Software · head to head
Clarksons vs Spire Global Maritime
Clarksons
Software
World's leading shipbroker and data provider
- From
- $3000/month
- Rated
- -
Spire Global Maritime
Software
Satellite-powered maritime data and analytics
- From
- $500/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Clarksons uK government contract award notice on find-tender.service.gov.uk shows a Clarkson Research Services Limited data subscription contract valued at 6,500 GBP excluding VAT (7,800 GBP including VAT) for the period 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026; Spire Global Maritime now part of Kpler rather than Spire, and spire.com/maritime redirects into the Kpler site
- They diverge on capability: Clarksons covers Market intelligence, Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Clarksons and Spire Global Maritime actually diverge.
| Attribute | Clarksons | Spire Global Maritime |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $3000/month | $500/month |
| Platforms | Web, Api | Api, Web |
| Founded | 1852 | 2012 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Clarksons
- Market intelligence
- Fleet database
- Freight rates
- Research reports
- API
- Excel add-in
- Data exports
Only in Spire Global Maritime
- Satellite AIS tracking
- Global coverage
- Predictive analytics
- Dark vessel detection
- REST API
- Streaming API
- AWS S3
- Snowflake
Both cover
- Web support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Clarksons
No use cases recorded yet. See the Clarksons review.
Spire Global Maritime
- Satellite and terrestrial AIS vessel trackingnot Clarksons
- Predicted destinations, ETAs and arrival eventsnot Clarksons
- Historical AIS going back more than ten yearsnot Clarksons
- Vessel particulars and ownership lookupsnot Clarksons
- Sanctions and insurance screening against vessel movementsnot Clarksons
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Clarksons
- UK government contract award notice on find-tender.service.gov.uk shows a Clarkson Research Services Limited data subscription contract valued at 6,500 GBP excluding VAT (7,800 GBP including VAT) for the period 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026
Spire Global Maritime
- Now part of Kpler rather than Spire, and spire.com/maritime redirects into the Kpler site
- Pricing is not published
- Sold as a data feed to be consumed through APIs, Snowflake, NMEA streams or FTP, so it needs engineering work before it is useful
Pricing, plan by plan
Clarksons
$3000/month- Shipping Intelligence Network$5000/month
- Market data
- Fleet database
- Research reports
Spire Global Maritime
$500/month- Professional$2000/month
- Low-latency data
- Behavior analytics
- Predictive ETAs
Which should you pick?
Choose Clarksons if
- You need market intelligence.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want fleet database.
Choose Spire Global Maritime if
- You need satellite ais tracking.
- You work on Api, Web.
- You also want global coverage.
Questions people ask
- Is Clarksons or Spire Global Maritime better?
- Neither clearly leads. Clarksons starts at $3000/month and Spire Global Maritime at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Clarksons or Spire Global Maritime?
- Clarksons starts at $3000/month and Spire Global Maritime at $500/month.
- Does Clarksons or Spire Global Maritime run on more platforms?
- Clarksons runs on Web, Api. Spire Global Maritime runs on Api, Web.
- What can Clarksons do that Spire Global Maritime cannot?
- Clarksons covers Market intelligence, Fleet database, Freight rates, Research reports. Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking, Global coverage, Predictive analytics, Dark vessel detection. Both handle Web support, Api support.