--- title: "ArcGIS Reviews, Pros and Cons - 2026 Software Advice" description: "Reviews of ArcGIS. Learn how real users rate this software's ease-of-use, functionality, overall quality and customer support. Talk to our advisors to see if ArcGIS is a good fit for you!" source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/cmms/arcgis-profile/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- 1 million+ businesses helped. Get advice Get Free Advice [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / [GIS Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cafm/gis-comparison/) / [ArcGIS](https://www.softwareadvice.com/artificial-intelligence/arcgis-profile/) / ArcGIS Reviews Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. [Overview](https://www.softwareadvice.com/artificial-intelligence/arcgis-profile/) Reviews [Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/artificial-intelligence/arcgis-profile/alternatives/) # ArcGIS User Reviews ## Reviews summary - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Total reviews: 507 ### Secondary ratings - Ease of use: 3.9/5 - Customer support: 4.1/5 - Value for money: 4.0/5 - Functionality: 4.6/5 ### Rating distribution - 5 stars: 324 reviews (64%) - 4 stars: 158 reviews (31%) - 3 stars: 19 reviews (4%) - 2 stars: 3 reviews (1%) - 1 star: 3 reviews (1%) ### Most mentioned pros - The ability to turn around and serve those same cleaned-up layers to a client as an interactive dashboard is a superpower that has directly helped me win contracts. - Over the past 25 years, my experience with ArcGIS has been foundational to my professional work in urban planning and civil protection, supporting multi-utility municipal structures across Emilia-Romagna (Italy). - It offers excellent visualization for map creation and seamless integration. ### Most mentioned cons - ArcGIS Pro freezes when I pan a dense 3D scene too fast. - The sharing toggles are far too easy to misconfigure. - Bugs and issues are a daily, grinding reality. ## ArcGIS customer reviews Showing reviews 1-25 of 507 (page 1). ### ArcGIS for your mapping needs. - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: HAFIZ USMAN A. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Civil Engineering - Company size: 10000+ employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: August 2024 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The tools (especially geoprocessing tools) provide options to users when developing an interactive map. #### Cons The filling system is not user-friendly. --- ### Strong GIS Tool with a bit of a learning curve - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Daniel H. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Information Technology and Services - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used monthly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: June 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered My overall experience with ArcGIS has been positive, especially for advanced GIS tasks, though it requires patience to master. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 3/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros ArcGIS offers a highly intuitive interface, robust mapping features, and excellent data visualization tools for professionals. #### Cons Depending on how the data is structured and how you envision your visualization to look there can at times be a steep learning curve making it challenging for beginners #### Reasons for switching to ArcGIS Bing maps is now being deprecated and is at end of it's life --- ### Great possibilities in the ArcGIS program - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Ahmed K. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Architecture & Planning - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2023 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered When you see the results of your work after completion, you will realize that it was worth every minute you worked on it #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 3/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 3/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros What I really liked most about this program is its great ability to carry out tremendous tasks in a completely professional manner, which makes you literally dispense with other programs. #### Cons What bothers me most about it is that it requires specific specifications in order for it to work perfectly, but it must be said that it works on moderately efficient devices, and it sometimes has some problems while working, which can lead to the program stopping on its own and restarting it again. --- ### ArcGIS - an incredibly versatile suite of tools for mapping, data analytics, dashboards, surveys, storytelling, and more - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Antony B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: December 2024 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 3/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Massive range of different mapping and analytical tools suitable for a wide range of abilities #### Cons Can be a very steep learning curve when using ArcGIS Pro (the desktop app) #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS Already used by multiple users in the organisation, and provided a great non-profit discount --- ### Review based a decades usage - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Information Technology and Services - Company size: 201-500 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 12 months - Reviewed: September 2023 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered Exceptional #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Wonderful interface, speed and ease of usage, useful and we'll designed tools. A strong userbase and Community resources. #### Cons Supports windows only. If the desktop platform made available to Linux OS users it can be more reachable to world. #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS It's wide range of tools, robust database, extendability, customer support #### Reasons for switching to ArcGIS Its best performance, UI and tools --- ### Utility mapping on both the desktop and mobile devices - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Brian H. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Utilities - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Our mobile workforce has become significantly more efficient due to the ArcGIS platform and the systems that we have built upon its frameworks. ArcGIS has become a core piece of our business and our daily operations, and we continue to increase its use and integration with other systems. