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Maritime · head to head

FleetMon vs Helm Operations

F

FleetMon

Maritime

Track ships and manage fleets worldwide

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Helm Operations logo

Helm Operations

Maritime

Dispatch, maintenance, compliance and crewing software built for tug, barge and workboat fleets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only FleetMon has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: FleetMon service discontinued in January 2024 and fully phased out with transition to MarineTraffic; Helm Operations the product is built for workboat and towage operations, so a deep-sea owner running bulkers or tankers gets no chartering, voyage accounting or cargo handling and should not shortlist it.
  • They diverge on capability: FleetMon covers Global vessel tracking, Helm Operations covers Dispatch.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FleetMon and Helm Operations actually diverge.

Attributes where FleetMon and Helm Operations differ
AttributeFleetMonHelm Operations
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2007Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 FleetMon

  • Global vessel tracking
  • Fleet management
  • Port statistics
  • Voyage tracking
  • REST API
  • Webhooks
  • Data exports
  • Web support

Only in Helm Operations

  • Dispatch
  • Job billing
  • Planned maintenance
  • Compliance and safety
  • Crew scheduling
  • Customer portal
  • Vessel applications
  • Reporting

What people use each for

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

FleetMon

No use cases recorded yet. See the FleetMon review.

Helm Operations

  • A harbour towage company that dispatches dozens of jobs a day and wants invoices generated from the dispatch recordnot FleetMon
  • A barge operator tracking maintenance and certificates across assets that rarely visit the same port twicenot FleetMon
  • A ferry or passenger vessel fleet that must evidence drills, audits and crew certification to a regulatornot FleetMon
  • An offshore support operator replacing a mixture of spreadsheets, whiteboards and an accounting packagenot FleetMon

Where each one falls short

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

FleetMon

  • Service discontinued in January 2024 and fully phased out with transition to MarineTraffic
  • Free tier coverage was limited compared to premium plans requiring subscription fees
  • Data gaps in regions with poor terrestrial AIS infrastructure before satellite coverage was added

Helm Operations

  • The product is built for workboat and towage operations, so a deep-sea owner running bulkers or tankers gets no chartering, voyage accounting or cargo handling and should not shortlist it.
  • Modules are licensed separately, so the figure quoted for dispatch alone is not the figure a fleet ends up paying once maintenance, compliance and crewing are included.
  • There is no financial ledger, so job costs and payroll still post into a separate accounting system, and maintaining that interface is an ongoing task for the customer.
  • Vessel applications sync rather than run fully offline indefinitely, so boats operating with poor connectivity see a lag between what the crew recorded and what the dispatcher can see.
  • The company does not disclose its ownership publicly and is comparatively small, which leaves a fleet that standardises on Helm carrying concentration risk it cannot fully assess.

Pricing, plan by plan

FleetMon

Free
  • Professional$19/month
    • Unlimited fleet tracking
    • API access
    • Historical data

Helm Operations

On request
  • Helm platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted by fleet size and modules taken
    • Maintenance, Compliance, Logistics, Personnel and Portal licensed separately
    • Implementation and data migration quoted as services

Which should you pick?

Choose FleetMon if

  • You need global vessel tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want fleet management.
FleetMon review

Choose Helm Operations if

  • You need dispatch.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want job billing.
Helm Operations review

Questions people ask

Is FleetMon or Helm Operations better?
Neither clearly leads. FleetMon starts at Free and Helm Operations at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FleetMon or Helm Operations?
FleetMon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FleetMon and On request for Helm Operations.
Does FleetMon or Helm Operations run on more platforms?
FleetMon runs on Web, Ios, Android. Helm Operations runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use FleetMon for free?
Yes. FleetMon has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Helm Operations starts at On request.
What can FleetMon do that Helm Operations cannot?
FleetMon covers Global vessel tracking, Fleet management, Port statistics, Voyage tracking. Helm Operations covers Dispatch, Job billing, Planned maintenance, Compliance and safety.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FleetMon: Does FleetMon work globally?

FleetMon had access to positions from both terrestrial AIS receiver stations and satellite AIS through partnership with exactEarth, providing undelayed signals from its network combined with global space-based tracking.

Source
Helm Operations: Does Helm handle chartering or voyage accounting?

No. It models dispatched jobs, not voyages, and has no commercial chartering capability.

FleetMon: What happened to FleetMon after 2024?

FleetMon was phased out from January 2024 as part of its integration into MarineTraffic following Kpler's acquisition of both platforms in March 2023. The FleetMon brand no longer accepts new registrations or offers new services.

Source
Helm Operations: Will it work for a deep-sea fleet?

Poorly. The functional design assumes short repeated jobs on tugs, barges and workboats.

FleetMon: Could you track individual vessels in real-time with FleetMon?

Yes, FleetMon Explorer provided live AIS vessel tracking with filtering by vessel class, flag, length, speed, navigational status and signal age, enabling real-time monitoring of individual ships from a global overview to single vessel level.

Source
Helm Operations: Does it include accounting?

No. It produces invoices and job costs and passes them to a separate accounting system.

FleetMon: What was the starting price for FleetMon Explorer?

FleetMon Explorer pricing started at €54 per month, with subscription plans offering varying levels of access including free basic plans and paid tiers with additional features like historical tracking up to three years back.

Source
Helm Operations: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by fleet size and by which of the five modules are licensed.

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