Softwr

Maritime · head to head

Drewry vs MarineTraffic

Drewry logo

Drewry

Maritime

Maritime research and consulting

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MarineTraffic logo

MarineTraffic

Maritime

Global ship tracking intelligence

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MarineTraffic has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Drewry the World Container Index is described as free but still requires an account to read, and full access depends on subscription rights; MarineTraffic specific numeric prices for the Basic/Essential tiers are not published on a directly accessible page (plans pages are bot-protected)
  • They diverge on capability: Drewry covers Market research, MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Drewry and MarineTraffic actually diverge.

Attributes where Drewry and MarineTraffic differ
AttributeDrewryMarineTraffic
Starting price$1000/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, API
Founded19702007

Identical on both: 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 Drewry

  • Market research
  • Forecasting
  • Benchmarking
  • Advisory services
  • Data exports
  • Custom reports

Only in MarineTraffic

  • Real-time vessel tracking
  • Global AIS coverage
  • Voyage history
  • Port call data
  • ETA predictions
  • REST API
  • Google Earth
  • GIS systems

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Drewry

  • Tracking container freight rate movements through the weekly World Container Indexnot MarineTraffic
  • Supporting shipping and supply chain research with published rate assessmentsnot MarineTraffic

MarineTraffic

  • Real-time vessel trackingnot Drewry
  • Port call and ETA tracking for logisticsnot Drewry
  • Fleet monitoring for shipping and charteringnot Drewry
  • Maritime research and analytics via API feedsnot Drewry
  • Vessel and company database lookupsnot Drewry

Where each one falls short

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

Drewry

  • The World Container Index is described as free but still requires an account to read, and full access depends on subscription rights
  • No subscription price is published anywhere on the index pages
  • The container index publishes weekly, so it is not a source for daily rate movement

MarineTraffic

  • Specific numeric prices for the Basic/Essential tiers are not published on a directly accessible page (plans pages are bot-protected)
  • Enterprise tier is sales-assisted, quote-only
  • API access is credit-consumption based with cost varying by AIS data source and detail level, making cost opaque
  • Commercial API access now routes through parent company Kpler via demo request

Pricing, plan by plan

Drewry

$1000/month
  • Research Subscription$3000/month
    • Market reports
    • Forecasts
    • Data access

MarineTraffic

Free
  • Basic$undefined/mo
    • Free vessel tracking account
  • Essential$undefined/mo
    • Expanded tracking features
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Quote-only, sales-assisted

Which should you pick?

Choose Drewry if

  • You need market research.
  • You also want forecasting.
Drewry review

Choose MarineTraffic if

  • You need real-time vessel tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want global ais coverage.
MarineTraffic review

Questions people ask

Is Drewry or MarineTraffic better?
Neither clearly leads. Drewry starts at $1000/month and MarineTraffic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Drewry or MarineTraffic?
MarineTraffic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Drewry and Free for MarineTraffic.
Does Drewry or MarineTraffic run on more platforms?
Drewry runs on Web. MarineTraffic runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use MarineTraffic for free?
Yes. MarineTraffic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Drewry starts at $1000/month.
What is Drewry best used for?
Drewry is most often used for tracking container freight rate movements through the weekly world container index, supporting shipping and supply chain research with published rate assessments. Of those, tracking container freight rate movements through the weekly world container index and supporting shipping and supply chain research with published rate assessments are not what MarineTraffic is typically brought in for.
What can Drewry do that MarineTraffic cannot?
Drewry covers Market research, Forecasting, Benchmarking, Advisory services. MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, Global AIS coverage, Voyage history, Port call data. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Drewry: How much do Drewry subscriptions cost?

Drewry offers annual subscriptions for various services including Container Freight Rate Insight, Benchmarking Club, and forecasters. Specific pricing is not published and requires contacting Drewry directly.

Source
Drewry: Are Drewry services free?

Drewry offers free content to registered and logged-in users including the World Container Index, market trackers, and indices. Premium services require paid annual subscriptions.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Drewry

More on MarineTraffic

Keep looking

Other head to heads