Based on ground-based aerosol optical property observations from the Central China Comprehensive Experimental Site and Aerosol Robotic Network, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) products between January 2016 and February 2020 over East China were evaluated and compared on both regional and site scales. In addition, the relationship between the retrieval error and season, the Ångström exponent, and real AOD values was investigated. The results revealed that on the regional scale, the Deep Blue (DB) algorithm outperformed Dark Target (DT) for all three platforms of Terra/Aqua MODIS and NPP VIIRS (with 57%, 57%, and 70%, respectively, of collocations falling within the expected error range), yet the MODIS DB AOD failed to reach a satisfactory result of at least 67% matchups falling within the expected error range. On the site scale, the VIIRS DB aerosol products were the best over most cropland sites. The AOD retrieval errors at some cropland sites exhibited seasonal patterns, which might be related to field burning events and long-distance transport. The results indicate that the DT algorithm of both MODIS 10-km AOD and VIIRS products over croplands in East China needs further improvement.