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Maritime · head to head

Baltic Exchange vs Harbour Assist

Baltic Exchange logo

Baltic Exchange

Maritime

Global shipping market benchmarks

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Harbour Assist logo

Harbour Assist

Maritime

Marina, harbour and boatyard management software for United Kingdom and European operators

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Baltic Exchange no pricing published on website, membership and data services require contacting the organization; Harbour Assist no pricing is published, and the mandatory setup and data migration fee means the first-year cost is materially above the recurring subscription, which is easy to miss when budgeting.
  • They diverge on capability: Baltic Exchange covers Freight indices, Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Baltic Exchange and Harbour Assist actually diverge.

Attributes where Baltic Exchange and Harbour Assist differ
AttributeBaltic ExchangeHarbour Assist
Starting price$500/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, iOS, Android
Founded1744Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maritime).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Baltic Exchange

  • Freight indices
  • Market assessments
  • Forward curves
  • Historical data
  • API
  • Data feeds
  • Trading platforms
  • Web support

Only in Harbour Assist

  • Berth and mooring management
  • Contracts and licences
  • Recurring invoicing
  • Customer portal
  • Boatyard work orders
  • Team tasking
  • Online reservations
  • Reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Baltic Exchange

  • Shipping market freight data and indicesnot Harbour Assist
  • Freight derivatives tradingnot Harbour Assist
  • Vessel investment decision makingnot Harbour Assist
  • Dry bulk and tanker rate assessmentsnot Harbour Assist
  • Container freight market analysisnot Harbour Assist

Harbour Assist

  • A trust port managing several hundred moorings with annual licence renewals and arrears chasingnot Baltic Exchange
  • A sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer recordnot Baltic Exchange
  • A boatyard scheduling lifts and winter storage alongside berth contractsnot Baltic Exchange
  • A harbour office cutting phone traffic by moving invoice payment and service requests to a customer portalnot Baltic Exchange

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Baltic Exchange

  • No pricing published on website, membership and data services require contacting the organization
  • Custom pricing based on organization type and data needs

Harbour Assist

  • No pricing is published, and the mandatory setup and data migration fee means the first-year cost is materially above the recurring subscription, which is easy to miss when budgeting.
  • The vendor explicitly does not discount, so a small harbour has no negotiating room even when the entry point is a stretch for its budget.
  • Ownership by ClearCourse, a private-equity-backed consolidator of vertical software, brings the pricing and roadmap risks that come with that model, and buyers should ask about uplift terms before committing.
  • It is built for United Kingdom and Irish harbour practice, so an operator elsewhere gets a system full of concepts that do not match local regulation.
  • There is no marketplace or booking demand attached, so unlike Dockwa it fills no berths for you; visitor income still depends on your own marketing.

Pricing, plan by plan

Baltic Exchange

$500/month
  • Data Services$1500/month
    • Freight indices
    • Market assessments
    • Historical data

Harbour Assist

On request
  • Harbour Assist$undefined/month
    • Quoted by size and complexity of the operation
    • Directory listings place the entry point near GBP 400 per month
    • Mandatory setup and installation fee covering customisation, data migration and training

Which should you pick?

Choose Baltic Exchange if

  • You need freight indices.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want market assessments.
Baltic Exchange review

Choose Harbour Assist if

  • You need berth and mooring management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want contracts and licences.
Harbour Assist review

Questions people ask

Is Baltic Exchange or Harbour Assist better?
Neither clearly leads. Baltic Exchange starts at $500/month and Harbour Assist at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Baltic Exchange or Harbour Assist?
Baltic Exchange starts at $500/month and Harbour Assist at On request.
Does Baltic Exchange or Harbour Assist run on more platforms?
Baltic Exchange runs on Web, Api. Harbour Assist runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Baltic Exchange best used for?
Baltic Exchange is most often used for shipping market freight data and indices, freight derivatives trading, vessel investment decision making, dry bulk and tanker rate assessments. Of those, shipping market freight data and indices and freight derivatives trading are not what Harbour Assist is typically brought in for.
What can Baltic Exchange do that Harbour Assist cannot?
Baltic Exchange covers Freight indices, Market assessments, Forward curves, Historical data. Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Contracts and licences, Recurring invoicing, Customer portal.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Baltic Exchange: How much does Baltic Exchange membership cost?

Baltic Exchange does not publish pricing on their website. Membership and data service pricing is customized and requires direct contact with the organization.

Source
Harbour Assist: How much does Harbour Assist cost?

It is quoted by size and complexity. Directory listings put the entry point near 400 pounds a month, and every client also pays a setup fee for customisation, migration and training.

Baltic Exchange: What services does Baltic Exchange provide?

Baltic Exchange provides shipping market data services including daily published indices (200+), freight derivatives trading facilities, member fixtures database, and analytical tools for shipping professionals.

Source
Harbour Assist: Does it bring visitor bookings?

No. It takes online visitor reservations through your own website but has no consumer marketplace, so demand generation remains your responsibility.

Harbour Assist: Who owns it?

ClearCourse, a private-equity-backed group that acquires vertical software businesses in the United Kingdom.

Harbour Assist: Does it handle swinging moorings and drying berths?

Yes, and that is one of the reasons British harbours choose it over marina software designed around American pontoon dockage.

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