ArcGIS vs. Mapbox

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ArcGIS
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Esri in Redlands, California offers ArcGIS, a geographic information system.
$100
per year
Mapbox
Score 9.2 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Mapbox is the location data platform for developers building custom geospatial features into mobile, web, and on-premise applications.
$0
per month
Pricing
ArcGISMapbox
Editions & Modules
Viewer
$100
per year
ArcGIS for Personal Use
$100
per year
ArcGIS for Student Use
$100
per year
Editor
$200
per year
Field Worker
$350
per year
Creator
$500
per year
GIS Professional Basic
$700
per year
GIS Professional Basic
2,750
per year
GIS Professional Advanced
3,800
per year
Starting Price
$0.00
Per 1000 users
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ArcGISMapbox
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDesigned for businesses of all sizes, Mapbox is free to start building with and offers free tiers for most products. As usage grows, volume pricing is applied automatically, no negotiation necessary. Pricing is based either on pay-as-you-go usage or negotiated sales contracts that unlock additional discounts for annual commitments. Paid support plans are also available.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ArcGISMapbox
Considered Both Products
ArcGIS
Chose ArcGIS
To be honest, there isn't really any competition to ArcGIS, while there are smaller applications such as QGIS, they are not enterprise. Meaning that they might do onething well, but not at a enterprise level. Other applications such as Google Maps API, and Mapbox, is just …
Chose ArcGIS
These alternatives to ArcGIS have one thing in common - they are all generally more user-friendly, and they all lack the capability of ArcGIS. ArcGIS can do most anything geographically-related, while these other products do one or two things very well. For instance, ArcGIS's …
Chose ArcGIS
There is a reason why ArcGIS and Esri is still a leader in the spatial data industry. Their tools are irreplaceable, though many other mapping companies are taking the technology further and enabling their maps to be better seen or used on a web-based platform or browser. …
Mapbox
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
ArcGISMapbox
Small Businesses
Google Maps API
Google Maps API
Score 8.8 out of 10
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Google Maps API
Google Maps API
Score 8.8 out of 10
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Google Maps API
Google Maps API
Score 8.8 out of 10
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ArcGISMapbox
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(39 ratings)
9.9
(7 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ArcGISMapbox
Likelihood to Recommend
Esri
We utilize ArcGIS for each of our units. For example, we just completed our unit on the Middle Ages and are starting our unit on the Renaissance. There is a GeoInquiry that has students manipulate a map to not only see but understand the spread of the plague. They can toggle on and off different layers and icons to see how deadly the plague truly was, and how it led to the rebirth of Europe
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Mapbox
For services that require maps and basic geo-functionality in production, Mapbox is one of the greatest choices out there. They're free, provide much more refined/modern productions compared to Google maps, and have very good support on different platforms. For services that require higher-computation products, like matrix routing, optimization, etc..., the prices can get quite high very quickly, and you should consider moving those services to an on-premise server at that point.
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Pros
Esri
  • Enterprise GIS - multi-user, multi-versioned geodatabase access through a host of apps and web tools really help people stay connected to data.
  • Cartography - fantastic control and customization available with the ability to automate workflows.
  • Training - tons of training videos, seminars, and other learning materials are easily accessed. The help documentation is superb.
  • Ability to manage an organization through dashboards is extremely helpful.
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Mapbox
  • Documentation is clean, easy to read, and very well organized which makes it easy to get going or learn something new
  • The online user interface makes it quick and easy to edit maps, upload new datasets, view analytics, or get API keys
  • Great integrations with Tableau and easy to develop for Android, iOS, or Web
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Cons
Esri
  • There is a steep learning curve for ArcGIS users.
  • It takes a lot of computing power for ArcGIS, as it can't be installed on every computer.
  • At times, tools can be outdated and there are many similar competitors making more web-based tools that can replace ArcGIS.
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Mapbox
  • The product is not always that easy to use, aimed at professionals understanding colors and palettes etc.
  • Being a full cloud product it can be complicated working with the interface when your connectivity is not great.
  • Tutorials and samples could be more visual and could cover more ideas on how to use Mapbox.
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Likelihood to Renew
Esri
Simply because the program deserves it. It seems to me that it is a fundamental tool for the storage, analysis, and interpretation of medium and large-scale phenomena, unmanageable with traditional engineering software. Its versatility in the handling of the different "layers" with which the data is handled and interpolation tools, make this software a powerful ally both for companies and for the educational part of the universities.
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Mapbox
No answers on this topic
Usability
Esri
Once set up, the tools are extremely easy to use. I had a staff member develop a tool for field data collection, that included an external and internal dashboards to monitor progress in days. The field workers that collected the data, barely knew how to use a computer, and within minutes they could use the application that was configured for them.
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Mapbox
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Esri
Unlike other platforms (ex: EMSI), there is no "help desk" new users can easily call into for troubleshooting or errors, and so you have to spend LOTS of time trying workarounds. This is also because the help center blog posts are usually pretty confusing, and many times do not include images or videos to help you along. Any such changes would be immensely useful!
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Mapbox
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Esri
ArcGIS and QGIS have a lot of similarities between their products. Where ArcGIS stands out is with their online version of their software. ArcGIS's online solution will pair up with your on-prem solution to offer a fully synchronized system. I wasn't able to duplicate the efforts with QGIS's products and it also requires other 3rd party applications to offer something "somewhat" comparable.
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Mapbox
One feature that made me go in favor of Mapbox was its stellar documentation. Google Maps and Bing Maps are the other alternatives I considered, but the learning curve with both of them is steeper than it is with Mapbox. Also, Mapbox Studio gives newbies a very simple, clean and easy to use environment to make and store maps online
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Return on Investment
Esri
  • ArcGIS is almost assuredly a positive ROI. The software is nicely packaged with a large user base. If you plan on doing geographic analysis and think there could be a boost to your bottom-line by doing geographic analysis, ArcGIS is the first tool I would turn to.
  • For some analysts that just want to geocode addresses and plot city, county, or country boundaries, ArcGIS is a negative ROI. There are lots of other tools (free ones) that will accomplish these tasks without investing lots of time and money in ArcGIS. If that's all you're looking for, ArcGIS will turn out to be a negative ROI.
  • ArcGIS has been a positive ROI for cases involving customer analytics. The software is great for geofencing customers and finding the most optimal targeting of customers.
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Mapbox
  • Mapbox is the only service that has all the products we need to release our product to the market. Without Mapbox, we would've spent far more time integrating multiple different map/geo services like Mapbox and HERE maps together.
  • Mapbox was sometimes expensive in the testing period, and we would've definitely moved some of the services on-premise to save money if we had the time.
  • Mapbox has functionality for traffic-aware routing in many countries, as well as matrix-structured routing data, which is what enables our service to function. Having all of this integrated within an API allows us to easily scale our service to multiple different cities/countries in a matter of days.
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ScreenShots

Mapbox Screenshots

Screenshot of Customized maps and location experiences can be developed for any application, across platforms.Screenshot of Unique maps can be designed to match a brand and engage its audiences.Screenshot of Mapbox for EV and other Mapbox Automotive products are used to build tailored navigation experiences both in-vehicle and in companion apps for drivers.Screenshot of Mapbox Search products support address search and address forms for website and applications.Screenshot of Mapbox Navigation products serve every stage of business logistics, fleet managers, and delivery companies.Screenshot of With Mapbox Globe view, interactive maps can be presented.