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Maritime · head to head

Helm Operations vs Q88

Helm Operations logo

Helm Operations

Maritime

Dispatch, maintenance, compliance and crewing software built for tug, barge and workboat fleets

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: Helm Operations the product is built for workboat and towage operations, so a deep-sea owner running bulkers or tankers gets no chartering, voyage accounting or cargo handling and should not shortlist it.; 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: Helm Operations covers Dispatch, Q88 covers Vessel questionnaires.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helm Operations and Q88 actually diverge.

Attributes where Helm Operations and Q88 differ
AttributeHelm OperationsQ88
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 Helm Operations

  • Dispatch
  • Job billing
  • Planned maintenance
  • Compliance and safety
  • Crew scheduling
  • Customer portal
  • Vessel applications
  • 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.

Helm Operations

  • A harbour towage company that dispatches dozens of jobs a day and wants invoices generated from the dispatch recordnot Q88
  • A barge operator tracking maintenance and certificates across assets that rarely visit the same port twicenot Q88
  • A ferry or passenger vessel fleet that must evidence drills, audits and crew certification to a regulatornot Q88
  • An offshore support operator replacing a mixture of spreadsheets, whiteboards and an accounting packagenot 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.

Helm Operations

  • The product is built for workboat and towage operations, so a deep-sea owner running bulkers or tankers gets no chartering, voyage accounting or cargo handling and should not shortlist it.
  • Modules are licensed separately, so the figure quoted for dispatch alone is not the figure a fleet ends up paying once maintenance, compliance and crewing are included.
  • There is no financial ledger, so job costs and payroll still post into a separate accounting system, and maintaining that interface is an ongoing task for the customer.
  • Vessel applications sync rather than run fully offline indefinitely, so boats operating with poor connectivity see a lag between what the crew recorded and what the dispatcher can see.
  • The company does not disclose its ownership publicly and is comparatively small, which leaves a fleet that standardises on Helm carrying concentration risk it cannot fully assess.

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

Helm Operations

On request
  • Helm platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted by fleet size and modules taken
    • Maintenance, Compliance, Logistics, Personnel and Portal licensed separately
    • Implementation and data migration quoted as services

Q88

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Helm Operations if

  • You need dispatch.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want job billing.
Helm Operations review

Choose Q88 if

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

Questions people ask

Is Helm Operations or Q88 better?
Neither clearly leads. Helm Operations 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, Helm Operations or Q88?
Helm Operations starts at On request and Q88 at $200/month.
Does Helm Operations or Q88 run on more platforms?
Helm Operations runs on Web, iOS, Android. Q88 runs on Web, Api.
What is Helm Operations best used for?
Helm Operations is most often used for a harbour towage company that dispatches dozens of jobs a day and wants invoices generated from the dispatch record, a barge operator tracking maintenance and certificates across assets that rarely visit the same port twice, a ferry or passenger vessel fleet that must evidence drills, audits and crew certification to a regulator, an offshore support operator replacing a mixture of spreadsheets, whiteboards and an accounting package. Of those, a harbour towage company that dispatches dozens of jobs a day and wants invoices generated from the dispatch record and a barge operator tracking maintenance and certificates across assets that rarely visit the same port twice are not what Q88 is typically brought in for.
What can Helm Operations do that Q88 cannot?
Helm Operations covers Dispatch, Job billing, Planned maintenance, Compliance and safety. Q88 covers Vessel questionnaires, Vetting support, Documentation management, Compliance tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Helm Operations: Does Helm handle chartering or voyage accounting?

No. It models dispatched jobs, not voyages, and has no commercial chartering capability.

Helm Operations: Will it work for a deep-sea fleet?

Poorly. The functional design assumes short repeated jobs on tugs, barges and workboats.

Helm Operations: Does it include accounting?

No. It produces invoices and job costs and passes them to a separate accounting system.

Helm Operations: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by fleet size and by which of the five modules are licensed.

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