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros ArcGIS continues to evolve as a product as our needs grow as a customer. We are moving away from desktop-based GIS, with nearly all employees now using mobile devices as their primary tool to access our utility mapping data. ArcGIS Online has made this available, and we continue to grow our mobile offerings, though the AGOL platform still allows us numerous areas for us to continue to explore and utilize to improve our field workflows. Numerous samples, test applications, etc. are provided by ESRI to get you started, and since they're the industry leader, there are tons of real-world examples of the software in use that are available to the public. #### Cons ArcGIS is an enormously complex software platform, with tons of automation and analysis tools available. However online documentation can be difficult to find, and is frequently written in ways that require an in-depth understanding of the systems. Prerequisite setup steps aren't always included in the documentation, instead it's often written with some assumptions in mind. Setups completed by other employees can be difficult to troubleshoot because of these assumptions in the documentation. The robustness of the platform can also lead to additional steps for end users, as they have to work through options that aren't relevent to them, but cannot be hidden from their view. One such example is just the login screen to the AGOL mobile apps causes our users frequent struggles as they can't remember the sequence of steps to get to the organization login. There should be increased administrator options available to simplify/restrict options available to the end user. #### Reasons for switching to ArcGIS ArcGIS was the industry leader in GIS, and while AutoCAD released their AutoCAD Map platform to try to compete, we decided switch to the platform that was in use by our peers across the industry. --- ### ArcGIS Suite - Extremely Powerful - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Dave F. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Utilities - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: July 2019 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Our field crews and engineering staff couldn't function without it. Out utilities assets with all of their attributes are on our digital maps. On it we document structures attributes, condition over time, maintenance schedules, and even hyperlink photo and video inspections to each asset. Invaluable information no further away than a click of a button, no matter where in our world that you are! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Extremely powerful software with a tool for just about anything you could think of to do with geographic data. "Smart Maps". Objects given geographic location and attributes of any kind that you want running in the background. #### Cons ELA agreement is extremely reasonable but for a private individual it could be cost prohibitive. I believe they are working on a different license model for home users but would have to check on it. #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS Out support structure was better versed in ArcGIS and a brief overview ArcGIS seemed more intuitive (faster learning curve). --- ### Excellent mapping software for the patient. - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: timothy t. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Computer Software - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: June 2020 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. After about 100 hours of being hopelessly lost in the menus, import/export functions, and display properties, an average user will probably be able to impress their colleagues with a tidy and professional display of 2-d or 3-d data in a relevant map background, which very few other freeware programs are capable of creating. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 2/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 2/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros With enough time and interest, the features available for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Pro are brilliant and all-encompassing. Using raw map datums and a collection of information allows users to expertly display any sort of 2-d grid on any map projection with tons of custom options for audience display. #### Cons The learning curve is very steep and the complexity of the software is overwhelming to new users. The number of navigable menus and sub-menus in the home screen of the project can be exhausting to figure out without doing everything incorrectly the first time. This is NOT the Microsoft Powerpoint of data display. #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS Even though the QGIS was free compared to the very expensive ArcGIS product, the features that are constantly being updated and implemented for ArcGIS are second-to-none compared to freeware. --- ### A Comprehensive Review of ArcGIS: - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Noam B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Media Production - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 12 months - Reviewed: January 2023 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered Despite its drawbacks, ArcGIS is an incredibly powerful GIS software that is packed with features and is perfect for both experienced GIS professionals and newcomers alike. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to use and its expansive library of tools and features make it an invaluable tool for anyone working with geographic data. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Positive Aspect Review: ArcGIS is an incredibly powerful, user-friendly GIS software that has been around for decades. It is packed with features, such as mapping, analysis, data visualization, and much more. It is also very easy to use and is perfect for both experienced GIS professionals and newcomers alike. #### Cons However, ArcGIS can be quite expensive, and its steep learning curve may discourage some users. Additionally, its user interface can be quite complex and unintuitive at times. #### Reasons for switching to ArcGIS ArcGIS is far superior to its alternatives when it comes to mapping, analysis, data visualization, and much more. Its user-friendly interface and expansive library of tools make it a great choice for anyone looking to work with geographic data. Additionally, its powerful analysis and visualization capabilities make it one of the most comprehensive GIS programs available. --- ### A Powerful and Versatile Mapping tool. - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Osmond E. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Information Technology and Services - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used monthly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2023 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I like ArcGIS because it is a powerful and versatile mapping tool. It allows me to create detailed maps that can be used for a variety of purposes, from creating visualizations of data to helping to analyze spatial relationships. It also has a wide range of features and tools that make it easy to customize my maps to my specific needs. #### Cons I have found that one of the least enjoyable aspects of ArcGIS is the steep learning curve associated with the software. Although the program is powerful and has a wide range of features, it can be difficult to learn how to use all of its tools and capabilities. Also, the software can be quite expensive for individuals or small businesses, which can be a barrier to entry for some users. Lastly, the software can be quite resource-intensive, requiring a powerful computer to run smoothly. --- ### Broadband Tech - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Boston P. