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Maritime · head to head

Harbour Assist vs Weathernews Inc

Harbour Assist logo

Harbour Assist

Maritime

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Weathernews Inc logo

Weathernews Inc

Weather

Global weather solutions for shipping

From
$600/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.; Weathernews Inc primarily Japan-based with headquarters in Chiba, may have lower coverage in certain regional markets outside Asia
  • They diverge on capability: Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Weathernews Inc covers Optimum ship routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harbour Assist and Weathernews Inc actually diverge.

Attributes where Harbour Assist and Weathernews Inc differ
AttributeHarbour AssistWeathernews Inc
Starting priceOn request$600/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Api, Mobile
CategoryMaritimeWeather
FoundedUnknown1986

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Weathernews Inc

  • Optimum ship routing
  • Weather forecasting
  • Voyage planning
  • Risk assessment
  • Fleet management
  • Bridge systems
  • Navigation software
  • 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 Weathernews Inc
  • A sailing club combining membership, berthing and bar accounts under one customer recordnot Weathernews Inc
  • A boatyard scheduling lifts and winter storage alongside berth contractsnot Weathernews Inc
  • A harbour office cutting phone traffic by moving invoice payment and service requests to a customer portalnot Weathernews Inc

Weathernews Inc

  • Optimizing cargo ship navigation with real-time maritime weather forecastsnot Harbour Assist
  • Supporting offshore wind farm operations with 24-hour weather monitoringnot Harbour Assist
  • Providing exclusive wind data for commercial drone flight planningnot Harbour Assist
  • Routing emergency medical helicopters in Japan with weather intelligencenot 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.

Weathernews Inc

  • Primarily Japan-based with headquarters in Chiba, may have lower coverage in certain regional markets outside Asia
  • Marine weather data and aviation services are newer offerings compared to core weather forecasting capabilities
  • Competition from established European weather services in maritime sector

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

Weathernews Inc

$600/month
  • Optimum Routing$1500/month
    • Weather routing
    • Voyage optimization
    • 24/7 support

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 Weathernews Inc if

  • You need optimum ship routing.
  • You work on Web, Api, Mobile.
  • You also want weather forecasting.
Weathernews Inc review

Questions people ask

Is Harbour Assist or Weathernews Inc better?
Neither clearly leads. Harbour Assist starts at On request and Weathernews Inc at $600/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harbour Assist or Weathernews Inc?
Harbour Assist starts at On request and Weathernews Inc at $600/month.
Does Harbour Assist or Weathernews Inc run on more platforms?
Harbour Assist runs on Web, iOS, Android. Weathernews Inc runs on Web, Api, Mobile.
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 Weathernews Inc is typically brought in for.
What can Harbour Assist do that Weathernews Inc cannot?
Harbour Assist covers Berth and mooring management, Contracts and licences, Recurring invoicing, Customer portal. Weathernews Inc covers Optimum ship routing, Weather forecasting, Voyage planning, Risk assessment.

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.

Weathernews Inc: Does Weathernews provide marine weather data?

Yes. Weathernews provides wind, wave, current, sea ice, and typhoon information for global marine operations through its SeaNavigator platform, which launched SeaNavigator for Master in December 2025 with AI-assisted operations support.

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.

Weathernews Inc: What marine weather products does Weathernews offer?

Weathernews offers SeaNavigator Marine Weather Service, SeaNavigator for Master with conversational AI for captains, and marine data for Middle East waters made available free of charge in April 2026.

Source
Harbour Assist: Who owns it?

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

Weathernews Inc: Does Weathernews serve the aviation industry?

Yes. Weathernews expanded aviation services with the December 2025 launch of SkyAviators, offering Global Aviation Weather Intelligence with turbulence risk assessments and takeoff/landing feasibility judgments for airports worldwide.

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.

Weathernews Inc: What was Weathernews founded in response to?

Weathernews was founded on June 11, 1986 by Hiro Ishibashi in response to a tragic maritime disaster where a cargo vessel sank at the port of Onahama, Japan with 15 crew members lost, demonstrating the need for better weather information.

Source
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