The multi-fold advancements in the field of computers (and technology, in general) have not just simplified our daily lives, but have also made a lot of cool things possible. Whether you want to search for anything,binge endlessly on your favorite shows,write your next novelor do anything else, there’s a website, app, or software available for it. And thanks to incredible applications likeGoogle Mapsand Google Earth, you can see just about any place in the world, in front of your computer while sitting in the luxury of your house.
While Google Earth is great, there are few other options that can help you do the same things. Many users are not happy with Google’s data collection policies and don’t want to hand over data more than they have to. If for that reason or a reason of your own, you are searching for Google Earth alternatives then you have come to the right place. Here are the 4 best apps like Google Earth you can use in 2020.
Best Google Earth Alternatives (Updated October 2020)
Here are apps and programs similar to Google Earth that you can use to your advantage. You can click on the link below and move to the apps seamlessly.
Table Of Contents
Top Alternatives to Google Earth
1. Zoom Earth
Zoom Earth is one of the best alternatives to Google Earth solely because it does not use much of Google’s services for data mapping and yet offers great imagery of our Earth. Similar to Google Earth, Zoom Earth is web-based and it shows real-time information of weather, storms, wildfires, and more. The best part is that you can see high-resolution aerial views of the many places in a zoomable map.
I have been using Google Earth for the past many years and it seems Zoom definitely offers a better image quality. Further, just like Google Earth, Zoom Earth also allows you to see the history of imagery of a certain place. I was able to see aerial images of 2002 of my region which is just amazing and the image quality was again surprisingly better than Google Earth.
If you are wondering about data input then here are the sources Zoom Earth uses to simulate Earth in real-time. For live weather imagery, it uses NOAA GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) which is administered by NASA. It also uses data from Japan’s and EU’s satellites.
For daily images, Zoom Earth primarily uses NASA’s GIBS service and for historical imagery, Microsoft and Esri come to help. Simply put, Zoom Earth is a non-Google service that is really as good as Google Earth in terms of aerial imagery and you should definitely give it a shot.
Key Features:High-quality aerial view, Real-time Earth simulation, Weather, storm and wildfire information, Data sourced from reliable organisations
Platform Availability: Web
Price:Free
2. NASA World Wind
If something bears the name and backing of the space agency of the United States, there’s nothing doubting the fact that it’ll be good. And as such, theopen-sourceNASA World Wind is one of the best Google Earth alternatives you can find.
It’s worth noting that NASA World Wind is aJava-based Software Development Kit, primarilytargeted at developers, whocan use it to create applications usingdata (satellite imagery, topographic maps etc.) provided by NASA andUSGS.
From zoom to tilt, different typesof controls are supported, and there’s a sizeablecollection of high-resolution imagery. The database containsmillions of place names, political boundaries, and even latitude/longitude lines.
Also, there are numerousplug-ins and add-ons, which can be used to add features like camera controlling scripts, and XML files displaying place-marks as icons. All these advanced features make NASA World Wind the best alternative to Google Earth Pro (desktop version).
Key Features:Open-source project, Maintained by NASA, High-resolution imagery of Earth, Import data in XML, Best for developers
Platform Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price:Free
3. Marble
No matter what place on Earth you want to check out, Marble will help you out with it. The robust Google Earthalternative hasmultiple viewing modes, which can be used to view the Earth as not only a 3D globe, but also highlight its topographical features, street views, and even temperature and precipitation data.
This is further enhanced by information like photos, real-time traffic updates, and online/offline address search. In fact, Marble also hasrouting and turn-by-turn navigation(both online and offline) features.
The application itself is fairly lightweight, as it ships without any extra data-sets. However, the same can be easily fetched via in-app downloads. There are even data-sets that let you viewvirtual models of the moon and other planets.
You can also follow satellites and space stations orbits, which are updated in real-time. Add to it, there are many useful tools like time simulation, bookmarks, etc., that make Marble even better.
Key Features:Topographical information of Earth, Access Street View, Easy navigation, Virtual models of the moon and other planets, Follow satellites in real-time
Platform Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price:Free
4. Google Street View
One of the biggest features of Google Earth is that it allows you to see high-quality 3D view of popular places such as the Eiffel Tower, Mount Everest, the Taj Mahal, and more. Google has specifically identified these popular places and mapped aerial images and 3D data points to give you a virtual tour of that place. You can get a similar experience and even more with Google Street View.
