MarineTraffic
Raises confidence in busy waters — worth-it and safety support — but never replace COLREGS lookout. Low admin burden.
Best for: Owners near shipping channels and busy harbors.
Skip if: Quiet inland lake with no commercial traffic.
Software · Fair stack-up · cast-off scores
Compare — then go
Pick 2–4 apps and see our editorial scores. Same plain question as the directory: does it help you cast off — or pile on another login?
Fair Boat Day stack-up (we score ourselves the same way). Not affiliate rankings, not invented partner density. Owners free forever. Safety never joked about.
| What we score | MarineTraffic MarineTraffic | VesselFinder VesselFinder | Boat Beacon Boat Beacon |
|---|---|---|---|
| More boat daysGets you on the water | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Worth-it daysDay quality once underway | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Clears adminLess phone-tag & surprise | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Adds clutter ↓Lower is better | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Safety supportNever joked about | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Overall fitTypical recreational owner | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Confidence | high | med | med |
| Pricing | freemium | freemium | one-time |
Our take · then cast off
Short editorial verdicts — best for / skip if — not star ratings. When you're done stacking up, Go Today or open My boats.
VesselFinder
Fine AIS awareness tool; choosing both MarineTraffic and VesselFinder adds fragmentation without much QBD gain.
Best for: Users who prefer VesselFinder's UX.
Skip if: Already happy with MarineTraffic.
Boat Beacon
Safety support is the story — confidence in traffic without joking about risk. Keep phone power and mounting sane so it doesn't become clutter.
Best for: Boats without dedicated AIS displays in busy waters.
Skip if: You have a well-tuned AIS on the MFD and solid watchkeeping.
Sense
Stack-up done — cast off
Evals stay here; the point is more days on the water. Find them online · their sites · ≠ founding. Owners free forever.