What Avenza Systems does

Avenza Systems is a Toronto-based geospatial software company founded in 1995 that builds mapping and field-data-collection tools tightly integrated into Adobe Creative Cloud and mobile platforms. Its desktop product line consists of MAPublisher, a cartography plugin embedding 70+ GIS tools into Adobe Illustrator, and Geographic Imager, a spatial imaging plugin for Adobe Photoshop, both available as fixed or floating perpetual licenses with annual maintenance subscriptions; optional add-ons include MAPublisher LabelPro for rule-based collision-free labeling and MAPublisher FME Auto for FME Desktop pipeline automation. The mobile product, Avenza Maps, is a cross-platform iOS, Android, and Windows application that delivers offline GPS navigation, track recording, and field data collection, with a Pro subscription tier at $169.99 per device enabling commercial use, shapefile import/export, and unlimited geospatial map imports.

The company operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct e-commerce, an enterprise direct sales motion, and a global authorized reseller network covering Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania, alongside mobile marketplace distribution through Apple App Store and Google Play. Customer logos span cartographic publishing (National Geographic, New York Times, Time Magazine), government (USGS, MDOT), energy (Energinet), research (RTI), and education (Fleming College). In April 2026, Avenza was acquired by Blue Marble Geographics, backed by Boston-based Eterna Growth Partners, and the combined organization — approximately 100 employees — now operates under the unified Blue Marble Geographics brand, merging Avenza's mobile and Adobe-integrated cartography stack with Blue Marble's Global Mapper desktop GIS and Geographic Calculator coordinate-transformation tools to deliver a connected office-to-field geospatial workflow.

Name

Avenza Systems

Legal name

Avenza Systems Inc.

Website

https://avenza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Avenza Systems develops geospatial mapping software — MAPublisher and Geographic Imager for Adobe Creative Cloud, and the offline Avenza Maps mobile app — serving cartographers, GIS professionals, and field-data-collection users across government, energy, AEC, defense, and media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial Mapping Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs) (BPAMANAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM), Document Creation & Office Suites (BPAMAMAD), Geospatial Data Management & Enterprise GIS (Geodatabases, Web GIS, Spatial Analytics) (EUAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Geospatial mapping software
• Adobe Illustrator cartography
• Offline GPS navigation
• Mobile field data collection
• GIS data processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Desktop Software Licenses: One-time perpetual license sales for MAPublisher and Geographic Imager with optional maintenance subscriptions. Fixed and floating license options available. Includes free upgrades during maintenance period.
2. Maintenance and Support: Annual maintenance subscriptions providing unlimited technical support, free product upgrades and updates. Maintenance renewals required for continued support access.
3. Avenza Maps Pro Subscriptions: Annual subscription for Avenza Maps Pro with volume discounts available. Includes commercial usage rights, Pro-only features, and priority technical support. Billed per device with significant savings at scale.
4. Reseller Channel Sales: Global network of authorized resellers in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania handling regional distribution.
5. Professional Services and Training: Software training courses for MAPublisher, Geographic Imager, and Avenza Maps. Offers RED Academy, custom training packages, and product demonstrations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Avenza Systems develops geospatial mapping software comprising two Adobe Creative Cloud desktop extensions (MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop) that bring 70+ GIS mapping tools into professional design environments, plus the Avenza Maps mobile application for offline GPS navigation and field data collection on iOS, Android, and Windows. The products support 80+ geospatial file formats and serve cartographers, GIS professionals, and field workers across publishing, government, AEC, energy, and defense sectors.

Product overview

Avenza Systems provides a portfolio of geospatial mapping software organized into two core desktop product lines — MAPublisher and Geographic Imager, both tightly integrated as add-ons within the Adobe Creative Cloud — plus the mobile Avenza Maps platform. MAPublisher (with optional LabelPro and FME Auto add-ons) delivers cartographic design, georeferencing, thematic mapping, and export workflows inside Adobe Illustrator. Geographic Imager delivers spatial image import, georeferencing, mosaic, terrain shading, and export workflows inside Adobe Photoshop. Avenza Maps is a cross-platform mobile app for offline mapping, GPS navigation, and field data collection, available as a free app with a Pro subscription tier for commercial use. All desktop products are available as fixed single-user or floating network licenses, with annual maintenance subscriptions covering upgrades and technical support. In April 2026, Avenza Systems combined with Blue Marble Geographics under the unified Blue Marble Geographics brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Avenza Maps: Advanced offline mapping, GPS navigation, and field data collection app for iOS and Android devices
• MAPublisher
• Geographic Imager
• MAPublisher LabelPro
• MAPublisher FME Auto

