Seatran Ferry vs Phantip 1970
Compare Seatran Ferry and Phantip 1970 — routes, service areas, and coverage across Thailand. See where they overlap and where each operator goes its own way.
Operator A Seatran Ferry vs 
Operator B Phantip 1970 What travellers say: Seatran Ferry vs Phantip 1970
Seatran Ferry earns a higher average rating of 4.6 from over 1,000 reviews compared to Phantip 1970's 4.27 from more than 7,400 reviews, with both operators receiving praise for reliability on southern Thailand routes but differing in consistency across their services.
Seatran Ferry
Reviewers consistently praise Seatran Ferry for punctuality, smooth and well-organized boarding, helpful staff, comfortable ferries with AC and sun decks, and flexibility to catch earlier sailings, though complaints focus on variable bus and van transfers that can be old, overcrowded, or involve pushy drivers demanding extra fees.
Phantip 1970
Travellers highlight Phantip 1970 for smooth coordinated multi-leg journeys, frequent early arrivals, good value, and helpful staff using destination stickers, but note recurring issues with reckless drivers, cramped minivans, poor communication at transfers, luggage surcharges, and occasional use of older ferries like Raja instead of the more praised Seatran vessels.
Overall sentiment favors Seatran Ferry for a more consistently positive ferry-focused experience, while Phantip 1970 suits those seeking affordable combined transfers despite more variable elements; book both easily through ThailandBoatTickets.com where our 24/7 Virtual Ticket Assistant (VTA) is available on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Telegram and Facebook for seamless support.
Service areas at a glance
Based on currently active routes for each operator.
Both operators 7
Only Seatran Ferry 2
Only Phantip 1970 11
Routes & coverage compared
Both operators run identical routes on Donsak ↔ Koh Phangan, Donsak ↔ Koh Samui, Koh Phangan → Don Mueang Airport, Koh Phangan → Donsak, Koh Samui → Bangkok, Koh Samui → Donsak and Surat Thani Airport → Donsak. These shared connections can be booked at ThailandBoatTickets.com where our 24/7 Virtual Ticket Assistant (VTA) is available on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Telegram and Facebook.
Seatran Ferry alone operates the four routes linking Nakhon Si Thammarat with Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, while Phantip 1970 alone covers all remaining routes including Ao Nang ↔ Koh Phangan/Koh Samui/Koh Phi Phi, Donsak ↔ Krabi/Phuket, Hat Yai ↔ Koh Phangan/Koh Samui, Khao Sok ↔ Koh Phangan/Koh Samui/Surat Thani Airport, plus extensive connections from Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, Phuket and Surat Thani to each other and to Trang, Ao Nang and Surat Thani Town. Book any of these operator-specific routes at ThailandBoatTickets.com with help from our 24/7 Virtual Ticket Assistant (VTA) on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Telegram and Facebook.
Routes both operators run
Same departure and destination — true head-to-head options.
Price distribution
How ticket prices spread across each operator's routes (THB).
Seatran Ferry tickets usually fall between 450 THB–710 THB (median 580 THB), while Phantip 1970 between 530 THB–940 THB (median 770 THB). On the whole, Seatran Ferry offers the cheaper tickets.
Which should you pick?
Frequently asked questions
Seatran Ferry vs Phantip 1970