Alternatives to Google Earth

A free 3D globe with high-resolution imagery, historical imagery layers and guided Voyager stories. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

  • Google Earth

    A free 3D globe with high-resolution imagery, historical imagery layers and guided Voyager stories.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Google Earth.

  • Marble

    A KDE virtual globe and world atlas that zooms from a desktop globe to OpenStreetMap street level.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Marble is an open-source KDE virtual globe for desktop and Android that zooms to OpenStreetMap street level, without Google's high-resolution 3D imagery.

  • NASA Worldview

    A browser tool from NASA for exploring full-resolution daily satellite imagery of the whole globe.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

    NASA Worldview is a free browser tool focused on daily full-resolution satellite imagery by date, rather than a 3D globe with buildings and stories.

  • Copernicus Browser

    A web application for browsing, visualising and downloading imagery from all Copernicus satellite missions.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

    Copernicus Browser shows and downloads Copernicus satellite imagery with custom band visualisations and timelapses, aimed at Earth-observation users.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Google Earth as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Seterra

    A browser-based map quiz game for learning countries, capitals, flags and physical geography.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

    Google Earth offers a free 3D globe with imagery and Voyager stories for exploring geography, but it has no quizzes for memorising countries and capitals.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.

  • Google Maps

    Google's map and navigation service with live traffic, transit directions and Street View.

    FreeProprietaryAndroidiOSWeb

  • Bing Maps

    Microsoft's web map with driving, transit and walking directions, live traffic and aerial imagery.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

  • OpenHistoricalMap

    A collaborative interactive map of the world through history, edited by volunteers and public domain.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

  • QGIS

    A free and open-source desktop GIS for making maps, editing spatial data and running analysis.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

  • PeakFinder

    A web tool and app that identifies mountain peaks around a location in a 360-degree panorama.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

  • kepler.gl

    An open-source WebGL web application for visualizing and exploring large geospatial datasets.

    FreeOpen sourceWeb