Google Earth Pro is Now Free, Still Useful for Sports Fans

By now there aren’t too many people who haven’t used Google Earth in some capacity. From looking up your house to checking out different monuments or landmarks, Google Earth has been a great and fun addition to the world. Until recently there was a Google Earth Pro edition, going for a pricey $399.00 per year, an option that generally only businesses took advantage of. The Pro version is now available for free as a download with the activation code GEPFREE. Though the lined URL does say free trial, the site itself notes signup, aka payment, is no longer required and shows the free code.

We’ll be taking a closer look at the downloaded version and highlighting some features that the free Google Earth didn’t have. Let’s take a look at Wrigley Field. It’s notorious for almost zero parking — and if you plan to visit, the official site strongly encourages public transit rather driving there yourself — something even the free version of Google Earth shows.

If you’re having a hard time picking out parking, it’d be hard to blame you. While both versions show the Free Parking for nights and weekend games, only the Pro version displays other lots (however the Purple, Brown and Irving Lots).

Maybe instead of visiting for a game, you’re interesting in moving to Wrigleyville (or wherever) and are interested in the local demographics. The data is from 2011, but does have the option to show the 2016 projected information on things ranging from income, age, gender, education and marital status.

Other options the Pro edition offer is the ability to print pictures at an impressive 4,800 x 3,200 resolution as well as making movies at 1,920 x 1,080. For the true nerds, the Pro also allows spreadsheet imports of up to 2,500 different addresses to get a wide swath of any neighborhood. From planning a trip to moving to a new neighborhood to making a movie of all the places you want to visit, Google Earth Pro’s new price makes it absolutely worth downloading.