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Maritime & Shipping · head to head

MarineTraffic vs exactEarth

MarineTraffic logo

MarineTraffic

Maritime & Shipping

Global ship tracking intelligence

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
exactEarth logo

exactEarth

Maritime & Shipping

Advanced satellite AIS data services

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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); exactEarth exactEarth's own homepage, as captured by the Internet Archive on 28 December 2021, carried a banner stating: 'We are happy to announce that exactEarth is now part of Spire Global,' confirming in the vendor's own words that exactEarth was absorbed into Spire (now sold as Kpler's spireMT product); no independent exactEarth pricing survives
  • They diverge on capability: MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, exactEarth covers Satellite AIS data.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MarineTraffic and exactEarth actually diverge.

Attributes where MarineTraffic and exactEarth differ
AttributeMarineTrafficexactEarth
Starting priceFree$1000/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIApi, Web
Founded20072009

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 exactEarth

  • Satellite AIS data
  • Global vessel tracking
  • Historical data archive
  • Anomaly detection
  • API
  • Data feeds
  • GIS platforms
  • 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 exactEarth
  • Port call and ETA tracking for logisticsnot exactEarth
  • Fleet monitoring for shipping and charteringnot exactEarth
  • Maritime research and analytics via API feedsnot exactEarth
  • Vessel and company database lookupsnot exactEarth

exactEarth

No use cases recorded yet. See the exactEarth 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

exactEarth

  • exactEarth's own homepage, as captured by the Internet Archive on 28 December 2021, carried a banner stating: 'We are happy to announce that exactEarth is now part of Spire Global,' confirming in the vendor's own words that exactEarth was absorbed into Spire (now sold as Kpler's spireMT product); no independent exactEarth pricing survives

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

exactEarth

$1000/month
  • Enterprise$5000/month
    • Global AIS data
    • Historical archive
    • Custom analytics

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.
MarineTraffic review

Choose exactEarth if

  • You need satellite ais data.
  • You work on Api, Web.
  • You also want global vessel tracking.
exactEarth review

Questions people ask

Is MarineTraffic or exactEarth better?
Neither clearly leads. MarineTraffic starts at Free and exactEarth at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MarineTraffic or exactEarth?
MarineTraffic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MarineTraffic and $1000/month for exactEarth.
Does MarineTraffic or exactEarth run on more platforms?
MarineTraffic runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. exactEarth runs on Api, Web.
Can I use MarineTraffic for free?
Yes. MarineTraffic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. exactEarth starts at $1000/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 exactEarth is typically brought in for.
What can MarineTraffic do that exactEarth cannot?
MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, Global AIS coverage, Voyage history, Port call data. exactEarth covers Satellite AIS data, Global vessel tracking, Historical data archive, Anomaly detection. Both handle Web support.
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