My Vessel Logs runs $59 per year for the Pro tier. Boat Journal is $20 one-time. Both produce buyer-friendly records. Here is the comparison.
$20 lifetime · Works offline · No account · Lifetime updates included
My Vessel Logs is a cloud-based subscription logbook with insurance and USCG compliance exports. Boat Journal is a one-time purchase HTML file you keep on your machine.
A direct comparison across pricing, storage, platforms, multi-vehicle support, account requirements, offline behavior, and updates.
| Feature | Boat Journal | My Vessel Logs |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $20 one-time, lifetime updates | Free basic tier; Pro at $59 per year (verify current) |
| Where your data lives | On your computer, in your browser's local database | Cloud servers, account-based |
| Account required | No account, no login | Account required |
| Offline access | Yes, fully offline after download | Cloud-first; mobile cache where supported |
| PDF exports | Polished survey-ready PDF generated from your log | PDF exports for insurance, resale, or USCG compliance |
| Multi-vessel support | Unlimited vessels in one file | Multiple vessels under one account; plans vary by tier |
| Reminders | Engine-hour and calendar reminders from your actual entries | Calendar reminders and task management |
| Updates | Lifetime updates included in the one-time price | Updates continue while subscription is active |
Choose Boat Journal if you want to pay once, run offline at the dock, and hand a buyer or surveyor a single polished document at sale time.
Choose My Vessel Logs if you want continuous cloud sync, USCG-compliance documentation, or you actively cruise and need voyage and crew logging tied to the same vessel record.
Free at the basic tier. Pro is around $59 per year, and enterprise is custom. Verify current pricing on their site. Boat Journal is twenty dollars, one time, with no tiers.
There is no direct importer. If you decide to switch, you would either re-enter active vessels by hand or paste in your export as a one-time backfill. Most owners do this once and move on.
Boat Journal logs the same data you would put in any maintenance record, but it does not generate USCG-formatted reports. If documented vessel compliance is a hard requirement, My Vessel Logs is the better fit.
Boat Journal is a maintenance log, not a voyage log. Track services, engine hours, haul-outs, and survey prep. For underway logging, trip reports, and crew logs, My Vessel Logs is the better fit.
Pull your export before the subscription lapses. With Boat Journal there is nothing to lapse: the file is on your machine and keeps working.