Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. The largest vendors in freight forwarding software
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 12 tools, reviewed
#1 Shipthis
Freight forwarding ERP with every module under one per-user price · United States · shipthis.co
Forwarder ERP Published price Air, sea, road, rail
Shipthis is the only full forwarding system in this ranking that prints a number on its pricing page and then says every module is included in it. That makes the first budget conversation short: count the users, multiply, add enterprise services if you need them.
- Pricing: Per user / month. $89 per user per month with all modules on the pricing page; the enterprise tier is a custom plan. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Small forwarders wanting one priced system
- Strengths: Multimodal shipment management; Quotation and tariff modules; Sales CRM.
Where it falls short
The pages we read name no hosting region and no security certification, so a buyer's security questionnaire will need answers from the vendor directly.
Wrong for
A forwarder whose daily work is customs filing in one country, or one that wants a large agent network on the same platform.
Visit Shipthis →
#2 Riege Scope
Forwarding and customs TMS with a built-in partner community · Germany · riege.com
Forwarder TMS Customs Partner network
Scope is built by a German software company and sells as one system for forwarding and customs rather than a forwarding core with a customs add-on. Customs links are listed for Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States, which suits a European forwarder clearing its own goods.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices are published; the site routes buyers to a demo request. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Mid-sized European forwarders with customs work
- Strengths: Air and ocean freight; Customs declarations; eAWB handling.
Where it falls short
Pricing is hidden, so budget comparisons start only after a sales call. The customs coverage on the site stops at four countries, and a forwarder clearing in Spain or Italy will have to ask how that is handled.
Wrong for
A very small forwarder that wants to read a price and sign up the same day, or one whose customs work sits outside the four listed countries.
Visit Riege Scope →
#3 CargoSoft
Modular TMS for sea, air and road forwarding from Bremen · Germany · cargosoft.de
Forwarder TMS Modular ATLAS customs
CargoSoft lists its products one by one: a core TMS with separate sea, air and billing modules, a rate management system for purchase and sales rates and quotations, a customer portal for offers, bookings and tracking, and German customs software integrated into the TMS.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices are published on the product or home pages. Free plan: none.
- Best for: German-speaking forwarders buying module by module
- Strengths: Sea and air freight modules; Rate management (RMS); eForwarding booking portal.
Where it falls short
The site is written in German first. Prices are not published. The module list is long, and a buyer needs a written scope to know which modules a given quote actually contains.
Wrong for
A forwarder outside Europe or one that needs US filings such as ISF and AMS, since the pages list ATLAS and ICS2 only.
Visit CargoSoft →
#4 CargoWise
Single-database logistics platform for global forwarders · Australia · cargowise.com
Global platform Multi-branch Customs
CargoWise covers air, ocean, road and rail on one database, plus customs, warehouse, landside container work and accounting, with the vendor stating coverage of 193 countries and use by over 17,000 organizations.
- Pricing: Usage-based. Value Packs bundle modules, user access and standard cloud hosting into a per-transaction CargoWise Automation Fee; no figures published. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Large multi-country forwarders
- Strengths: International freight forwarding; Customs and compliance; Warehouse.
Where it falls short
The transaction fee changes how cost scales: a forwarder with high volume and thin margin per file should model it before signing. No price is published.
Wrong for
A two-office forwarder with a few hundred shipments a month that wants to be live in weeks.
Visit CargoWise →
#5 Magaya
Forwarding, warehouse and customs platform with open API · United States · magaya.com
Forwarder + WMS Customs brokerage Open API
Magaya's Supply Chain product pulls data from a quote into a booking, pickup order, warehouse receipt, shipment and invoice, so the same record is not typed twice. It also includes warehouse management and accounting records, and separate products cover rate management, a branded customer portal and customs filing for the US and New Zealand.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices are published; the site offers a discovery call and a demo. Free plan: none.
- Best for: US forwarders and NVOCCs with warehouses
- Strengths: Quote to booking to invoice flow; Warehouse management; Rate management.
Where it falls short
The vendor's cloud page urges customers to move their Magaya software into the Magaya Cloud, so a buyer should confirm what is hosted by whom.
Wrong for
A European forwarder that needs EU customs filings, or a forwarder without a warehouse that wants a lighter system.
