Maritime & Shipping · head to head
MarineTraffic vs Clarksons
Clarksons
Maritime & Shipping
World's leading shipbroker and data provider
- From
- $3000/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only MarineTraffic has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: MarineTraffic specific numeric prices for the Basic/Essential tiers are not published on a directly accessible page (plans pages are bot-protected); Clarksons uK government contract award notice on find-tender.service.gov.uk shows a Clarkson Research Services Limited data subscription contract valued at 6,500 GBP excluding VAT (7,800 GBP including VAT) for the period 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026
- They diverge on capability: MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, Clarksons covers Market intelligence.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which MarineTraffic and Clarksons actually diverge.
| Attribute | MarineTraffic | Clarksons |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $3000/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2007 | 1852 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maritime & Shipping).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in MarineTraffic
- Real-time vessel tracking
- Global AIS coverage
- Voyage history
- Port call data
- ETA predictions
- REST API
- Google Earth
- GIS systems
Only in Clarksons
- Market intelligence
- Fleet database
- Freight rates
- Research reports
- API
- Excel add-in
- Data exports
- Api support
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
MarineTraffic
- Real-time vessel trackingnot Clarksons
- Port call and ETA tracking for logisticsnot Clarksons
- Fleet monitoring for shipping and charteringnot Clarksons
- Maritime research and analytics via API feedsnot Clarksons
- Vessel and company database lookupsnot Clarksons
Clarksons
No use cases recorded yet. See the Clarksons review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
MarineTraffic
- Specific numeric prices for the Basic/Essential tiers are not published on a directly accessible page (plans pages are bot-protected)
- Enterprise tier is sales-assisted, quote-only
- API access is credit-consumption based with cost varying by AIS data source and detail level, making cost opaque
- Commercial API access now routes through parent company Kpler via demo request
Clarksons
- UK government contract award notice on find-tender.service.gov.uk shows a Clarkson Research Services Limited data subscription contract valued at 6,500 GBP excluding VAT (7,800 GBP including VAT) for the period 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026
Pricing, plan by plan
MarineTraffic
Free- Basic$undefined/mo
- Free vessel tracking account
- Essential$undefined/mo
- Expanded tracking features
- Enterprise$undefined/mo
- Quote-only, sales-assisted
Clarksons
$3000/month- Shipping Intelligence Network$5000/month
- Market data
- Fleet database
- Research reports
Which should you pick?
Choose MarineTraffic if
- You need real-time vessel tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
- You also want global ais coverage.
Choose Clarksons if
- You need market intelligence.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want fleet database.
Questions people ask
- Is MarineTraffic or Clarksons better?
- Neither clearly leads. MarineTraffic starts at Free and Clarksons at $3000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, MarineTraffic or Clarksons?
- MarineTraffic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MarineTraffic and $3000/month for Clarksons.
- Does MarineTraffic or Clarksons run on more platforms?
- MarineTraffic runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Clarksons runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use MarineTraffic for free?
- Yes. MarineTraffic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Clarksons starts at $3000/month.
- What is MarineTraffic best used for?
- MarineTraffic is most often used for real-time vessel tracking, port call and eta tracking for logistics, fleet monitoring for shipping and chartering, maritime research and analytics via api feeds. Of those, real-time vessel tracking and port call and eta tracking for logistics are not what Clarksons is typically brought in for.
- What can MarineTraffic do that Clarksons cannot?
- MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, Global AIS coverage, Voyage history, Port call data. Clarksons covers Market intelligence, Fleet database, Freight rates, Research reports. Both handle Web support.