Brandwave

GIS software:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, QGIS was the most searched among GIS software worldwide, with an estimated 368K branded searches and 49.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. QGIS49.3%
  2. Esri ArcGIS27%
  3. Mapbox18.1%
  4. CARTO5.4%
  5. Maptitude0.17%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the geographic information systems teams use. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among GIS software worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for QGIS, Esri ArcGIS, Mapbox, CARTO. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthQGISEsri ArcGISMapboxCARTOMaptitude
Oct 202547.2%31.6%17.3%3.5%0.38%
Nov 202547.3%31.6%17.3%3.5%0.3%
Dec 202547.3%31.6%17.3%3.5%0.31%
Jan 202650.2%27.4%18.4%3.7%0.32%
Feb 202650.5%27.6%18.5%3%0.27%
Mar 202647.3%31.6%17.3%3.5%0.3%
Apr 202647.3%31.6%17.3%3.5%0.25%
May 202650.2%27.5%18.4%3.7%0.18%
Jun 202650.2%27.4%18.4%3.7%0.22%
Jul 202649.8%27.2%18.3%4.5%0.18%
Aug 202649.3%27%18.1%5.4%0.17%
Sep 2026—————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.QGIS

    49.3%

    Held 1st. 368K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  2. 2.Esri ArcGIS

    27%

    Held 2nd. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  3. 3.Mapbox

    18.1%

    Held 3rd. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  4. 4.CARTO

    5.4%

    Held 4th. 40.5K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  5. 5.Maptitude

    0.17%

    Held 5th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among GIS software worldwide?

In August 2026, QGIS was the most searched among GIS software worldwide, with an estimated 368K branded searches and 49.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. Esri ArcGIS is in 2nd place, 22.4 percentage points behind at 27% Share of Search.

Global GIS software, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
QGIS47.2% → 49.3%50.5%Feb 202647.2%Oct 20251st
Esri ArcGIS31.6% → 27%31.6%Apr 202627%Aug 20262nd
Mapbox17.3% → 18.1%18.5%Feb 202617.3%Oct 20253rd
CARTO3.5% → 5.4%5.4%Aug 20263%Feb 20264th
Maptitude0.38% → 0.17%0.38%Oct 20250.17%Aug 20265th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, QGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide increased from 47.2% to 49.3%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Esri ArcGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide decreased from 31.6% to 27%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Mapbox’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide increased from 17.3% to 18.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CARTO’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide increased from 3.5% to 5.4%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, QGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide peaked at 50.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 47.2% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Esri ArcGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide peaked at 31.6% in April 2026 and was lowest at 27% in August 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Mapbox’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide peaked at 18.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 17.3% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CARTO’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide peaked at 5.4% in August 2026 and was lowest at 3% in February 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Maptitude held steady: its estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for GIS software worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, CARTO gained estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide, from 4.5% to 5.4%.

  2. QGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 50.2% to 49.3% in August 2026.

  3. Esri ArcGIS’s estimated Share of Search among GIS software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 27.5% to 27% in August 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Maptitude worldwide fell 63.9% over 11 measured months, from 3.6K to 1.3K in August 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Mapbox worldwide fell 18.2% over 11 measured months, from 165K to 135K in August 2026.

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