Moving mission planning off Google Earth Pro
Last updated 22 October 2026
Google has announced that Google Earth Pro desktop downloads end on 25 June 2027. Copies already installed keep working, but new machines cannot get it. Many teams use Google Earth Pro to draw mission plans and share them as KML files. Vector does the same job in the browser, with the whole team editing one plan at once, and imports the KML files you already have.
What changes when you move to Vector
- One shared plan instead of KML files sent back and forth: everyone edits at the same time and sees who changed what.
- 3D terrain you can tilt and turn, like Google Earth, and drawing in 3D.
- Weather, airspace, line of sight and viewshed on the same map.
- The plan on every phone, working with no signal (Pro).
- Nothing to install: it runs in the browser on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Bringing your files
Import your KML files into a mission. Plans export as KML and GeoJSON again, so they still open in Google Earth and in GIS tools.
When Vector is not the right replacement
If you use Google Earth Pro for GIS work, such as large datasets, surveying or analysis of your own data layers, a GIS such as QGIS is a better fit. Vector is for teams that plan missions on a map together.
Price
Free costs nothing. Pro is EUR 6 per user a month, or EUR 60 a year, and every new account gets 14 days of Pro. Command is for whole organisations, by contract.
Questions
- Is Google Earth Pro shutting down?
- Not on 25 June 2027. That is when new downloads end; Google says installed copies keep working. The problem is that a new or replaced computer can no longer get it.
- Can Vector open my Google Earth KML files?
- Yes. Import a KML file into a mission on any plan, including Free.