MAPublisher

4.6 (46)
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Cartographic and map designing tool for Adobe Illustrator

Overall rating

4.6 /5
(46)
Value for Money
4.1/5
Features
4.3/5
Ease of Use
4.0/5
Customer Support
4.6/5

98%
recommended this app
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46 Reviews

Stuart
Stuart
Overall rating
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

I am very happy with the software, it works well.

Reviewed on 2018/06/06

It allows for accurate mapping with the full design capabilities of Illustrator.

It allows for accurate mapping with the full design capabilities of Illustrator.

Pros

The ability to work with georeferenced data directly inside Illustrator is great. It has many useful tools and saves me a lot of time by giving me much more freedom than a standard GIS system for creating visually pleasing maps. It has basic data processing capabilities for selecting, editing and adding attributes including creating legends and map grids.

Cons

Some aspects of the current system can be a bit clunky or limiting but they are improving with each version. Scalebars, map grids and map themes are missing things I would find useful. Map Themes have an export option but not an import option. Scalebars and grids may need to be expanded (breaking the spatial link) to change the placement of the labels to something not available in the options.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Management Consulting
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

I use MAPublisher to create clean, detailed maps for environmental documents.

Reviewed on 2018/06/11

I'm able to create maps as detailed as those created by our GIS team, but they're cleaner and more...

I'm able to create maps as detailed as those created by our GIS team, but they're cleaner and more user-friendly than what our GIS team can make. Project managers often come to me for their maps (made using MAPublisher) instead of the GIS team, because they know my maps will look better.

Pros

Overall, I enjoy using MAPublisher very much. It allows me to do mapping that I can hardly imagine being able to do otherwise. It's a wonderful tool! What I like most is being able to import and manipulate very detailed GIS data and then having the unlimited design freedom of Adobe Illustrator.

Cons

A couple of minor quirks in the user interface I find annoying:

1) Layer Options Panel: When MAPublisher is installed, and when I create a new layer in Illustrator or modify the layer options (name, color) of an existing layer (MAP layer or not), I will click Okay to save the options, then the layer options panel appears a 2nd time and I have to click Okay again on the layer properties for the panel to go away.

2) Unwanted shift to Legend layer: When I have a legend layer in the file (typically for a scale bar), and when I'm working on some other part of the graphic (either on a MAP layer or a non-MAP layer), if I do something that causes an error, the selected layer will often shift to the legend layer, which is bothersome. That layer is usually locked once I have created the scale bar, but the active layer will occasionally move to the legend (scale bar) layer without my telling it to do so.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Graphic Design
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Monthly for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 4.0 /10

Wish they had a tiered pricing structure for small biz / limited use

Reviewed on 2020/08/24

Pros

Cool product that allows you to make really nice looking maps. Love the integration with Adobe.

Cons

Hard to learn from a design-perspective.

I'm using this for a single non-profit client as a consultant and the pricing structure does not work for me. The hefty up-front price plus yearly maintenance costs (which are hidden well before you buy and realize you need them) eat up way too much budget for my non-profit clients. Couldn't there be a tiered structure for someone who only needs to create/update 1-2 maps per year? A shame given how useful this could be for small operations.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

MaPublisher has been my go-to mapping program for years: it enables me to make the maps I...

Reviewed on 2018/06/05

The ability to create the maps I visualize.

The ability to create the maps I visualize.

Pros

Ease of editing vector data.
Ease of label placement and editing.
Ability to apply a variety of blending options to layers.
Ease of color selection and tweaking.
Really appreciate how the program integrates with Photoshop/Geographic Imager.

Cons

My least favorite quality has to do with Adobe Illustrator, not MaPublisher. By only being able to use one-core of the now-common, multi-core processors, Illustrator is vastly underpowered. In complex documents, it bogs down with simple label repositioning, is unable to maintain large numbers of vertices which results in abbreviated coastlines and generally odd shapes, and can be very slow. I wish I could bill Adobe for the time lost.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

I use it daily in my work. It's powerful and mostly intuitive to use.

