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Maritime · head to head

Q88 vs ZeroNorth

Q88 logo

Q88

Maritime

Tanker vessel information platform

From
$200/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ZeroNorth logo

ZeroNorth

Maritime

Voyage optimisation, bunker procurement and emissions reporting for shipping, priced per vessel per module

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; ZeroNorth zeroNorth reported a net loss of roughly $65m for the 2024 financial year, deepening by around 57 per cent, so a multi-year fleet commitment should include contractual protection on continuity and pricing.
  • They diverge on capability: Q88 covers Vessel questionnaires, ZeroNorth covers Voyage optimisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Q88 and ZeroNorth actually diverge.

Attributes where Q88 and ZeroNorth differ
AttributeQ88ZeroNorth
Starting price$200/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Cloud, iOS, Android
Founded2001Unknown

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 Q88

  • Vessel questionnaires
  • Vetting support
  • Documentation management
  • Compliance tracking
  • Oil major systems
  • Chartering platforms
  • Fleet management
  • Web support

Only in ZeroNorth

  • Voyage optimisation
  • Bunker procurement
  • Bunker price intelligence
  • Emissions compliance
  • Vessel selection
  • Agentic voyage automation

What people use each for

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

Q88

No use cases recorded yet. See the Q88 review.

ZeroNorth

  • A tanker operator wanting speed decisions that account for the freight market rather than optimising fuel in isolationnot Q88
  • A bunker buyer testing supplier quotes against independent fair value pricing before fixing a stemnot Q88
  • An owner needing EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime reporting derived from the same voyage data that drives operational decisionsnot Q88
  • A charterer evaluating which vessel to take on a cargo based on projected voyage economics rather than on nominal specificationsnot Q88

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

ZeroNorth

  • ZeroNorth reported a net loss of roughly $65m for the 2024 financial year, deepening by around 57 per cent, so a multi-year fleet commitment should include contractual protection on continuity and pricing.
  • The company consolidated operations during 2025, liquidating a Norwegian subsidiary, which is prudent cost control but means local presence and account continuity may not be what was originally sold.
  • Pricing is per vessel and per module, so the headline vessel figure understates the cost of an owner who wants voyage, bunker and emissions capability across a fleet.
  • Recommendation quality depends on the quality of noon reports and vessel data supplied, and an owner with poor reporting discipline will get poor optimisation regardless of the algorithms.
  • It sits between technical performance tools and chartering systems and fully replaces neither, so most owners run it alongside an existing voyage management system and pay for overlapping capability.

Pricing, plan by plan

Q88

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

ZeroNorth

On request
  • ZeroNorth platform$undefined/year
    • Subscription per vessel and per module
    • Voyage optimisation, bunker and emissions modules priced separately
    • Multi-year agreements typical

Which should you pick?

Choose Q88 if

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

Choose ZeroNorth if

  • You need voyage optimisation.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want bunker procurement.
ZeroNorth review

Questions people ask

Is Q88 or ZeroNorth better?
Neither clearly leads. Q88 starts at $200/month and ZeroNorth at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Q88 or ZeroNorth?
Q88 starts at $200/month and ZeroNorth at On request.
Does Q88 or ZeroNorth run on more platforms?
Q88 runs on Web, Api. ZeroNorth runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
What can Q88 do that ZeroNorth cannot?
Q88 covers Vessel questionnaires, Vetting support, Documentation management, Compliance tracking. ZeroNorth covers Voyage optimisation, Bunker procurement, Bunker price intelligence, Emissions compliance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ZeroNorth: How is ZeroNorth priced?

Per vessel and per module on subscription, typically multi-year and quoted. Nothing is published.

ZeroNorth: Is ZeroNorth financially stable?

It is well funded, raising $20m in February 2025, but reported a net loss of roughly $65m for 2024. Treat continuity terms as a contractual issue.

ZeroNorth: Does it replace my voyage management system?

No. It complements commercial voyage management platforms; most owners run both and accept some overlap.

ZeroNorth: Does it need onboard hardware?

No. It works from noon reports, AIS and existing vessel data feeds rather than requiring its own collection box.

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