VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

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Tool Comparison

MarineTraffic vs Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

MarineTraffic adds Alerts coverage that Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) skips.

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) includes Education, and Blogs categories that MarineTraffic omits.

MarineTraffic ships a mobile app. Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) is web/desktop only.

In depth comparison

MarineTraffic logo

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

WebMobileAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

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.

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Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) logo

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)

oec.world

A global trade and economic complexity platform with rich visualizations, country and product rankings, and an API. Pro plans unlock the latest monthly and subnational datasets, while Premium adds company-level Bill of Lading data and bulk downloads. Academic discounts and enterprise options with SSO support are also available.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

  • Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification.
  • Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans.
  • Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs.
  • REST API with a free tier for historical data and Pro/Premium tokens for the latest datasets, subnational access, and higher query volumes.
  • Data downloads in CSV, Excel, or JSON, with bulk access and larger query limits available for subscribers.

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Where they differ

MarineTraffic

Distinct strengths include:

Alerts
  • 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).

Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)

Distinct strengths include:

EducationBlogs
  • Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification.
  • Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans.
  • Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs.
  • REST API with a free tier for historical data and Pro/Premium tokens for the latest datasets, subnational access, and higher query volumes.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeMarineTrafficObservatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Data Visualizations, Data APIs, Shipping & Trade

Unique: Alerts

Shared: Data Visualizations, Data APIs, Shipping & Trade

Unique: Education, Blogs

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

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, API

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free, Subscription

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • 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.
  • Custom Areas can be created or imported (KMZ/KML/GEOJSON/WKT), with plan limits from 1 area (Essential) up to 2,000 (Enterprise).

Unique

  • Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification.
  • Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans.
  • Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs.
  • REST API with a free tier for historical data and Pro/Premium tokens for the latest datasets, subnational access, and higher query volumes.
  • Data downloads in CSV, Excel, or JSON, with bulk access and larger query limits available for subscribers.
  • Support for multiple HS revisions (from HS92 through HS2022) with well-documented historical ranges.
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Featured inside curated shortlists

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do MarineTraffic and Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) both support?

Both platforms cover Data Visualizations, Data APIs, and Shipping & Trade workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do MarineTraffic and Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) require subscriptions?

Both MarineTraffic and Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

MarineTraffic ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

MarineTraffic differentiates itself with 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)., whereas Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) stands out for Visualizations and rankings based on Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), with reports by HS classification., Monthly international trade data and subnational coverage across 30+ countries available on Pro plans., and Premium tier adds company-level U.S. Bill of Lading data through a Company Explorer sourced from U.S. Customs..

Keep exploring

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.

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.