
| Attribute | ArcGIS Field Maps | Global Mapper |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $700/one-time |
| Pricing model | Included with an ArcGIS user type licence | One-time purchase |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | Windows |
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Global Mapper
- Format breadth
- Lidar processing
- Pixels to Points
- Coordinate transformation
- Terrain analysis
- Scripting
- Mobile companion
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 Global Mapper
- A county carrying out a sign inventory where crews work in areas without mobile coverage and need offline maps that sync laternot Global Mapper
- An environmental team needing sub-metre positions from an external GNSS receiver recorded directly against the authoritative datasetnot Global Mapper
- An organisation consolidating from Collector, Explorer, Tracker and Workforce onto a single app after Esri retired themnot Global Mapper
Global Mapper
- A survey office that receives lidar in a different format from every client and needs reliable conversion without writing scriptsnot ArcGIS Field Maps
- A consultancy that wants to classify ground points and extract building footprints from a drone survey without an Esri enterprise agreementnot ArcGIS Field Maps
- An organisation with an irregular workload that wants to buy the licence outright and skip maintenance in quiet yearsnot ArcGIS Field Maps
- A geologist producing volumes, contours and cross sections from terrain data on a standalone office workstationnot 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
Global Mapper
- It is Windows only with no macOS or Linux build, so mixed-platform teams end up running a virtual machine and lose graphics performance on large point clouds
- The interface has grown by accretion over two decades and features are scattered across menus, so new users are slow to find capabilities that are already installed
- Node-locked perpetual licences are tied to the machine identifier, so a hardware refresh or a failed workstation means a support request rather than a login on a new device
- Multi-user and web publishing are weak relative to Esri or QGIS with a server stack, so it is a desktop analysis tool and not a platform for sharing data across an organisation
- Published prices apply to North America and differ elsewhere, so buyers outside that market must go through a reseller and cannot rely on the listed figures for budgeting
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
Global Mapper
$700/one-time- Global Mapper Standard, node-locked$700/one-time
- Perpetual licence tied to one machine
- First year of maintenance and support included
- Renewal 245 USD per year, optional
- Global Mapper Standard, floating or dongle$1050/one-time
- Shared between users or carried on a USB dongle
- Maintenance renewal 365 USD per year
- Network licence 2,100 USD with a two-seat minimum
- Global Mapper Pro, node-locked$1750/one-time
- Adds lidar classification, feature extraction and Pixels to Points
- Maintenance renewal 610 USD per year
- Upgrade from Standard version 26 costs 1,050 USD
- Global Mapper Pro, floating or dongle$2625/one-time
- Shared or dongle licence
- Maintenance renewal 915 USD per year
- Network licence 5,250 USD with a two-seat minimum
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.
Choose Global Mapper if
- You need format breadth.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want lidar processing.
Questions people ask
- Is ArcGIS Field Maps or Global Mapper better?
- Neither clearly leads. ArcGIS Field Maps starts at On request and Global Mapper at $700/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ArcGIS Field Maps or Global Mapper?
- ArcGIS Field Maps starts at On request and Global Mapper at $700/one-time.
- Does ArcGIS Field Maps or Global Mapper run on more platforms?
- ArcGIS Field Maps runs on iOS, Android, Web. Global Mapper runs on Windows.
- 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 Global Mapper is typically brought in for.
- What can ArcGIS Field Maps do that Global Mapper cannot?
- ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas, Smart forms, High-accuracy GNSS, Location sharing. Global Mapper covers Format breadth, Lidar processing, Pixels to Points, Coordinate transformation.
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.
Global Mapper: Is there still a perpetual licence?
Yes. Blue Marble sells perpetual node-locked, floating, dongle and network licences that keep working after maintenance lapses.
ArcGIS Field Maps: What replaced Collector and Workforce?
Field Maps. Esri merged Collector, Explorer, Tracker and Workforce into it and retired the separate apps.
Global Mapper: What is the difference between Standard and Pro?
Pro is an add-on to a matching Standard licence and carries the lidar classification, feature extraction, Pixels to Points photogrammetry and advanced terrain tools.
ArcGIS Field Maps: Does it work offline?
Yes. Map areas are downloaded in advance and edits synchronise when connectivity returns.
Global Mapper: Do I have to pay maintenance?
Only for the first year, which is included. After that it is optional; without it the software continues to run but you receive no upgrades or support.
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.
Global Mapper: Can it replace ArcGIS?
For desktop format conversion, lidar and terrain analysis, often yes. For enterprise data management, web services and organisation-wide sharing, no.
Related pages
More on ArcGIS Field Maps
More on Global Mapper
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