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Maritime · head to head

Dockwa vs ZeroNorth

Dockwa logo

Dockwa

Maritime

Marina reservation, management and boater marketplace software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ZeroNorth logo

ZeroNorth

Maritime

Voyage optimisation, bunker procurement and emissions reporting for shipping, priced per vessel per module

From
On request
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.; ZeroNorth zeroNorth reported a net loss of roughly $65m for the 2024 financial year, deepening by around 57 per cent, so a multi-year fleet commitment should include contractual protection on continuity and pricing.
  • They diverge on capability: Dockwa covers Transient reservations, ZeroNorth covers Voyage optimisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dockwa and ZeroNorth actually diverge.

Attributes where Dockwa and ZeroNorth differ
AttributeDockwaZeroNorth
Pricing modelPer booking plus optional monthly modulesquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 ZeroNorth

  • Voyage optimisation
  • Bunker procurement
  • Bunker price intelligence
  • Emissions compliance
  • Vessel selection
  • Agentic voyage automation

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 ZeroNorth
  • A harbour replacing a paper ledger and phone-based reservation processnot ZeroNorth
  • A yacht club managing seasonal contracts and renewals alongside visitor dockagenot ZeroNorth
  • A marina group standardising slip assignment and occupancy reporting across sitesnot ZeroNorth

ZeroNorth

  • A tanker operator wanting speed decisions that account for the freight market rather than optimising fuel in isolationnot Dockwa
  • A bunker buyer testing supplier quotes against independent fair value pricing before fixing a stemnot Dockwa
  • An owner needing EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime reporting derived from the same voyage data that drives operational decisionsnot Dockwa
  • A charterer evaluating which vessel to take on a cargo based on projected voyage economics rather than on nominal specificationsnot Dockwa

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.

ZeroNorth

  • ZeroNorth reported a net loss of roughly $65m for the 2024 financial year, deepening by around 57 per cent, so a multi-year fleet commitment should include contractual protection on continuity and pricing.
  • The company consolidated operations during 2025, liquidating a Norwegian subsidiary, which is prudent cost control but means local presence and account continuity may not be what was originally sold.
  • Pricing is per vessel and per module, so the headline vessel figure understates the cost of an owner who wants voyage, bunker and emissions capability across a fleet.
  • Recommendation quality depends on the quality of noon reports and vessel data supplied, and an owner with poor reporting discipline will get poor optimisation regardless of the algorithms.
  • It sits between technical performance tools and chartering systems and fully replaces neither, so most owners run it alongside an existing voyage management system and pay for overlapping capability.

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

ZeroNorth

On request
  • ZeroNorth platform$undefined/year
    • Subscription per vessel and per module
    • Voyage optimisation, bunker and emissions modules priced separately
    • Multi-year agreements typical

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 ZeroNorth if

  • You need voyage optimisation.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want bunker procurement.
ZeroNorth review

Questions people ask

Is Dockwa or ZeroNorth better?
Neither clearly leads. Dockwa starts at On request and ZeroNorth at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dockwa or ZeroNorth?
Dockwa starts at On request and ZeroNorth at On request.
Does Dockwa or ZeroNorth run on more platforms?
Dockwa runs on Web, iOS, Android. ZeroNorth runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
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 ZeroNorth is typically brought in for.
What can Dockwa do that ZeroNorth cannot?
Dockwa covers Transient reservations, Seasonal contracts, Slip assignment, Boater marketplace. ZeroNorth covers Voyage optimisation, Bunker procurement, Bunker price intelligence, Emissions compliance.

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.

ZeroNorth: How is ZeroNorth priced?

Per vessel and per module on subscription, typically multi-year and quoted. Nothing is published.

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.

ZeroNorth: Is ZeroNorth financially stable?

It is well funded, raising $20m in February 2025, but reported a net loss of roughly $65m for 2024. Treat continuity terms as a contractual issue.

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.

ZeroNorth: Does it replace my voyage management system?

No. It complements commercial voyage management platforms; most owners run both and accept some overlap.

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.

ZeroNorth: Does it need onboard hardware?

No. It works from noon reports, AIS and existing vessel data feeds rather than requiring its own collection box.

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