ArcGIS user types are evolving to enable you to better plan, purchase and manage ArcGIS as well as streamline licensing. With the new user types, you'll be able to maintain a continuous connection across your devices and access ArcGIS capabilities in desktop, web and mobile applications. Read more about the new, role-based user types below and find out what they each include.
Start mapping, analyzing and managing data
Enrich enterprise business data with spatial context. Create maps, develop apps, conduct analyses and manage geospatial data with these user types.
Boost collaboration across your organization
Enable more users to leverage the power of ArcGIS securely within your organization with these user types below, and continue to provide access to public viewing of maps and open data.
Greater capabilities with each role
Explore a summary of the capabilities included with each user type in the table below.
For a more detailed list of inclusions, please refer to the comparison matrix.
| Viewer | Contributor | Mobile Worker | Creator | Professional | Professional Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Securely view maps, apps and content | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Monitor dashboards | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Review and simple editing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Mark-up and annotate maps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Explore and collaborate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Collect and update data | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Receive work assignments | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Navigate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Share location* | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Create and share maps and apps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Manage groups, members and content | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Manage mobile workers | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Basic analysis (desktop, web and mobile) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Manage and analyze imagery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| ArcGIS Pro Basic | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Advanced data management | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Additional analysis | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Manage utility networks and parcel fabrics | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| ArcGIS Pro Standard | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Advanced analysis | ✔ | |||||
| Machine learning and deep-learning | ✔ | |||||
| ArcGIS Pro Advanced | ✔ | |||||
| Multiple extensions | ✔ |
*Location sharing is included with the Mobile Worker user type and available as an add-on to Creator user types and above.
What do new user types mean for you?
Streamlined administration
Capabilities, apps and content are now purchased and provisioned as part of user types.
Role-based capabilities
New user types provide role-based access to capabilities, apps and content.
Continuous connections
Keep users connected across desktop, web and mobile devices.
Scale as you grow
Add new user types and expand their capabilities to meet your needs.
Important dates
Updated user types will be available as follows:
- In ArcGIS Online with the June 2024 update.
- In ArcGIS Enterprise upon upgrading to version 11.4 — available November 2024.
- In ArcGIS Pro — which can be administered through ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online — the update will be reflected in the respective release.
Need assistance with licensing? Get in touch with our team for support.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is a user type?
User types provide a flexible way to license apps, extensions, capabilities and content available in ArcGIS.
User types enable these key concepts:
- Identity: Secure ArcGIS login with a unique username and password
- Capabilities: View, edit, create, analyse and share
- Apps, extensions and content: Products and Esri-curated content to support organizations in their work and mission
Benefits of user types:
- Role-based access to ArcGIS: User types provide an easy way to manage user privileges and access to work with different ArcGIS products and content, depending on the individual's role and needs.
- Streamlined license management: Administrators can manage licenses and assign user types all in one place based on each person’s need. Users can log into ArcGIS to access the tools they need when needed, at anytime, once they have been assigned a user type by the administrator.
- Scalable growth: Adding new users is easy. Whether you’re building a larger GIS department, supporting a growing field team, or want to share maps and apps with executives, add more of the appropriate user types to your ArcGIS organization and go.
- Why are these changes being made?
These updates are intended to streamline licensing and enable you to better plan, purchase and manage ArcGIS. Updates were made after considering:
- Requests for continuous connection across devices.
- Advancements across ArcGIS.
- User requests for streamlined access to ArcGIS capabilities in desktop, web and mobile applications.
- Will my pricing change at the next renewal?
Renewal notices due after 1 August 2024 will reflect the new user types and any amended pricing.
- I have not yet completed my current ArcGIS subscription period, will I get a pro-rata bill to reflect any pricing changes?
No. While you see the updated user types in your ArcGIS organizational account, new pricing will only be reflected at your next renewal.
- How do I access products and capabilities not included in a user type?
ArcGIS Online will be licensed exclusively through the new user types.
ArcGIS Pro will be primarily sold through user types and ArcGIS Enterprise will continue to be sold based on a combination of cores and users. Server and organization-wide licencing will continue to be sold separately.
Some specific apps and extensions exclusive to ArcGIS Enterprise will be available as add-ons.
- How will my workflows be impacted by these updates?
You will get access to more apps, extensions, content and capabilities with the new user types.
