--- description: Get detailed information about ArcGIS usability, features, price, benefits and disadvantages from verified user experiences. Read reviews and discover similar tools on Capterra United Arab Emirates. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/capterra/og_logo-e5a8c001ed0bd1bb922639230fcea71a.png?auto=format%2Cenhance%2Ccompress title: ArcGIS Price, Reviews & Ratings - Capterra United Arab Emirates 2026 --- Breadcrumb: [Home](/) > [Public Transportation Software](/directory/30601/public-transportation/software) > [ArcGIS](/software/93333/arcgis) # ArcGIS Canonical: https://www.capterra.ae/software/93333/arcgis Page: 1 / 22\ Next: [Next page](https://www.capterra.ae/software/93333/arcgis?page=2) > Web, on-prem and mobile solutions to help businesses with mapping, data management, predictive modeling, geocoding and more. > > Verdict: Rated **4.6/5** by 507 users. Top-rated for **Likelihood to recommend**. ----- ## Overview ### Who Uses ArcGIS? Web, on-prem and mobile solutions to help businesses with mapping, data management, predictive modeling, geocoding and more. ## Quick Stats & Ratings | Metric | Rating | Detail | | **Overall** | **4.6/5** | 507 Reviews | | Ease of Use | 3.9/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Customer Support Software | 4.1/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Value for Money | 4.0/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Features | 4.6/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Recommendation percentage | 80% | (8/10 Likelihood to recommend) | ## About the vendor - **Company**: ESRI - **Founded**: 1969 ## Commercial Context - **Pricing model**: Per User (Free version available) (Free Trial) - **Pricing Details**: ArcGIS Online pricing (\<100 users) is based on purchasing the exact number of users required, with more able to be added at any time. See the ArcGIS website for pricing calculator. Large organization pricing (100+ users): Contact ArcGIS for a quote. - **Target Audience**: Self Employed, 2–10, 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,001–5,000, 5,001–10,000, 10,000+ - **Deployment & Platforms**: Cloud, SaaS, Web-based, Windows (Desktop), Windows (On-Premise), Linux (On-Premise), Android (Mobile), iPhone (Mobile), iPad (Mobile) - **Supported Languages**: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese - **Available Countries**: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium and 204 more ## Features - 3D Imaging - Ad hoc Reporting - Asset Lifecycle Management - Asset Tracking Software - Behavioral Analytics - Chatbot Software - Check-in/Check-out - Color Codes/Icons - Customizable Reports - Dashboard Software - Data Connectors - Data Visualization Software - Deep Learning Software - Demographic Data - Driver Management - Equipment Maintenance Software - Equipment Management - Facility Asset Management - Fixed Asset Management Software - Fixed Route Management - GPS - Geofencing - Geotargeting - Image Management - Location Tracking - Maintenance Management Software - Map Sharing - Metadata Management Tools - Mileage Tracking Software - Mobile Access - Multi-Language - Multiple Data Sources - Multiple Route Support - Order Management Software - Paratransit Management - Performance Metrics - Predictive Analytics Software - Predictive Modeling - Preventive Maintenance Software - Publishing/Sharing - Real-Time Analytics - Routing - Scheduling Software - Service Request Management - Strategic Planning Software - Third-Party Integrations - User Management - Visual Analytics - Workflow Automation - Workflow Management Software ... and 12 more features ## Integrations (1 total) - AutoCAD ## Support Options - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base Software - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat ## Category - [Public Transportation Software](https://www.capterra.ae/directory/30601/public-transportation/software) ## Related Categories - [Public Transportation Software](https://www.capterra.ae/directory/30601/public-transportation/software) - [GIS Software](https://www.capterra.ae/directory/30566/gis/software) - [Facility Management Software](https://www.capterra.ae/directory/30211/facility-management/software) - [Location Intelligence Software](https://www.capterra.ae/directory/31461/location-intelligence/software) - [Artificial Intelligence Software](https://www.capterra.ae/directory/30938/artificial-intelligence/software) ## Alternatives 1. 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It offers an extensive library of advanced spatial analysis tools—ranging from multi-criteria site selection and spatial statistics to 3D surface rendering and hydrological modeling—delivering a level of precision that few other Geographic Information System (GIS) solutions can match. Key aspects that drive exceptional value include: Enterprise Integration \& Scalability: The native integration between desktop applications (ArcGIS Pro) and cloud/enterprise architecture (ArcGIS Online / Enterprise) allows teams to collect, analyze, and publish spatial datasets smoothly across an organization. Developer \& Extension Ecosystem: Access to specialized extensions (such as Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, and Network Analyst) along with deep Python integration via ArcPy enables custom automation and sophisticated scripting for repetitive spatial workflows. High-Quality Cartographic Tools: The platform provides fine-grained control over cartographic design, labeling, dynamic