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Maps · head to head

ArcGIS Field Maps vs Transit

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
Transit logo

Transit

Maps

Public transit trip planning and real-time arrivals for buses, trains and shared bikes and scooters

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Transit 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; Transit coverage depends entirely on whether the local transit agency publishes a real-time feed, so quality swings sharply between well-funded metro systems and smaller regional operators.
  • They diverge on capability: ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas, Transit covers Real-time arrivals.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where ArcGIS Field Maps and Transit differ
AttributeArcGIS Field MapsTransit
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelIncluded with an ArcGIS user type licenceFree to riders; revenue from agency data and fare-payment transaction fees
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (iOS, Android, Web), 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 Transit

  • Real-time arrivals
  • Multi-modal trip planning
  • Service alerts
  • In-app fare payment
  • Offline schedules
  • GO transit and micromobility layers

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

Transit

  • A commuter in a city with a well-maintained GTFS-realtime feed wanting live bus and train arrivalsnot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • A rider comparing a transit trip against a bike share or scooter leg for the last milenot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • A visitor needing offline-capable static schedules in a city with patchy data coveragenot ArcGIS Field Maps
  • Someone wanting to buy a transit fare inside the same app used to plan the trip, in supported citiesnot 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

Transit

  • Coverage depends entirely on whether the local transit agency publishes a real-time feed, so quality swings sharply between well-funded metro systems and smaller regional operators.
  • The company earns its revenue by selling agencies a paid analytics product built from rider trip data, which means the free app functions partly as a data-collection layer for a business customer, not only as a public service.
  • In-app fare payment is only available in a limited set of cities, so the headline feature is not something most riders can actually use.
  • Static schedule fallback in low-data cities is only as accurate as the agency last published, and service changes can go unreflected for weeks.
  • The app has no offline routing without a cached area, so it is not reliable for navigation in areas with poor mobile signal.

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

Transit

Free
  • Rider appFree
    • Real-time arrivals and trip planning
    • No ads shown to riders
    • In-app fare purchase where supported

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 Transit if

  • You need real-time arrivals.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want multi-modal trip planning.
Transit review

Questions people ask

Is ArcGIS Field Maps or Transit better?
Neither clearly leads. ArcGIS Field Maps starts at On request and Transit at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ArcGIS Field Maps or Transit?
Transit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ArcGIS Field Maps and Free for Transit.
Does ArcGIS Field Maps or Transit run on more platforms?
Both run on iOS, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Transit for free?
Yes. Transit 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 Transit is typically brought in for.
What can ArcGIS Field Maps do that Transit cannot?
ArcGIS Field Maps covers Offline map areas, Smart forms, High-accuracy GNSS, Location sharing. Transit covers Real-time arrivals, Multi-modal trip planning, Service alerts, In-app fare payment.

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.

Transit: Does Transit cost anything to use?

No. The rider app is free with no subscription and no ads; the company earns money separately by selling agencies a paid data and communication platform.

ArcGIS Field Maps: What replaced Collector and Workforce?

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

Transit: Does it work in every city?

No. Coverage depends on whether the local transit agency publishes a GTFS or GTFS-realtime feed; some smaller markets have static schedules only.

ArcGIS Field Maps: Does it work offline?

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

Transit: Can I buy a bus or train ticket in the app?

Only in cities where the local agency has integrated fare payment; elsewhere you still need the agency app or a physical ticket.

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.

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