Nearmap vs QGIS Comparison
Compare Nearmap vs QGIS features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Nearmap
5.9/10
Nearmap captures high-resolution aerial imagery from aircraft and adds AI property data and 3D content. Governments, insurers, utilities, construction firms and solar teams use it through MapBrowser and APIs.
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.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.9/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 3/10 | 10/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free QGIS (open source) |
| Features | ||
| GIS and Mapping | ||
| Inspection Automation | Not listed | |
| LiDAR Processing | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
Nearmap vs QGIS cost by team size
| Team size | Nearmap | QGIS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeQGIS (open source) |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeQGIS (open source) |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeQGIS (open source) |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeQGIS (open source) |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeQGIS (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 Nearmap
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose QGIS
- Has a free plan (Nearmap does not)
- Higher Cost score (10/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Nearmap
Pros
- Nearmap flies its own aircraft and captures imagery at 4 to 7.5 cm, recapturing key areas up to three times a year, so images are sharper and more current than typical satellite basemaps.
- Every subscription includes the historical archive, which goes back more than a decade, so users can compare a site over time.
- One AI model produces more than 130 property attribute layers, which insurers and governments can analyze at scale.
- Nearmap integrates with ArcGIS, AutoCAD, OpenSolar and roofing tools, so imagery can be used inside existing workflows.
- Reviewers on G2 say the MapBrowser interface and its measurement tools are easy to learn.
Cons
- There is no public pricing. A customer on Nearmap's own forum reported an oblique subscription rising from about 2,066 to 2,970 dollars between 2023 and 2025.
- Reviewers report auto-renewal with a 7-day cancellation notice and accounts restricted after usage passes contract limits.
- Support and value for money get low marks: about 2.3 out of 5 on Capterra, and SourceForge reviewers mention having no phone support.
- Capture dates are not guaranteed in advance, and 3D coverage is missing at some addresses.
- Coverage is limited to the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
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.
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
QGIS scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 7/10 against 5.9/10 for Nearmap. The largest gap is in Cost: 3/10 for Nearmap and 10/10 for QGIS.
QGIS has a free plan; Nearmap does not list one.