layout elements, and map publishing, ensuring professional-grade visual outputs for reporting and decision-making. > > **Cons**: ArcGIS presents a steep learning curve, demanding hardware requirements, and a high total cost of ownership. ​While its capabilities are unmatched, the software can feel overly complex and resource-intensive for small teams or users who only require basic mapping functionality. ​Key challenges include: ​High Cost \& Complex Licensing: The licensing model is expensive, especially when factoring in add-on extensions (like Spatial Analyst or Network Analyst) and cloud credits for ArcGIS Online. For smaller organizations or independent contractors, the pricing structure can be a significant barrier to entry. ​Steep Learning Curve: Due to its vast feature set, mastering the software requires formal training or a substantial investment of time. Beginners often struggle to navigate the interface and execute complex spatial operations without prior GIS knowledge. ​Resource-Intensive Performance: ArcGIS Pro requires robust computer hardware—particularly high-performance GPUs, RAM, and CPUs—to run smoothly. Handling large vector or raster datasets can cause noticeable performance lag or crashes on average workstation hardware. > > Over the past 25 years, my experience with ArcGIS has been foundational to my professional work in urban planning and civil protection, supporting multi-utility municipal structures across Emilia-Romagna (Italy). Across two and a half decades of continuous evolution—from early desktop GIS to modern enterprise and web-based spatial workflows—ArcGIS has consistently served as an indispensable system of record and analysis. ​Key highlights of my long-term experience include: ​Urban Planning \& Infrastructure Management: The platform provides the analytical rigour required for complex municipal master planning, zoning analysis, land-use tracking, and infrastructure management across multi-utility operations. ​Civil Protection \& Emergency Response: In civil protection scenarios, ArcGIS enables precise risk mapping, hazard modeling (such as flood and seismic vulnerability assessments), and real-time situational awareness during emergency management operations. ​Reliability \& Scalability Over Time: Despite the evolving technology landscape, the core GIS framework has remained resilient, enabling seamless integration between local government databases, CAD files, and regional spatial data infrastructures. ​Overall, while it demands dedicated technical expertise and robust computing resources, ArcGIS remains the gold standard for high-stakes municipal spatial analysis and decision-making. ----- ### "ArcGIS: Unrivaled Environmental Modelling Depths, but You’ll Fight Cost, Bugs, and Setup Every Step" — 5.0/5 > **Keith** | *19 May 2026* | Architecture & Planning | Recommendation rating: 10.0/10 > > **Pros**: The data management core still blows me away. I keep a monster enterprise geodatabase of boreholes, catchments, and monitoring stations, and versioned editing lets my team work concurrently without stepping on each other's toes. Topology rules catch sloppy digitising instantly. The platform digests rasters, vectors, and lidar in a single project file without format headaches. Client access has become a genuine differentiator. Instead of emailing 50-page PDFs, I publish a live web map or dashboard through ArcGIS Online. Regulators and project stakeholders can toggle layers, query borehole attributes, and print on their own — zero GIS training required. Even offline, Field Maps lets crews capture data in remote corners of Malawi and sync back, though the real-time interactive dashboards are what win bids. Security, when you set things up properly, is rock solid. With ArcGIS Enterprise, I enforce role-based access, HTTPS, and fine-grained sharing permissions. Desktop security through OS-level file permissions is straightforward enough for a consultancy laptop. I’ve never had a breach; once configured, data stays locked down. Then there’s the analytical depth. Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst deliver terrain modelling, watershed delineation, and flood simulation that no lightweight alternative can replicate. Combined with arcpy scripting, I can chain together a dozen geoprocessing steps and let the machine crunch overnight while I sleep. That kind of automation isn't a luxury — it's survival when you’re up against project deadlines. > > **Cons**: Value for money is the number one pain point. The base licence is steep enough, but every critical extension — Spatial Analyst, 3D, Geostatistical — sits behind an extra paywall. The named-user subscription model traps you; stop paying and you lose access to both tools and stored projects. For a small consultancy in Malawi, the fully loaded annual bill forces some very hard conversations. Customer support is technically strong but painfully slow. Esri’s analysts know their stuff and have pulled me out of arcpy and server nightmares, but the back-and-forth across time zones turns a quick question into a multi-day email thread. With no local Esri office anywhere near Malawi, I usually find the fix on Esri Community or Stack Exchange before official support even replies. Bugs and issues are a daily, grinding reality. ArcGIS Pro freezes when I pan a dense 3D scene too fast. Geoprocessing tools sometimes run silently and produce empty outputs with zero warning. Licensing checks randomly fail, demanding a sign-out and sign-in right when a deadline is screaming. Every point release patches some holes and punches new ones; I’ve learned to stay at least one subversion behind to keep my sanity. Setup is a barrier that should not still exist. A single Pro install with Python environment and extensions consumes half a day. An enterprise deployment — Portal, federated server, data stores, SSL certificates — is a multi-week IT exercise that demands a dedicated administrator. User management between ArcGIS Online and Enterprise remains clunky, and I have yet to meet anyone who got it right the first time. Client access, for all its strengths, has an offline weak spot. Field Maps sync over Malawian mobile networks breaks when attachments grow large or connectivity flickers. