Cesium ion: Tile, host and stream 3D geospatial content. Google Earth: Explore the world in 3D with satellite imagery.
| Cesium ion | Google Earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | 3D Cities & Digital Twins | 3D Cities & Digital Twins |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free |
| Starts at | See website | Free |
| Free tier | Free community plan | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Software licence | — | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Platforms | Web, API | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS |
| Made by | Cesium | |
| Commercial use | Check terms | Not allowed |
| Export / print images | Check terms | With conditions |
| Offline / caching | Check terms | Not allowed |
| Visits from MapTools | 2 | 4 |
| Visit | Visit |
Cesium ion features
- 3D Tiles conversion and hosting
- Global terrain and imagery
- Unreal and Unity plugins
- Point clouds and BIM
Google Earth features
- Global imagery and 3D
- Projects and placemarks
- KML import
- Historical imagery (Pro)
Commercial or promotional use of Google Earth imagery is prohibited. A handful of static images may be exported for non-commercial uses such as blogs or education, with attribution. Embedding Google Earth in websites or apps is not allowed.
Google Earth alternativesSummary based on public information. Check each provider's current pricing and terms.