ORBCOMMvs
Samsara
Samsara: IoT platform for asset tracking and vehicle telematics with cellular connectivity as alternative to satellite
ORBCOMM
IoT solutions for maritime asset tracking
As of 30 August 2026, ORBCOMM starts at $25/month. ORBCOMM provides comprehensive IoT and M2M solutions for the maritime industry, including vessel tracking, container monitoring, and fleet management. Softwr lists it under Maritime. ORBCOMM is launched in 1993, available on Web.
Overview
What ORBCOMM does
ORBCOMM provides comprehensive IoT and M2M solutions for the maritime industry, including vessel tracking, container monitoring, and fleet management. Their satellite and cellular networks enable global connectivity for maritime assets.
What people use it for
- Tracking shipping container temperatures for refrigerated cargo
- Detecting vessel AIS spoofing to identify anomalous maritime activity
- Monitoring fuel consumption patterns across fleet operations
- Screening shipments for sanctions compliance violations
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about ORBCOMM.
- Satellite latency of approximately 600 milliseconds limits real-time applications
- Higher cost per message compared to terrestrial cellular IoT solutions
- Coverage remains near-global rather than fully global in all remote regions
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of ORBCOMM
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- ORBCOMMvsGeotab
Geotab: GPS fleet tracking and vehicle telematics platform offering real-time location without satellite dependency
- ORBCOMMvsVerizon Connect
Verizon Connect: Connected vehicles platform with GPS tracking and fleet management using cellular networks
Pricing
What ORBCOMM costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Fleet Manager
$99 /mo
- Real-time tracking
- Geofencing
- Reporting
Capabilities
Features
Satellite tracking
Container monitoring
Cold chain monitoring
Fleet telematics
TMS systems
Integration with TMS systems
ERP platforms
Integration with ERP platforms
Warehouse management
Integration with Warehouse management
Web support
Available on web
Api support
Available on api
Mobile support
Available on mobile
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What is ORBCOMM's satellite coverage?
ORBCOMM's OGx service provides nearly global coverage across over 160 countries using a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites for two-way messaging and IoT data services.
SourceHow does satellite IoT compare to cellular connectivity?
ORBCOMM satellite offers immunity from cellular blind spots, network outages, congestion, and weather-related disruptions. However, satellite connectivity introduces approximately 600 milliseconds of round-trip latency.
SourceWhat can ORBCOMM monitor in containers?
ORBCOMM's CT 1010 device provides sensor-based monitoring for container fire detection, unauthorized access alerts, damage detection, and asset visibility, with real-time satellite-based tracking.
SourceBehind it
Who makes ORBCOMM
- Company
- ORBCOMM
- Based in
- Rochelle Park, New Jersey
Timeline
ORBCOMM over time
- Acquisition2021-04-08
GI Partners acquires ORBCOMM for $1.1 billion
Source - Milestone2001-04-23
ORBCOMM LLC acquires assets of bankrupt ORBCOMM Global after Chapter 11 filing
Source - Milestone1995-01-01
Orbital and Teleglobe officially create ORBCOMM as full joint-venture partnership
Source - Founded1993-01-01
ORBCOMM founded by Orbital Sciences and Teleglobe
Source
Keep looking
Where to go from ORBCOMM
- ORBCOMM alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- ORBCOMM pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- ORBCOMM badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Maritime softwareThe full category
- Best Maritime softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Maritime software for
Compare ORBCOMM with
- Portcast
- Terminal49
- Vizion
- Linerlytica
- MDS Transmodal
- Kongsberg Maritime
- Wartsila Voyage
- DNV Maritime
- ShipNet
- Alphaliner
- Clarksons
- FleetMon
- Q88
- Sea-Intelligence
- Shone
- Signal Ocean Platform
- StormGlass
- Terminal49
Other Maritime software
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for ORBCOMM, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on ORBCOMM
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