GlobeViewer vs GPlates
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GlobeViewer
Explore Earth with a high-resolution 3D globe and topography maps. View surface, underwater, and topographical details, with real-time event overlays. Access extensive geographical data for offline use.
- Interactive 3D globe
- High-resolution topography maps
- Surface and underwater views
- Real-time event overlays
- Offline data caching
- Extensive place names and geographical features
Read full descriptionHide full description
GlobeViewer is a high resolution 3D terrestrial globe with topography and surface maps. This app enables a high-quality view of the surface of our blue planet. It is divided into two areas: the rotatable, global view as an interactive globe and a high-resolution 3D map representation of the Earth's topography. - Interactive 3D globe with surface, underwater and topography maps - High-resolution 3D topography map set of the entire Earth's surface - divided into 22,912 individual tiles. You can load 110 different regions onto the interactive globe, which then present the many individual tiles in a meaningful, connected way and reload them automatically. The app initially only contains the textures for the globe in low resolution. All required downloads are automatically loaded from our server. A total of around 105 GB of data is available. The data remains in the cache on your device for offline use, but can be deleted at any time in the main menu. Furthermore, all events recorded by the GDACS, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, etc., are entered on the globe. The 3D topography map is based on the elevation data from the NASA Terra probe, which recorded 83° of the northern and southern hemispheres between 2000 and 2013 - this is the result of the ASTER3-DEM. With version 0.10.0, the map is enriched with around 7.5 million place names from geonames.org. This means that all the towns, mountains, lakes, deserts and many other geographical features entered there are shown on the map. From version 0.12.0, data from OpenStreetMaps (buildings, borders, streets...) is also available on the tiles - but only for the demos and the purchased maps. Use the tutorial in the app to get started quickly or read the manual to find out which functions are included in this app. Since the app is still under development, some functions may still change. We hope you enjoy using GlobeViewer!
GPlates
Explore Earth's geological history by reconstructing and visualizing spatial data through geological time. This tool offers an intuitive interface for students, teachers, researchers, and enthusiasts to understand our planet's evolution.
- Reconstruct spatial data
- Visualize geological time
- Intuitive interface
- Explore Earth's history
- Plate reconstruction software
Read full descriptionHide full description
The GPlates App is a powerful tool designed to enable users to reconstruct and visualise spatial data through geological time. Built on top of the acclaimed plate reconstruction software, GPlates, the App benefits from the feature-rich web APIs and the flexible software architecture of its underlying technology. With its intuitive interface and advanced capabilities, the GPlates App is an invaluable tool for anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the Earth's geological history. Whether you are a student, teacher, researcher, or just a curious enthusiast, the GPlates App is the perfect tool to explore our ever-evolving planet.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: GlobeViewer at 3.4 against GPlates's 2.7. GlobeViewer also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). GPlates's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. GlobeViewer sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. GPlates asks for nothing beyond the download.
GlobeViewer holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of GlobeViewer's written reviews are positive against 44% of GPlates's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
GlobeViewer ships an update every 6 weeks, GPlates every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on August 14, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GlobeViewer | GPlates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (5 ratings) — better | 2.7 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 44.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 236 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RAB-Software | Xiaodong Qin |
Customer experience
GlobeViewer
GPlates
In-app purchases
GlobeViewer
- 4K & Polar Regions$0.99
- 4K & South America$2.99
- 4K & Pacific$2.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- 4K & Japan/Korea/Taiwan$2.99
- 8K & North America$4.99
- 8K & Australia$4.99
- 8K & China$4.99
- 8K & Russia$4.99
- 8K & Europe$4.99
- 8K Pass$8.99
- Professional Version$14.99
GPlates
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GlobeViewer free?
Is GPlates free?
Which has better reviews, GlobeViewer or GPlates?
Do GlobeViewer or GPlates have ads?
Which is updated more often, GlobeViewer or GPlates?
Other comparisons















