Software · head to head
Spire Global Maritime vs Clarksons
Spire Global Maritime
Software
Satellite-powered maritime data and analytics
- From
- $500/month
- Rated
- -
Clarksons
Software
World's leading shipbroker and data provider
- From
- $3000/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Spire Global Maritime now part of Kpler rather than Spire, and spire.com/maritime redirects into the Kpler site; 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: Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking, Clarksons covers Market intelligence.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Spire Global Maritime and Clarksons actually diverge.
| Attribute | Spire Global Maritime | Clarksons |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $500/month | $3000/month |
| Platforms | Api, Web | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2012 | 1852 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Spire Global Maritime
- Satellite AIS tracking
- Global coverage
- Predictive analytics
- Dark vessel detection
- REST API
- Streaming API
- AWS S3
- Snowflake
Only in Clarksons
- Market intelligence
- Fleet database
- Freight rates
- Research reports
- API
- Excel add-in
- Data exports
Both cover
- Api support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Spire Global Maritime
- Satellite and terrestrial AIS vessel trackingnot Clarksons
- Predicted destinations, ETAs and arrival eventsnot Clarksons
- Historical AIS going back more than ten yearsnot Clarksons
- Vessel particulars and ownership lookupsnot Clarksons
- Sanctions and insurance screening against vessel movementsnot 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.
Spire Global Maritime
- Now part of Kpler rather than Spire, and spire.com/maritime redirects into the Kpler site
- Pricing is not published
- Sold as a data feed to be consumed through APIs, Snowflake, NMEA streams or FTP, so it needs engineering work before it is useful
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
Spire Global Maritime
$500/month- Professional$2000/month
- Low-latency data
- Behavior analytics
- Predictive ETAs
Clarksons
$3000/month- Shipping Intelligence Network$5000/month
- Market data
- Fleet database
- Research reports
Which should you pick?
Choose Spire Global Maritime if
- You need satellite ais tracking.
- You work on Api, Web.
- You also want global coverage.
Choose Clarksons if
- You need market intelligence.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want fleet database.
Questions people ask
- Is Spire Global Maritime or Clarksons better?
- Neither clearly leads. Spire Global Maritime 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, Spire Global Maritime or Clarksons?
- Spire Global Maritime starts at $500/month and Clarksons at $3000/month.
- Does Spire Global Maritime or Clarksons run on more platforms?
- Spire Global Maritime runs on Api, Web. Clarksons runs on Web, Api.
- What is Spire Global Maritime best used for?
- Spire Global Maritime is most often used for satellite and terrestrial ais vessel tracking, predicted destinations, etas and arrival events, historical ais going back more than ten years, vessel particulars and ownership lookups. Of those, satellite and terrestrial ais vessel tracking and predicted destinations, etas and arrival events are not what Clarksons is typically brought in for.
- What can Spire Global Maritime do that Clarksons cannot?
- Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking, Global coverage, Predictive analytics, Dark vessel detection. Clarksons covers Market intelligence, Fleet database, Freight rates, Research reports. Both handle Api support, Web support.