Yes, it’s another Google service with an almost similar objective, but as the name suggests, it remotely takes you to the streets of many places (not just popular) around the globe. I have used this service in the past and Google Street View has been able to show around places in a great 360-degree panoramic view.
Just like Google Earth, this can bring faraway places to your smartphone and make you feel closer to the places that you want to visit. That said, keep in mind, in India, the government didn’t allow Google to capture street data so you won’t find street view of many places, other than the user-generated ones.
But for the rest of the world, you can enjoy street views of places all across the globe. You can learn more about Google Street View from our article on the best Google Maps tips and tricks.
Key Features:Street View around the world, 360-degree panoramic view, VR-compatible, Get closer to your favorite places
Platform Availability: Android, iOS
Price:Free
Download: Android (Free), iOS (Free)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is There Another App like Google Earth?
While there is no full-fledged Google Earth alternative that covers all the features, you can take a look at Zoom Earth. It offers excellent aerial views around the world and in fact, the image quality is better than Google Earth.
Q. Which Google Earth Version is Best?
All Google Earth Versions are great, but if you have got a PC then go ahead and download the desktop version for better rendering. Other than that, the web version is also pretty good and capable of rendering the Earth Engine.
Q. Is There a Google Earth in Real-time?
Google Earth does not offer a real-time view, but if you want one then just go for Zoom Earth. It offers real-time imagery, weather information, storm, wildfire, and much more from places around the world. It also gives you information such as wind speed, pressure, etc.
Q. Can You Use Google Earth Without Downloading It?
Yes, you can use the web version of Google Earth without downloading it. Just click on this link and you will be taken to Google Earth Web.
Q. How Far Back Can Google Earth Go?
You can go as far as 1984 to get an aerial view of Earth. Google introduced this new feature called Google Earth Timelapse where you can track the changes from 1984 to the present. Head over to this webpage to find more information,
Visit Places Virtually With These Alternatives to Google Earth
It’s true that Google Earth is the undisputed leader when it comes to viewing 3D virtual representations of the Earth, and the many natural landscapes, man-made cities that our planet is home to. However, as seen above, Google Earth is not the only one out there. So check out these alternatives to Google Earth, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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All these satellite imagery that WE THE PEOPLE HAVE INFACT PAID FOR WITH THE TAXES THAT NEVER END should ALLbe FREE to the public to use no matter what who when where how the stalker the cheater the law enforcer the home builder the joe shmoe that just wants to see the fishin holes our working beatdown bodies paid for that shit to get pjt into space and now they want to charge premium price again sounds to me like A bunch a worthless democrats still puttin to theHARD WORKING AMERICAN PEOPLE .we should be able to access any satellite map any time we want without abunch of redirect adds leading one straight to a monthly billing cycle on ones debit card for life . And thats a whole other shammery that needs to be addressed you $runs out your service shuts off this world is goin to Hell in a handbag can any of the blue collar workforce see where im comin from !!!!!! The next question will be can you hear me now.
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Nun
You all made my day. Lovely to be here and read your comments.
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Ummm…. pardon me. ummm… i’d like to comment on the zoom app. close-up imagery is better except white, very light, even heavy glare-white is over bearing. Also, underwater (clear water of course) is less detailed at any magnification. contrast issue i guess. a suggestion for the stalker- let it go, let them go, enjoy your life with people who want to be stalked aka your attention. as for Heaven, not enough care was put into interpretation, those who made a point of documenting didn’t document their level of sobriety while doing so, but most importantly, the whole purpose of “the rules”, instruction and restrictions was and is to guide those who don’t know how to behave. Be Spiritual and love Heaven and God. The letters that make the words that we pronounce is not what souls need.
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thnk u
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Google Earth when zoomed into my house provides superior resolution and contrast to Zoom Maps, all the others do not have hi res satellite views.
So without Google Earth and all its features we would be stuffed, unless we paid “nearmap” that provides Hi Res Satellite imagery to corporate companies (they wont offer to the public) and want huge $ per year to get access.Reply
@Billy Boatman, don’t be a stalker
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There must be a Heaven. Why else would science be spending billions every year searching for answers? Quite obvious most science does not believe in the Darwin theory of origin. So. Is there one powerful being or society (composition of light, electricity, or elements of the periodic table), that created the universe? Is that entity in a multiverse? A black hole? A universe void of color? Does possible life (intelligent), in the Milky Way, besides Earth, worship a single God? Multiple Gods? Do they know what a God…is? Is it possible with each passing of a life, a star is born? Only one way to answer those questions.
