QGIS vs XMAP (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
QGIS is our pick, scoring 7/10 against 5.5/10 for XMAP on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Cost score (10/10 vs 6/10). Only QGIS has a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
QGIS
7/10
QGIS is a free, open source desktop GIS. Organisations use it to view, edit, analyse and map spatial data, including vector, raster, mesh and point cloud layers.
XMAP
5.5/10
XMAP is a UK cloud-based web GIS from Geoxphere that lets local councils and public bodies map, edit and share spatial data across departments and with the public.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7/10 | 5.5/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 10/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free QGIS (open source) | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| LiDAR Processing | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
QGIS vs XMAP cost by team size
| Team size | QGIS | XMAP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeQGIS (open source) | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | FreeQGIS (open source) | Contact for pricing |
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.
Who QGIS and XMAP suit
QGIS fits utilities better than XMAP.
| Audience | QGIS | XMAP |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 7/10It can map networks and assets, and plugins and PostGIS extend it, but it has no built-in maintenance workflows. | 3/10It can map infrastructure layers but has no network modelling or utility asset maintenance features. |
| Government | 9/10Public bodies use it widely for mapping because it has no licence cost and supports open standards. | 9/10Built for UK local authorities, with council-specific workflows for planning, housing, waste and street services, and it is sold through G-Cloud. |
| Consultancies | 8/10Firms can deploy it on any number of seats for analysis and map production without licence fees. | Not rated |
| Education | 9/10Reviewers note that being free and open source makes it popular for students and academic projects. | Not rated |
| Engineering Firms | 7/10It covers spatial analysis and point cloud viewing, but CAD and BIM work need other tools. | Not rated |
| Enterprise | Not rated | 4/10Unlimited users and SSO help larger organisations, but there is no ISO 27001 certification and the vendor team is small. |
| Small Business | Not rated | 5/10The vendor markets to small businesses, but its documented customers are almost all councils and pricing is quote-based. |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose QGIS
- Has a free plan (XMAP does not)
- Higher Cost score (10/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for utilities (7/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose XMAP
- Higher Support score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
QGIS
Pros
- No licence fees on any number of seats, under the GPLv2+ open source licence.
- Python and C++ plugins let teams add custom tools and database connectors such as PostGIS.
- It reads many data formats and standard web services, which makes it easy to connect to existing data.
- Its print layout, atlas and report tools suit organisations that produce a lot of maps.
- It loads LAS, LAZ and virtual point cloud datasets with classification-based rendering.
Cons
- Capterra reviewers report slow performance, freezes and crashes on heavy workloads.
- Newcomers describe a steep learning curve and say installation can be difficult.
- There is no vendor-backed support contract; help comes from the community or third-party providers.
- It cannot edit point clouds and has no asset maintenance features such as work orders.
- Some reviewers say it lacks tools that ArcGIS Pro offers.
XMAP
Pros
- Users are unlimited per subscription. Councils report rollouts to 250 to more than 800 staff without per-seat costs.
- Comes with maintained Ordnance Survey mapping and more than 250 ready-made layers, so GIS teams spend less time keeping base data current.
- Data is stored in open PostgreSQL/PostGIS, so QGIS, Esri or Cadcorp desktop users can edit it directly, and the data can be taken elsewhere when the contract ends.
- Vendor-run migration tools for councils leaving Astun iShare or Cadcorp, and the vendor deploys a working system before switchover.
- Hosted in the UK, holds Cyber Essentials certification, offers SSO and MFA, and is listed on G-Cloud, which simplifies procurement for UK public bodies.
Cons
- No public price list. Costs are only available through quotes or G-Cloud pricing documents.
- Not certified to ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials Plus, which some larger buyers require.
- No installable mobile app, and some GIS tools are restricted on mobile devices.
- The G-Cloud listing states no API is offered for the core service, even though the marketing site names an XMAP API.
- Small vendor team of about ten people, with phone support on weekdays only, 9 to 5 UK time.
- Almost no independent user reviews exist. The evidence comes mostly from vendor-supplied council case studies.
Not sold on either?
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Frequently Asked Questions
QGIS scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 7/10 against 5.5/10 for XMAP. The largest gap is in Analytics: 8/10 for QGIS and 4/10 for XMAP.
QGIS has a free plan; XMAP does not list one.
QGIS is the better fit for utilities: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 3/10 for XMAP.
