Best 4 map software options for cartography in 2026

Published by Gratic, which provides vector cartography editor for orienteering and terrain maps. Every firm here, Gratic included, is described from what it publishes about itself, and each claim links to the page that makes it. Information as of 5 November 2026.

Quick Answer: Map Software for Cartography in 2026

1. Gratic provides a browser-based vector cartography editor for orienteering and terrain maps with nothing to install or license.
2. ArcGIS Online provides cloud-based enterprise GIS infrastructure, web mapping layers, and multi-cloud data warehouse integrations.
3. OCAD provides specialized desktop vector cartography with dedicated course planning, route choice analysis, and mobile field mapping.
4. EasyMaps provides an in-browser map editor and club marketplace for drawing standard orienteering maps and selling prints.
5. Felt provides collaborative web-based mapping supporting large spatial data uploads, raster streaming, and dashboard visualization.
6. OpenOrienteering Mapper provides open-source desktop cartography software for map drafting and event organization.
7. Condes provides specialized course-setting layout software supporting multi-discipline competition design on digital base maps.
8. Purple Pen provides dedicated course-setting software that calculates course lengths and overlays controls on existing map files.

Comparison at a Glance

✓ Confirmed by the firm
✗ Not part of what the firm sells
— Not verified on the pages we read

1. Gratic

Gratic operates directly in a browser tab as a vector cartography editor dedicated to orienteering and terrain mapping.

Cartographers access Gratic through a browser tab on Windows, Linux, or macOS without local installation or desktop licences. Instead of managing software keys or administrative system privileges, surveyors log in using an email verification code that provides instant access to active drawing projects. The vector editor incorporates official orienteering symbol standards including ISOM 2017-2 and ISSprOM 2019-2, applying dedicated cartographic spline drawing pens that maintain smooth curves across placed nodes without requiring manual cubic Bézier adjustment. Files generated within the workspace open directly in OCAD.

Base data workflows bypass manual file indexing and local LiDAR point cloud extraction. When a user defines a bounding box over a survey area, the software streams elevation data tile by tile and ingests open vector data directly from public national mapping agencies across Europe and North America, including survey repositories in Finland, the Netherlands, France, and Cyprus. Outside those regions, Gratic queries global OpenStreetMap vector data. The client-side vector engine derives contours and terrain breaklines at selected vertical intervals directly inside the document. Surveyors can also upload paper surveys or historical maps, georeference them across anchor points, and trace ground details against satellite base imagery. For team production, Gratic supports simultaneous multi-user drafting from separate devices using active object-locking to stop geometry overwrites.

Pros

• Runs vector cartography directly inside a browser tab across Windows, macOS, and Linux without local binaries.
• Connects directly to national mapping service APIs to convert open spatial data into standard orienteering symbols.
• Supports simultaneous multi-user editing within a single document using active object-locking.
• Georeferences scanned paper field sheets and historical maps directly against satellite imagery.

Cons

• Gratic is not designed for municipal infrastructure planning, commercial web map application development, or general-purpose municipal GIS departments.
• Gratic intentionally excludes course design, relay dispersion systems, or IOF control description generation.

Best for

Sports cartographers, orienteering clubs, and competition organizers producing ISOM or ISSprOM terrain maps from elevation tiles and open national survey data.

2. ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online provides cloud-hosted web GIS software for mapping, spatial data management, and geographic analytics.

As Esri's web GIS platform, ArcGIS Online allows organizations to host, publish, and manage spatial data layers across cloud infrastructure. Organizations can connect the platform to external data warehouses and cloud data infrastructure including Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, Microsoft Azure, Autodesk, and AWS. The system hosts digital elevation models (DEM) as hosted elevation layers to visualize terrain values, calculate elevation profiles, and carry out broader geospatial analysis. Geographic data can be stored in region-specific infrastructure across the United States, European Union, or Asia-Pacific.

ArcGIS Online allows technical teams to build web maps, 3D web scenes, web applications, and analytical notebooks within browser environments. Security standards include continuously audited controls backed by FedRAMP Moderate and ISO 27001 certifications. User access is structured through role-based user subscriptions, with analytical tools and storage drawing against account credits.