Reviewed on 2018/06/05

It allows me to do cartographic production work quickly and efficiently, paying for itself with in...

It allows me to do cartographic production work quickly and efficiently, paying for itself with in a couple weeks of license renewal.

Pros

Power and ability to process data quickly and easily. There are some cases where I use it instead of QGIS for basic geoprocessing. It's interface with Illustrator, which is my workhorse for cartographic illustration. It's a central, essential part of my workflow.

Cons

Cost. Expense of floating license, places where the interface does not make simple intuititve leaps or remember previous actions, adding to the number of keyclicks, especially where data processing is repeated multiple times

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

I use MapPublisher as way to bridge the gap between ArcGIS and Illustrator and I find it...

Reviewed on 2018/06/05

I found that ability to bring static PDFs in, give them a spatial reference and extract a specific...

I found that ability to bring static PDFs in, give them a spatial reference and extract a specific layer to be extremely useful.

Pros

I like the fact that I am able to import shapefiles and then easily edit them to produce a slick final product.

Cons

I feel that the map view interface is somewhat clunky and could be improved. I also feel that rather than georeferencing through the map view interface that a stand alone georeferencing tool might be useful.

Daniela
Daniela
Overall rating
  • Industry: Environmental Services
  • Company size: 501–1,000 Employees
  • Used for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support

Top notch company and product!

Reviewed on 2018/06/11

Pros

My organization acquired MAPublisher to help bridge some of the work our GIS team does with our marketing team. We use this product mainly for the functionality with Illustrator and to create GeoPDF maps for the Avenza Map Store. It services our needs well in this respect and Avenza has always been a pleasure to communicate with any time we encountered issues.

Cons

I have found it less convenient to use with large datasets and rasters/image datasets. Navigating in the Illustrator environment can be time consuming for us non-illustrator savvy GIS users.

Dorn
Dorn
Overall rating
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

MAPublisher makes cartography a joy.

Reviewed on 2018/06/05

Easy to ensure our vector maps are styled and branded well. The outputs looka nd feel more...

Easy to ensure our vector maps are styled and branded well. The outputs looka nd feel more professional than the ones coming out of ArcGIS or QGIS.

Pros

If you are already an Illustrator user (and you likely won't be looking at this tool if you're not), MAPublisher is super simple to use.
Data layers come over smoothly and retain their attributes.
Reprojecting to custom projections is simple.
Outputs to a variety of formats is easy.

Cons

Cost, especially as a non-profit it's expensive for us - but worth it.
It has a bit of a steep learning curve.

Mike
Mike
Overall rating
  • Industry: Publishing
  • Company size: 1,001–5,000 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

MAPublisher is an indispensable tool for any cartographer who designs maps in Adobe Illustrator...

Reviewed on 2018/06/16

Allows me to take a map from start to finish without much reliance on GIS software.

Allows me to take a map from start to finish without much reliance on GIS software.

Pros

Ease of use, especially when it comes to working with data in different projections and formats.
Continued development and new features.

Cons

The annual maintenance fee is too expensive, especially for someone like myself who only does freelance cartography as a side job.

Ben
Ben
Overall rating
  • Used Weekly for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Sales and tech support were great and easy to deal with.

Reviewed on 2018/06/05

Ability to create dynamic maps that have tremendous levels of detail, and an abundance of informatio...

Ability to create dynamic maps that have tremendous levels of detail, and an abundance of information. The software makes it easy to compile varying import formats and create an appealing map export.

Pros

The functionality and ease of use. It is easy to get up and running with the software. There are also an abundance of options that are all available at your finger tips to expand your use, but these do not overwhelm the beginner user.

Cons

The export process to jpg could be slightly improved. This process is not as seamless as it should be, but overall nothing too concerning.

Robert
Overall rating
  • Industry: Design
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Great for importing all sorts of GIS map data into Illustrator, complete with attributes!

Reviewed on 2018/06/11

This is my work-horse software for making maps every day. It lets me import all sorts of map data,...

This is my work-horse software for making maps every day. It lets me import all sorts of map data, with attributes, and then process the features using those attributes. After years of using Arc and other software this meets my needs almost exactly.

