CARTO: Cloud-native location intelligence on your data warehouse. PostGIS: Spatial database extension for PostgreSQL.
| CARTO | PostGIS | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web GIS & Cloud Platforms | Spatial Analysis & GeoAI |
| Pricing model | Enterprise | Open source |
| Starts at | See website | Free |
| Free tier | Free trial | — |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Software licence | — | GPL-2.0 |
| API | Yes | — |
| Platforms | Web, API, JavaScript | Linux, Windows, macOS |
| Made by | CARTO | — |
| Commercial use | Check terms | Allowed |
| Export / print images | Check terms | Allowed |
| Offline / caching | Check terms | Allowed |
| Visits from MapTools | 8 | 3 |
| Visit | Visit |
CARTO features
- Runs on BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Databricks
- Builder for maps and analysis
- Spatial indexes (H3, quadbin)
- Developer tools and APIs
- Data Observatory datasets
PostGIS features
- Geometry, geography and raster types
- Spatial indexes
- Hundreds of ST_ functions
- Topology and routing (pgRouting)
Summary based on public information. Check each provider's current pricing and terms.