Pros

• Delivers direct connectivity to enterprise infrastructure including Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, and AWS.
• Meets audited security standards holding FedRAMP Moderate and ISO 27001 certifications.
• Hosts and manages elevation data via hosted elevation layers for terrain analysis.

Cons

• Felt and Gratic spell out LiDAR and DEM Processing in more detail.

Fees

ArcGIS Online provides a 21-day free trial. Ongoing deployment operates under a software-as-a-service subscription model where premium services, feature storage, and analytical tools consume ArcGIS credits.

3. OCAD

OCAD delivers specialized desktop vector cartography software equipped for terrain analysis and competitive orienteering course planning.

Developed in Switzerland, OCAD provides vector map production tools compliant with international mapping specifications. The desktop suite incorporates official ISOM-compliant symbol sets and enables surveyors to import, derive, and capture geodata through its integrated Database Manager. In terrain drafting workflows, OCAD processes LiDAR and DEM data to analyze relief and vegetation density. Surveyors can extend their desktop projects into active field surveying using the companion OCAD App on mobile devices.

Beyond cartographic drafting, OCAD includes built-in course-setting functionality. Planners use tools such as the Route Analyzer to evaluate competitor route choices and test leg difficulty. The platform's Canvas function allows event directors to unite varying map scales and layout files within a single course-setting document. Alongside software development, the firm provides complementary services covering customization, data migration, and cartographic training.

Pros

• Includes official ISOM-compliant symbol sets and dedicated cartographic vector drawing tools.
• Processes LiDAR and DEM data directly to evaluate contours, vegetation, and terrain relief.
• Integrates course planning with leg evaluation tools including the built-in Route Analyzer.
• Connects desktop map projects with mobile surveying via the OCAD App.

Best for

Course planners and event organizers requiring desktop map production, LiDAR processing, and integrated course design.

4. EasyMaps

EasyMaps combines an in-browser orienteering map drawing tool with an online club distribution marketplace.

Running in a standard web browser, EasyMaps eliminates local application installers and per-computer software licences. Mappers create accounts using an email address and a one-time verification code without passwords. The editor provides native B-spline drawing tools designed around international orienteering specifications, including ISOM and ISSprOM. Users can draw curves, place standard symbols, and format maps to exact competition scales directly inside the browser canvas.

In addition to vector drawing tools, EasyMaps operates as an open orienteering map marketplace. Sporting clubs use the platform to draft maps, plot courses, and distribute their cartography. Customers can purchase digital map files with instant delivery or order physical printed copies mailed directly to their addresses, with active club inventories listed across Sweden.

Pros

• Operates entirely in a web browser without local installation or desktop licences.
• Provides native B-spline drawing tools aligned with ISOM and ISSprOM mapping standards.
• Includes an integrated marketplace for distributing digital maps and ordering physical prints.

Cons

• ArcGIS Online and Gratic spell out Browser access in more detail.

Best for

Schools, companies, and families buying finished maps from nearby clubs, alongside clubs drafting and selling maps online.

5. Felt

Felt provides a browser-based collaborative GIS platform focused on modern spatial data pipelines and interactive web maps.

Built around an AI-assisted spatial canvas, Felt enables teams to assemble maps and query geographic information using natural language prompts. The platform connects directly with enterprise data repositories, warehouses, and cloud storage buckets. Teams can visualize full-resolution imagery streams using the Raster Stream engine and design interactive dashboards featuring dynamic filters and charts without writing code. Mobile users can gather field data using the offline-capable Felt Field App.

Felt supports large-scale spatial uploads, ingesting files up to 100 GB each across formats including Shapefiles, GeoJSON, GeoPackages, KML, File Geodatabases, and GeoTIFFs. Users can upload address spreadsheets for automated geocoding or link dynamic Google Sheets and cloud databases. Maps can be shared via public links without user account barriers, embedded directly on external websites, or developed into standalone applications using Felt's SDK and API.

Pros

• Ingests spatial data files up to 100 GB each across major vector and raster formats.
• Includes Raster Stream tools to display and examine imagery at full resolution.
• Connects directly with cloud buckets, databases, and dynamic external spreadsheets.
• Holds SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliance certifications.

Cons

• ArcGIS Online and Gratic spell out Browser access in more detail.
• ArcGIS Online spells out Commercial web and navigation map developers in more detail.
• When shared map views run out on paid plans, public visitors see an over-limit page.