Pros

Ability to read all sorts of GIS data formats, and match them together. Crop on import from GeoDatabase is a huge time saver - as is the crop function tool for other uses. Labeling options are fairly robust (using the optional LabelPro module). It is clear that this software is designed by and for real map makers, and they have added many very useful features over the years. When I first started using it (after years of using Arc products - and all sorts of in-house tricks to get decent productivity using it), it felt like someone had designed MAPublisher just for me!

Cons

Occasionally it freezes on me, so I have learned to save frequently and even quit Illustrator before doing big complex tasks such as joining features by attribute (for example road segments by road name), or big labeling tasks (I'm talking about placing 5,000+ street names!). I took their local 2 day training course, and would give that about 1 star... they just went through the product manual and exercises page by page. For example they never really explain why you might want to set up a layer for labels before running the labeling module (so that you can make those labels 'obstacles' to other label placement), or how many of the tools interact. But their tech support is very responsive, always getting back to me quickly and listening to suggestions.

Grant
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

I can quickly make a professional map for an array of applications in education.

Reviewed on 2018/06/07

Making beautiful maps without having to export from ArcGIS. Having everything georeferenced...

Making beautiful maps without having to export from ArcGIS. Having everything georeferenced (including old files that were scanned in) is an incredible selling point.

Pros

Its compatibility with a wide array of geospatial files types is a huge plus. Most commonly .shp files, but I find that I will often quickly whip up an excel spreadsheet to plot various cities or other POIs just because the software makes it easy to import CSVs. Many of the tools I used in ArcGIS are available (spatial selection, attribute selection, etc) so it's nice that there isn't a learning curve there. Last but not least, I love how easy it is to theme and label maps with the built-in tools based on attributes or other metadata.

Cons

Discoverability and learning. Sometimes it's difficult to get a comprehensive answer from a Google search on how to perform a task (I remember specifically with the georeferencing tool).

This might not be fair, but I am stiff baffled why MAPublisher cant work with image files like it does with vector data (in the same vein as Geographic Imager). I'd pay more for a more comprehensive product if it had this capability built-in (though maybe not any more what geographic imager costs). I suspect there might be technical limitations to this, even though MAPublisher recognizes image files.

Rosalyn
Overall rating
  • Used Monthly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

The only decent GIS mapping software I know of that can be run on a Mac. Masses of functionalit...

Reviewed on 2018/06/05

Pros

It's an Illustrator plugin, which can pull GIS mapping data along with attributes straight into Illustrator (a major vector artwork program) without having to use a convoluted workflow such as with exporting from QGIS into Illustrator. There are highly advanced features for manipulating projections and a host of other specialist mapping requirements, including a separate map labelling program called LabelPro, which has been very useful once I'd finally grasped how best to use it. There are still many features I have not really explored.

It has transformed my mapping workflow, and I don't know what I'd do without MaPublisher now. Well I would probably have to buy a PC - ugh - and run a rival program like Arc in order to make a complex map.

Customer support from Avenza has been good so far on a few queries.

Cons

It is quite expensive software, especially when buying the annual updates & support - more costly than Illustrator. And obviously when you compare with QGIS which is free, but of course without any support or the convenience of being able to manipulate data within a proper vector artwork program used by graphics industry professionals.

It's quite a learning curve (though not as big a learning curve as QGIS, much of which is for GIS techies, not designers).

It wasn't able to handle as much data at once as QGIS. Importing an OS buildings layer, for example, was crashing my Mac. However, once I'd upgraded my Mac with a lot more RAM, I could open a massive map artwork file with millions of anchor points and paths, and work reasonably fast without Illustrator freezing.

Julie
Overall rating
  • Industry: Recreational Facilities & Services
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

We have had a good experience with MaPublisher for the last 7 years.

Reviewed on 2018/06/06

Our entire business is to generate high-quality trail maps for Colorado. We couldn't have done...

Our entire business is to generate high-quality trail maps for Colorado. We couldn't have done this in a costly and efficient manner without MaPublisher.