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Internet - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: July 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros The easy of use in the field is a game changer. Without it it would be a nightmare to manage if facilities. #### Cons The lack of a offline mode makes it difficult in areas where we have facilities. Also some of the add in county functions struggle to load. --- ### My review on ArcGIS as a Risk-Assessor - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Education Management - Company size: 501-1000 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered In general, it is a nice software that has helped me a lot in my job as an oceanographer. I can visualize or create geometries that can help me analyze coastal features, like the beaches that experience the greatest waves, or the number rivers in any area, or the kind of sediment of the beaches. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 2/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros In general, it's pretty easy to use. One of the things I like the most, is that it's really easy to edit features, something that may be tedious with other open-source software. #### Cons I need to buy a license to use certain tools. Also, it's common to experience lags when using raster data. Besides, customer support is not the best quality for this product. --- ### ArcGIS, a powerful GIS software - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Oluwasegun O. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Information Technology and Services - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I have been using ArcGIS for the bast 8years. My overall experience has been great. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros I like the graphical user interface. the GUI, you cab easily pick and drop a tool. Also the search option make it more interesting that one can save a lot of time instead of looking for a particular tool, you can now easily search with the search button. #### Cons ArcGIS is great and compatible with another of software integrations. I really can't point out a specific thing I do not like about ArcGIS --- ### Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of ArcGIS: evaluating its advantages and disadvantages - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Francisco D. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Mining & Metals - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2023 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Advanced spatial analysis tools, including mapping, decision support and modeling.Integration with a wide variety of data sources, including satellite imagery, demographic information and remote sensing data.Ability to share information and collaborate with other teams and organizations, thanks to its cloud-based platform.Wide range of applications and features, including mobile apps, visualization tools and data management solutions. #### Cons There may be a high cost for implementation and use, depending on organizational needs.There may be a learning curve for novice users, especially with regards to more advanced tools.Integration with other systems may be complex and require additional effort. --- ### Great Planning Tool - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Jon Z. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Higher Education - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2024 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros 1. accessible 2. great for interior/exterior planning 3.Works extremely well for storing data and documents 4. Very clean drawings for stakeholders to use #### Cons Takes time to assemble and labor intensive. Once the basic drawings and completed, maintenance of site is pretty straight-forward. I suggest using a AE firm to assist in initial implementation. I did it myself and it was a bit of a steep learning curve. #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS Ability to receive support from A/E's, it seems to be the dominant platform. --- ### ArcGIS, Industry Leader GIS Software - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Civil Engineering - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: April 2020 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I have used ArcGIS most of my life, from my study time at university to my work in the academic sector. One can't run away from the fact ArcGIS offers the most complete and advanced tools that one can ever find in any GIS software and for that, no other software can compete with it. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros ArcGIS is by far the industry leader when it comes to the world of GIS and offers an extensive array of functionalities and tools that no other GIS software can offer. #### Cons It is proprietary and quite costly to get a licence. It is least likely to be used by small to medium companies. Only government institutions and universities that can afford the huge licencing costs. #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS It is the most complete and mature GIS software compared to others currently on the market. Also, the support for ArcGIS which comes with a purchase of licence gives it the edge compared to open source software with limited support options. #### Reasons for switching to ArcGIS ArcGIS was the software used by the company that I worked with, therefore I had no choice but to switch. --- ### Expensive, But Extremely Useful - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Russel T. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Oil & Energy - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2020 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I am able to export database information from my other oil and gas lease tracking software, manipulate that data, and create informative maps so that the decision-makers have an easier job. It really does make life easier for everyone. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 3/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Easy and fairly quick to make a map. It's also great at fine-tuning details in your maps. I've never found it necessary to use a third-party software to make a map that looks professional. Of course, GIS is not only about making maps. It's also about manipulating the data behind the maps. ArcGIS is very good, and gives you most of the tools that you need to get the job done. #### Cons The software is expensive, maybe prohibitively expensive for a small company. When the company decides to overhaul the software, it almost seems to ignore current users by completely redoing everything, including current workflows. ESRI is currently trying to get users to migrate to ArcGIS Pro, which is very different from the current full-featured software, ArcMap. --- ### ArcGIS for Non-Profits - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: September 2023 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Its the best GIS Software you can possibly use. It has every app and every thing you could ever need. As long as you can pay for it #### Cons Nothing. Its perfect, there isn't anything that it can do. --- ### ArcGIS is the GIS - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Kevin W. