Comparison

Google Maps vs Earth Maps

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Google Maps

Navigate your world with real-time traffic, turn-by-turn directions for driving, walking, cycling, and public transport. Discover millions of businesses and places with photos and reviews. Plan trips with Street View, Immersive View, and offline maps.

Highlights
  • Real-time GPS navigation
  • Live traffic data
  • Public transport updates
  • Business and place discovery
  • Street View and Immersive View
  • Offline maps
  • User reviews and photos
Features
Read full description

Explore and navigate the world with confidence using Google Maps. Find the best routes with live traffic data and real-time GPS navigation for driving, walking, cycling, and public transport. Discover over 250 million businesses and places - from restaurants and shops to everyday essentials – with photos, reviews, and helpful information. Navigate the world, the way you want: • Get to where you need to go with fuel-efficient route options • Find the best route with real-time, turn-by-turn voice, and on screen navigation • Save time with automatic rerouting based on live traffic, incidents, and road closures • Catch the bus, train, and ride-share effortlessly, with real-time updates • Find bike or scooter rentals to get around more easily Plan trips and experiences effortlessly: • Preview an area before you go (e.g. parking, entrances) with Street View • Use Immersive View to experience what landmarks, parks and routes look like, and even check the weather so you can be ready in advance • Create custom lists of your favorite saved places and share with others • Order delivery and takeout, make reservations, and book hotels • Don't get lost with offline maps in an area with bad signal • Search for local places and things to do, and decide based on user reviews and photos Discover and explore like a local: • Explore with confidence knowing 500 million users contribute and keep the map up to date each year • Avoid the crowds by seeing how busy a place is before you get there • Use Lens in Maps to see walking directions overlaid on the real world • Filter restaurants by cuisine, hours, price, rating and more • Ask questions about a place, from dishes to parking, and get quick answers Some features not available in all countries or cities Navigation isn't intended to be used by oversized or emergency vehicles

About

Earth Maps

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
Read full description

1. High-definition 3D globe 2. Load map tile data 3. Oriental compass function 4.historical street view 5.Measuring area distance 6.latest satellite imagery World Satellite Map allows you to view any place on Earth using photos taken from satellites. The advantage of the world satellite map over other maps is that the satellite map allows you to consider the surface terrain, forests, rivers, lakes, buildings, roads in sufficient detail with a high degree of detail. With satellite maps, you can travel the world online without leaving your phone. From world satellite map.

Screenshots

Google Maps4 screens
Earth Maps4 screens

Verdict

The call

Google Maps and Earth Maps both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of Earth Maps's written reviews are positive against 44% of Google Maps's. Earth Maps also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 16.0). Google Maps's advantage is ratings volume (7.4M vs 1.2K) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Google Maps sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $0.89 per month and Earth Maps sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Google Maps against 4.8 for Earth Maps. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Maps has 7.4M ratings behind it against 1.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Google Maps's written reviews are positive against 79% of Earth Maps's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Google Maps ships an update every 6 days, Earth Maps every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Google Maps versus Earth Maps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle MapsEarth Maps
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (7.4M ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.5% of reviews78.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.4M — better1.2K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.014.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size469 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoogleFOXPOI PTE. LTD.

Customer experience

Google Maps

All ratings7,375,894 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.7%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews8,919 reviews
Positive43.5%
Neutral6.2%
Negative50.3%

Earth Maps

All ratings1,150 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral1.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive78.8%
Neutral1.1%
Negative20.1%

User reviews

Google Maps

From 7.4M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate navigation
  • 👍 Helpful for travel and exploration
  • 💡 Useful for delivery drivers
  • 👍 Reliable traffic information

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable directions
  • 🔄 Constant rerouting without user consent
  • 🗺️ Inaccurate or outdated maps
  • 🚧 Dangerous routing suggestions
  • 🤔 Confusing interface changes

Earth Maps

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Google Maps

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to save/access favorite locations
  • Frequent crashes or freezes
  • Incorrect address/location detection
  • Voice navigation issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to avoid tolls or specify vehicle type
  • Ability to manually edit/update maps
  • Better integration with public transit
  • Improved offline functionality
  • More customization options for routes

Earth Maps

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Historical imagery not loading
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More frequent updates
  • Improved historical imagery access

In-app purchases

22 purchases

Google Maps

Subscriptions22
  • 30 GB$0.891 Month
  • 30 GB1 Month trial3 variants$0.891 Month
  • 100 GB2 variants$1.991 Month
Show 19 more
  • 100 GB1 Month trial2 variants$1.991 Month
  • 200 GB1 Month trial2 variants$2.991 Month
  • 200 GB2 variants$2.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (400 GB)2 variants$4.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)1 Month trial2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Google AI Pro (5 TB)$19.991 Month
  • 100 GB1 Year trial$19.991 Year
  • 100 GB1 Month trial$19.991 Year
  • 100 GB$19.991 Year
  • Google AI Pro (2 TB)$19.991 Month
  • 200 GB1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • 200 GB1 Month trial$29.991 Year
  • 200 GB$29.991 Year
  • 10 TB$49.991 Month
  • 2 TB1 Month trial$99.991 Year
  • 20 TB$99.991 Month
  • 2 TB1 Year trial$99.991 Year
  • Google AI Ultra (30 TB)2 variants$249.991 Month
4 purchases

Earth Maps

One-time4
  • Week$5.19
  • month$14.99
  • year$24.49
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime$36.49

Questions

Is Google Maps free?
Google Maps 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, Google Maps or Earth Maps?
Earth Maps is rated higher. Google Maps averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7.4M ratings, while Earth Maps averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Google Maps or Earth Maps have ads?
Google Maps shows ads; Earth Maps does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Maps or Earth Maps?
Google Maps ships an update every 6 days, and Earth Maps every 3 weeks. Most recently, Google Maps was updated on September 24, 2026 and Earth Maps on September 24, 2026.

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