Alternatives
QGIS alternative where the data is already on the map
QGIS is free, open-source desktop GIS that can do almost any spatial analysis once you have found and prepared the data. MapBees starts from the other end: the data for 147 cities is already on one hex grid, and the analyses are named map types.
Where QGIS fits
QGIS is one of the most capable GIS tools there is, and it is free and open source. It also starts empty. Before you can draw a location quotient or a hot spot map, you need place data, census tables for the right year and geography, and a way to put both on the same grid. That preparation is most of the work. MapBees has done it already, the same way in every city, so the first thing you do is ask a question.
Where QGIS is the better fit
- You have your own areas, lines or rasters to map, or need a geography or resolution MapBees doesn't offer.
- You need full control: custom styling and print layouts, scripts, plugins or working offline.
- You are an analyst who wants every step of the method in your own hands.
What you can answer in MapBees today
| Your question | Where in MapBees | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| How many people live in each hex? | Population & age | An estimate for each hex from the country's own census, such as Zensus 2022 or ONS Census 2021. |
| Which hexes have more cafés than their fair share? | Fair share (Location Quotient) | Pick the kind of place and compare it with the city average. No formula to write. |
| Is this cluster of pubs real? | Clusters (Getis-Ord Gi*) | The significance test runs on the map. Hexes are marked busy or quiet only when they pass it. |
| What if residents matter twice as much as transit? | Score | Change a factor's importance and the map re-ranks every hex from 0–100. |
| What is within 10 minutes on foot? | Within a 10-minute walk | Any measure can be read for the hex alone or Within a 10-minute walk. |
| How do I show a colleague? | Copy link | The link reopens the same city, map type, factors and weights. |
Try it on a real map
Each button opens the example in the map app, ready to change.
The formulas are the same. The starting point isn't.
MapBees uses the standard methods and names each one beside its plain label: the Location Quotient, gap analysis, Getis-Ord Gi*, and the Simpson and Shannon indices. What changes is where you start. In QGIS you begin with an empty project. In MapBees you begin with a city whose places, buildings and residents are already on the map, and a picker that lists each method by the question it answers.
What MapBees does differently
- You don't have to find the data: places and buildings from Overture Maps and people from each country's census are already on hexes about 350 m across.
- The formulas are ready: Fair share (Location Quotient), Missing (gap analysis), Clusters (Getis-Ord Gi*) and Variety (Simpson and Shannon) are map types with plain-word controls.
- Ask in plain words: Scout Bee, the AI map assistant built into MapBees, builds the map from a sentence, and every change it makes can be undone.
- Share a link, not a project file: Copy link reopens the same city, map type, factors and weights for anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Can MapBees do everything QGIS does?
No, and it doesn't try. QGIS is a general GIS. MapBees answers neighborhood questions on the data it already has, in the cities it covers.
Can I bring my own data into MapBees?
Your own points and areas, yes: add a CSV with lat and lon (or an h3 column) under Your data and it becomes a measure every map can read, and add a GeoJSON or KML file of areas in the Territory tool to see each one with its own breakdown; both stay in your browser. Lines and addresses are not taken; for those, QGIS is the right tool.
Are these the same formulas I would use in QGIS?
Yes. The Location Quotient, gap analysis, Getis-Ord Gi* and the Simpson and Shannon indices are standard methods. MapBees names each one beside its plain label and shows the math for any hex.
What does MapBees cost to use?
The map app runs in your browser on the Free Tier.
Keep reading
How MapBees scores a hex (explained simply)
Every colored hex on the map carries a score from 0–100 answering one question: how good is this exact hex for what you care about? Here is what that number means, how you shape it, and how its hex card shows why - in plain language, on London.
Read the guideFair share: the Location Quotient, explained simply
A number on its own tells you little. 2.7× the London average tells you a lot. Here is the formula behind the Fair share map (the Location Quotient), worked through with cafés in London.
Read the guideMeet Scout Bee (a map you can just talk to)
Type what you're actually trying to do - "a coffee shop somewhere busy in Houston" - and Scout Bee sets up the map, shows you exactly what it changed, keeps your own changes, and lets you undo it. Here is everything it can do, using Houston throughout.
Read the guideQGIS is a trademark of its respective owner. This comparison describes each product's public positioning as of October 3, 2026, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by QGIS.
About the author
Tinkal Gogoi(LinkedIn profile, opens in a new tab)Founder & Location Data Engineer
Builds MapBees's location-intelligence pipeline end to end — census and Overture Maps ingestion, H3 hex scoring, and the map interface — and writes the methodology behind every number on the site.