Buyer's guide · costs
What ship management software really costs
The licence figure is the part of the quote you are allowed to see early. The rest — implementation, migration, training attendance, module unlocks, support uplift, seats — is where a €20,000 system becomes a €60,000 one. Here is the full checklist of line items to demand, and exactly what Full Ahead charges for each.
| Line item | What a maritime quote typically contains | Full Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| Software licence / subscription | The headline figure — often per vessel, sometimes per user | €79–€599 per month by ship volume, unlimited users |
| Implementation & configuration | Frequently a one-off project fee, quoted separately | None — the workspace is created with a demo fleet, then your data is imported |
| Data migration from the old system | Priced per vessel or per record volume | CSV import of equipment, jobs, running hours and certificates included |
| Crew and office training | Day rates plus travel for attendance on board | The interface is the training — designed for a chief engineer on a moving deck |
| Compliance module (ISM/ISPS/SOLAS/MARPOL) | Commonly a separate module on top of the PMS | Same record as maintenance, included on every plan |
| Offline / low-bandwidth working | Often a replication add-on, or absent | Core architecture — the app installs and runs with no connection, then syncs |
| Annual support & maintenance uplift | A percentage of licence, applied yearly | Included; the subscription price is the price |
| Additional user seats | Per named user, which discourages involving the crew | Unlimited users on every plan |
The middle column describes cost structures commonly used across enterprise maritime software procurement. It is not a quote from any named vendor — always ask your shortlist for their own three-year total in writing.
Full Ahead price list, in EUR
Coastal
up to 5 ships
€79 /mo
€15.80 / ship
Harbour
up to 10 ships
€149 /mo
€14.90 / ship
Fleet
up to 25 ships
€249 /mo
€9.96 / ship
Armada
unlimited ships
€599 /mo
scales to zero
Annual billing is ten months for twelve. Every plan includes unlimited users, offline working, the compliance register, predictive maintenance and the evidence library. See the live plans on the pricing page, or model the return on the savings calculator.
Five questions that expose the real total
- 1. What is the three-year total for our exact ship count, including every one-off fee?
- 2. Which functions sit behind a separate module, and what does each cost when we need it in year two?
- 3. What is the annual uplift on support and licence, and is it capped in the contract?
- 4. What does it cost to add a vessel mid-term, and to remove one when it is sold?
- 5. If we leave, in what format do we get our maintenance history and certificate evidence, and at what cost?
Next in the buyer's guide
Common questions
How much does ship management software cost per vessel?
Full Ahead is €79/month for up to 5 ships, €149 up to 10, €249 up to 25 and €599 for unlimited ships, billed in EUR with two months free on annual billing. That works out between €9.96 and €15.80 per ship per month, with unlimited users, offline use and compliance included — no separate modules.
Why do most maritime software vendors hide their pricing?
Because the number depends on how much they think you can pay. A quote-only model lets the price be set by fleet size, flag, and how urgent your next audit is. Published pricing removes that leverage, which is why we publish ours.
What is usually missing from the first quote?
Implementation and data migration, onboard training, the annual support uplift, per-module charges for compliance or crew, integration or API fees, and additional user seats. Ask for a three-year total, not a first-year licence figure.
Is annual billing worth it?
On Full Ahead, annual billing is ten months for twelve — a 16.7% saving. On any vendor, only commit annually after a pilot on one vessel has survived a real port call and a real audit question.
Georgios Zografos
Chief Engineer · Technical Superintendent · Cyprus
Want the three-year total for your fleet?
Send your ship count and current system; you get the figure in writing, in EUR.
Talk to us
Tell us about your fleet — we'll reply with a straight answer.
Ask about migrating an existing PMS, offline operation at sea, class and flag audits, or what your fleet would actually cost. No sales sequence, no discovery call gate.
- Answer from a person, usually same working day
- Data migration from spreadsheets or legacy PMS
- Pricing in EUR, published — nothing hidden