Visit Magaya →
#6 Descartes Forwarder TMS
SaaS forwarder ERP inside a larger logistics network · Canada · descartes.com
Forwarder TMS Customs Messaging network
Descartes sells its forwarder system as a SaaS platform for import and export shipments across modes, with accounting built in so shipment data flows into billing without re-entry. Quoting and booking sit on rate management, customers get web tracking, and the same vendor operates customs messaging and screening tools that a forwarder can connect.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices on the product pages; a separate article discusses what drives forwarder TMS pricing. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Small to mid-sized forwarders needing customs links
- Strengths: Multimodal shipment management; Integrated accounting; Rate management.
Where it falls short
The site carries both a Forwarder TMS page and a separate Forwarder Enterprise QW page, so a buyer must ask which product is quoted. No price is published and the pages do not state an implementation time.
Wrong for
A forwarder that wants one flat price and a self-serve start, or one that does not need customs links.
Visit Descartes Forwarder TMS →
#7 CDM Web Freight
Web forwarding and NVOCC system with many customs filings · United States · cdmsoft.com
NVOCC Filings Accounting
CDM has built forwarding software since 1988 and lists documentation, filings and accounting in one browser-based system with iOS and Android apps. The compliance list is the draw: AES/EEI, Sea AMS, ISF, Air AMS and ACAS for the US, plus Japan, Canada, the UK, the EU, South Africa and Israel, with denied party screening.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices are published; add-on modules are listed separately. Free plan: none.
- Best for: NVOCCs and forwarders filing in many countries
- Strengths: Air and ocean documentation; AES, AMS and ISF filings; Electronic air waybill.
Where it falls short
The site is plain on price and says nothing about implementation time or support tiers. Features such as the electronic air waybill and customer tracking are sold as add-on modules, so the first quote may grow.
Wrong for
A forwarder whose main pain is rate procurement and quoting speed.
Visit CDM Web Freight →
#8 Cargo Manager
Cloud suite for US NVOCCs, forwarders and bonded warehouses · United States · cargomanager.com
NVOCC US filings Warehousing
Cargo Manager, set up in 1987, sells a suite for ocean and air importers, NVOCCs and bonded warehouses, and its NVOCC page lists modules for quotes and bookings, export ocean and air, imports and accounts receivable. Quotes can be rated and emailed, copied for repeat shipments, and converted into a booking. Electronic ISF, AES and AMS filings are sold as options.
- Pricing: Per user / month. Subscription fees depend on the number of user accounts ordered; no figures are published. Free plan: none.
- Best for: US NVOCCs and importers
- Strengths: Quotes and booking confirmations; Ocean and air export; Imports.
Where it falls short
The suite reads as US-oriented, with no listed filings for other regions.
Wrong for
A forwarder outside the US customs system or one that wants a modern API-first platform.
Visit Cargo Manager →
#9 Freightify
Rate procurement, management and quoting for forwarders · Singapore · freightify.com
Rate management Quoting API
Freightify addresses one step: getting rates out of carrier PDFs and spreadsheets into a searchable base that sales can quote from. The vendor says it serves 200-plus forwarders in 45-plus countries and shows live rates from over 30 ocean carriers and NVOCCs and 90-plus airlines.
- Pricing: Usage-based. Plans named Automation Lite and Automation Pro differ by service time, with transaction fees. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Forwarders with heavy rate sheet workloads
- Strengths: Rate sheet processing; Contract and spot rates; Quote management.
Where it falls short
It does not run shipments, documents or invoices, so a forwarder still needs a core system. Cost depends on rate sheet volume and transactions, and the pricing page shows plan names but no amounts.
Wrong for
A forwarder that wants one system for operations, documents and billing.
Visit Freightify →
#10 Freightos for Forwarders
Rate, quote and eBooking platform for air and ocean forwarders · Israel · freightos.com
eBooking Rate management Air + ocean
Freightos for Forwarders, the product formerly sold as WebCargo, lets a forwarder search, compare and book air capacity across more than 75 airlines, hold static and live rates together, and generate quotes with landed cost and markups. The vendor describes use in over 10,000 forwarding offices, and the footer states SOC 2 Type II compliance.
