ArcGIS Earth vs Touch GIS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ArcGIS Earth
Explore and visualize geographic data in an intuitive 3D environment. Supports a wide range of data sources, including online services and local files. Offers tools for analysis, placemark management, and creating immersive tours.
- 3D geographic data visualization
- Connect to ArcGIS Online/Enterprise
- Support for local data files
- Interactive analysis tools
- Placemark collection and sharing
- Create and share tours
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ArcGIS Earth is designed for everyone and provides user-friendly 3D experiences. Data support ArcGIS Earth allows you to use a variety of items from ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, local data, and web services: • Browse web scenes, map services, image services, scene services, and feature services. • Browse local files including mobile scene packages (MSPK), KML, KMZ, tile packages, and scene layer packages (SLPK). • Support has been added for Living Atlas of the World. Key features • Connect to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise. • Tap to identify features. • Support has been added for collecting, editing, and sharing placemarks. • Interactive analysis tools include Measure, Line of Sight, and Viewshed. • Create and share tours with geotagged photos. • Search for places and switch locators. • Start-up tips and guidance for hand gestures are included. • Record and preview GPS tracks, and share with your organization.
Touch GIS
This professional tool simplifies field data collection and mapping. It allows users to create and customize data forms, collect various data types offline, and export them to standard GIS formats. Professionals across diverse fields utilize it to enhance their fieldwork.
- Create Points, Lines, Polygons, Circles
- Customizable attribute forms
- Offline map tile saving
- Export to industry standard formats
- Attach photos to locations
- Clinometer tool for orientation
- Add custom base maps and overlays
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Touch GIS is the most intuitive professional field data collection and mapping tool. It's a super-powered field notebook enabling you to collect any kind of data, in any environment, online or offline, and transfer it easily to your preferred desktop GIS. We believe your data collection tools should amplify your capabilities, not limit them, which is why we focus on keeping your forms and attributes totally customizable in the field. Join thousands of professionals utilizing Touch GIS as their mobile GIS app to enhance their field work in geologic mapping, ecological mapping, civil engineering, mineral exploration and mining, natural resource management, landscape architecture, and more. FEATURES - Easily capture new Points, Lines, Polygons, and Circles in the field. - Quickly and accurately draw new lines and polygons with free draw mode and vertex snapping. - Adjust feature class attribute forms in the field at any time. - Get multiple perspectives by switching between basemaps in the field. - Download basemaps for offline use. - Export to many industry standard formats. - Snap, mark up, and attach photos to locations. - Measure planar and linear feature orientation using our clinometer tool with strike/dip, dip/dip direction, or trend/plunge formats. - Add custom base maps with WMS/WMTS. - Add raster images like Geospatial PDFS or GeoTiffs and other overlays to your map to see your location in context. - Add team members so your whole team has access. Supported file types: - Shapefiles - KML and KMZ - Geospatial PDF / GeoPDF - GeoPackage (GPKG) - GeoJSON - GPX - CSV - World File - Geotiff - JPG - PNG Customizable attribute types: - Description - Date & Time - Photos - List Of Values - Checkbox - Address - Number - Website - Phone Number - Attitude / Orientation for Geologic features Pre-loaded feature classes supporting many different use-cases: - Forestry - Geology - Real Estate - Stream Surveys - Water Infrastructure - Wetlands management - Create your own fully customizable data attribute forms, and update them in the field as needed. Terms of Service: https://www.touchgis.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.touchgis.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ArcGIS Earth at none against Touch GIS's 2. Touch GIS's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Touch GIS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. ArcGIS Earth asks for nothing beyond the download.
Touch GIS holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45 and 32 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of ArcGIS Earth's written reviews are positive against 50% of Touch GIS's.
ArcGIS Earth ships an update every 3 months, Touch GIS every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ArcGIS Earth | Touch GIS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (45 ratings) | 4.0 (32 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 35.3% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 45 — better | 32 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 145 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ESRI | TouchGIS |
Customer experience
ArcGIS Earth
Touch GIS
In-app purchases
ArcGIS Earth
No in-app purchases
Touch GIS
- Pro Subscription (Monthly)$29.991 Month
- Pro License (Annual)$299.991 Year







