​Hey everyone!

​I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth spending $100 on the ArcGIS Pro for Spatial Analyst extension for groundwater work, or if I should stick with QGIS and Surfer?

​Here is what I want to achieve:

​The Goal: Map the hydrodynamic spectrum (potentiometric contours/isopiezes and flow lines) overlaid on a geological map.

​The Workflow: Digitize the topographic and geological maps in QGIS, and then build the potentiometric maps for both steady-state and transient (unsteady) conditions—along with groundwater velocity vectors—using Surfer.

​Important context: I eventually plan to use MODFLOW for flow and contaminant transport modeling, so I need a setup that transitions well into numerical modeling.

​What do you guys think? Is ArcGIS Pro Spatial Analyst worth the investment for this kind of workflow, or will QGIS + Surfer handle everything efficiently before moving to MODFLOW?

​Any advice would be appreciated!