GE Smallworld vs Katapult Pro Comparison
Compare GE Smallworld vs Katapult Pro features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
GE Smallworld
6/10
GE Vernova's Smallworld is a geospatial network management (GIS) platform that electric, gas, water and telecom utilities use to model, plan and maintain their physical networks.
Katapult Pro
6.5/10
Katapult Pro is a cloud pole attachment platform. It covers field data collection, make-ready engineering design, and joint use management for utilities, telecom builders, and OSP engineering firms.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 2/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $116/mo Data Collection |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $116/mo Data Collection |
| Features | ||
| Asset Registry | ||
| Engineering Design | ||
| Engineering Simulation | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| Inspection Checklists | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Safety and Compliance | Not listed | |
GE Smallworld vs Katapult Pro cost by team size
| Team size | GE Smallworld | Katapult Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $116/moData Collection |
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 GE Smallworld
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Integration score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for energy companies (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Katapult Pro
- Higher Cost score (6/10 vs 2/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
GE Smallworld
Pros
- Purpose-built connected network model for utilities, with industry-specific applications such as Electric Office and Gas Distribution Office.
- Its Version Managed Datastore supports concurrent long-running edits and merges them without data loss.
- It is highly customizable through Magik and Java on the JVM.
- It integrates with GE Vernova GridOS and ADMS, and with SAP and IBM Maximo through Business Integrator.
- It can run on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud and offers browser-based role interfaces.
Cons
- Reviewers describe license and maintenance costs as very high, and there is no public pricing.
- Reviewers say the desktop interface looks dated and is not friendly.
- Exporting data is awkward and often needs a conversion tool such as FME.
- Its value-added tools focus narrowly on utility networks, and one reviewer found its general mapping and spatial queries limited.
Katapult Pro
Pros
- Pricing is published, contracts are month to month, and there is no cancellation penalty, which is rare among pole engineering tools.
- Read-only users are free, so stakeholders can review data without paying for a license.
- Field crews can collect pole photos and heights without entering the power space, and photos are matched to poles automatically.
- Clearance violation detection and pole loading are built in, with SPIDAcalc export included.
- Joint use workflows track FCC shot clock deadlines for utilities.
Cons
- O-Calc Pro export costs an extra $231 a month.
- Joint Use Management and Site License pricing are not published.
- The one-time setup fee of $1,815, plus optional equipment the site lists at $3,200 to $3,450, raises the cost of getting started.
- Reviewers say results depend on clean, consistent input data, and clearance checks can feel worksheet-like for edge cases.
- It is focused on pole attachment work and does not offer general CMMS features such as work orders or spare parts.
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
Katapult Pro scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.5/10 against 6/10 for GE Smallworld. The largest gap is in Cost: 2/10 for GE Smallworld and 6/10 for Katapult Pro.
No, neither GE Smallworld nor Katapult Pro lists a free plan.
GE Smallworld is the better fit for energy companies: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 6/10 for Katapult Pro.
