Most desks today use Excel and Outlook
A desk choosing one of the large chartering platforms has a budget, an operations team and a buying process. A desk that chooses Neptune Atlas is losing ship lists in a mailbox and rebuilding the same position list every week. These are different needs. If you already use a full trading and operations platform and it works, this is not an upgrade for you.
What to compare
Three things really separate these products, and none of them is on a feature list. First, does the fleet data come with the software, or must you buy and load it yourself? Second, are you paying for a distance table, an estimate or a full desk system? Third, what happens to your deal records if you stop paying? Each page below answers these for one product.
Comparisons
- Compared with Veson NauticalThe standard large-company system for trading and operations. This page covers what it does that Neptune Atlas does not, and the desk sizes for which that is worth the cost.
- Compared with NetpasNetpas sells a sea distance table, and distance is one part of a voyage estimate, not the whole of it. This page shows where the two products overlap.
- Compared with AXSMarineA well-known chartering platform with market data, priced by quote. This page covers when it is the better choice, and when a small desk is better off here.
- Compared with ShipNextA shipping marketplace with a free plan and public yearly prices, compared with a desk system built on the fleet register.
- Compared with KplerMarket intelligence and ship tracking, sold by quote. This page covers the one place the two overlap, a desk's e-mail, and says where Kpler is the right choice.
There is also a guide to what chartering software costs, with the public prices we could find, and one on the best ship chartering software for small desks.