Softwr

Logistics · head to head

CargoWise vs Descartes Aljex

CargoWise logo

CargoWise

Logistics

Single-database freight forwarding and customs platform, repriced in December 2025 to per-transaction Value Packs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
D

Descartes Aljex

Logistics

Freight brokerage TMS with published plan pricing, from 699 dollars a month for five users

From
$699/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CargoWise the December 2025 shift to per-transaction Value Packs repriced roughly 95 percent of the customer base, with early 2026 reports of twenty to fifty percent cost increases and large monthly rises at short notice.; Descartes Aljex customer EDI connections are metered by tier, with none on Essential, one on Professional and two on Enterprise, so a broker onboarding several EDI shippers pays above the published plan price.
  • They diverge on capability: CargoWise covers Single global database, Descartes Aljex covers Published plan pricing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CargoWise and Descartes Aljex actually diverge.

Attributes where CargoWise and Descartes Aljex differ
AttributeCargoWiseDescartes Aljex
Starting priceOn request$699/month
Pricing modelquotePer month by plan
PlatformsWeb, Windows, CloudWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logistics).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CargoWise

  • Single global database
  • Customs compliance
  • Value Packs licensing
  • Forwarding operations
  • Warehouse management
  • Accounting
  • eDocs and messaging
  • Universal Data Interchange

Only in Descartes Aljex

  • Published plan pricing
  • Load entry and dispatch
  • Carrier vetting
  • Lane pricing
  • Tracking integrations
  • Brokerage accounting
  • Agent security
  • Customer EDI

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CargoWise

  • A multinational forwarder wanting one shipment record across origin booking, customs clearance and destination deliverynot Descartes Aljex
  • A customs broker needing maintained regulatory content across many jurisdictions rather than building declarations in housenot Descartes Aljex
  • A 3PL consolidating forwarding, warehousing and financial accounting on one databasenot Descartes Aljex
  • Trading electronically with other CargoWise users through the shared data interchange rather than building point-to-point EDInot Descartes Aljex

Descartes Aljex

  • A five-person brokerage that needs to know its monthly software cost before committing rather than after a discovery callnot CargoWise
  • An agent-based brokerage that must stop agents seeing each other customers and marginsnot CargoWise
  • A growing broker moving off spreadsheets and email who wants load boards, tracking and carrier vetting already connectednot CargoWise
  • A 3PL needing brokerage settlement and QuickBooks accounting without a separate finance integration projectnot CargoWise

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CargoWise

  • The December 2025 shift to per-transaction Value Packs repriced roughly 95 percent of the customer base, with early 2026 reports of twenty to fifty percent cost increases and large monthly rises at short notice.
  • Pricing is now tied to transaction volume, so growth in the forwarding business raises the software bill proportionally, which inverts the economics of the old seat-based model for high-volume low-margin traffic.
  • WiseTech publishes no price list, so the only way to know what the new model costs your business is a written projection from an account representative.
  • Enterprise implementations are routinely cited in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars with professional services making up a large share, and organisations commonly underestimate that by a wide margin.
  • The system is deep and unforgiving to learn, so staff turnover carries a real productivity cost and trained CargoWise operators command a premium in the labour market.

Descartes Aljex

  • Customer EDI connections are metered by tier, with none on Essential, one on Professional and two on Enterprise, so a broker onboarding several EDI shippers pays above the published plan price.
  • The one-time implementation fee is not published at any tier, so the advertised monthly price is not the first-year cost.
  • User counts are bundled per tier, which means growing from five to six users on Essential forces a jump to the 999 dollar Professional plan rather than adding one seat.
  • It is a domestic brokerage system with no forwarding or customs capability, so any international freight work requires a second platform.
  • Descartes is an acquisitive group with several overlapping transportation products, so Aljex customers depend on portfolio decisions about which brokerage product receives investment.

Pricing, plan by plan

CargoWise

On request
  • CargoWise Value Packs$undefined/month
    • Per-transaction automation fee replacing the seat and transaction licence model from December 2025
    • Unlimited users and more than two hundred modules bundled into the transaction fee
    • Standard CargoWise Cloud hosting costs removed from the model

Descartes Aljex

$699/month
  • Essential$699/month
    • Five users included
    • Unlimited shipments
    • MacroPoint, MyCarrierPortal, load boards, ProMiles, QuickBooks and DAT RateView
  • Professional$999/month
    • Fifteen users included
    • Unlimited shipments and carrier profiles
    • Ten hours of support and training
  • Enterprise$2375/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Fifteen hours of support and training
    • Ninety-day hypercare period

Which should you pick?

Choose CargoWise if

  • You need single global database.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Cloud.
  • You also want customs compliance.
CargoWise review

Choose Descartes Aljex if

  • You need published plan pricing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want load entry and dispatch.
Descartes Aljex review

Questions people ask

Is CargoWise or Descartes Aljex better?
Neither clearly leads. CargoWise starts at On request and Descartes Aljex at $699/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CargoWise or Descartes Aljex?
CargoWise starts at On request and Descartes Aljex at $699/month.
Does CargoWise or Descartes Aljex run on more platforms?
CargoWise runs on Web, Windows, Cloud. Descartes Aljex runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is CargoWise best used for?
CargoWise is most often used for a multinational forwarder wanting one shipment record across origin booking, customs clearance and destination delivery, a customs broker needing maintained regulatory content across many jurisdictions rather than building declarations in house, a 3pl consolidating forwarding, warehousing and financial accounting on one database, trading electronically with other cargowise users through the shared data interchange rather than building point-to-point edi. Of those, a multinational forwarder wanting one shipment record across origin booking, customs clearance and destination delivery and a customs broker needing maintained regulatory content across many jurisdictions rather than building declarations in house are not what Descartes Aljex is typically brought in for.
What can CargoWise do that Descartes Aljex cannot?
CargoWise covers Single global database, Customs compliance, Value Packs licensing, Forwarding operations. Descartes Aljex covers Published plan pricing, Load entry and dispatch, Carrier vetting, Lane pricing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CargoWise: What changed in December 2025?

WiseTech moved about 95 percent of CargoWise customers from seat and transaction licensing to Value Packs, a per-transaction fee bundling modules and unlimited users.

Descartes Aljex: What does it cost?

Essential is 699 USD a month for five users, Professional from 999 USD for fifteen, Enterprise from 2,375 USD for unlimited users, plus a one-time implementation fee.

CargoWise: Are seat fees gone?

Under Value Packs, yes, along with standard CargoWise Cloud hosting charges. Cost is driven by transaction volume instead.

Descartes Aljex: Is it priced per user?

No. Users are bundled into each tier, so cost steps up between plans rather than per seat.

CargoWise: Does WiseTech publish prices?

No. Reported per-transaction figures come from forwarders and consultants, not from a vendor price list.

Descartes Aljex: Are EDI connections included?

One on Professional and two on Enterprise. Essential includes none, and additional connections cost extra.

CargoWise: What does implementation cost?

Enterprise deployments are commonly reported in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, with professional services a large share of the total.

Descartes Aljex: Can it handle international freight?

No. It is a domestic brokerage TMS with no customs or forwarding functionality.

Share

Related pages

More on CargoWise

More on Descartes Aljex

Keep looking

Other head to heads