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Maritime · head to head

Dockwa vs Shone

Dockwa logo

Dockwa

Maritime

Marina reservation, management and boater marketplace software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

Shone

Maritime

AI-powered autonomous shipping technology

From
$3000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dockwa the marina absorbs the transaction cost because Dockwa forbids charging boaters more for booking through the platform, so roughly three and a half per cent of dockage revenue comes off the marina margin.; Shone shone Automation was acquired by Bedrock Ocean Exploration in April 2022 and the product is no longer sold under the Shone name
  • They diverge on capability: Dockwa covers Transient reservations, Shone covers Autonomous navigation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dockwa and Shone actually diverge.

Attributes where Dockwa and Shone differ
AttributeDockwaShone
Starting priceOn request$3000/month
Pricing modelPer booking plus optional monthly modulessubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidMaritime vessels
FoundedUnknown2017

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 Dockwa

  • Transient reservations
  • Seasonal contracts
  • Slip assignment
  • Boater marketplace
  • Integrated payments
  • Guest communication
  • Occupancy reporting
  • Revenue management module

Only in Shone

  • Autonomous navigation
  • Collision avoidance
  • Sensor fusion
  • Decision support
  • Bridge systems
  • ECDIS
  • Radar
  • AIS

What people use each for

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

Dockwa

  • A transient-heavy marina on a popular cruising route wanting booking demand as well as softwarenot Shone
  • A harbour replacing a paper ledger and phone-based reservation processnot Shone
  • A yacht club managing seasonal contracts and renewals alongside visitor dockagenot Shone
  • A marina group standardising slip assignment and occupancy reporting across sitesnot Shone

Shone

No use cases recorded yet. See the Shone review.

Where each one falls short

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

Dockwa

  • The marina absorbs the transaction cost because Dockwa forbids charging boaters more for booking through the platform, so roughly three and a half per cent of dockage revenue comes off the marina margin.
  • Pricing has shifted from purely transactional toward an annual software fee plus transaction costs, which changes the economics for marinas that signed on the original basis.
  • The revenue management and premium capability sits behind an extra monthly subscription of a few hundred dollars, so the useful version of the product is not the entry-level one.
  • Demand is heavily concentrated in North American cruising corridors; a marina elsewhere pays marketplace economics for software-only benefit.
  • A marina that comes to rely on Dockwa for occupancy has handed its customer relationship and its booking channel to a third party, which is a real strategic dependency in a fragmented industry.

Shone

  • Shone Automation was acquired by Bedrock Ocean Exploration in April 2022 and the product is no longer sold under the Shone name
  • shone.io no longer resolves

Pricing, plan by plan

Dockwa

On request
  • Booking$undefined/month
    • Around 2.5% card processing plus roughly 1% service fee on platform bookings
    • Reservation management and slip assignment
    • Boater marketplace exposure
  • Premium modules$299/month
    • Additional monthly subscription on top of transaction fees
    • Revenue management and dynamic dockage pricing
    • Extended reporting

Shone

$3000/month
  • Professional$8000/month
    • Autonomous navigation
    • Collision avoidance
    • Bridge integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Dockwa if

  • You need transient reservations.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want seasonal contracts.
Dockwa review

Choose Shone if

  • You need autonomous navigation.
  • You work on Maritime vessels.
  • You also want collision avoidance.
Shone review

Questions people ask

Is Dockwa or Shone better?
Neither clearly leads. Dockwa starts at On request and Shone at $3000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dockwa or Shone?
Dockwa starts at On request and Shone at $3000/month.
Does Dockwa or Shone run on more platforms?
Dockwa runs on Web, iOS, Android. Shone runs on Maritime vessels.
What is Dockwa best used for?
Dockwa is most often used for a transient-heavy marina on a popular cruising route wanting booking demand as well as software, a harbour replacing a paper ledger and phone-based reservation process, a yacht club managing seasonal contracts and renewals alongside visitor dockage, a marina group standardising slip assignment and occupancy reporting across sites. Of those, a transient-heavy marina on a popular cruising route wanting booking demand as well as software and a harbour replacing a paper ledger and phone-based reservation process are not what Shone is typically brought in for.
What can Dockwa do that Shone cannot?
Dockwa covers Transient reservations, Seasonal contracts, Slip assignment, Boater marketplace. Shone covers Autonomous navigation, Collision avoidance, Sensor fusion, Decision support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dockwa: What does Dockwa cost a marina?

Around 2.5 per cent card processing plus roughly 1 per cent service fee on bookings taken through the platform, with premium modules such as revenue management sold as an additional monthly subscription near 299 dollars.

Shone: What does Shone's autonomous technology do?

Shone retrofits ships with autonomous technologies to improve safety, security and crew quality of life. The system provides assistance through situational awareness and course recommendations, which reduces watchkeeper fatigue and helps prevent accidents.

Source
Dockwa: Does the boater pay a fee?

No. Dockwa requires that boaters pay the same rate through the app as they would by calling the marina, so the cost sits with the marina.

Shone: How does Shone detect surrounding vessels?

Shone's proprietary detection algorithm is based on data gathered from ship sensors including AIS, radar and GPS, with additional cameras installed on board for computer vision capabilities.

Source
Dockwa: Is it worth it outside the north east and Florida?

Less so. The software works anywhere but the demand side is concentrated, so marinas in thinner markets pay marketplace pricing for management software.

Dockwa: Can it handle seasonal contracts as well as transients?

Yes, both seasonal slip agreements and nightly transient dockage are managed in the same system.

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