Comparison

ArcGIS Field Maps vs PreFlight

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ArcGIS Field Maps

This app provides mobile workers with interactive digital maps to understand their surroundings, locate assets, and collect data. It features smart forms for efficient data entry, offline capabilities, and location sharing for coordination and safety. Designed for organizational use, it supports fieldwork for various teams.

Highlights
  • Interactive digital maps
  • Smart forms for data collection
  • Offline map capabilities
  • Location sharing and tracking
  • Geofence alerts
  • Asset scanning and annotation
  • Data editing and syncing
Features
Read full description

ArcGIS is available on your desktop, in a browser, and now on your iPhone or iPad. ArcGIS Field Maps is Esri’s premier maps app on mobile devices. Field Maps helps mobile workers understand their surroundings, find assets, collect data, and perform inspections, leveraging interactive digital maps that contain up-to-date GIS data from their organization. It includes powerful features like location sharing, smart forms for efficient data collection, geofence alerts, and the ability to complete fieldwork even when offline. Whether you're part of a utility crew, a conservation team, or a city inspection unit,Field Mapsis designed to support the work you do on the ground. Note about permissions:Field Maps is designed for organizational use. This app requires you to have an ArcGIS organizational account to collect and update data. Public maps shared by organizations can be viewed without signing in. Understand your surroundings: - View assets and surrounding landmarks or places on GPS-enabled maps. - Search for assets and access important information about them. - Use compass guidance to lead you directly to assets and locations. - Scan barcodes or QR codes to pull up asset records instantly. - Annotate directly on the map with your finger or stylus to create personal notes. - Leverage integration with voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation apps to get to your assets. - Stay safe with geofence alerts as you enter fire zones, wildlife habitats, work areas, etc. - Measure distances and areas in the map. - Gain advanced understanding by viewing and tracing utility networks. - View stationing information along linear assets. - View assets and locations in floor-aware indoor maps. Perform data capture and inspections: - Create new or edit existing asset data. - Connect to external GNSS receivers for high-accuracy data. - Digitally document inspection records. - Capture photos, videos, and other attachments. - Speed up data capture with smart forms and reduce manual entry by automatically filling in fields like date or inspector name and making automated calculations. - Share your updates instantly with your organization when using an online map and automatically sync stored updates to offline maps when connected. - Collect assets and perform inspections indoors. Share your location for coordination & safety: - Share your location with supervisors and teammates (when enabled). - View teammate locations to coordinate efforts and ensure safety (when enabled). - Tracks show where you’ve been so you can visually see what area you’ve covered. Work offline in remote or disconnected areas: - Download offline map areas created for you. - Create your own offline map areas on device (if enabled). - Sync edits automatically or manually when connected. Coordination and collaboration: - View edits and contributions from others as they are synced with your map. - Use tasks to view and complete field assignments from a to-do list. - Stakeholders can view fieldwork progress in the office and make data-informed decisions. Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

PreFlight

Create and manage detailed, customizable checklists for any recurring task or preparation. This app ensures you never miss a critical step in your routines, from outdoor adventures to daily organization.

Highlights
  • Customizable checklists
  • Master recurring tasks
  • Detailed step management
  • Organized preparation workflows
  • Ensures no steps are missed
Features
Read full description

PreFlight is your essential checklist companion for mastering complex, recurring tasks. Whether you're preparing for a hike, planning a road trip, or tackling any multi-step routine, PreFlight ensures nothing gets overlooked. Create detailed, customizable checklists that capture every step of your process. From simple reminders to comprehensive preparation workflows, PreFlight adapts to your needs and keeps you organized. Never miss a critical step again. With PreFlight's structured approach to task management, you can confidently tackle your most important routines knowing every detail is accounted for.

Screenshots

ArcGIS Field Maps4 screens
PreFlight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PreFlight at 100% against ArcGIS Field Maps's 11%. PreFlight also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). ArcGIS Field Maps's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (58 vs 3). On price, ads, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PreFlight sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ArcGIS Field Maps asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PreFlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcGIS Field Maps has 58 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of ArcGIS Field Maps's written reviews are positive against 100% of PreFlight's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArcGIS Field Maps ships an update monthly, PreFlight every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ArcGIS Field Maps versus PreFlight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcGIS Field MapsPreFlight
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (58 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings58 — better3
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.5 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size161 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperESRIAngryBoat, LLC

Customer experience

ArcGIS Field Maps

All ratings45 ratings
Positive24.4%
Neutral8.9%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews114 reviews
Positive11.4%
Neutral19.3%
Negative69.3%

PreFlight

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

ArcGIS Field Maps

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • App crashes on startup and during use
  • Layers fail to load intermittently
  • Offline map downloads fail or hang indefinitely
  • Authentication errors and keyboard not appearing on login
  • Maps load only 30% of the time
Show 15 more
  • Search functionality broken
  • Markup files lost after updates
  • Multiple markup layers no longer supported
  • Touch/tap detection inaccurate requiring multiple attempts
  • Photo EXIF direction data captured at wrong time
  • Location tracking bounces around map
  • App freezes when rotating screen
  • Syncing issues with offline edits
  • Feature class save errors
  • Arcade expression errors in feature classes
  • Raster layer display issues
  • Text rendering problems
  • Battery drain up to 10% per minute
  • Required token errors appearing randomly
  • Cooldown period between POI data entry updates

Requested features

13 requests
  • Stylus support for drawing features
  • Landscape mode for iPhone devices
  • Apple Watch integration and capabilities
  • Export functionality (GPX, KMZ formats)
  • Improved offline area size and quality selection
Show 8 more
  • Better cone of vision visibility
  • Attribute table visibility in field
  • CarPlay compatibility
  • Share individual features, not just map center
  • Notification when position collection completes
  • Permanent UI customization options
  • More markup colors and customization
  • Improved search functionality

PreFlight

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ArcGIS Field Maps

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PreFlight

One-time1
  • Buy a Coffee$1.99

Questions

Is ArcGIS Field Maps free?
ArcGIS Field Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PreFlight free?
PreFlight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ArcGIS Field Maps or PreFlight?
PreFlight is rated higher. ArcGIS Field Maps averages 2.1 out of 5 from 58 ratings, while PreFlight averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do ArcGIS Field Maps or PreFlight have ads?
Neither ArcGIS Field Maps nor PreFlight shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArcGIS Field Maps or PreFlight?
ArcGIS Field Maps ships an update monthly, and PreFlight every 2 weeks. Most recently, ArcGIS Field Maps was updated on November 6, 2026 and PreFlight on November 3, 2026.

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