QGIS
Open SourceVerified
The free, open-source GIS that has become the default spatial platform for water engineers worldwide.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISActiveQGIS HydrologyTerrain Analysis
Arc Hydro
ActiveEsri's free hydrology framework for ArcGIS Pro — terrain preprocessing and the data model behind many agency workflows.
by Esri
- Pricing
- Free
- License
- Proprietary (free add-on)
- Commercial use
- Permitted
- Ecosystem
- ArcGIS Pro, Python (arcpy)
- Platform
- Windows
About Arc Hydro
Arc Hydro is Esri's water-resources framework: a data model plus a large toolbox for terrain preprocessing, watershed and stream delineation, characterisation and map-to-model handoffs, developed with the water community over two decades. Many US agency workflows (and datasets) are structured around Arc Hydro conventions.
The tools are free but require ArcGIS Pro, which defines its audience: if your organisation is Esri-native, Arc Hydro is the mature, supported path for GIS hydrology; if not, the open QGIS/WhiteboxTools stack covers equivalent ground without the platform dependency.
Where it fits in the workflow
TerrainCatchmentRainfallRunoffRoutingHydraulicsMappingReporting
Alternatives to Arc Hydro
Other geospatial & hydro-gis tools covering similar workflow stages.
WhiteboxTools
Open SourceVerified
500+ fast geospatial analysis tools with the best DEM hydrology toolkit in open source.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISActiveDEM ProcessingTerrain Analysis
JAXA's 30m global DSM from PRISM stereo imagery — a strong third opinion alongside SRTM and Copernicus DEM.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISStableSatellite DEM DataDEM Processing
ASTER GDEM
Gov-Public
A 30m global DEM reaching to 83° latitude — the go-to where SRTM/NASADEM have no coverage at all.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISStableSatellite DEM DataDEM Processing
Copernicus DEM (GLO-30 / GLO-90)
Gov-Public
ESA's TanDEM-X-derived global DEM — the most accurate free global surface model available today.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISActiveSatellite DEM DataDEM Processing
Crayfish
Open Source
QGIS plugin for exploring mesh model results — animate TUFLOW, Telemac and HEC-RAS 2D outputs in the GIS.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISStableQGIS HydrologyFlood Mapping