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VesselFinder

Features
Ease of use
Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
Market presence
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Pricing from
€3 per month
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
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User industry
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What is VesselFinder

VesselFinder is a web and mobile vessel tracking product that visualizes ship positions and movements using AIS data. It is used by maritime professionals and enthusiasts to monitor vessel locations, port calls, routes, and basic vessel particulars. The product focuses on map-based tracking with vessel search, voyage details, and alerting features, with coverage that depends on terrestrial and satellite AIS availability.

pros

Map-based AIS vessel tracking

VesselFinder provides a live map interface for tracking vessels using AIS position reports. Users can search for ships and view key details such as position, speed, course, destination, and recent track history when available. This supports common workflows like monitoring arrivals, departures, and vessel movements around ports and coastal areas.

Web and mobile access

The service is available through a browser and mobile apps, enabling tracking from desktop and on the move. This makes it practical for operational monitoring, spot checks, and situational awareness without dedicated hardware. Mobile access is useful for users who need quick vessel lookups and notifications.

Vessel and port information views

VesselFinder includes pages for individual vessels and ports that consolidate AIS-derived movement data with descriptive vessel particulars. Users can review port call context, vessel identifiers (e.g., MMSI/IMO when available), and voyage-related fields broadcast over AIS. These consolidated views reduce the need to cross-reference multiple sources for basic tracking and lookup tasks.

cons

Coverage varies by region

Tracking quality depends on AIS reception, which can be uneven across geographies and offshore areas. In regions with limited terrestrial receivers or sparse satellite coverage, positions may update less frequently or appear intermittent. This can limit suitability for use cases that require consistent global, near-real-time visibility.

AIS data quality constraints

AIS messages can contain errors, delays, or intentionally incorrect fields (e.g., destination, ETA), and the product inherits these limitations. Vessel identity and voyage fields may be incomplete for some ships, especially smaller vessels or those with poor transponder configuration. Users typically need additional validation for compliance, safety, or high-stakes operational decisions.

Limited operational workflow tooling

Compared with broader marine operations platforms, VesselFinder is primarily oriented around tracking and lookup rather than end-to-end fleet operations. It does not function as a full vessel management system for maintenance, crewing, procurement, or onboard technical management. Organizations needing integrated operational workflows may require additional systems alongside tracking.

Plan & Pricing

Plan Price Key features & notes
Free Free Terrestrial AIS positions; Past track duration: 1 day; My Fleet: up to 10 ships; Port Calls: 1; Route Planner: 100 uses. (VesselFinder plans page).
Basic 1 month — 3 EUR; 1 year — 9 EUR Terrestrial AIS; No ads; Past track duration: 3 days; Port Calls: 1; Route Planner: 100 uses; My Fleet: up to 20 ships. (VesselFinder plans page).
Premium 1 month — 29 EUR; 1 year — 149 EUR Terrestrial AIS; No ads; Past track duration: 7 days; Port Calls: 5; Route Planner: 500 uses; My Fleet: up to 500 ships; includes 5 container-tracking queries per month (listed on plans page).
Satellite 24 hours — 9 EUR; 1 month — 99 EUR; 1 year — 999 EUR Satellite + terrestrial AIS (global coverage); Past track duration: 90 days; Port Calls: 15; Route Planner: unlimited; My Fleet: up to 2,000 ships; Satellite plan provides access to Container Tracking service (see container-tracking page).

Additional usage-based pricing (official site):

API (credit-based - AIS API): Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (credit packs) Credit pack prices (on-demand / valid 12 months): 10,000 credits — 330 EUR; 20,000 credits — 625 EUR; 50,000 credits — 1,470 EUR. All credits valid for 12 months after purchase. (VesselFinder AIS API page). Per-record credit costs: AIS dataset: 1 credit per record; Voyage dataset: 1 credit per record; Master dataset: 2 credits per record. (VesselFinder AIS API page).

Container Tracking (prepaid container packages): Pricing model: Prepaid container packages (fixed credits valid 12 months) Example prices (site lists USD amounts): 1 container — 7 USD; 10 containers — 65 USD; 20 containers — 120 USD; 50 containers — 275 USD; 100 containers — 500 USD. (VesselFinder Container Tracking page). Notes: Container package purchases expire 12 months after purchase; Container Tracking is also available to Satellite subscribers. (VesselFinder container tracking page).

Seller details

VesselFinder Ltd.
Unsure
Private
https://www.vesselfinder.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vesselfinder/

Tools by VesselFinder Ltd.

VesselFinder

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