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Utilities - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: May 2022 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros ESRI is THE GIS company. For handling everything geospatial, they are the go to company #### Cons There are fun errors that are legendarily frustrating. Reading documentation is a language of it's own. But nothing classes can't overcome --- ### WJCUD mapping and asset collection - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Amanda P. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Government Administration - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: May 2022 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Very pleased with the software and will be using more option as they come available #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros New Pro software is more user friendly and has so many more capabilities #### Cons publishing server maps can be a problem and sometimes causes errors #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS the abilities that the software offers and all the applications --- ### The most complete GIS tool - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Greysi N. M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Mechanical or Industrial Engineering - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2019 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros ArcGIS by Esri has a great reputation and experience in the GIS software market, for which it has great competitiveness to position itself as the main option for computerized geographic analysis. Impeccable reporting, advanced statistical tools and effective handling of large amounts of vector or raster data make it simply the best. #### Cons Personally, I believe that the cost and high hardware requirements of ArcGIS limit individual entrepreneurs willing to give their start in a second level analysis. However, it is important to highlight that for these cases there are several free access softwares with powerful analysis tools that, despite not having the complete and integrated analysis of ArcGIS, can satisfy certain advanced needs. On the other hand, investing in this software represents a strength to be on the tip of the iceberg, since the response time and the depth of the analysis can be much more favorable for the client. --- ### ArcGIS: Advantages and Limitations - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Raju L. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Education Management - Company size: 501-1000 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2023 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered ArcGIS is a powerful and comprehensive GIS software that can handle various types of data and analysis. However, it may not be suitable for everyone due to its high cost, steep learning curve, and hardware requirements. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 2/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 3/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros It is a great tool for GIS. Some advantages are like-1. Comprehensive and versatile GIS software that can handle various types of data and analysis.2. Provides a wide range of tools and features for mapping, geocoding, spatial analysis, and data visualization.3. Offers various extensions and plugins for specialized workflows and functions.4. Supports interoperability with other GIS and data formats, making it easier to integrate with other systems.5. Offers robust online and mobile capabilities for sharing and collaborating on geospatial data. #### Cons Expensive and may require a significant investment for licensing and training. Steep learning curve for beginners, especially those with limited GIS experience --- ### Most widespread paid GIS software - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Juan Andrés O. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Environmental Services - Company size: 10000+ employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: April 2020 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. After 3 years of use, I find ArcGIS and the ESRI family of products an extremely effective tool for the storage, processing, analysis, modeling, visualization, and distribution of spatial data. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros It's extensive functionalities for the advanced use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), in the different forms available from ESRI (i.e., ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Online services). #### Cons It is a paid software, which makes it compete with a myriad of other free and open-source software (FOSS) that would do the work just as fine... however, the tradeoff is that FOSS doesn't provide the same speed and consistency in customer support. #### Reasons for switching to ArcGIS Because my institution provides licenses to all students and employes. I may go back to FOSS in the future, depending on my affiliations. --- ### ArcGIS for Surveying - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Thomas Y. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Civil Engineering - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: April 2023 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Best GIS software available #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Interfaces with GPS units for easy data collection and importing. Online maps enable you to see what is being collected in near real-time. Near infinite options on how to present and display data. #### Cons Cannot interface with total station for data collection (from what I can tell). Occasional software crash with no auto-save. --- ### Impactful for geospatial operations and cartography - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Alka P. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Telecommunications - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: August 2020 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered Overall experience has been great- as I have been using this software for more than 2 years now. It is one of the leading software in the GIS industry as of today and is surely going to reach heights with its new feature releases every year. Comes really handy for both coders and non- coders as it has its own built in python modules and packages which can be used inside ( through built in tools/ python window) or outside the app using independent python IDEs. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros Wide variety of tools available for spatial analysis and mapping - with minimum fuss as help is available for each tool. They also have a variety of license options available which can be customized based on your needs. #### Cons Customer service is only available if you have maintenance license (with ArcGIS desktop)- that needs to be renewed each year. It makes the overall cost of the software high, making it difficult for small to medium businesses to have this at their disposal. #### Reasons for choosing ArcGIS It has good support in terms of usage of tools (A vast help topic exists for each license level and each tool it offers)- which was a big time savior when you need to pick tools based on your specific analysis requirements. ## More reviews [Next reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/artificial-intelligence/arcgis-profile/reviews/?page=2) --- ArcGIS Reviews, Pros and Cons - 2026 Software Advice