Pros

1. The layers
2. The ability to import from a variety of files types (.shp, .gpx, etc)
3. The good tech support when encountering a problem.
4. The contour labeling and knock-outs.
5. The ability to easily rescale a map to our specifications.

Cons

1. We would like a feature that allows you to calculate elevation gain/loss and trail lengths based on topography
2. We are just learning more about the graticules features. It seems a bit complex and was difficult to figure out at first, and we are still trying to figure some things out.

3. When you rescale a map the symbols (in the symbol tool box), etc are no longer the correct size.
4. Would like the ability to generate contour lines based on USGS DEM files.

Andy
Overall rating
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

If you are going to make high quality maps, particularly for print (or PDF), MAPublisher is...

Reviewed on 2018/06/07

I'm able to make maps at a level not previously possible with standard GIS software.

I'm able to make maps at a level not previously possible with standard GIS software.

Pros

It allows fine-tuning of maps that is currently simply not available in ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Pro. Simple effects like shadows and gradients are much easier to accomplish using Illustrator tools in MAPublisher, and it allows so much more text and layout options, particularly when combined with Adobe InDesign. If you are doing cartographic quality work, there's really nothing better out there.

Cons

Out of the box, I'd like to see most of Esri's standard color swatches and symbols already in place and preferably available in an Illustrator template that is ready to use. Some tools, like halo and knockouts are quite complex for what they do. Finally, there are strange limitations on some of the Esri import options. I have had to use the 32-bit version of Illustrator instead of 64-bit because some importers were not available (SDE GDB I believe), and some of the import options are not compatible with the new feature that automatically retrieves changes to those layers when edited elsewhere, like in ArcMap.

AJ
Overall rating
  • Industry: Government Administration
  • Company size: 1,001–5,000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Occasionally quirky but overall AMAZING!

Reviewed on 2018/10/10

Overall, this is a great product with AMAZING customer service. Mostly intuitive and works well...

Overall, this is a great product with AMAZING customer service. Mostly intuitive and works well with no crashes to Illustrator.

Pros

I like that everything is georeferenced and changes are super easy each year. Just export a new file and style. It has streamlined my process and cut my production time in almost half.
LabelPro is pretty amazing and fairly intuitive.
LOVE that we can export in GeoPDF or GeoTiff, amongst other file types.
Love that I can export changed data BACK out in shapefile format.

Cons

It is quirky at times.
When exporting as an image, some of the features turned into symbols disappear, even though they are all the same type of file coming from the same source.
Some of the LabelPro features (symbols for roads) are difficult to figure out.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Great product that helps me easily leverage my geospatial background into real map products.

Reviewed on 2018/06/08

Pros

Takes the majority of my geospatial data workflow and puts it directly in my design software. Relieving me of needing GIS applications in most cases. Uses a maintenance model rather than a subscription model to keep it up to date.

Cons

Can be difficult to initially learn. The need to manually retrieve updates as opposed to an auto update is a hassle. The reliance on subscription software is huge negative and likely to be the reason I eventually stop using MP in the future.

Alison
Overall rating
  • Industry: Information Technology & Services
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

MAPublisher is an incredible tool that powerfully bridges geospatial and cartographic software.

Reviewed on 2018/06/06

Big time and stress savings, I would have such a hard time going back to not having MAPublisher...

Big time and stress savings, I would have such a hard time going back to not having MAPublisher enhancing my Illustrator!

Pros

I love that this software allows me to georeference my Illustrator map files and continue to add and work with my data long after it's been moved out of the geospatial software. It adds a capacity to AI that I didn't even know that I needed. I rarely have to even start my map files in geospatial software anymore, preferring to simply use the powerful combination of AI and MAPublisher for much of my cartographic work that doesn't require complicated geospatial analysis.

Cons

Any time I have found an imperfection with the software it has been speedily addressed by the Avenza team, so I have no cons!

Michael
Overall rating
  • Industry: Publishing
  • Company size: 1,001–5,000 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

i use mapublisher and also geographic imager for importing gis data to produce maps for course...

