MapInfo Pro vs. QGIS

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MapInfo Pro
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Pitney Bowes offers MapInfo Pro, a Geographic Information System (GIS).N/A
QGIS
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
QGIS (formerly Quantum GIS) is a free and open source geographic information system.N/A
Pricing
MapInfo ProQGIS
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
QGIS
Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MapInfo ProQGIS
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MapInfo ProQGIS
Considered Both Products
MapInfo Pro
Chose MapInfo Pro
QGIS works very well however I find it a little harder to use and find the tools/settings I need in QGIS. It has a lot of the same functionality as MapInfo however QGIS doesn't really offer a dedicated customer support form or service which makes it harder to learn the product.
QGIS
Chose QGIS
First of all QGIS it is a free software in an are that has always been monopolized for big companies like ESRI, in that way QGIS bring the opportunity to know how to work with GIS and how we can manage data from so many formats in only one software. Qgis it is the best …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
MapInfo ProQGIS
Small Businesses
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 8.9 out of 10
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 8.9 out of 10
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 8.9 out of 10
ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
MapInfo ProQGIS
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(2 ratings)
9.7
(12 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
MapInfo ProQGIS
Likelihood to Recommend
Precisely
MapInfo Pro is great for creating and editing spatial data and creating both simple and complex maps. I find it easy to locate tools now that the software has transitioned to a ribbon based toolbar. I also love that you can expand on functionality in MapInfo by adding third party tools as well.
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Open Source
Well suited:
  • To build beautiful and dynamic maps quickly.
  • To conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses.
  • To work cross-platform, as both the Windows version and the Linux version are identical in appearance and available resources.
Less appropriate:
  • To use and import files from proprietary software such as ArcGIS and AutoCAD.
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Pros
Precisely
  • Gridding
  • Format conversions
  • Import of data is easy
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Open Source
  • Styling: the styling engine is fantastic with raster styling features that I recognize from apps like Photoshop.
  • Print layouts: I can set up custom print layouts, and even do automated multi-page atlas style reports that I use for cycling through detailed areas when providing my clients with pdf reports.
  • Extendable: the plugins are fantastic, and almost anything I need that isn't provided natively with QGIS is available as a plugin.
  • Community: the QGIS community is passionate about GIS, and are always ready to help. There are great training resources available online.
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Cons
Precisely
  • The 3D capability in Datamine is a little outdated and hard to use
  • The labelling can sometimes be a little hit and miss
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Open Source
  • Making maps in QGIS is a bit clunky. I also find it to be extremely unintuitive. For basic GIS, it is great, but I would much rather make maps (for publication purposes) in ArcGIS.
  • Editing and adding feature layers is not very intuitive. Changing colors of added point or line features is a rather convoluted process.
  • ArcGIS has a huge selection of online courses, and if you have the appropriate license, you can access most for free. I found these to be very helpful when dealing with map projections and other issues. However, QGIS does not have a large library of courses specifically made for that program.
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Usability
Precisely
No answers on this topic
Open Source
I wasn't a GIS user at all when I started using QGIS, nor did I have any background working with data in anything other than Excel, and as a result, I struggled quite a lot in the beginning (it's not quite Google Maps). But having said that, I haven't come across anything that I couldn't do with a little help from the online community. I've done complex spatial analyses on large datasets of metropolitan cities, designed custom multi-page pdf reports that automatically cycle through different areas of an area, etc.
And the GIS staff that I've appointed, after their initial resistance, took to the tool like a fish to water, and I haven't heard them complain after starting to use the tool for a week or two.
But if you're new to GIS, be patient and invest some time to learn how to use the tool. It is absolutely worth it.
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Support Rating
Precisely
MapInfo Pro customer support has always been quick and very helpful with any issues I have had with the software. They usually get back to you about your enquiry within 24 hours and they also tend to follow up to make sure your issue was resolved. I find it refreshing to be able to contact their experts quickly and easily.
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Open Source
Even though there is a no dedicated support team for QGIS (or at least we are not aware of it), there is a huge online community and a large number of forums catering to every question you may have regarding any particular functionality of QGIS. So, you have a lot of help available but you will have to sift through it on the web.
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Alternatives Considered
Precisely
I find ArcGIS more comprehensive but with a more confusing interface; however this may be because I learned MapInfo first. Surfer and Global Mapper do more specific things better; but MapInfo is a good overall product for sophisticated GIS
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Open Source
QGIS is open source and freely available for Windows and Mac iOS Geographic Information System Software. QGIS is highly customizable as per project requirements and different application usage. QGIS has ample tools and plugins that are useful for the analysis of raster and vector data. It also supports GRASS, GDAL, and SAGA tools.
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Return on Investment
Precisely
  • Tracking of drilling programmes
  • Gridding of data in the field
  • Saves time on hand drawing maps
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Open Source
  • QGIS gives us more impactful data on children and maternal health issues, which in turn has helped us establish more programs, relationships, and funding opportunities because of the excellent data presentations we can give.
  • QGIS has allowed our staff to improve their data analysis skills, improving our workforce across the board, with or without the direct use of geographic data.
  • QGIS has required a lot of staff time to learn, but the ROI on time spent vs the reports we produced afterward has been well worth it.
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