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VNTG vs Google Earth
Last updated 2026-08-06
Google Earth is better for 3D terrain, global coverage and casual browsing. VNTG is better when you need the sharpest available image of one place, its capture date, and a georeferenced file you can use elsewhere. VNTG runs in a browser with no signup and no install.
Side by side
| Google Earth | VNTG | |
|---|---|---|
| Best resolution (Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland) | ~30 cm | 5–10 cm (national aerial surveys) |
| Global coverage | Excellent | Excellent (Esri/Sentinel-2 everywhere) |
| 3D terrain & buildings | Yes | No — straight-down 2D only |
| Capture date shown per point | Approximate | Yes, from Esri metadata |
| Historical imagery | Yes (desktop Pro) | Yes — every Esri release since 2014 |
| Latest satellite pass (days old) | No | Yes — live Sentinel-2 render |
| Live wildfire / weather / rain overlays | No | Yes (NASA FIRMS, GOES/Himawari, RainViewer) |
| Georeferenced download (GeoTIFF) | No | Yes — GeoTIFF or PNG + world file |
| Install required | Desktop app for Pro features | No — browser only |
| Price | Free | Free |
Which should you use?
Use Google Earth to explore and fly around in 3D. Use VNTG when the question is "what is the sharpest, most recent free image of this exact spot, when was it taken, and can I download it properly georeferenced?"
Open VNTG — it's free →