Guides: ArcGIS: An Introduction: Alternatives to ArcGIS

Online Mapping Tools

Even without GIS skills, you can make maps from certain kinds of data from the following sites--some of them are Penn-only, while others are free to the public. The restriction is that you must use the data they provide, rather than uploading your own.

Social Explorer
Easy to access maps and tables from 1790-2010 census, plus American Community Survey through 2015. Downloadable in Excel, CSV, SPSS, SAS, and Stata file formats.

PolicyMap
SimplyAnalytics
Web-based mapping application that including a wide range of underlying data, including census, consumer expenditure and business counts. Datasets include Claritas PRIZM and Simmons Local.

Community Commons
Freely available web-based mapping tool includes data from the U.S. Census and ACS, along with data from other government agencies, research institutes, and non-profit organizations related to the economy, education, environment, equity, food, and health. Most data are recent, and available geography varies by data set.
Culture Blocks
Information about arts & culture nonprofits and businesses by geography. Also includes event permits and demographic and land use data.
EJScreen
The EPA's mapping tool provides demographic and health data.
GeoFRED
Unemployment data.
Measure of America
Health, education, and income data
National Atlas Map Maker
topographical features of the United States

Tools for Mapping Your Own Data

ArcGIS.com
Esri's answer to popular web mapping sites. Use Esri's data or upload your own shapefiles with a maximum of 1000 features.
Carto
Map your own data using this cloud-based mapping software. Georectified historical maps may be used as basemaps. Note: As of January 2017, Carto is transitioning to a new platform, Carto Builder. While this includes new functionality, the interface has changed; anticipate changes when using guides and documentation.
Google Fusion Tables
Heat maps and other visualization tools, for working with your own uploaded data. A simple way to quickly geocode addresses.
Google Maps
Create simple maps using the Google maps interface.
Palladio
Palladio is a web-based platform for the visualization of complex, multi-dimensional data. You can use it to plot and analyze point data. Click for an introductory tutorial from Miriam Posner.
QGIS
Quantum GIS is an open source GIS project that runs on both Windows and Mac.
R Maptools
For users of the statistical programming language R, this package can draw simple maps.
StoryMap JS (Knight Lab)
"StoryMapJS is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events." It allows you to integrate multimedia files with point data.
StoryMaps (ESRI)
Combine ArcGIS online maps with multimedia content. Requires an ArcGIS Online account. Swipe and spyglass apps allow map comparisons (for example, historical and contemporary maps of the same place.)
Tableau Public
Quickly build interactive maps based on states, counties, ZIP codes or countries. Desktop version freely available to students.
WorldMap
Open source system from Harvard for creating maps, uploading and downloading shapefiles and KMLs.