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Maritime · head to head

Harbour Assist vs ORBCOMM

Harbour Assist logo

Harbour Assist

Maritime

Marina, harbour and boatyard management software for United Kingdom and European operators

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ORBCOMM logo

ORBCOMM

Maritime

IoT solutions for maritime asset tracking

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Harbour Assist no pricing is published, and the mandatory setup and data migration fee means the first-year cost is materially above the recurring subscription, which is easy to miss when budgeting.; ORBCOMM satellite latency of approximately 600 milliseconds limits real-time applications
  • They diverge on capability: Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, ORBCOMM covers Satellite tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harbour Assist and ORBCOMM actually diverge.

Attributes where Harbour Assist and ORBCOMM differ
AttributeHarbour AssistORBCOMM
Starting priceOn request$25/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidSatellite, Web
FoundedUnknown1995

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 Harbour Assist

  • Berth and mooring management
  • Contracts and licences
  • Recurring invoicing
  • Customer portal
  • Boatyard work orders
  • Team tasking
  • Online reservations
  • Reporting

Only in ORBCOMM

  • Satellite tracking
  • Container monitoring
  • Cold chain monitoring
  • Fleet telematics
  • TMS systems
  • ERP platforms
  • Warehouse management
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Harbour Assist

  • A trust port managing several hundred moorings with annual licence renewals and arrears chasingnot ORBCOMM
  • A sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer recordnot ORBCOMM
  • A boatyard scheduling lifts and winter storage alongside berth contractsnot ORBCOMM
  • A harbour office cutting phone traffic by moving invoice payment and service requests to a customer portalnot ORBCOMM

ORBCOMM

  • Tracking shipping container temperatures for refrigerated cargonot Harbour Assist
  • Detecting vessel AIS spoofing to identify anomalous maritime activitynot Harbour Assist
  • Monitoring fuel consumption patterns across fleet operationsnot Harbour Assist
  • Screening shipments for sanctions compliance violationsnot Harbour Assist

Where each one falls short

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

Harbour Assist

  • No pricing is published, and the mandatory setup and data migration fee means the first-year cost is materially above the recurring subscription, which is easy to miss when budgeting.
  • The vendor explicitly does not discount, so a small harbour has no negotiating room even when the entry point is a stretch for its budget.
  • Ownership by ClearCourse, a private-equity-backed consolidator of vertical software, brings the pricing and roadmap risks that come with that model, and buyers should ask about uplift terms before committing.
  • It is built for United Kingdom and Irish harbour practice, so an operator elsewhere gets a system full of concepts that do not match local regulation.
  • There is no marketplace or booking demand attached, so unlike Dockwa it fills no berths for you; visitor income still depends on your own marketing.

ORBCOMM

  • Satellite latency of approximately 600 milliseconds limits real-time applications
  • Higher cost per message compared to terrestrial cellular IoT solutions
  • Coverage remains near-global rather than fully global in all remote regions

Pricing, plan by plan

Harbour Assist

On request
  • Harbour Assist$undefined/month
    • Quoted by size and complexity of the operation
    • Directory listings place the entry point near GBP 400 per month
    • Mandatory setup and installation fee covering customisation, data migration and training

ORBCOMM

$25/month
  • Fleet Manager$99/month
    • Real-time tracking
    • Geofencing
    • Reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Harbour Assist if

  • You need berth and mooring management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want contracts and licences.
Harbour Assist review

Choose ORBCOMM if

  • You need satellite tracking.
  • You work on Satellite, Web.
  • You also want container monitoring.
ORBCOMM review

Questions people ask

Is Harbour Assist or ORBCOMM better?
Neither clearly leads. Harbour Assist starts at On request and ORBCOMM at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harbour Assist or ORBCOMM?
Harbour Assist starts at On request and ORBCOMM at $25/month.
Does Harbour Assist or ORBCOMM run on more platforms?
Harbour Assist runs on Web, iOS, Android. ORBCOMM runs on Satellite, Web.
What is Harbour Assist best used for?
Harbour Assist is most often used for a trust port managing several hundred moorings with annual licence renewals and arrears chasing, a sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer record, a boatyard scheduling lifts and winter storage alongside berth contracts, a harbour office cutting phone traffic by moving invoice payment and service requests to a customer portal. Of those, a trust port managing several hundred moorings with annual licence renewals and arrears chasing and a sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer record are not what ORBCOMM is typically brought in for.
What can Harbour Assist do that ORBCOMM cannot?
Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Contracts and licences, Recurring invoicing, Customer portal. ORBCOMM covers Satellite tracking, Container monitoring, Cold chain monitoring, Fleet telematics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Harbour Assist: How much does Harbour Assist cost?

It is quoted by size and complexity. Directory listings put the entry point near 400 pounds a month, and every client also pays a setup fee for customisation, migration and training.

ORBCOMM: What is ORBCOMM's satellite coverage?

ORBCOMM's OGx service provides nearly global coverage across over 160 countries using a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites for two-way messaging and IoT data services.

Source
Harbour Assist: Does it bring visitor bookings?

No. It takes online visitor reservations through your own website but has no consumer marketplace, so demand generation remains your responsibility.

ORBCOMM: How does satellite IoT compare to cellular connectivity?

ORBCOMM satellite offers immunity from cellular blind spots, network outages, congestion, and weather-related disruptions. However, satellite connectivity introduces approximately 600 milliseconds of round-trip latency.

Source
Harbour Assist: Who owns it?

ClearCourse, a private-equity-backed group that acquires vertical software businesses in the United Kingdom.

ORBCOMM: What can ORBCOMM monitor in containers?

ORBCOMM's CT 1010 device provides sensor-based monitoring for container fire detection, unauthorized access alerts, damage detection, and asset visibility, with real-time satellite-based tracking.

Source
Harbour Assist: Does it handle swinging moorings and drying berths?

Yes, and that is one of the reasons British harbours choose it over marina software designed around American pontoon dockage.

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