Tool Comparison
MarineTraffic vs OpenCorporates
- Paid from
- On request
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Mobile, API
Best if
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want data visualizations, shipping & trade, and alerts.
- Paid from
- On request
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You want regulatory filings monitoring and other.
Pick MarineTraffic if
MarineTraffic
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · Mobile · API
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You do a lot of your research from your phone
- You want data visualizations, shipping & trade, and alerts.
Pick OpenCorporates if
OpenCorporates
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · API
- You want regulatory filings monitoring and other.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
MarineTraffic includes data visualizations and shipping & trade, and OpenCorporates includes regulatory filings monitoring and other. On paper they're closely matched, so let pricing, platform fit, and the details below break the tie.
What readers say
MarineTraffic
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OpenCorporates
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Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- MarineTraffic
- Free trial
- MarineTraffic7 days
- Mobile app
- MarineTraffic
- Free plan
- Both
What MarineTraffic does best
- Tracking vessels on a live AIS map with filters for ship type, capacity, status, destination, and custom smart filters.
- Create notifications for port calls, area entries, speed or course changes, drifting, ETA updates, draught updates, proximity events, and AIS coverage changes.
- Email, mobile push, and notification archives to monitor maritime events are available without constantly watching the map.
- Review Past Track playback, with history depth varying by plan from limited free access to deeper Enterprise history.
- Route-forecast tools for path previews, ETA detail, and speed detail where the plan supports them.
What OpenCorporates does best
- Search more than 200 million company records collected from official sources, with provenance and source links.
- Use a versioned REST API with API-key authentication and JSON or XML output for company and officer data.
- Match company names to legal identifiers with the OpenRefine Reconciliation API.
- Receive bulk CSV datasets through SFTP for companies, officers, addresses, alternative names, identifiers, and relationships.
- Map subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings with the relationships dataset.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • Contact for pricing | Free • Contact for pricing |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | 7 days | — |
Plan limits | 5 limits: Basic: csv exports per month: 5, Essential: csv exports per month: 300 +3 more | 9 limits: Essentials (API): api calls per month: 500, Essentials (API): api calls per day: 200 +7 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | Yes | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | No |
Integrations | — | OpenRefine |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | — |
Categories covered | 4 | 3 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | Latency: Streaming | Latency: End of Day and Granularity: EOD |
Security | — | Status page |
| Try it | Visit MarineTraffic | Visit OpenCorporates |
Standout features
The best features of MarineTraffic and OpenCorporates.ShowHide
Standout features
What MarineTraffic does best
- Tracking vessels on a live AIS map with filters for ship type, capacity, status, destination, and custom smart filters.
- Create notifications for port calls, area entries, speed or course changes, drifting, ETA updates, draught updates, proximity events, and AIS coverage changes.
- Email, mobile push, and notification archives to monitor maritime events are available without constantly watching the map.
- Review Past Track playback, with history depth varying by plan from limited free access to deeper Enterprise history.
- Route-forecast tools for path previews, ETA detail, and speed detail where the plan supports them.
What OpenCorporates does best
- Search more than 200 million company records collected from official sources, with provenance and source links.
- Use a versioned REST API with API-key authentication and JSON or XML output for company and officer data.
- Match company names to legal identifiers with the OpenRefine Reconciliation API.
- Receive bulk CSV datasets through SFTP for companies, officers, addresses, alternative names, identifiers, and relationships.
- Map subsidiaries, branches, control statements, and shareholdings with the relationships dataset.
All details
Every attribute we track for MarineTraffic and OpenCorporates.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | Other |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Streaming | End of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | EOD |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKey | Auth: APIKey |
Import methods | CSVManual | Not specified |
Integrations | Not specified | OpenRefine |
Export formats | CSV | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Not specified | Status page |
Vendor & support | Kpler (MarineTraffic)Support: Email | OpenCorporates LtdCountry: United KingdomFounded 2010Support: Email |
Curation ratings | Methodology 3/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 | Not specified |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free | Free“Free (personal & public-benefit use)” |
| Entry paid plan | Subscription“Basic”csv exports per month: 5 | £225/mo“Essentials (API)”api calls per month: 500 · api calls per day: 200 · +1 more |
| Tier 2 | Subscription“Essential”csv exports per month: 300 · past track days: 7 | £660/mo“Starter (API)”api calls per month: 2,500 · api calls per day: 500 · +1 more |
| Top plan | — | £1200/mo“Basic (API)”api calls per month: 5,000 · api calls per day: 1,000 · +1 more |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Enterprise”csv exports per month: 10,000 · past track years: 5 | Contact sales“Enterprise Bulk (SFTP CSV datasets)” |
| Free trial | 7 days | — |
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between MarineTraffic and OpenCorporates?
MarineTraffic leans toward data visualizations, APIs & data feeds, and shipping & trade, while OpenCorporates puts more weight on APIs & data feeds, regulatory filings monitoring, and other. They overlap in 1 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do MarineTraffic and OpenCorporates cost?
Good news: both MarineTraffic and OpenCorporates have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Can I use MarineTraffic or OpenCorporates on my phone?
MarineTraffic lists a dedicated mobile app, so it travels better. OpenCorporates doesn't list a dedicated mobile app; its documented access is web and API.
Do MarineTraffic and OpenCorporates have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose MarineTraffic or OpenCorporates?
It depends on what you're after. Pick MarineTraffic if data visualizations and shipping & trade matter to you; go with OpenCorporates if you'd rather have regulatory filings monitoring and other. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
Does MarineTraffic or OpenCorporates have real-time data?
MarineTraffic offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. OpenCorporates runs on delayed or end-of-day data, which is perfectly fine for longer-term investors who don't live and die by the tick.
Can I export data from MarineTraffic and OpenCorporates?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
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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.