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Software · head to head

Portcast vs Clarksons

Portcast logo

Portcast

Software

AI-powered container tracking and ETA

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Clarksons logo

Clarksons

Software

World's leading shipbroker and data provider

From
$3000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Portcast pricing is not published; 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: Portcast covers Predictive ETAs, Clarksons covers Market intelligence.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Portcast and Clarksons actually diverge.

Attributes where Portcast and Clarksons differ
AttributePortcastClarksons
Starting price$500/month$3000/month
Founded20181852

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Portcast

  • Predictive ETAs
  • Container tracking
  • Exception alerts
  • Port congestion data
  • TMS platforms
  • ERP systems
  • Shipping lines

Only in Clarksons

  • Market intelligence
  • Fleet database
  • Freight rates
  • Research reports
  • API
  • Excel add-in
  • Data exports

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Portcast

  • Real-time container and air cargo tracking across carriersnot Clarksons
  • Predicted ETAs and delay forecasting for ocean freightnot Clarksons
  • Port congestion monitoringnot Clarksons
  • Auditing freight invoices automaticallynot Clarksons
  • Feeding predicted arrival data into a TMS or ERPnot 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.

Portcast

  • Pricing is not published
  • Sold to freight forwarders, 3PLs and shippers rather than to businesses tracking their own occasional shipments
  • Value depends on integrating with an existing TMS or ERP rather than working standalone

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

Portcast

$500/month
  • Professional$1500/month
    • AI-powered ETAs
    • Container tracking
    • Analytics

Clarksons

$3000/month
  • Shipping Intelligence Network$5000/month
    • Market data
    • Fleet database
    • Research reports

Which should you pick?

Choose Portcast if

  • You need predictive etas.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want container tracking.
Portcast review

Choose Clarksons if

  • You need market intelligence.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want fleet database.
Clarksons review

Questions people ask

Is Portcast or Clarksons better?
Neither clearly leads. Portcast starts at $500/month and Clarksons at $3000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Portcast or Clarksons?
Portcast starts at $500/month and Clarksons at $3000/month.
Does Portcast or Clarksons run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Portcast best used for?
Portcast is most often used for real-time container and air cargo tracking across carriers, predicted etas and delay forecasting for ocean freight, port congestion monitoring, auditing freight invoices automatically. Of those, real-time container and air cargo tracking across carriers and predicted etas and delay forecasting for ocean freight are not what Clarksons is typically brought in for.
What can Portcast do that Clarksons cannot?
Portcast covers Predictive ETAs, Container tracking, Exception alerts, Port congestion data. Clarksons covers Market intelligence, Fleet database, Freight rates, Research reports. Both handle Web support, Api support.
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