Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most cultivated economic cereal in the world. However, it is still debatable whether maize is a suitable substitute for other crops with high As accumulation for planting in As-contaminated farmlands. Here, through pot and field experiments, outdoor investigation, and literature data analysis, we studied the uptake capacity for As and its stability among different maize varieties. The results indicated that when the total and available soil As were 238.8 and 8.1 mg kg^-1, respectively, the grain As ranged from 0.03 to 0.07 mg kg^-1, significantly lower than the acceptable limit (0.5 mg kg^-1) for As in maize in China. The results of field investigation and literature data analysis also supported this observation. Maize was proven to be an economic crop with low grain As even when grown on soils highly contaminated with As, thus making it suitable for substitution planting in As-contaminated farmlands. Further, the grain As content varied among different maize varieties. We recommend that the planting of normal and waxy maize be prioritized over sweet maize in As-contaminated farmlands as the former had the lower available bio-concentration factor (aBCF) of 0.007 for grain and higher stability among varieties (coefficient of variation, CV<10%) than sweet maize (aBCF=0.01 and CV=35.5%). Based on the results of principal component analysis and the stepwise regression model, As sequestration in root and low upward migration to grain were the main reasons for the low grain As of maize. These observations will help to reduce the risk of As accumulation in the edible part of agricultural products via substitution planting in the future.