FindShip vs VesselFinder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FindShip
Track any vessel's movements in real-time on a global map. Access detailed ship information, view historical data, and manage your fleet. Includes tools for ETA calculation and access to over 1000 NOAA charts.
- Real-time vessel tracking
- Ship history tracking
- Detailed ship particulars (AIS, tonnage, owner)
- Fleet management
- ETA calculator
- NOAA chart viewer
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Find any ship all over the world! With FindShip, you can track your vessel' movements realtime on the map. * Nearly 100,000 ships online (Covering most ports on the world). * Ship tracking history. * Ship particulars (AIS information, Tonnage, Build, Owner/Manager, etc). * Fleet management. * Measurement tool for ETA calculator. * View 1000+ NOAA Charts.
VesselFinder
Track ships and monitor maritime traffic globally in real-time. Access detailed vessel information, movement history, and predicted routes. Ideal for maritime professionals and enthusiasts alike.
- Real-time vessel tracking
- Vessel movement history
- Predicted routes and ETAs
- Comprehensive vessel particulars
- Port call details
- My Fleet for favorite vessels
- Weather overlays
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VesselFinder is the world’s most popular and trusted vessel tracking and marine traffic app, delivering real-time information on ship positions and movements worldwide. Using a powerful network of satellites, roaming and terrestrial AIS receivers, VesselFinder provides accurate and up-to-date insight into global maritime activity. Designed for maritime professionals, shipping enthusiasts, and anyone interested in live ship tracking, VesselFinder offers a fast, intuitive, and reliable way to explore vessel traffic across the globe. VesselFinder key features: • Real-time tracking of over 300,000 vessels daily using global AIS data • Vessel movement history with track visualization • Predicted routes and ETAs to next port • Comprehensive vessel particulars, including technical specifications, and cargo capacity information • Contact details for the owning company, manager, ISM manager, and more • Port Calls per vessel, showing arrival times and duration of stay • Port Calls per port, with detailed lists of expected vessels, arrivals, departures, and ships currently in port • My Fleet – save and monitor favorite vessels, synchronized with your VesselFinder account • My Views – save preferred map views for fast and easy navigation • Ship Photos contributed by the VesselFinder user community • Multiple map styles: Simple, Detailed, Dark, Satellite, and Nautical • Weather overlays, including wind, waves, and temperature • See your location feature for instant orientation • Distance measurement tool for route and range estimation Vessel visibility depends on AIS signal availability, with near-shore coverage consistent with the data provided on VesselFinder.com. If a vessel is outside our terrestrial AIS coverage area, its last reported position will be displayed and updated as soon as new data is received. Extended real-time coverage via satellite and roaming AIS sources is available through a subscription. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, the completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. Connect with VesselFinder • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vesselfinder • Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vesselfinder
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: VesselFinder at 4.2 against FindShip's 3.5. VesselFinder also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#191 vs unranked). FindShip's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 28%) and ratings volume (994 vs 276). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. FindShip sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. VesselFinder asks for nothing beyond the download.
VesselFinder holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 994 and 276 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of FindShip's written reviews are positive against 28% of VesselFinder's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
FindShip ships an update every 3 weeks, VesselFinder fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | FindShip | VesselFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (994 ratings) | 4.2 (276 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 49.8% of reviews — better | 28.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 994 — better | 276 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #191 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 灵芝 王 | AstraPaging Ltd. |
Customer experience
FindShip
VesselFinder
User reviews
FindShip
From 994 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Mile markers
- 🚀 Excellent app
- 🚀 Great for tracking ships
- 🚀 Best free app for following ships
Room to improve
- 🐛 App freezes and crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable updates, shows outdated information
- 🔋 Too many ads, intrusive ads
- 🐛 Doesn't work on newer devices
- 🐛 Functionality removed in recent updates
VesselFinder
From 276 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 💰 Free version provides basic functionality
- 🗺️ Clear map display with sea blue and land green
- 📊 Comprehensive vessel information available
- ⚓ Good for casual ship tracking and hobbyists
Room to improve
- ⏱️ Severely outdated vessel position data (days old)
- 🐛 App freezes on startup/splash screen frequently
- 💸 Misleading free version with limited functionality
- 🔄 Inconsistent and unreliable data updates
- ❌ Search functionality requires paid version
Bugs and requests
FindShip
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezes immediately after opening
- Vessel tracking not working, shows incorrect locations
- App support link doesn't work
- Paid features not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back nautical charts
- Improve reliability and real-time updates
- Reduce ads or provide ad-free option
- Better support for newer devices
VesselFinder
Reported bugs
15 issues- App freezes on splash screen and won't load
- Crashes when attempting to zoom on map
- Black screen display on certain devices
- App won't open or opens after long delays
- Crashes on iOS 11 and newer versions
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- Incompatible with iPhone X and newer models
- Data not updating for days or weeks
- Crashes when searching for vessels
- Freezing issues after recent updates
- Map not displaying on iPad
- App crashes in low power mode
- Vessel information not loading correctly
- Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
- App becomes unstable after working briefly
- Zoom functionality broken in multiple versions
Requested features
13 requests- Real-time GPS tracking instead of delayed AIS data
- Distance measurement tool restoration
- German language support
- Destination and departure information display
- Ability to remove ads without expensive pro version
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Better search functionality in free version
- Vessel departure time information
- Improved map zoom functionality
- Live results in search function
- Picture display before clicking on vessel
- Better map background/quality
- Local time display instead of UTC only
- Ability to delete incorrect vessel photos from profile
In-app purchases
FindShip
- Remove Ads$9.99
VesselFinder
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FindShip free?
Is VesselFinder free?
Which has better reviews, FindShip or VesselFinder?
Do FindShip or VesselFinder have ads?
Which is updated more often, FindShip or VesselFinder?
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