- Pricing: Quote only. Forwarders can create a free account; the forwarder pages show no further prices. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Forwarders booking air and ocean online
- Strengths: Air eBooking with airlines; Ocean rates and booking; Rate management.
Where it falls short
Freightos covers pricing and booking, not documents, accounting or customs, so it needs an operations system beside it. The forwarder pages do not show prices beyond the free account.
Wrong for
A forwarder looking for back-office accounting, house bills and warehouse receipts in one place.
Visit Freightos for Forwarders →
#11 Logixboard
Inbox automation and shipper portal for forwarders · United States · logixboard.com
Email automation Customer portal TMS add-on
Logixboard does not replace a forwarding system. Helm reads the mailboxes a team already uses, matches each email to a file, and writes updates back into the TMS; Portal then shows shippers milestones, documents and messages under the forwarder's brand.
- Pricing: Per mailbox tier / month. Helm is priced by connected mailboxes: $1,000 per month for 1 to 10, $2,250 for 11 to 25, $4,000 for 26 to 50. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Forwarders drowning in shipment email
- Strengths: Email-to-file matching; TMS write-back; Branded shipper portal.
Where it falls short
It depends on an existing TMS and does not quote, book, document or invoice. Portal live data is for Helm customers only, so the two products are tied.
Wrong for
A forwarder still choosing its first operations system, or one with few shared mailboxes.
Visit Logixboard →
#12 Raft
AI workforce for forwarders and customs brokers · United Kingdom · raft.ai
AI agents Document extraction Invoice matching
Raft positions itself as an AI layer that does the re-keying: reading commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading and certificates of origin, extracting fields, enriching customs data and flagging exceptions for a person to review. A finance side matches carrier and customs invoices against the data from TMS, ERP and EDI feeds.
- Pricing: Quote only. No prices are published; the site offers a demo booking. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Forwarders with heavy document re-keying
- Strengths: Document field extraction; Customs data enrichment; Invoice matching.
Where it falls short
Raft is not a place to hold shipments, quotes or ledgers, so it adds a vendor to the stack. Prices are hidden.
Wrong for
A forwarder that has no operations system yet, or that wants fixed, published prices.
Visit Raft →
Questions and answers
What is the best freight forwarding software in 2026?
Shipthis ranks first of 12, best for small forwarders wanting one priced system. Riege Scope is second (mid-sized European forwarders with customs work) and CargoSoft third (german-speaking forwarders buying module by module). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
What is the difference between freight forwarding software and a transportation management system?
A forwarder sells transport it does not run, so it needs house and master documents, buy and sell rates, customs filings and job costing per file.
Do I need NVOCC-specific software?
An NVOCC issues its own ocean bills of lading and files US documents such as ISF, AES and AMS, so the software must pair house and master bills and submit those filings.
How much does freight forwarding software cost?
Few vendors print a price. Shipthis shows $89 per user per month with all modules, and Logixboard lists mailbox tiers from $1,000 per month for 1 to 10 mailboxes.
Can freight forwarding software file customs declarations?
Some can.
Is a rate management tool enough on its own?
No. Freightify and Freightos handle rates, quotes and, for Freightos, airline and ocean eBooking, but they do not hold documents, ledgers or customs filings. They suit a forwarder that already owns an operations system and wants faster quoting.
How long does implementation take?
Few vendors state it. Shipthis says most customers go live in nine weeks, and Cargo Manager includes two days of online training in each install. CargoWise, Magaya, Riege, CargoSoft, Descartes and CDM publish no timeline on the pages we read.
Should a small forwarder choose a global platform like CargoWise?
Only if the business expects many branches or a global network. CargoWise states coverage of 193 countries and its Value Packs change cost from seats to transactions, so a small forwarder should model that fee before signing.
What do email and AI tools like Logixboard and Raft add?
They reduce typing. Logixboard matches emails to files in the TMS and shows shippers a branded portal, while Raft says it extracts fields from invoices, packing lists and bills of lading and matches invoices.
Can customers track their shipments in the software?
Most operations systems offer some customer view.
What should I check about security and hosting?
Ask where the database is hosted, which certifications apply, and who can see your rates. Magaya states Tier III data centers with SSAE 16 Type II compliance, Freightos states SOC 2 Type II compliance, and Riege publishes an ISO certificate.
