Mapit GIS vs QField
QField and Mapit GIS are both mobile GIS apps for collecting field data offline on Android and iOS, and both store data in GeoPackage. They are built around different ideas of where a survey starts:
- QField is the field companion to QGIS. You design the project on a desktop in QGIS, package it with the QFieldSync plugin, and take it into the field. What you see on the phone mirrors the QGIS project.
- Mapit GIS is a standalone mobile GIS. You create the project, layers and attribute forms on the phone, collect, and hand over a standard GeoPackage (or Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, DXF) at the end. A desktop is optional.
Neither approach is better in general. This page sets out the differences so you can pick the one that fits how your team works.
Last reviewed: September 2026. QField details are taken from its public documentation. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
At a glance
| Mapit GIS | QField | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you set up a survey | On the phone | In QGIS on a desktop, packaged with QFieldSync |
| Desktop GIS required | No | Yes, for project design |
| Data format | Every project is one OGC GeoPackage (.gpkg) | GeoPackage and other formats QGIS can package |
| Platforms | Android, iOS | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| External GNSS receivers | Bluetooth, BLE, TCP; USB serial on Android | Bluetooth, BLE, TCP and others |
| Built-in NTRIP client (RTK) | Yes (Pro+) | Yes, since version 4.2 |
| High-accuracy datum grids | NTv2 grids for 15 countries, incl. OSTN15 and RDNAPTRANS (Pro+) | Through PROJ, where the grid files are installed on the device |
| Attribute forms | Designed in the app: text, numbers, dates, yes/no, dropdowns, multiselect, barcodes, photos | Designed in QGIS, with the full QGIS form widget set |
| Map styling | Set in the app | Inherits QGIS symbology, labels and map themes |
| Import | GeoPackage (as a project), GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, CSV, GPX, DXF, ArcJSON, GeoParquet | Opens QGIS projects and individual data files |
| Export and hand-over | GeoPackage, Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, CSV, GPX, DXF, GeoParquet, ArcJSON; PostGIS, SFTP, Dropbox; publish to ArcGIS Online | Sync back to QGIS through QFieldSync or QFieldCloud |
| Online maps | WMS, WMTS, WFS, XYZ | Anything QGIS can load |
| Offline basemaps | MBTiles, GeoPDF, georeferenced images | Packaged from the QGIS project |
| Cost | Free tier; Pro and Pro+ subscriptions | Free and open source; QFieldCloud has free and paid plans |
Choose QField if
- Your team already works in QGIS and wants the phone to show exactly the same layers, styling and forms as the desktop project.
- You need complex, QGIS-specific form logic (expressions, constraints, relation widgets).
- You want open-source software you can inspect and self-host, including the sync server.
- You need a Windows or Linux field device.
Choose Mapit GIS if
- You want to start a survey from the phone, with no desktop preparation step. Create a project, add a layer, define its fields and start collecting.
- The people collecting data are not GIS specialists, and you want a simpler interface.
- You work to survey-grade accuracy and need on-device datum transformations such as OSTN15 (Great Britain) or RDNAPTRANS (Netherlands) rather than a WGS 84 approximation. See high-accuracy CRS grids.
- You hand data over to people who do not use QGIS: export straight to Shapefile, DXF for CAD, KML, a PostGIS database, or publish a hosted feature service on ArcGIS Online.
- You want one GeoPackage file per project holding every layer, field, style and form, that you can email, back up, or open in QGIS or ArcGIS Pro. See what's inside a Mapit GeoPackage.
Using both
The two are not exclusive. A Mapit GIS project is a standard GeoPackage, so you can open it in QGIS for analysis and cartography after fieldwork. If some of your team already uses QField, data collected in Mapit can be brought into the same QGIS project.
Try Mapit GIS
The free tier covers one project with up to three layers, which is enough to run a real test survey before you decide.
Read more: Getting started · Connecting a GNSS receiver · Mapit Pro+