# Earth vs Earth Maps

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Earth Maps at 79% against Earth's 48%. Earth Maps also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 321). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Earth sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Earth Maps sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Earth Maps holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 321 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Earth's written reviews are positive against 79% of Earth Maps's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Earth | Earth Maps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (321 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth/id1552347616/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-maps/id6444058891/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 321 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 47.7% of reviews | **78.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 179 MB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beidou Hanglu Technology Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549454215) | [FOXPOI PTE. LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1641489904) |

## What reviewers say

### Earth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth/id1552347616)

Explore a detailed 3D globe with satellite imagery and road navigation. Quickly locate points of interest by coordinates and view Earth's nightscape. Offers fast performance and extensive historical data for global exploration.

**Highlights:** 3D globe visualization, Satellite and road layers, Coordinate-based search, Night mode viewing, Satellite navigation with compass, Extensive historical imagery data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Earth Annual Membership | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent member of Earth | $16.99 | one-time |


### Earth Maps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-maps/id6444058891)

Explore Earth with high-definition satellite imagery and historical street views. This app offers a detailed 3D globe, allowing you to virtually travel the world and examine terrain, buildings, and roads with exceptional clarity. Discover places online without leaving your home.

**Highlights:** High-definition 3D globe, Historical street view, Latest satellite imagery, Measure area distance, Oriental compass function

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Week | $5.19 | one-time |
| month | $14.99 | one-time |
| year | $24.49 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $36.49 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Helpful for finding locations
- 👍 Useful for travel
- 👍 Excellent graphics
- 👍 Precise location information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy performance
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 💰 Paywall for historical imagery
- 💰 Too many ads
- 🤔 Not available in some countries

**Reported bugs**

- Historical imagery not loading
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- More frequent updates
- Improved historical imagery access


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Earth free?

Earth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Earth Maps free?

Earth Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Earth or Earth Maps?

Earth Maps is rated higher. Earth averages 4.5 out of 5 from 321 ratings, while Earth Maps averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do Earth or Earth Maps have ads?

Neither Earth nor Earth Maps shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Earth or Earth Maps?

Earth ships an update every 3 weeks, and Earth Maps every 3 weeks. Most recently, Earth was updated on September 22, 2026 and Earth Maps on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*