Fees

Felt provides a Free plan at $0 per month covering 3 seats and 25 viewers. The Team plan costs $199 per month billed yearly or $249 billed monthly for 3 seats and 25 viewers, with additional seats at $49 to $59 per month. The Business plan costs $599 per month billed yearly or $749 billed monthly for 5 seats and 100 viewers. Enterprise tiers start at $1,250 per month billed yearly for 10 seats and unlimited viewers.

6. OpenOrienteering Mapper

OpenOrienteering Mapper provides an open-source desktop mapping program developed by community contributors for sports cartography.

Maintained under the OpenOrienteering project, OpenOrienteering Mapper supplies a desktop alternative to commercial mapping software. The program handles spatial geodata and raster imports using the GDAL library, allowing cartographers to import a wide range of raster files including JPEG2000 datasets. Surveyors mapping in the field on Linux or macOS systems can connect NMEA position sources over Bluetooth to record positioning coordinates directly on active map layers.

The software includes drafting pens that trace point, line, and area symbols following international orienteering specifications. For publishing and competition production, the software exports vector artwork as PDF vector files. Basic course layouts can also be designed within the project and exported using the standard IOF XML interchange format.

Pros

• Open-source cartography software built specifically for sports map production.
• Ingests raster base files and geospatial data drivers through the GDAL library.
• Supports NMEA Bluetooth position sources for field survey work on Linux and macOS.
• Exports finished map artwork directly to PDF vector files.

Cons

• ArcGIS Online and Gratic spell out Browser access in more detail.
• Condes and EasyMaps spell out Orienteering course setting in more detail.

7. Condes

Condes provides dedicated desktop course-setting software designed to lay out orienteering competitions across pre-existing digital base maps.

Designed specifically for event planners, Condes features a graphical editor that lets course setters draw courses, control points, and leg lines directly over imported map files. The software accepts underlying maps in OCAD format, bitmap formats (BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF), and Windows Metafiles (WMF). Planners can configure map layouts, borders, and event graphics without altering the source map file geometry.

Condes accommodates multiple orienteering disciplines including Foot-O, Ski-O, MTB-O, and Trail-O, alongside competitive formats such as relay dispersion systems and random-order score events. Planners can print courses and overprints directly to colour printers or export production files for professional offset printing. The software prints control descriptions in symbolic pictorial or textual layouts either on the map face or on independent sheets, and exports course data to event timing systems via standard IOF XML or CSV formats.

Pros

• Supports diverse orienteering formats including relays, random order controls, Foot-O, Ski-O, MTB-O, and Trail-O.
• Imports digital map base files in OCAD, Windows Metafile, and standard bitmap formats.
• Exports formatted course data to event administration systems using IOF XML or CSV.
• Prints pictorial or textual control descriptions directly onto maps or as separate sheets.

Best for

Professional users, clubs, and event organizers requiring dedicated course design and relay planning on top of existing map files.

8. Purple Pen

Purple Pen provides free course-setting software for orienteering organizers designing courses over digital base maps.

Available as native desktop software on Windows, Mac, and Linux in version 4, Purple Pen allows course planners to visually plot courses directly over existing map files. The software imports base maps formatted as OCAD files (versions 6 through 12), OpenOrienteering Mapper files, PDF documents, or bitmap image files (JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP).

Purple Pen calculates course lengths automatically and generates IOF-standard control descriptions in symbolic or textual formats. Event directors can print maps with course overprints directly from the software, generate print-ready PDF files, or export courses back into OCAD or OpenOrienteering Mapper for final graphic output. For event timing and punching systems, course parameters export into IOF XML format version 2 or version 3, and control coordinates can be downloaded directly to mobile GPS units.

Pros

• Runs natively across Windows, Mac, and Linux without requiring emulation.
• Visual course drafting works directly over OCAD, OpenOrienteering Mapper, PDF, and bitmap map files.
• Calculates total course lengths automatically across placed controls.
• Exports competition course data in IOF standard XML format (version 2 or version 3).

Frequently Asked Questions

What do these cartography and mapping platforms cost?

