Maptitude

Pros: Data rich, function rich and easy to use. I've used multiple GIS software over the years and still find Maptitude very hard to beat and very inexpensive when compared to some of the key GIS players out there.

Cons: I'd like to see more interactive functionality along the same lines as the business intelligence systems. Being able to update graphs on-the-fly for example based on a selection of geographic features would be very useful.

Overall: I've been using the software for probably 2 decades or so, I'm a devotee. Caliper has been very responsive with technical support, requests for data and supportive when it comes to technical problems. Matched with the functionality, ease of use, wealth of data and excellent price - it makes for an unbeatable combination.

Pros: Maptitude is a full-featured GIS, yet it is also easy to use. The publisher makes excellent training materials available for free, including videos and an on-line manual with many worked examples. Maptitude comes with a wealth of bundled data, so it is easy to get mapping right away.

There is also a powerful scripting language under the hood that can be used to write plug-ins, though it's worth noting that lot of functions that typically require plug-ins in other GIS software packages are part of the Maptitude base install.

User support (free for the first 60 days, available as a subscription service thereafter) is very responsive and knowledgeable.

Free (limited to non-commercial use) 1-year academic licenses available for students.

Cons: Caliper redesigned the interface a few years ago, and moved some of the items I used most deep into the menus. The new interface probably provides navigation for a brand-new user, but I personally liked the old arrangement better.

Maptitude doesn't have as large a plug-in library as other packages (but see the pro above regarding plug-ins).

Overall: We initially picked Maptitude for its ease of use. The goal was to include GIS analysis in courses-- allow students to analyze spatial patterns of phenomena like poverty and voting patterns-- but without having to spend an undue amount of class time teaching students how to use the software. Maptitude comes bundled with a wealth of free data, joining your own data to a map is quite simple, and it is easy to make a nice map right out of the box.

Fast forward twenty years, and Maptitude remains my go-to GIS. I have written several free several plug-ins for Maptitude, which I have distributed for free.

I also use the open-source package QGIS occasionally. But despite the fact that Maptitude costs money and QGIS is free, I think Maptitude is the better value when you consider total cost of ownership: it is much easier to use, and the data bundled with the software alone (including a license for the commercial HERE streets data) is worth the price of admission.

Pros: Feature-rich Desktop GIS with unparalleled functionality in spatial analytics.
Gigabytes of demographic and land use data accompanies the software.
A knowledgable tech-support team that is always responsive.
Innovatiion-driven with new functionality being added all the time

Cons: Automation of tasks through scripting might be made for user-friendly.

Overall: I have been using Maptitude to support my research and teaching in business analytics for decades. I have not come across a better GIS tool.

Pros: It allows me to offer quality advice to logistics consulting clients about the geography of their logistics requirements - that could be at country level, a local van operation or store catchments for dark store and microfulfilment operations: facility location, drive time zones, visualising flows. And there are also features that are really useful for field operations and sales & marketing.

Cons: Nothing ...this is the most difficult box to complete as I really don't have a bad word to say.

Overall: I'm not a 'GIS expert', but an intelligent, experienced logistics specialist who wants a quality mapping tool that I can use for geographic analysis, without needing to get into the 'engine' of the software, and as such this really fills the bill.

Pros: Easy to start with
Great analytical features
Lots of available data sets
Great for visualization
Works great with other mapping tool formats
Free trial

Cons: Expensive license.
Lots of advanced features have steep learning curve.

Overall: Maptitude is a powerful geographical information system ( GIS )
program. It lets you use lots of free datasets and also let you use your own dataset to create informative map visualizations.