Many current workflows may be enhanced because you will have access to products and tools that were not included before — such as ArcGIS GeoBIM, ArcGIS CityEngine, imagery management tools and more.
- How will ArcGIS Pro users be impacted?
If you are licensing ArcGIS Pro through one of the GIS Professional user types, you will receive ArcGIS Pro automatically with the June 2024 release of ArcGIS Online or upon upgrading to ArcGIS Enterprise 11.4.
- Who will be impacted by the new 2024 user types?
The new user types model impacts all existing ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise users as well as all users who licensed ArcGIS Pro via one of the GIS Professional user types.
- When will the updates take effect?
Esri will begin to enact the new user types for both ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise with the ArcGIS Online 2024 release (expected June 2024).
- ArcGIS Online users will see the new user types with the June 2024 release.
- ArcGIS Enterprise users will see the new user types upon upgrading to ArcGIS Enterprise 11.4 (expected November 2024).
- Because ArcGIS Pro is administered through ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online, users will see the changes as part of the respective release.
- When would I purchase the Advanced Editing user type extension?
The Advanced Editing user type extension will be included in the Professional and Professional Plus user types. It is designed for users who need access to ArcGIS Utility Network, ArcGIS Parcel Fabric and Trace Network, in addition to advanced editing.
- What value does ArcGIS Pro Basic bring to Creator and why is it being added?
ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise are becoming more powerful and bring more tools to the user experience in the browser.
The long-term vision is to provide you with more options for how you want to work — whether on desktop, web or mobile.
Having access to ArcGIS Pro Basic provides more flexibility and access to new and powerful GIS tools as well as a growth path to move up to Professional and Professional Plus.
- I'm still using ArcMap. Will I be impacted by the user type updates?
If you are using ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) and are current on maintenance, you will only receive Creator (legacy) entitlements, which will not include the additional apps, extensions and capabilities of the new user types.
With ArcGIS Desktop retiring on 1 March 2026, we encourage you to move to the new user type licensing model (Creator, Professional or Professional Plus) as soon as possible. For more information, visit the ArcGIS Desktop roadmap.
- I will need to add more user types to my organization after June 2024 and before they upgrade to ArcGIS Enterprise 11.4. What user types will I be quoted and receive?
The new 2024 user types will be introduced at the beginning of June 2024.
Within the software, users will see the user type version corresponding to their ArcGIS Enterprise version.
When upgrading to ArcGIS Enterprise 11.4, or newer, from a previous release the updated user types will be included in the 11.4 license files.
For example: Users adding new users to their ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2 deployment in 2025 would be quoted for the new user types (at new user type prices) but would see the old user types in the software, since that is the software version they are running.
- What do I need to action once I am converted to the updated user type?
When you are converted to the updated user types, you will automatically receive access to the capabilities that are newly included with your user type. No action is required to gain access to the newly included capabilities. After the conversion, when viewing the licenses for your organization, administrators will see icons indicating the new capabilities included with each of the updated user types.
- What happens if I'm using previously licensed add-ons?
Between the June release of ArcGIS Online and your next renewal, all previously purchased add-on licenses can still be assigned to users and still provide the same level of access to capabilities and apps. This is true even if the add-on licenses are:
- No longer available to purchase separately
- No longer compatible with the updated user types they’re assigned to
Once you renew your ArcGIS Online licensing, you will need to purchase the appropriate user types for users to retain access to the capabilities previously covered by legacy add-on licenses. Below, you'll find examples of these legacy add-on licenses, the user types they were previously assigned to and the updated user types they should transition to. If your organization holds legacy add-ons, please get in touch to discuss a recommended user type path for your next renewal.
User type Legacy add-ons User type transition path at renewal Viewer ArcGIS GeoBIM Contributor Contributor ArcGIS Field Maps, ArcGIS QuickCapture, ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS Workforce Mobile Worker Creator ArcGIS Pro Standard, ArcGIS Pro Advanced Professional or Professional Plus - What is the new upgrade for ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online?
If you have previously purchased the ArcGIS Image user type extension as an add-on to a Creator user type, you will experience an additional change at the June release. The capabilities previously provided through the ArcGIS Image user type extension — image hosting and image analysis — are now split across two user types: Creator and Professional. This upgrade will be applied automatically at the June 2024 release and will require no immediate action.