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Maritime · head to head

Harbour Assist vs Spire Global Maritime

Harbour Assist logo

Harbour Assist

Maritime

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spire Global Maritime logo

Spire Global Maritime

Maritime

Satellite-powered maritime data and analytics

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.; Spire Global Maritime now part of Kpler rather than Spire, and spire.com/maritime redirects into the Kpler site
  • They diverge on capability: Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harbour Assist and Spire Global Maritime actually diverge.

Attributes where Harbour Assist and Spire Global Maritime differ
AttributeHarbour AssistSpire Global Maritime
Starting priceOn request$500/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidApi, Web
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 Spire Global Maritime

  • Satellite AIS tracking
  • Global coverage
  • Predictive analytics
  • Dark vessel detection
  • REST API
  • Streaming API
  • AWS S3
  • Snowflake

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 Spire Global Maritime
  • A sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer recordnot Spire Global Maritime
  • A boatyard scheduling lifts and winter storage alongside berth contractsnot Spire Global Maritime
  • A harbour office cutting phone traffic by moving invoice payment and service requests to a customer portalnot Spire Global Maritime

Spire Global Maritime

  • Satellite and terrestrial AIS vessel trackingnot Harbour Assist
  • Predicted destinations, ETAs and arrival eventsnot Harbour Assist
  • Historical AIS going back more than ten yearsnot Harbour Assist
  • Vessel particulars and ownership lookupsnot Harbour Assist
  • Sanctions and insurance screening against vessel movementsnot 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.

Spire Global Maritime

  • Now part of Kpler rather than Spire, and spire.com/maritime redirects into the Kpler site
  • Pricing is not published
  • Sold as a data feed to be consumed through APIs, Snowflake, NMEA streams or FTP, so it needs engineering work before it is useful

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

Spire Global Maritime

$500/month
  • Professional$2000/month
    • Low-latency data
    • Behavior analytics
    • Predictive ETAs

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 Spire Global Maritime if

  • You need satellite ais tracking.
  • You work on Api, Web.
  • You also want global coverage.
Spire Global Maritime review

Questions people ask

Is Harbour Assist or Spire Global Maritime better?
Neither clearly leads. Harbour Assist starts at On request and Spire Global Maritime at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harbour Assist or Spire Global Maritime?
Harbour Assist starts at On request and Spire Global Maritime at $500/month.
Does Harbour Assist or Spire Global Maritime run on more platforms?
Harbour Assist runs on Web, iOS, Android. Spire Global Maritime runs on Api, 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 Spire Global Maritime is typically brought in for.
What can Harbour Assist do that Spire Global Maritime cannot?
Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Contracts and licences, Recurring invoicing, Customer portal. Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking, Global coverage, Predictive analytics, Dark vessel detection.

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.

Spire Global Maritime: What maritime data does Spire Global provide?

Spire Global maritime services provide satellite-based vessel tracking and monitoring. The platform offers real-time data on ship locations, movements, and maritime activities for commercial and government use.

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.

Spire Global Maritime: How much does Spire Global Maritime cost?

Spire Global does not publish standard pricing for maritime data services. Pricing is determined based on data access level, update frequency, and specific use case. Customers should contact Spire directly for custom quotes.

Source
Harbour Assist: Who owns it?

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

Spire Global Maritime: What industries use Spire's maritime data?

Spire Global maritime data serves shipping companies, maritime insurance, government agencies, and maritime research organizations. The service supports vessel tracking, compliance monitoring, and maritime intelligence operations.

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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