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Accept we don’t know anything for sure and use the scientific method to improve our understanding over time.
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Witch version shows vehicles and license plates. Most clear
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???? What you need is a ride on a satellite way up in space, and not in a satellite, but on the out side of the satellite, that will cure you of your delusion, trust me on that
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????Why don’t people believe in Heaven, has anyone come back from the dead and proved there isn’t a Heaven, if so, when? Atheist are just a bunch of old men trying to keep the young doing there bidding, because Heavan knows, (no pun intended) that it’s easier and a lot less frightening to believe that there is no Heaven or Hell, and that if you reject God then you go to Hell, so being a Atheist makes that all go away presumably ????
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About all the ways you can navigate the earth with all the apps or online views of Earth. They say that all that information is gathered together by satellites well then why our all of them cropped or are a 3D virtual image. Witch if you don’t know where I’m going with this I’ll tell you. If we had satellites in so called space that maps the world then why do they have to make up or make a computer design of everything because if we had satellites that take pics and videos of Earth then why would they have to make a computer imaging design of it which is fake why don’t they just use the so called real pictures and videos from the so-called satellites and just show those. Yes you can look up videos of Earth being taken from really up high by someone in a aircraft or by a so called weather balloon but if you really pay attention you will notice that when ever they take a pic or a video it’s with in the firmament of our earth it’s not a pic or video of our earth from so called space of what they say is out there. It’s all fake really. Do your research and make sure the sources where you get your information from is not from the same sources that came up with maps the fake Earth.
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????What you need is a ride on a satellite, and not in a satellite, but actually on a satellite, on the outside of a satellite, way up in space, that will cure you of your delusion, trust me on that, just a thought????
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Fake or not, it provides me with the information I need. The computers would need to synthesize the 3d model from multiple images regardless. If they literally just scanned the entire planet directly maybe google earth would be a bit clearer than it is now
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A flat earther no doubt? However you do raise some valid questions.
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Your all a bunch of brownie hound oxygen thiefs, but I love you anyways. Merry Christmas God Bless
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None of these exist
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Wow, first time I’ve actually laughed out loud while online recently, was reading “self professed grammar nazi…” Really? OMG LMAO !!!!! This is the most grammatically (and content) pathetic “review” ever tapped out by bot or person. IMHO of course.
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Just to clarify, this is an article about satellites and online maps, not dictators in the sky.
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Why was it necessary that he proclaim himself an atheist. Does anybody care?
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Why do people believe in heaven?
Has anyone come back?
If so when?
Religion is absolutely just old men trying to keep the young doing their bidding, when you die then you get lucky, presumably this worked at Jonestown.Reply
Neville, you are so very right. Religion and its traditions are full of non-sense. Never were good, never will be good. It poisons the human mind mercilessly.
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I’m fortunate to have had a near death experience as a child and can say I met my maker.
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Lol. Valid point. I guess they believe in something or somewhere nice to go because they are afraid of dying. And for everything living, is inevitable. I suppose it comforts them.
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My Dad appeared to two people, after his death, He was in the light therefor we knew he had gone to heaven.
Before his death he saw his Mum, God is within us, you might experience the Spirit praying within you one day? Neither heaven nor hell is an old man old wives tale.Reply
so true
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mere hallucinations created by the trauma of near death experience, and humans instinct to find a logic explanaition..which is based on what we have experience.. his subconcious creted the visions influenced by the theories created by religious conclutions. Wich is an easy answer given by feeble minds too lazy to investigate
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????What you need is a ride on a satellite, and not in a satellite, but actually on a satellite, on the outside of a satellite, way up in space, that will cure you of your delusion, trust me on that, just a thought????
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It’s crazy how a person can be so smart they can be so foolish this is why God said professing themselves to be wise they became fools. He also says a fool says in his heart there is no God. I pray this guy repents
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The first alternative listed in this article has been defunct for SEVEN YEARS. Why do you pretend to know anything?
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Thank you for this list!
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