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Maritime · head to head

Harbour Assist vs Q88

Harbour Assist logo

Harbour Assist

Maritime

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Q88 logo

Q88

Maritime

Tanker vessel information platform

From
$200/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.; Q88 the Internet Archive's capture of Q88 LLC's corporate homepage on 19 February 2016 stated Q88.com had 75% of the world-wide tanker industry onboard and served over 1,000 clients across four named products (Q88.com, Q88Dry.com, Milbros.com, Q88VMS.com), with no price figure published for any; this is a 2016 capture and figures are dated.
  • They diverge on capability: Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Q88 covers Vessel questionnaires.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harbour Assist and Q88 actually diverge.

Attributes where Harbour Assist and Q88 differ
AttributeHarbour AssistQ88
Starting priceOn request$200/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2001

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 Q88

  • Vessel questionnaires
  • Vetting support
  • Documentation management
  • Compliance tracking
  • Oil major systems
  • Chartering platforms
  • Fleet 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 Q88
  • A sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer recordnot Q88
  • A boatyard scheduling lifts and winter storage alongside berth contractsnot Q88
  • A harbour office cutting phone traffic by moving invoice payment and service requests to a customer portalnot Q88

Q88

No use cases recorded yet. See the Q88 review.

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.

Q88

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Q88 LLC's corporate homepage on 19 February 2016 stated Q88.com had 75% of the world-wide tanker industry onboard and served over 1,000 clients across four named products (Q88.com, Q88Dry.com, Milbros.com, Q88VMS.com), with no price figure published for any; this is a 2016 capture and figures are dated.

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

Q88

$200/month
  • Vessel Manager$500/month
    • Q88 questionnaires
    • Vessel profiles
    • Documentation

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 Q88 if

  • You need vessel questionnaires.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want vetting support.
Q88 review

Questions people ask

Is Harbour Assist or Q88 better?
Neither clearly leads. Harbour Assist starts at On request and Q88 at $200/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harbour Assist or Q88?
Harbour Assist starts at On request and Q88 at $200/month.
Does Harbour Assist or Q88 run on more platforms?
Harbour Assist runs on Web, iOS, Android. Q88 runs on Web, Api.
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 Q88 is typically brought in for.
What can Harbour Assist do that Q88 cannot?
Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Contracts and licences, Recurring invoicing, Customer portal. Q88 covers Vessel questionnaires, Vetting support, Documentation management, Compliance tracking.

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.

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.

Harbour Assist: Who owns it?

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

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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