Maritime & Shipping · head to head
Spire Global Maritime vs FourKites
Spire Global Maritime
Maritime & Shipping
Satellite-powered maritime data and analytics
- From
- $500/month
- Rated
- -
FourKites
Maritime & Shipping
Real-time supply chain visibility
- From
- $2000/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; FourKites fourKites uses an Outcome-as-a-Service model with no per-seat pricing published; all pricing requires talking to an Outcome Advisor
- They diverge on capability: Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking, FourKites covers Real-time tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Spire Global Maritime and FourKites actually diverge.
| Attribute | Spire Global Maritime | FourKites |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $500/month | $2000/month |
| Platforms | Api, Web | Web, Ios, Android, Api |
| Founded | 2012 | 2014 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Spire Global Maritime
- Satellite AIS tracking
- Global coverage
- Predictive analytics
- Dark vessel detection
- REST API
- Streaming API
- AWS S3
- Snowflake
Only in FourKites
- Real-time tracking
- Predictive ETAs
- Exception alerts
- Yard management
- TMS platforms
- ERP systems
- WMS
- Ios support
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 FourKites
- Predicted destinations, ETAs and arrival eventsnot FourKites
- Historical AIS going back more than ten yearsnot FourKites
- Vessel particulars and ownership lookupsnot FourKites
- Sanctions and insurance screening against vessel movementsnot FourKites
FourKites
No use cases recorded yet. See the FourKites 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
FourKites
- FourKites uses an Outcome-as-a-Service model with no per-seat pricing published; all pricing requires talking to an Outcome Advisor
Pricing, plan by plan
Spire Global Maritime
$500/month- Professional$2000/month
- Low-latency data
- Behavior analytics
- Predictive ETAs
FourKites
$2000/month- Professional$5000/month
- Multi-modal tracking
- Predictive ETAs
- Analytics
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 FourKites if
- You need real-time tracking.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want predictive etas.
Questions people ask
- Is Spire Global Maritime or FourKites better?
- Neither clearly leads. Spire Global Maritime starts at $500/month and FourKites at $2000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Spire Global Maritime or FourKites?
- Spire Global Maritime starts at $500/month and FourKites at $2000/month.
- Does Spire Global Maritime or FourKites run on more platforms?
- Spire Global Maritime runs on Api, Web. FourKites runs on Web, Ios, Android, 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 FourKites is typically brought in for.
- What can Spire Global Maritime do that FourKites cannot?
- Spire Global Maritime covers Satellite AIS tracking, Global coverage, Predictive analytics, Dark vessel detection. FourKites covers Real-time tracking, Predictive ETAs, Exception alerts, Yard management. Both handle Api support, Web support.