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Maritime & Shipping · head to head

FourKites vs MarineTraffic

FourKites logo

FourKites

Maritime & Shipping

Real-time supply chain visibility

From
$2000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MarineTraffic logo

MarineTraffic

Maritime & Shipping

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: FourKites fourKites uses an Outcome-as-a-Service model with no per-seat pricing published; all pricing requires talking to an Outcome Advisor; 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: FourKites covers Real-time tracking, MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FourKites and MarineTraffic actually diverge.

Attributes where FourKites and MarineTraffic differ
AttributeFourKitesMarineTraffic
Starting price$2000/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
Founded20142007

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maritime & Shipping).

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 FourKites

  • Real-time tracking
  • Predictive ETAs
  • Exception alerts
  • Yard management
  • TMS platforms
  • ERP systems
  • WMS
  • Api support

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
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

FourKites

No use cases recorded yet. See the FourKites review.

MarineTraffic

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

Where each one falls short

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

FourKites

  • FourKites uses an Outcome-as-a-Service model with no per-seat pricing published; all pricing requires talking to an Outcome Advisor

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

FourKites

$2000/month
  • Professional$5000/month
    • Multi-modal tracking
    • Predictive ETAs
    • Analytics

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 FourKites if

  • You need real-time tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want predictive etas.
FourKites 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 FourKites or MarineTraffic better?
Neither clearly leads. FourKites starts at $2000/month and MarineTraffic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FourKites or MarineTraffic?
MarineTraffic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2000/month for FourKites and Free for MarineTraffic.
Does FourKites or MarineTraffic run on more platforms?
FourKites runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. 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. FourKites starts at $2000/month.
What can FourKites do that MarineTraffic cannot?
FourKites covers Real-time tracking, Predictive ETAs, Exception alerts, Yard management. MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, Global AIS coverage, Voyage history, Port call data. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
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