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Comparison · Analytics
Fulcrum vs iris
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Fulcrum and iris — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Fulcrum vs iris: at a glance
| Feature | Fulcrum | iris |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Analytics | Analytics |
| Velocity score | 6.3 | 2.5 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Top themes | gis, esri-migration, offline-maps, field-data-capture | earth science, release cadence, python, release candidates |
| Last editorial update | 4h ago | 7d ago |
| Website | — | Visit → |
What is Fulcrum?
Fulcrum is betting its whole map stack on Esri, with a hard Google Maps cutoff on September 1.
Fulcrum is a field data collection platform, and nearly every entry in the last month touches mapping. The web app ships weekly fix batches for layer rendering (KML/KMZ, MBTiles, ArcGIS Feature Services), while iOS and Android push near-weekly builds against the ArcGIS SDK. The newest iOS build turns to app-level responsiveness - database queries moved off the main path and the record editor kept interactive while Photo FastFill works in the background.
What is iris?
Iris ships steadily on a two-a-year cadence, but its feed publishes only pointers.
Iris tags a release candidate roughly every four to five months — 3.13 through 3.16 over the past year — and the cadence is the only thing the feed actually reports. Every entry is the same seven-line template: a line saying this is a release candidate, conda-forge and PyPI install commands, and a link to a 'What's New' page held elsewhere. No release notes reach the feed at all.
Fulcrum vs iris: editorial side-by-side
Fulcrum
6.3ANALYTICS
Fulcrum is betting its whole map stack on Esri, with a hard Google Maps cutoff on September 1.
◆ Current state
Fulcrum is a field data collection platform, and nearly every entry in the last month touches mapping. The web app ships weekly fix batches for layer rendering (KML/KMZ, MBTiles, ArcGIS Feature Services), while iOS and Android push near-weekly builds against the ArcGIS SDK. The newest iOS build turns to app-level responsiveness - database queries moved off the main path and the record editor kept interactive while Photo FastFill works in the background.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is a full consolidation onto Esri. The legacy Google Maps engine retires on September 1 with automatic migration for anyone who has not switched, and Esri now carries Google's satellite and street basemaps so the imagery argument is neutralized. Underneath, the mobile SDK moved to ArcGIS 300.0.0 and ONNX on-device inference gave way to a new INFERENCE format. Two capabilities are visibly staged behind early access rather than shipped: Photo FastFill, and a GPS integration still described as Alpha.
◆ Prediction
Expect the weeks before September 1 to stay dominated by migration-shaped fixes and Esri parity work, with Photo FastFill the nearer of the two early-access programs to general availability given it is already running in shipped builds.
iris
2.5ANALYTICS
Iris ships steadily on a two-a-year cadence, but its feed publishes only pointers.
◆ Current state
Iris tags a release candidate roughly every four to five months — 3.13 through 3.16 over the past year — and the cadence is the only thing the feed actually reports. Every entry is the same seven-line template: a line saying this is a release candidate, conda-forge and PyPI install commands, and a link to a 'What's New' page held elsewhere. No release notes reach the feed at all.
◆ Where it's heading
The version numbers say a mature Met Office library is being maintained on a predictable schedule; nothing in the published entries says what is being maintained. Until the project puts release content in the tag body, its public trail will read as cadence without substance, and readers have to leave the feed to learn anything. The pattern has been identical across four consecutive releases, so it is a deliberate publishing choice rather than an oversight.
◆ Prediction
Expect v3.17.0rc0 around late 2026 on the same schedule, carrying the same boilerplate — the notes will again live on the documentation site rather than in the release entry.
Alternatives to Fulcrum and iris
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Fulcrum or iris.
Holistics
Holistics keeps fencing in the AI layer it spent the summer building.
Dovetail
Dovetail spent July opening doors to other tools and August making its own rooms easier to enter.
tulpa
The 0.0.x train stops at CRAN: tulpa's engine ships to the ecosystem it already anchors.
AgencyAnalytics
AgencyAI got skills three weeks ago; everything since has been making them routine.
NocoDB
Interfaces gets the permissions layer it needed, one release after launching.
See all Fulcrum alternatives → · See all iris alternatives →
Recent activity from Fulcrum and iris
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoFulcrumiOS: async database queries, non-blocking Photo FastFill
- 5d agoFulcrumWeb fixes: shared-view exports, MBTiles popups, KML and ArcGIS layers
- 7d agoFulcrumAndroid: update offline map layers in place, non-blocking Photo FastFill
- 8d agoFulcrumiOS fix: slow location resolution blocked record saves
- 13d agoFulcrumWeb: SSO email wording and ArcGIS/deck.gl version bumps
- 14d agoFulcrumAndroid fixes: ArcGIS stability, signature button, photo markup
- 20d agoirisv3.16.0rc0
- 5mo agoirisv3.15.0rc0
- 9mo agoirisv3.14.0rc0
- 1y agoirisv3.13.0rc0
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Fulcrum and iris?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Fulcrum is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Fulcrum better than iris?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Fulcrum is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Fulcrum?
Top Fulcrum alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Fulcrum alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fulcrum for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to iris?
Top iris alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "iris alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/scitools-iris for the full list with editorial commentary on each.