ArcGIS vs Mission Planner Comparison
Compare ArcGIS vs Mission Planner features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
ArcGIS
7.2/10
Esri's GIS platform for mapping, spatial analysis and field data collection, used by utilities, governments and infrastructure owners to manage networks and assets.
Mission Planner
5.2/10
Mission Planner is a free, open-source ground control station. It is used to configure ArduPilot drones and other vehicles, plan autonomous and survey missions, and analyse flight logs.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.2/10 | 5.2/10 |
| Analytics | 9/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 3/10 | 10/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 3/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free Free (open source) |
| Features | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Engineering Simulation | Not listed | |
| Inspection Checklists | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
ArcGIS vs Mission Planner cost by team size
| Team size | ArcGIS | Mission Planner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree (open source) |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree (open source) |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree (open source) |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree (open source) |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree (open source) |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose ArcGIS
- Higher Scalability score (9/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (8/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Mission Planner
- Has a free plan (ArcGIS does not)
- Higher Cost score (10/10 vs 3/10)
Pros & Cons
ArcGIS
Pros
- One platform covers desktop, cloud, self-hosted and mobile GIS, so office and field teams work from the same data.
- Field Maps works fully offline for maps, forms, tasks and utility network tracing.
- Integrates with Cityworks, Salesforce, Power Automate and offers APIs for custom systems.
- G2 reviewers praise how it handles layers and datasets and how easy cloud access makes remote work.
Cons
- No public pricing, and reviewers cite subscription and credit costs as the main complaint.
- Credits are consumed by premium services, which can limit heavy use.
- ArcGIS Online lacks some geoprocessing tools found in ArcGIS Pro and Desktop.
- Reviewers report a steep learning curve without training.
Mission Planner
Pros
- It is completely free under GPL-3.0, with no licence fees for commercial fleets.
- It gives full access to ArduPilot's parameter tree, along with firmware loading and tuning tools.
- The mission editor is terrain-aware and includes a survey grid generator for mapping flights.
- A built-in log viewer with FFT analysis and SITL simulation helps teams troubleshoot and test vehicles.
Cons
- It is native to Windows only. Linux runs through Mono, users report display problems, and macOS and iOS builds are experimental.
- It works only with ArduPilot vehicles and does not support PX4.
- Users describe the interface as utilitarian and complex because of the hundreds of parameters it exposes.
- There is no vendor support or SLA. Help comes from forums and volunteer documentation.
Not sold on either?
Air Inspection Automation (AiA)Our product
Plans DJI drone inspection missions for power line towers from LiDAR scans: it finds the towers, places photo stops, checks clearance, and splits the route into battery flights.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
ArcGIS scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 7.2/10 against 5.2/10 for Mission Planner. The largest gap is in Cost: 3/10 for ArcGIS and 10/10 for Mission Planner.
Mission Planner has a free plan; ArcGIS does not list one.
ArcGIS is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 3/10 for Mission Planner.
