VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing CB Insights and MarineTraffic will find that Both CB Insights and MarineTraffic concentrate on Data APIs, and Data Visualizations workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. CB Insights leans into Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Screeners, and Acquisitions, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. MarineTraffic stands out with Shipping & Trade, and Alerts that the competition lacks. Use the feature-by-feature table to inspect unique capabilities and confirm which roadmap best maps to your process.
Head-to-head
CB Insights vs MarineTraffic
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
- CB Insights adds Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Screeners, Acquisitions, Newsletters, and AI coverage that MarineTraffic skips.
- MarineTraffic includes Shipping & Trade, and Alerts categories that CB Insights omits.
- CB Insights highlights: Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity., APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets., and Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets..
- MarineTraffic is known for: Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters., Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive., and CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000)..
- MarineTraffic keeps a free entry point that CB Insights lacks.
CB Insights
cbinsights.com
An enterprise-grade market intelligence platform covering both private and public companies. CB Insights combines company profiles, deal tracking, and predictive scoring with AI-powered search and visual analytics. APIs and enterprise integrations (Salesforce, Excel, Snowflake, Microsoft 365 Copilot) are available on paid plans. A 10-day free trial is offered for new users.
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity.
- APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets.
- Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets.
- Salesforce integration to embed company and investor insights into CRM workflows.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Graph Connector to surface CB Insights data directly inside Copilot experiences.
MarineTraffic
marinetraffic.com
Global AIS vessel tracking platform with map views, alerts, voyage history, and data exports. Many features are plan-gated: CSV export quotas, Past Track history, detailed Route Forecasts, and the number of Custom Areas you can define. API access is available with an API key, and mobile apps provide push notifications.
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters.
- Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive.
- CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000).
- Past Track playback varies by plan: Free (1 day), Essential (7 days), Enterprise (up to 5 years, in 7-day playback windows).
- Route Forecast tools: Basic shows path previews; Essential and Enterprise unlock ETA and speed details.
Shared focus areas
Both platforms align on these research themes, so you can stay within one workflow when your use case involves them.
Where they differ
CB Insights
Distinct strengths include:
- Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity.
- APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets.
- Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets.
- Salesforce integration to embed company and investor insights into CRM workflows.
MarineTraffic
Distinct strengths include:
- Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters.
- Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive.
- CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000).
- Past Track playback varies by plan: Free (1 day), Essential (7 days), Enterprise (up to 5 years, in 7-day playback windows).
Feature-by-feature breakdown
| Attribute | CB Insights | MarineTraffic |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations Unique: Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Screeners, Acquisitions, Newsletters, AI | Shared: Data APIs, Data Visualizations Unique: Shipping & Trade, Alerts |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, Other | Other |
Experience levels Who each product is built for | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Platforms Where you can access the product | Web, Mobile, API | Web, Mobile, API |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Subscription | Free, Subscription |
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor | Unique
| Unique
|
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat | Not yet | Not yet |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Standard listing | Standard listing |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do CB Insights and MarineTraffic both support?
Both platforms cover Data APIs, and Data Visualizations workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Which tool offers a free plan?
MarineTraffic offers a free entry point, while CB Insights requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.
How can you access CB Insights and MarineTraffic?
Both CB Insights and MarineTraffic support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.
What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?
CB Insights differentiates itself with Global company intelligence platform covering private and public companies, investors, deals, and M&A activity., APIs and enterprise data feeds providing structured access to company, funding, and investor datasets., and Microsoft Excel add-in to pull in CB Insights company data, Mosaic Scores, and taxonomies directly into spreadsheets., whereas MarineTraffic stands out for Live Map with advanced filters, including ship type, capacity, status, and custom smart filters., Notifications for port calls, area entries, vessel movements (speed, course changes, drifting), AIS data updates (ETA, destination, draught), proximity events (STS, tug, pilot, bunkering), and AIS-coverage changes, delivered via email, mobile push, or archive., and CSV exports from vessel and port databases, with monthly quotas depending on plan: Basic (5), Essential (300), Enterprise (10,000)..
Curation & Accuracy
This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).
Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.