Products and services

• MAPublisher Industry-standard cartography software that integrates over 70 GIS mapping tools as panels and toolsets directly into Adobe Illustrator, enabling professionals to import geospatial data, create thematic maps, apply georeferencing, and export to geospatial PDF, web maps, and mobile formats.
• Geographic Imager Geospatial extension for Adobe Photoshop that adds spatial imaging tools for importing, editing, manipulating, and exporting georeferenced raster imagery including aerial and satellite imagery, DEMs, and LiDAR-derived data while maintaining coordinate system and georeferencing through all operations.
• Avenza Maps Mobile mapping application for iOS, Android, and Windows that enables offline map viewing, GPS tracking and navigation, and field data collection. Available as a free app with Pro subscription unlocking commercial use, unlimited map import, and shapefile support.
• Avenza Maps Pro Commercial and professional subscription tier for Avenza Maps enabling organizational distribution across mobile devices, unlimited geospatial PDF/GeoPDF/GeoTIFF map imports, shapefile import and export, and priority technical support.
• MAPublisher LabelPro Advanced cartographic labeling engine add-on for MAPublisher that provides rule-based collision-free text placement for point, line, and area features, with configurable styles and batch generation capabilities.
• MAPublisher FME Auto Windows-only add-on that connects FME Desktop's GIS data processing environment to MAPublisher and Adobe Illustrator, enabling FME writers for direct export and FFS file import with automated layer assignment and MAP Theme styling.
• GeoStudio Bundle Product bundle combining MAPublisher (fixed or floating license) and Geographic Imager (fixed or floating license) at a discounted price compared to purchasing separately.

Quantifiable outcome

• Connected field-to-office geospatial workflows spanning point cloud processing, coordinate transformation, and mobile data collection
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Blue Marble GeographicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Combined with Avenza Systems under unified Blue Marble Geographics brand. Merges Blue Marble's Global Mapper and Geographic Calculator with Avenza Maps for connected field-to-office geospatial workflows. Combined organization supports LiDAR processing, coordinate transformation, and mobile data collection.
• MapTilerstrategicTechnology or Integration · 24 March 2025Strategic partnership announced March 2025 for integration between MapTiler's map rendering platform and Avenza mapping products.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Trimble Geospatial: Trimble's geospatial division (formerly Trimble Mapping) competes in surveying, mapping, and field-data collection. The new Avenza CPO Patrick Stevenson was previously at Trimble, underscoring the overlap in AEC, defense, and natural-resources field workflows.
• Hexagon Geospatial: Owner of ERDAS Imagine, GeoMedia, and M.App Enterprise. A broad incumbent in geospatial imaging and enterprise GIS directly comparable to Geographic Imager's spatial-imaging positioning.
• Esri: Maker of ArcGIS, the dominant enterprise GIS platform. Esri is the closest comparable for Avenza's desktop GIS and mobile field-data-collection workflows, with a vastly broader enterprise footprint and overlapping integrations with ArcGIS Online — directly cited as an Avenza integration point.
• Precisely (MapInfo): Owner of the MapInfo Pro desktop GIS platform. Comparable as a desktop GIS/cartography product used by enterprises and government agencies, with overlapping target customers in publishing, government, and utilities.

Others

• MapTiler: Provider of map tiles, basemaps, and self-hostable map servers. Strategic integration partner of Avenza since March 2025, and an adjacent enabling technology that complements Avenza Maps' offline mapping workflows.

Emerging players

• CARTO: Location intelligence and spatial analytics platform. Comparable to Avenza in spatial analysis and geospatial data handling, though oriented more toward BI/location analytics than cartographic production or offline field use.
• QGIS: Open-source desktop GIS with a large global community. Competes for budget-constrained GIS and cartography users who might otherwise adopt MAPublisher or Geographic Imager, particularly in academia and government.
• Mapbox: Cloud-based mapping platform with mobile SDKs and offline capabilities. Comparable to Avenza Maps as a developer-facing mapping platform, though Mapbox is more developer/API-centric and less workflow-centric for end-user field crews.

Direct peers

• Caliper (Maptitude): Developer of Maptitude desktop mapping/GIS software and TransCAD transportation GIS. Comparable as a focused desktop GIS/cartography vendor serving similar professional and government customers with offline desktop workflows.
• Blue Marble Geographics: Maker of Global Mapper and Geographic Calculator. Now the parent operating brand after the April 2026 combination; offers the most directly comparable desktop GIS and coordinate-transformation products to MAPublisher and Geographic Imager.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/avenzasystems
• Xx.com/Avenza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avenza-systems-inc-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Avenza Systems