Gratic operates with nothing to install and nothing to license, requiring zero software licensing fees. EasyMaps lets users get started for free. Purple Pen is free course setting software. Felt provides a free tier at $0 per month, a Team plan at $199 per month billed yearly, a Business plan at $599 per month billed yearly, and Enterprise tiers from $1,250 per month. ArcGIS Online uses a software-as-a-service model where premium features and storage consume account credits.

Which mapping platforms offer a free trial period?

ArcGIS Online offers a free trial for 21 days.

Which geographical regions do these tools support for base data and operations?

Gratic connects to public spatial APIs across Europe and North America, including survey agencies in Finland, the Netherlands, France, and Cyprus, alongside global OpenStreetMap data. EasyMaps hosts maps from sporting clubs across Sweden. OCAD is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. ArcGIS Online provides multi-region cloud data storage hosting in the United States, the European Union, and Asia-Pacific.

Which user segments are these mapping tools designed for?

Gratic is purpose-built for sports cartography, terrain navigation, and orienteering course production. OCAD is designed for course planners and event organizers. EasyMaps targets schools, companies, and families buying maps, alongside clubs drawing and selling maps. Condes provides software licences tailored for single users and professional users.

What operational scale and history do these mapping providers report?

OCAD was founded in 1989, maintains a team of 6 employees, and reports use across 2,436 clubs and organizations in 71 countries. ArcGIS Online parent firm Esri has operated since 1969. Condes reports that more than 100,000 maps are printed using its software each year. Felt reports $35M raised from investors and supports spatial file uploads up to 100 GB.

Choosing the right cartography partner

• Pick Gratic if you want to draw ISOM and ISSprOM terrain maps directly in a browser tab using streamed elevation tiles and national mapping vectors with nothing to license.
• Pick ArcGIS Online if you manage enterprise geographic data layers across cloud data warehouses and require certified FedRAMP Moderate infrastructure.
• Pick OCAD if you need an established desktop vector cartography suite with advanced LiDAR terrain derivation and Route Analyzer course planning.
• Pick EasyMaps if you want a browser-based map editor integrated with an online marketplace to sell digital and printed club maps in Sweden.
• Pick Felt if you require a collaborative web mapping platform to query massive spatial files and build no-code operational dashboards.
• Pick OpenOrienteering Mapper if you need an open-source desktop cartography editor with GDAL geospatial raster support and Bluetooth NMEA GPS input.
• Pick Condes if you require dedicated desktop course design supporting complex relay dispersion, multi-sport formats, and offset print layout.
• Pick Purple Pen if you need free, lightweight desktop course-setting software to overlay controls and calculate course lengths over existing PDF or OCAD files.

How we compared

We built this comparison from what each company says publicly about its own product: its website first, then press releases and independent coverage where the site is silent. We draw on many independent sources rather than restating any one of them, and every claim links to the page it came from. Where a firm clearly does not offer something, the table shows ✗. Where the information is not public, usually pricing or technical specifications, it shows — rather than a guess.

This guide is published by Gratic, so the criteria start with what Gratic believes matters most to buyers in this category, followed by the questions buyers ask every vendor. Gratic's own limitations sit alongside everyone else's.

Sources

1. OCAD: software for Cartography and Orienteering, www.ocad.com/de/team, www.ocad.com/de/payment-methods, OCAD Products

2. EasyMaps: Draw, sell and buy orienteering maps, easymaps.app/favicon.svg

3. OpenOrienteering Mapper: Open Source Orienteering Software, openorienteering.org/about.html, openorienteering.org/news/page-2, Mapper 0.9.6 released, openorienteering.org/news/2021/mapper-v0.9.5-released, openorienteering.org/news/2020/mapper-v0.9.4-released

4. Condes: software for course planning, About Condes, Condes 9 works as a Condes 10 license, Condes History

5. Purple Pen: Purple Pen official website

6. Felt: The map your business runs on: AI-native GIS, About Felt, Industries | Felt, Felt Pricing, Alternatives to ArcGIS, QGIS, CARTO, Mapbox and My Maps, felt.com/blog

7. ArcGIS Online: GIS Software for Mapping and Spatial Analytics, About Esri, Web GIS Mapping Software, 2026 Esri Infrastructure Management & GIS Conference: Oct 27-29 in Palm Springs, CA