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Maritime · head to head

MarineTraffic vs Sea-Intelligence

MarineTraffic logo

MarineTraffic

Maritime

Global ship tracking intelligence

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sea-Intelligence logo

Sea-Intelligence

Maritime

Container shipping market analysis

From
$300/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); Sea-Intelligence no pricing information published on website
  • They diverge on capability: MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, Sea-Intelligence covers Schedule reliability tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MarineTraffic and Sea-Intelligence actually diverge.

Attributes where MarineTraffic and Sea-Intelligence differ
AttributeMarineTrafficSea-Intelligence
Starting priceFree$300/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb
Founded20072010

Identical on both: 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 MarineTraffic

  • Real-time vessel tracking
  • Global AIS coverage
  • Voyage history
  • Port call data
  • ETA predictions
  • REST API
  • Google Earth
  • GIS systems

Only in Sea-Intelligence

  • Schedule reliability tracking
  • Market analysis
  • Capacity reports
  • Benchmarking
  • Data exports
  • Reports

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 Sea-Intelligence
  • Port call and ETA tracking for logisticsnot Sea-Intelligence
  • Fleet monitoring for shipping and charteringnot Sea-Intelligence
  • Maritime research and analytics via API feedsnot Sea-Intelligence
  • Vessel and company database lookupsnot Sea-Intelligence

Sea-Intelligence

  • Forecasting freight rates and capacity across 19 major container trade lanesnot MarineTraffic
  • Benchmarking carrier schedule reliability against 12,000+ monthly vessel arrivalsnot MarineTraffic
  • Monitoring macro-economics and supply-demand shifts weekly for decision-makingnot MarineTraffic
  • Planning logistics operations based on actual vessel deployment schedulesnot MarineTraffic
  • Tracking transit times and performance metrics across container shipping industrynot MarineTraffic

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

Sea-Intelligence

  • No pricing information published on website
  • Requires direct contact with company for subscription details
  • Specific report subscription model not publicly described

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

Sea-Intelligence

$300/month
  • Sunday Spotlight$600/month
    • Weekly analysis
    • Schedule data
    • Benchmarking

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 Sea-Intelligence if

  • You need schedule reliability tracking.
  • You also want market analysis.
Sea-Intelligence review

Questions people ask

Is MarineTraffic or Sea-Intelligence better?
Neither clearly leads. MarineTraffic starts at Free and Sea-Intelligence at $300/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MarineTraffic or Sea-Intelligence?
MarineTraffic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MarineTraffic and $300/month for Sea-Intelligence.
Does MarineTraffic or Sea-Intelligence run on more platforms?
MarineTraffic runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Sea-Intelligence runs on Web.
Can I use MarineTraffic for free?
Yes. MarineTraffic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sea-Intelligence starts at $300/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 Sea-Intelligence is typically brought in for.
What can MarineTraffic do that Sea-Intelligence cannot?
MarineTraffic covers Real-time vessel tracking, Global AIS coverage, Voyage history, Port call data. Sea-Intelligence covers Schedule reliability tracking, Market analysis, Capacity reports, Benchmarking. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sea-Intelligence: How much do Sea-Intelligence reports cost?

Sea-Intelligence does not publish pricing for its reports on its website. Customers must contact the company directly to obtain subscription pricing and availability.

Source
Sea-Intelligence: What is Sea-Intelligence's pricing model?

Sea-Intelligence appears to use a custom subscription model for its analytical reports (Global Liner Performance, Sea-Intelligence Sunday Spotlight, Trade Capacity Outlook). Specific pricing requires direct contact.

Source
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