Guide
How much does freight forwarding software cost?
The subscription price is only part of the answer. This guide explains the common pricing models, the costs that sit outside the subscription, and how to compare offers for the team and volume you will have next year — not just today.
The pricing models you will meet
Most forwarding and transportation management software is sold on one of five models, or a mix of them. None is wrong; each one makes a different part of your business the thing you pay for.
| Model | You pay for | Works well when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per user (seat) | Each person who logs in, monthly or annually | Your team is stable and volumes grow faster than headcount | Whether customer, agent or read-only users count as paid seats |
| Per shipment or transaction | Each file, booking, document or message | Volumes are low or very seasonal | Cost rising with every shipment you win; how a cancelled or re-opened file is counted |
| Per module or feature tier | Each area you switch on — quoting, accounting, portal, reporting | You only ever need part of the workflow | Paying again when you need the next module; features you assumed were included |
| Package plus seats | A base package with some users included, then extra users | Small teams that want a predictable bill | What the package includes and the price of each extra user |
| Quote-based (enterprise) | A negotiated contract, often with implementation services | Large or multi-country networks with specific integration needs | Minimum terms, implementation fees and what renewal costs |
Why your volume decides which model is cheaper
The same team can pay very different amounts under different models. A rough way to see where you sit:
- Per-shipment pricing costs price per shipment × shipments per month. It grows with every file, which is fine at 20 shipments a month and very different at 400.
- Per-user pricing costs price per user × people who need a login. It grows when you hire, not when you win work.
- Module pricing costs the sum of the modules you need. Write down which parts of the workflow you actually run — quotes, operations, documents, invoicing, payments, customer visibility — and price all of them, not just the first.
Run the numbers at today's volume and at the volume you expect in 12–24 months. A model that is cheapest now can be the most expensive once a new customer doubles your shipments.
Costs beyond the subscription
These are the items that most often turn a small monthly price into a larger first-year cost. Ask about each one in writing.
- Setup and implementation. Configuration, workflow design and project management, sometimes charged as a one-off fee.
- Data migration. Moving customers, rates and open shipments from spreadsheets or an old system. Even when the vendor does it, someone on your side has to clean the data first.
- Training. Whether it is included, self-serve, or billed per session.
- Integrations. Accounting, carrier or customs connections can be separate products or projects.
- Storage. Documents add up quickly; check the allowance and what happens when you exceed it.
- Customer and partner access. Whether customers and agents who only view their own shipments count as paid users.
- Branches and entities. Whether a second office or company is an extra licence.
- Support. Which channels and response times are included, and which are a paid tier.
- Your team's time. The hours spent setting up and learning a system are a real cost — and usually the largest one for a small forwarder.
Questions to ask every vendor
- What exactly is the price based on — users, shipments, modules, or a mix?
- What would we pay at our current volume, and at double it?
- Which features are included at this price, and which are add-ons?
- Do customer portal users, agents or read-only users cost extra?
- Is there a setup, implementation or migration fee? A minimum contract term?
- Can we trial it with our own data before paying, and is the trial the full product?
- What happens to our data if we leave, and can we export it?
- What does renewal cost, and how much notice is there before a price change?
What Tranvoro costs
Tranvoro is priced as a base package plus additional internal users. Every plan includes the full platform, unlimited shipments, unlimited branches and unlimited customer portal users; plans differ by price, included users and storage.
- Solo — $59.99/month or $599/year, 1 internal user included, 10 GB storage.
- Team — $199.99/month or $1,999/year, 5 internal users included, 50 GB storage.
- Business — $749.99/month or $7,499/year, 25 internal users included, 250 GB storage.
- Each additional internal user is $39.99/month or $399/year on any plan. Enterprise is priced by agreement.
Customer portal users and deactivated users are never billed. Going over the storage allowance shows a warning; it does not block uploads. Prices are in US dollars, before any applicable tax.
| Team | Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 internal user | Solo | $59.99 | $599 |
| 3 internal users | Solo | $139.97 | $1,397 |
| 5 internal users | Team | $199.99 | $1,999 |
| 10 internal users | Team | $399.94 | $3,994 |
| 25 internal users | Business | $749.99 | $7,499 |
The 30-day free trial is the full product and needs no credit card, so you can run real files before deciding. The full comparison, annual billing and the rules for seats and storage are on the pricing page.
A simple way to budget
- List everyone who needs to create or edit records — those are your paid users on per-user pricing.
- Count shipments per month for the last year, and estimate next year.
- Write down which parts of the workflow you need on day one and which within a year.
- For each vendor, total the subscription for 12 months plus every one-off and add-on cost from the list above.
- Trial the shortlist with one real recent shipment. Our guide to Excel vs freight forwarding software has a checklist for that test.