Compare
AIS data API providers compared
Seven AIS data APIs side by side: what you can try for free, what the first paid step costs, how far back history goes and where the data comes from. Every fact links to the provider's own page. AIS Trail is one of the seven, and its limits are listed below.
Checked 16 October 2026 against the public pages linked in each row. Prices are shown in the currency each provider publishes.
At a glance
| Provider | Free access | First paid step | History | Live data | Port calls | Coverage | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarineTraffic (Kpler) Full comparison | No free API tier published | Not published; through sales | Archive since 2010 through Kpler, after “Request demo”; API lookback not stated | Yes | Port and berth call events | Terrestrial and satellite | Help centreAPI docsKpler historical AISKpler AIS |
| Datalastic | No free tier; 14-day trial for €9 | €199 a month for 20,000 credits, or €179 a month billed annually | Not stated on the pricing page | Yes | No endpoint on the pricing page | Satellite AIS not stated | Pricing |
| VesselFinder | Trial on request | €330 for 10,000 prepaid credits, valid 12 months | Archive since 2009, by quote | Yes | Yes, 2 credits per record | Terrestrial and satellite (a satellite position costs 10 credits) | API docsPort calls APIAPI FAQHistorical data |
| MyShipTracking | Trial key: 2,000 credits for 10 days | €90 a month for 50,000 credits | Depth not stated; historical data restricted to nearshore areas | Yes | Yes | Terrestrial | APIPricing |
| aisstream.io | Free | Free; no SLA | None: events are not durably replayed | WebSocket stream, 3 connections per account | No port-call endpoint; raw AIS messages | Global network of AIS stations | Home pageDocs |
| Global Fishing Watch | Free key for non-commercial use | No commercial pricing published | AIS from 2012 to about 96 hours ago | No | Port-visit events | AIS (receiver type not stated), plus Sentinel-1 SAR imagery | APIsKey conceptsCommercial-use FAQ |
| AIS Trail | Free plan: 500 credits a month, last 7 days, no card | $29 a month for 15,000 credits | Up to 12 months, rolling: most sources since October 2026, North Sea and western Baltic 12 months; U.S. waters: calendar year 2025 | Pro and Business: REST and WebSocket | Yes, about 11,000 ports | Shore and community receivers; no global satellite AIS | PricingData sources |
- Spire Maritime is now part of Kpler: see Spire Maritime alternative.
- aisstream.io is also one of the sources behind AIS Trail's live data.
Where the others are strong
- Satellite AIS for ships far from shore: MarineTraffic (Kpler) and VesselFinder.
- Long archives: since 2010 at Kpler and since 2009 at VesselFinder, by request or quote.
- Free fishing-effort and port-visit data for non-commercial work: Global Fishing Watch.
- A hosted MCP server in every Datalastic plan.
AIS Trail's limits
- No global satellite AIS. Positions come from shore stations and community receivers, plus national sources in Nordic waters, so ships far out at sea are mostly not covered. Regions and vessel classes are on Data sources.
- History goes back up to 12 months. Most sources start in October 2026; the North Sea and western Baltic archive reaches back up to 12 months.
- U.S. waters are an archive. They come from NOAA's Marine Cadastre data for calendar year 2025, not updated daily.
- No one-off dataset files. You pull history through the API, page by page, as JSON, GeoJSON or CSV.
Pricing
A credit buys something different at each provider, and most publish prices in euros, so the table shows prices as published and does not rank them. VesselFinder and MyShipTracking state that their prices exclude VAT; Datalastic's pricing page does not say.
AIS Trail publishes its prices. The Free plan gives 500 credits a month and the last 7 days of history, with no card. Starter costs $29, Pro $129 and Business $249 a month, with 15,000, 60,000 and 250,000 credits; Pro and Business include live data. A credit pack adds 20,000 credits for $49, valid for 12 months. One credit buys one vessel-day of track, one port call or one vessel's live position over REST, and empty results use none.
Prices are in US dollars and exclude VAT or sales tax. Paddle, our merchant of record, handles payments. All plans
FAQ
Which AIS APIs can I try for free?
aisstream.io is free for live data, with no history. Global Fishing Watch is free for non-commercial use. AIS Trail has a Free plan with 500 credits a month and no card. MyShipTracking offers a 10-day trial key and VesselFinder a trial on request; Datalastic has no free tier, and its 14-day trial costs €9.
Which include satellite AIS?
MarineTraffic (Kpler) and VesselFinder state terrestrial and satellite AIS. MyShipTracking states terrestrial AIS. AIS Trail has no global satellite AIS.
Which have port-call data?
MarineTraffic (port and berth call events), VesselFinder, MyShipTracking, Global Fishing Watch (port visits) and AIS Trail. aisstream.io has no port-call endpoint; it streams raw AIS messages.
MarineTraffic, Kpler, Spire Maritime, Datalastic, VesselFinder, MyShipTracking, aisstream.io and Global Fishing Watch are trademarks of their respective owners. AIS Trail is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Found a fact that is wrong or out of date? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it.
