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ShipNet and Tidal solve different parts of maritime procurement. Here is how they compare, on the facts.
ShipNet is an established maritime ERP suite. It spans fleet and technical management, procurement, dry docking, accounting and crewing in one integrated system, the kind of platform an owner or manager rolls out across a whole organisation. Tidal is narrower by design: it is AI software that reads a chandler's or operator's inbound email RFQs and turns them into accurate, margin-protected quotes, matching every line to your own catalogue along the way.
So they sit at different layers. ShipNet is the system of record for running vessels end to end; Tidal is the automation that handles the RFQ-to-quote step in minutes. A supplier or operator can run Tidal standalone in about a week, or feed its output into an ERP like ShipNet by API or CSV.
| Tidal | ShipNet | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI software that turns email RFQs into margin-protected quotes | Full maritime ERP, fleet, procurement, maintenance, accounting, crewing |
| AI email-RFQ to quote | Yes, reads email RFQs and generates quotes automatically | Not publicly disclosed as an AI email-RFQ-to-quote engine |
| Item code matching | item-code matching to your own catalogue, 90%+ first-pass | Procurement module uses maritime catalogues; specific item-code first-pass accuracy not publicly stated |
| Automated margin-protected quoting | Yes, margin rules enforced automatically on every quote | Not publicly disclosed |
| Pricing | Pricing is scoped to your volume and the modules you need, so contact us for a quote. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time to go live | About 1 week, no ERP project required | Enterprise ERP rollouts are typically multi-month projects |
| Maturity | Newer, focused platform | Long-established maritime ERP vendor with a broad module set |
| Best for | Chandlers and operators automating inbound RFQs into quotes | Owners and managers wanting one integrated system of record across the fleet |
Competitor details reflect publicly available information at the time of writing; "Not publicly disclosed" means the vendor does not publish that detail. Nothing here is a guess.
Choose ShipNet when you want a single integrated system of record for the whole operation, technical management, purchasing, accounting and crewing under one roof, and you have the appetite for an ERP implementation. Its breadth is the point.
Choose Tidal when the pain is the RFQ itself: an inbox of email enquiries, often 800 or more line items each, that a team retypes and prices by hand. Tidal reads those emails around the clock, matches every line to the SKUs and codes in your own catalogue, applies your margin rules, and returns a quote in under 30 minutes, live in about a week and no ERP project required.
Being honest: ShipNet is a far broader system than Tidal. Tidal is not an ERP and does not run accounting, crewing or planned maintenance, and it is a newer, smaller company whose SOC 2 Type II certification is in progress rather than complete. If you need a full fleet system of record, an ERP is the right tool, and Tidal can run alongside it.
Explore Tidal maritime procurement software
More: Tidal as a ShipNet alternative · all comparisons · book a demo.
Book a demo
Leave your work email and the port or company you buy for. We will set up a live demo on your own RFQs, no slideware. Live in about a week.
Tidal is sold as separate modules, so you only add the part that removes typing. Approved quotes and supplier invoices go into your ERP through its API or an import file.
RFQs read in any buyer layout, every line priced from your catalogue, approved quotes sent to your ERP as sales orders.
See Quote Desk →Supplier invoices sent as a photo or PDF, read line by line, checked and approved, then created in your ERP as bills.
See Invoice Capture →
Screenshots from the live system at a Trinidad marine supplier, details blurred. See which ERPs Tidal connects to.
See Tidal on your own RFQs
Send us one RFQ you received this week. On a 30 minute call we turn it into a priced quote on your own catalogue, so you can judge Tidal on real work, not a slide deck.
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