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Maritime · head to head

Harbour Assist vs Sofar Ocean

Harbour Assist logo

Harbour Assist

Maritime

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sofar Ocean logo

Sofar Ocean

Maritime

Ocean data and weather routing platform

From
$500/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.; Sofar Ocean sensor data accuracy depends on global buoy network coverage which may vary in some regions
  • They diverge on capability: Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Sofar Ocean covers Weather routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harbour Assist and Sofar Ocean actually diverge.

Attributes where Harbour Assist and Sofar Ocean differ
AttributeHarbour AssistSofar Ocean
Starting priceOn request$500/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2012

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 Sofar Ocean

  • Weather routing
  • Ocean data analytics
  • Voyage optimization
  • Fuel savings calculations
  • Navigation systems
  • Fleet management
  • Weather APIs
  • 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 Sofar Ocean
  • A sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer recordnot Sofar Ocean
  • A boatyard scheduling lifts and winter storage alongside berth contractsnot Sofar Ocean
  • A harbour office cutting phone traffic by moving invoice payment and service requests to a customer portalnot Sofar Ocean

Sofar Ocean

  • Ocean data and marine sciencenot 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.

Sofar Ocean

  • Sensor data accuracy depends on global buoy network coverage which may vary in some regions
  • Route optimization requires stable internet connection for real-time data access

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

Sofar Ocean

$500/month
  • Wayfinder$1500/month
    • Weather routing
    • Voyage optimization
    • Ocean data

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 Sofar Ocean if

  • You need weather routing.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want ocean data analytics.
Sofar Ocean review

Questions people ask

Is Harbour Assist or Sofar Ocean better?
Neither clearly leads. Harbour Assist starts at On request and Sofar Ocean at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harbour Assist or Sofar Ocean?
Harbour Assist starts at On request and Sofar Ocean at $500/month.
Does Harbour Assist or Sofar Ocean run on more platforms?
Harbour Assist runs on Web, iOS, Android. Sofar Ocean 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 Sofar Ocean is typically brought in for.
What can Harbour Assist do that Sofar Ocean cannot?
Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Contracts and licences, Recurring invoicing, Customer portal. Sofar Ocean covers Weather routing, Ocean data analytics, Voyage optimization, Fuel savings calculations.

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.

Sofar Ocean: What does Sofar Ocean's Wayfinder platform do?

Wayfinder is a real-time, data-powered route optimization platform that uses Sofar's ocean sensor network and vessel performance models to improve maritime route efficiency. Customers see average fuel savings of 6.9% per voyage.

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.

Sofar Ocean: How does Sofar Ocean collect ocean data?

Sofar operates the world's largest real-time ocean data platform using a global network of spotter buoys deployed across half the world's oceans to provide accurate weather forecasts and marine data.

Source
Harbour Assist: Who owns it?

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

Sofar Ocean: Does Sofar Ocean work with government agencies?

Yes. Sofar Ocean signed a five-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command's Fleet Weather Centers in Norfolk, Virginia.

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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