# QGIS for GIS analysis, Restoration Scope for running the project

Last updated: 2026-10-17

> QGIS is free, open-source desktop GIS for analysis and cartography. Restoration Scope keeps sites, field records and donor reporting in one system. Where each fits.

QGIS is free, open-source desktop GIS for analysis and mapping. Restoration Scope is not a GIS: it is where field teams, coordinators and funders work from the same sites and records.

## Should you use QGIS or Restoration Scope?

They do different jobs, so many teams use both. QGIS is free desktop GIS for an analyst doing analysis, cartography or custom processing. Restoration Scope is not a GIS: it is where field teams, coordinators and funders work from the same sites and records, including people who never open a GIS. Analysis stays in QGIS, and its exported layers reach the rest of the team in Restoration Scope.

### QGIS and Restoration Scope at a glance

| | QGIS | Restoration Scope |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Free, open-source desktop GIS (GNU GPL) for Windows, Mac and Linux. | A restoration data platform: a configured field app, linked records, maps and portals. |
| Cost | Free, “forever”, in the project’s own words. | A free pilot on a sample of your data, then a platform license plus implementation, quoted after a scoping call. |
| Who uses it | GIS users. Analysis and cartography reward training. | Field teams, coordinators and funders, each with their own view. |
| Analysis | A deep analysis toolset with chained processing workflows and plugins. | Geospatial data layers, and project-specific analysis workflows built with our team. |
| Maps | Cartography and a print layout designer for publication-quality maps. | A live project map of sites and records, in the browser and the Field App. |
| Field capture | Desktop software. Field teams pair it with companion apps such as QField. | The Field App works offline: points, lines, polygons and photos. |
| Records over time | Layers and attribute tables you structure and maintain. | Sites, visits and seasons linked as records. |
| Donor reporting | Exported maps and reports, or layers published to the web. | Donor portals built from the same records the team keeps. |

**Use both.** Layers exported from QGIS (Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, GeoTIFF) come into Restoration Scope, so analysis stays in QGIS and its results reach the rest of the team.

1. QGIS: Analysis stays in QGIS.
2. QGIS: Its results are exported as layers: Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, GeoTIFF.
3. Restoration Scope: Field teams, coordinators and funders see them with the project records.

## Where Restoration Scope differs, on screen

- **A live project map for the whole team.** Records and their boundaries side by side in the browser, the same ones field teams see in the Field App.
- **Sites, visits and seasons as records.** Each site links its monitoring plots and visits, so its history stays in one place.

Checked against QGIS's own pages on October 17, 2026: [QGIS](https://qgis.org/), [QGIS features](https://docs.qgis.org/latest/en/docs/about/features.html).

## Where each fits

### Pick QGIS when

- You have a GIS analyst and the work is analysis or cartography.
- You need publication maps, custom processing or plugins.
- You want powerful GIS at no licence cost.

### Pick Restoration Scope when

- Your carbon project needs GIS results tied to the parcels, plantings and monitoring records they describe.
- The people who need the map are not GIS users.
- Field records, sites and seasons must stay linked as the work goes on.
- Funders should see progress without someone exporting maps each quarter.

### Where each sits, from word of mouth to a custom system

1. Word of mouth
2. Paper
3. Excel files
4. Google Sheets (workable from here)
5. Advanced Google Sheets
6. Airtable and similar
7. Restoration software
8. A network of tools: **QGIS**
9. An adaptable platform: **Restoration Scope**
10. A custom system

QGIS is desktop GIS that works as one part of a network of tools, beside spreadsheets and a field app. Restoration Scope is an adaptable platform that keeps records and maps together and brings your GIS files in as layers. The full ladder: [Where restoration records live, from word of mouth to custom software](https://restorationscope.com/blog/where-restoration-records-live).

## Questions teams ask

### Is QGIS free?

Yes. QGIS is free and open source under the GNU GPL, for Windows, Mac and Linux.

### Is Restoration Scope a QGIS alternative?

No. QGIS is a desktop GIS. Restoration Scope is where the whole team works from the same sites and records, and it takes in layers made in QGIS.

### Can I import QGIS layers?

Yes. Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML and KMZ, and GeoTIFF files come in and attach to your sites.

### Do I need GIS skills to use Restoration Scope?

No. Field teams use the Field App and coordinators use the web app. GIS skills help when you bring in or analyse layers.

Restoration Scope publishes this comparison. Something out of date? Write to info@restorationscope.com.

More: [All comparisons](https://restorationscope.com/compare), [Field data capture apps compared](https://restorationscope.com/blog/field-data-capture-apps), [Where restoration records live, from word of mouth to custom software](https://restorationscope.com/blog/where-restoration-records-live).