Other Esri products included MapObjects, a programming library for developers, and ArcSDE as a relational database management system.

[39] ArcGIS combined the visual user-interface aspect of ArcView GIS 3.x interface with some of the power from the Arc/INFO version 7.2 workstation.

ArcMap incorporated some of the functionality of ArcInfo with a more intuitive interface, as well as a file management application called ArcCatalog (v8.0).

ArcGIS 8.1 also added the ability to access data online, directly from the Geography Network site or other ArcIMS map services.

[43] One major difference is the programming (scripting) languages available to customize or extend the software to suit particular user needs.

In the transition to ArcGIS, Esri dropped support of its application-specific scripting languages, Avenue and the ARC Macro Language (AML), in favor of Visual Basic for Applications scripting and open access to ArcGIS components using the Microsoft COM standards.

[39] The ArcGIS 9 release includes a geoprocessing environment that allows execution of traditional GIS processing tools (such as clipping, overlay, and spatial analysis) interactively or from any scripting language that supports COM standards.

ArcGIS 9 includes a visual programming environment, similar to ERDAS IMAGINE's Model Maker (released in 1994, v8.0.2).

[47] In May 2009, Esri released ArcGIS 9.3.1, which improved the performance of dynamic map publishing and introduced better sharing of geographic information.

[50] This announcement confirmed predictions that ArcGIS Pro (and related products) was planned to be a complete replacement for ArcMap.

ArcGIS Enterprise 11 was released on June 23, 2022 just prior to the annual User Conference held in San Diego.

[53] A number of apps dedicated to specific functionalities have been released in as part of the ArcGIS Online Ecosystem.

ArcGIS Field Maps was released in 2020 to allowing users to collect and display data on their mobile devices in real time.

[54] Other apps include ArcGIS Data Pipelines, Dashboards, Experience Builder, StoryMaps, QuickCapture, Solutions, Survey123 and others.

There are also several apps introduced to promote data intereperability with other platforms such as ArcGIS for AutoCAD, Microsoft 365, Excel, PowerBI, Sharepoint, Teams and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Unlike ArcGIS Desktop, the ArcCatalog and ArcMap functionalities are accessed through the same application, most commonly through the Catalog pane.

[74] Database administration tasks for personal geodatabases, such as managing users and creating backups, can be done through ArcCatalog and ArcGIS Pro.

[76] Enterprise level geodatabases support database replication, versioning and transaction management, and are cross-platform compatible, able to run on Linux, Windows, and Solaris.

The ArcMap interface has two main sections, including a table of contents on the left and the data frames which display the map.

ArcGlobe is a 3D visualization application that allows you to view large amounts of GIS data on a globe surface.

[80] Numerous extensions have also been developed by third parties, such as the MapSpeller spell-checker, ST-Links PgMap, XTools Pro and MAP2PDF for creating georeferenced pdfs (GeoPDF),[92] ERDAS' Image Analysis and Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS, and ISM's PurVIEW, which converts Arc- desktops into precise stereo-viewing windows to work with geo-referenced stereoscopic image models for accurate geodatabase-direct editing or feature digitizing.

[97] For non-commercial purposes, Esri offers a home use program with a lower annual license fee.

ArcGIS Engine provides application programming interfaces (APIs) for COM, .NET, Java, and C++ for the Windows, Linux, and Solaris platforms.

The APIs include documentation and a series of high-level visual components to ease building ArcGIS applications.

Flex, Adobe Air and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) are supported for desktop applications.

[100] While there are alternative products available from vendors such as MapInfo, Maptitude, AutoCAD Map 3D and open-source QGIS, Esri has a dominant share of the GIS software market, estimated in 2015 at 43%.

[101] Issues with ArcGIS include perceived high prices for the products, proprietary formats, and difficulties of porting data between Esri and other GIS software.