Cesium ion: Tile, host and stream 3D geospatial content. Google Maps Platform: Google's maps, places, routes and 3D tiles APIs.
| Cesium ion | Google Maps Platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | 3D Cities & Digital Twins | Basemaps & Map Tiles |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Starts at | See website | See website |
| Free tier | Free community plan | Monthly free usage per API (see current pricing) |
| Open source | No | No |
| Software licence | — | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, API | Web, JavaScript, iOS, Android, API |
| Made by | Cesium | |
| Commercial use | Check terms | Paid plan |
| Export / print images | Check terms | Not allowed |
| Offline / caching | Check terms | Not allowed |
| Visits from MapTools | 2 | 7 |
| Visit | Visit |
Cesium ion features
- 3D Tiles conversion and hosting
- Global terrain and imagery
- Unreal and Unity plugins
- Point clouds and BIM
Google Maps Platform features
- Maps JavaScript API and mobile SDKs
- Places, Geocoding and Routes APIs
- Photorealistic 3D Tiles
- Map styling
- Street View
Paying for the API grants online display rights, not download rights. Content may not be pre-fetched, stored or cached except where the terms allow, and offline use is prohibited. Place IDs may be stored. Google Maps content must not be shown on a non-Google map.
Google Maps Platform alternativesSummary based on public information. Check each provider's current pricing and terms.