Reviewed on 2018/06/06

ability to use gis data to be included in maps for books.

ability to use gis data to be included in maps for books.

Pros

i can combine a whole range of gis data with my digital maps to produce maps to be printed in books. i can update my maps with new gis data. in many cases i use mapublisher to add geographic information to traditional digitilized maps, for example to correct the scale or the grid lines.

Cons

the updating process is still tricky: please realize this: to update mapublisher and also geographic imager i have to save and re-import my projections every update time. this is stil frustrating and keeps me from updating. as a customer i want all my own map projections automatically been there in the updated version.
the thematic map tools could be easier to use. buidling up value classes is sometimes difficult.
i have a great wish to avenza: in global projections theresult of the projection always generates a transparent globe with the hidden geographic data on the backside of the globe showing up. how about a function that eliminates the hidden parts of the map?

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

Easily allows me to work with various GIS formats and produce useful products for team members...

Reviewed on 2018/06/13

Pros

Very easy interface, simple process to transform one or more files into new projection. Works well with both raster and vector data. Exports data to many formats.

Cons

Inability to show Measurements as a CAD-like item. It will do a measurement in whatever format you want, but will not leave it as a permanent feature. The export feature, while allowing lots of formats, is somewhat clunky to use.

Chase
Overall rating
  • Industry: Defense & Space
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

We use this software to make interactive maps for our customers. Very easy to use and looks...

Reviewed on 2018/06/08

We use this software in one of our information service products for Government customers. Our...

We use this software in one of our information service products for Government customers. Our service contract required to produce an interactive map that shows geo located incidents. This software has made this process very easy for us and has probably saved us at least an hour per day of labor in producing these reports.

Pros

Good value, low cost, for the end product ! Our team has never had an issue using the product and it has produced great material for us.

Cons

Honestly we haven't had any issues with the software. It's worked as advertised and there have not been any cons to my knowledge.

David
Overall rating
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

I've been using MAPublisher for my business for 10 years - and couldn't do my job without it.

Reviewed on 2018/06/08

Using this product is part of my job.

Using this product is part of my job.

Pros

MAPublisher's extensive import and export capability have enabled me to develop GML/XML tools to draw WGS84 georeferenced airspace segments that easily import into Adobe Illustrator. MAPublisher transforms these WGS84 layers to the underlying UTM map layers with a simple drag of the mouse.

Cons

The program can be a little complicated, but that goes hand in hand with extensive capability. I would love to see the ability to import CDED/DTED data and some shape file analytical tools.

ALAIN
Overall rating
  • Industry: Research
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Drafting maps, going back and forth between GIS databases and Illustrator.

Reviewed on 2018/06/09

A lot of time saved, and no more worries about how precisely located my data are on the map.

A lot of time saved, and no more worries about how precisely located my data are on the map.

Pros

* efficient use of AI features AND GIS features in the same workflow
* import/modify/add/use of attributes to rapidly enhance the information on the maps
* stylesheets, selection of data, cropping, etc ...
* availability of coordinate systems and the possibility to easily create your own
* import and export georeferenced data

Cons

* still impossible to import or export styles with the data
* nothing more really that I can think of

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

As a Mapmaker, it is a great tool for vector drawing and organize spatial data

Reviewed on 2018/06/12

versatility, efficiency, aesthetic

versatility, efficiency, aesthetic

Pros

Great Gis tool combine with the power of the Adobe Illustrator to make beautiful and relatively easy vector map.

Cons

Some options that you need to paid for... I'm thinking at the Maplabel Pro ... And the Map Themes could be a little better

Craig
Overall rating
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

MAPublisher takes the drudgery out of map making with its sophisticated set of tools.

Reviewed on 2018/06/05

Increased productivity, quality outputs

Increased productivity, quality outputs

Pros

Having GIS-like tools within the Adobe Illustrator application ensures I can create quality print-ready and digital files for publishing. Integration with apps live Avenza Maps provides a seamless publishing platform.

Cons

There's not much I dislike about the product. There's a few features that I don't use very often like MAP Web Author, which seems a bit irrelevant in today's digital landscape.