Panvaya and ShipsGo solve the same starting problem
Both platforms are built for teams that need a clearer view of ocean container movements than a set of separate carrier websites can provide. You can use a container, Bill of Lading or booking reference to follow a shipment, keep a record of its milestones and give colleagues a shared place to check status. That shared starting point matters, but it is not the whole buying decision.
The practical difference appears after the first tracking result. A logistics coordinator may need to assess port congestion, estimate demurrage and detention exposure, check a sailing schedule, plan the next route or prepare a container load plan. Panvaya is designed to keep those everyday decisions close to the shipment workflow instead of treating tracking as an isolated search result.
Choose for the operating workflow, not only the tracking search box
A platform can have a familiar tracking experience and still create extra work if your team must switch products to assess a delay, check a route or estimate a charge. Compare the steps that happen after a shipment is found, because those steps determine whether the system saves time on a busy day.
How the pricing models compare
Panvaya publishes a straightforward monthly plan for recurring ocean visibility work. The Free plan includes 5 ocean shipment tracks and 10 API credits for testing integrations. Premium is $50 per month for 100 ocean shipment tracks, with real-time milestone updates, D&D calculation, CSV export, the load calculator and priority support. At the full 100-track allowance, that is an effective cost of $0.50 per included track.
ShipsGo publicly uses a credit model. Its pricing page currently shows 500 credits for $1,000, which is an effective cost of $2 per credit in that example. ShipsGo says one tracking request consumes one credit and the credits are valid for one year. Its API help guidance also says that an annual API usage fee is quoted separately according to usage and business requirements.
These are not identical commercial models, so the right comparison is your own expected activity. A team with regular monthly ocean shipments can compare Panvaya's published Premium allowance with the number of credits it would otherwise buy. A team with unusual volumes or integration requirements should request a written proposal from each provider and compare the full period, including any API, onboarding and support terms.
- For predictable monthly activity: Panvaya gives a published allowance and a fixed monthly price before you start.
- For a trial or pilot: Panvaya includes 5 ocean tracks and 10 API credits on the Free plan, so a team can validate its own carrier and reference mix first.
- For larger operations: Panvaya Enterprise is usage-based at 120 credits per $1 for each 30-day period, with a credit pool sized to the expected API mix and custom rate limits.
- For any comparison: ask which actions consume a unit, when a unit expires and which integration fees sit outside the published tracking price.
Published prices make the first decision easier
Panvaya's Premium plan is cheaper on a simple per-track comparison at the published allowances. That is useful for budgeting, but it is not a substitute for checking carrier coverage, expected volume and the services your operation actually needs before signing a contract.
What Panvaya puts around the shipment
Panvaya is deliberately focused on the tools a sea-freight team uses before, during and after a container movement. The interface is organised around an ocean shipment and the decisions connected to it. You do not need to treat a port delay, route check or D&D estimate as an unrelated task in another tab.
- Ocean shipment tracking: follow supported carriers using container, Bill of Lading or booking references, with milestones and route context in one workspace.
- Control Tower: monitor exceptions, free-time clocks and charge exposure so a team can identify demurrage and detention risk before it becomes an invoice dispute.
- Port Congestion: check congestion levels at major ports when a shipment's timing needs explanation or a route decision needs context.
- D&D Calculator: estimate demurrage, detention and storage charges when you need a practical cost view before cargo pickup or empty return.
- Load Calculator: plan container stuffing in 3D, useful when a tracking or planning conversation also involves equipment use.
- Route, distance and carbon tools: compare sea distances, transit time and estimated CO2 without leaving the wider Panvaya product.
- Schedules and carrier directory: research a sailing option or carrier contact point from the same product family as the tracking workspace.
A cleaner interface is not only a visual preference. It reduces the number of handoffs between a shipment status, a risk calculation and the person who needs to act. Panvaya keeps the navigation centred on Shipments, Control Tower, Schedules and a grouped Tools area, so the next step is easier to find when the shipment is already under pressure.
Support that fits the size of the operation
Support is most valuable when it is connected to a real shipment question, not limited to an account login. Panvaya includes email support on Free, priority support on Premium, and a dedicated account manager with SLA guarantees on Enterprise. Enterprise customers can also discuss customised API credit volumes and custom rate limits when their operating pattern does not fit a standard plan.
Panvaya also treats carrier onboarding as an operational conversation. The platform is transparent when a selected carrier is not yet supported, rather than presenting a misleading successful track. Guests are directed to request onboarding, and signed-in users receive a clear supported-carrier message. That makes the gap visible so the right team can act on it.
How to migrate from ShipsGo without creating a tracking gap
A migration does not need to begin with a large technical project. Start with the shipment references and operating routines your team already uses. Container numbers, Bills of Lading and booking references remain the familiar ways to identify ocean shipments in Panvaya. That lets you run a controlled pilot on live work before deciding how broadly to roll out the new workspace.
- List the active lanes and carriers. Start with the carriers and routes that represent the largest share of your current tracking activity.
- Select a small pilot set. Use a representative group of container, Bill of Lading and booking references rather than moving every team at once.
- Confirm supported-carrier coverage. If a line is not yet available, raise the onboarding request before planning the cutover date.
- Recreate the operational view. Decide who watches milestones, who owns D&D exposure, who follows port congestion and where escalation belongs in your team.
- Agree the integration scope. For API users, review the required workflows, expected usage and rate requirements with Panvaya support before production use.
- Run both views briefly. Compare the shipment status and team handoffs during a short pilot, then move the agreed carrier groups in stages.
This approach is easier to manage than a single cutover because it gives your team a chance to validate the carrier mix, familiarise itself with the UI and define the support path for exceptions. It also avoids a common mistake: treating a platform move as an IT-only task when the real value depends on how operations, customer service and finance use the information.
Where ShipsGo may still be the better fit
A fair comparison should include fit, not only benefits. ShipsGo states that it supports more than 130 shipping lines and offers ocean and air tracking under its credit model. If your immediate need depends on a particular carrier outside Panvaya's current supported set, or on an air tracking product, confirm availability before moving. Panvaya is the stronger choice for a team that wants focused ocean visibility, published monthly plan options and practical logistics tools around that workflow.
Ask the same questions of both vendors
Can the platform track the carriers you use today? What exactly is included in the price? Who helps when a carrier has a problem? Which team members can see the operational tools they need? Clear answers to those questions are more useful than a feature checklist alone.
The bottom line
Panvaya is a practical ShipsGo alternative for teams that want ocean container tracking to lead into action, not stop at a status update. Its published $50 Premium plan includes 100 successful ocean shipment tracks, making the allowance cheaper than ShipsGo's current public $2-per-credit example when used in full. More importantly, Panvaya puts port congestion, D&D planning, load calculation, routes, schedules and support close to the shipment workflow. Start with a small carrier-and-lane pilot, validate the fit with your own references, then migrate in stages with a plan your operations team can own.