--- title: "CARTO vs Esri ArcGIS: Which is searched more?" description: "Is CARTO or Esri ArcGIS more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the GIS software set worldwide. 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." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/gis-software/compare/carto-vs-esri-arcgis" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # CARTO vs Esri ArcGIS: Which is searched more? Is CARTO or Esri ArcGIS more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the GIS software set worldwide. 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. ## Key facts - **Compared**: CARTO and Esri ArcGIS - **Competitive set**: GIS software - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **CARTO Share of Search**: 3.7% - **Esri ArcGIS Share of Search**: 29.2% ## Is CARTO or Esri ArcGIS more popular in search? - In September 2026, Esri ArcGIS had more branded searches than CARTO among GIS software worldwide. Esri ArcGIS had about 316,000 branded searches, while CARTO had 40,500. Esri ArcGIS made up 29.2% of all GIS software searches we track, and CARTO accounted for 3.7%. - Esri ArcGIS was ahead of CARTO in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, CARTO’s share of searches among GIS software worldwide moved from 2.9% to 3.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.1K to 40.5K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Esri ArcGIS’s share of searches among GIS software worldwide moved from 27.8% to 29.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 316K. ## Top GIS software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Esri ArcGIS appeared in all five answers. CARTO was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Esri ArcGIS was listed before CARTO in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | QGIS | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Esri ArcGIS | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | GRASS GIS | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Google Earth Engine | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | CARTO | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Mapbox | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Maptitude | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about GIS software - Asked ChatGPT "Which GIS software should I use?": 1. QGIS, 2. Esri ArcGIS, 3. Google Earth Engine, 4. GRASS GIS - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best GIS software options?": 1. QGIS, 2. Esri ArcGIS, 3. Google Earth Engine, 4. GRASS GIS - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best GIS software for map analysis?": 1. QGIS, 2. Esri ArcGIS, 3. GRASS GIS, 4. Google Earth Engine - Searched Google, AI Overview "geographic information system": 1. Esri ArcGIS, 2. QGIS - Searched Google, AI Overview "gis software": 1. Esri ArcGIS, 2. QGIS, 3. GRASS GIS, 4. CARTO, 5. Mapbox Not named in any answer: Maptitude. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for GIS software worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Esri ArcGIS gained share of searches among GIS software worldwide, from 23.8% to 29.2%. - In September 2026, CARTO lost share of searches among GIS software worldwide, from 4.5% to 3.7%. ## Month by month | Month | CARTO estimated searches | CARTO Share of Search | CARTO rank | Esri ArcGIS estimated searches | Esri ArcGIS Share of Search | Esri ArcGIS rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 33.1K | 2.9% | 5 | 316K | 27.8% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 33.1K | 2.9% | 5 | 311K | 27.5% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 27.1K | 3% | 5 | 256K | 28.4% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 33.1K | 3.1% | 5 | 264K | 25% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 27.1K | 2.7% | 5 | 261K | 25.6% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 33.1K | 3% | 5 | 316K | 28.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 33.1K | 2.9% | 5 | 313K | 27.7% | 2 | | May 2026 | 33.1K | 3.2% | 5 | 261K | 24.9% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 27.1K | 3.1% | 5 | 213K | 24.1% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 33.1K | 3.7% | 5 | 213K | 24% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 40.5K | 4.5% | 5 | 213K | 23.8% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 40.5K | 3.7% | 5 | 316K | 29.2% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using CARTO’s and Esri ArcGIS’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **CARTO**: Measured on the search term “carto”. - **Esri ArcGIS**: Measured on the search terms “arcgis” and “esri arcgis”, summed into one figure. - [CARTO profile](/demand/global-en/brands/carto) - [Esri ArcGIS profile](/demand/global-en/brands/esri-arcgis) - [All GIS software worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/gis-software): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is CARTO or Esri ArcGIS more popular in search? In September 2026, Esri ArcGIS had more branded searches than CARTO among GIS software worldwide. Esri ArcGIS had about 316,000 branded searches, while CARTO had 40,500. Esri ArcGIS made up 29.2% of all GIS software searches we track, and CARTO accounted for 3.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "CARTO vs Esri ArcGIS: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/gis-software/compare/carto-vs-esri-arcgis This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/gis-software/compare/carto-vs-esri-arcgis. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.