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it forces careful packaging of offline projects, and I’ve had field crews lose an afternoon of edits because a sync failed. Security, while robust at the enterprise level, has a shadow side in ArcGIS Online. The sharing toggles are far too easy to misconfigure. One slip, and a sensitive environmental dataset meant for a single client can end up visible to the entire internet. The controls exist, but the margin for human error is worryingly thin. > > I have a love-hate relationship with this platform that has now stretched across a decade of environmental modelling and water resource work in Malawi. ArcGIS is the heavyweight I reach for when a project demands a defensible flood-extent model, a multi-criteria site selection, or a groundwater vulnerability map that will be scrutinised by regulators. Nothing else in my toolkit matches its analytical reach or data management discipline. Data management is the bedrock that keeps my 50 GB project archive coherent. Versioning, topology rules, and native handling of every spatial format save me from the integration chaos I see colleagues suffer with other tools. The ability to turn around and serve those same cleaned-up layers to a client as an interactive dashboard is a superpower that has directly helped me win contracts. Security, once bolted down, gives me confidence that sensitive borehole and land-use data stays private, even if I remain hyper-vigilant about online sharing settings. But the price tag and the daily friction are real. I budget not just for licences but for the hours lost to crashes, silent tool failures, and setup marathons. Customer support quality is high when you finally reach a senior engineer, but waiting days for a response is a luxury project timelines do not permit. I’ve become my own sysadmin, my own bug hunter, and my own trainer because the institutional support simply isn’t there for a Malawian consultancy working at distance. If you do deep environmental geospatial work, ArcGIS remains the reference standard. It’s not smooth, and it’s certainly not cheap. But when a model has to be right and defensible, it’s still the box I open first, mutter at, and then trust to deliver. ----- ### "Maps are now interactive" — 3.0/5 > **Anthony** | *5 November 2025* | Utilities | Recommendation rating: 7.0/10 > > **Pros**: The ArcGIS eco-system has come a long way and now incorporates mobile workflows and data entry to enable an enterprise-wide solution > > **Cons**: Oftentimes, small bugs and issues can set back operations, but once these are worked out, all functions resume normally. > > I've used ArcGIS since 2002 and have seen the system embrace web-based mapping as opposed to a workflow that solely supported paper based or PDF based static maps ----- ### "A strong platform for spatial analysis" — 5.0/5 > **Rashad** | *20 August 2026* | Education Management | Recommendation rating: 8.0/10 > > **Pros**: ArcGIS provides a comprehensive set of tools for mapping, spatial analysis, and working with geographic data. I used the full version extensively in academia and found the visualization and analytical capabilities particularly useful for research. > > **Cons**: There is a fairly steep learning curve, especially when moving beyond basic mapping into more advanced analysis. The licensing cost can also be a consideration outside an academic environment. > > I used the full version of ArcGIS in academia and later had some exposure to the trial version in an industry setting. It has been a capable platform for mapping, visualization, and spatial analysis. ----- ### "ArcGIS Keeps Our System Running" — 5.0/5 > **Tim** | *19 May 2026* | Utilities | Recommendation rating: 7.0/10 > > **Pros**: ArcGIS gives us the ability to manage data that is valuable to our crews in real time, once access is given. > > **Cons**: Sometimes the software can be a little "clumsy". It often feels like ArcGIS does simple things in a complicated way. > > We use it daily to manage the maps within our entire utility system. It usually handles consistent updates pretty smoothly. ----- Page: 1 / 22\ Next: [Next page](https://www.capterra.ae/software/93333/arcgis?page=2) ## Links - [View on Capterra](https://www.capterra.ae/software/93333/arcgis) ## This page is available in the following languages | Locale | URL | | de | | | de-AT | | | de-CH | | | en | | | en-AE | | | en-AU | | | en-CA | | | en-GB | | | en-IE | | | en-IL | | | en-IN | | | en-NZ | | | en-SG | | | en-ZA | | | es | | | es-AR | | | es-CL | | | es-CO | | | es-CR | | | es-DO | | | es-EC | | | es-MX | | | es-PA | | | es-PE | | | fr | | | fr-BE | | | fr-CA | | | fr-LU | | | it | | | nb | | | nl | | | nl-BE | | | pt | | | pt-PT | | ----- ## Structured Data