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Logistics · head to head

CargoWise vs QAD Adaptive ERP

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
QAD Adaptive ERP logo

QAD Adaptive ERP

ERP

ERP for regulated and supply-chain-heavy manufacturers, strongest in automotive and life sciences

From
On request
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.; QAD Adaptive ERP no pricing is published and licensing splits across user types and separately sold modules, so first quotes routinely come in well above the number buyers had in their heads.
  • They diverge on capability: CargoWise covers Single global database, QAD Adaptive ERP covers Automotive EDI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CargoWise and QAD Adaptive ERP actually diverge.

Attributes where CargoWise and QAD Adaptive ERP differ
AttributeCargoWiseQAD Adaptive ERP
PlatformsWeb, Windows, CloudWeb, Windows, iOS, Android
CategoryLogisticsERP

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 QAD Adaptive ERP

  • Automotive EDI
  • Manufacturing execution
  • Supply chain planning
  • Quality management
  • Global financials
  • Traceability and recall
  • Connected workforce
  • Adaptive UX

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 QAD Adaptive ERP
  • A customs broker needing maintained regulatory content across many jurisdictions rather than building declarations in housenot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • A 3PL consolidating forwarding, warehousing and financial accounting on one databasenot QAD Adaptive ERP
  • Trading electronically with other CargoWise users through the shared data interchange rather than building point-to-point EDInot QAD Adaptive ERP

QAD Adaptive ERP

  • An automotive tier supplier that must accept OEM EDI releases and ship to AIAG or Odette labelling without building it themselvesnot CargoWise
  • A multi-plant manufacturer consolidating several plant-level ERPs onto one ledger with local statutory reporting per countrynot CargoWise
  • A food or pharmaceutical maker that needs lot genealogy fast enough to scope a recall in hoursnot CargoWise
  • A manufacturer replacing an ageing QAD MFG/PRO installation and wanting continuity of process rather than a rewritenot 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.

QAD Adaptive ERP

  • No pricing is published and licensing splits across user types and separately sold modules, so first quotes routinely come in well above the number buyers had in their heads.
  • QAD has been owned by Thoma Bravo since the 2021 take-private, so roadmap and pricing decisions answer to an investment thesis rather than to public product commitments, and buyers should ask about contract terms at renewal.
  • The implementation partner network is small next to SAP, Oracle or Microsoft, which limits competitive tendering on services and makes regional coverage patchy.
  • Outside its target industries the vertical depth is dead weight, and a general distributor or services firm pays for automotive and life sciences function it will never switch on.
  • Long-standing QAD customers still run heavily customised MFG/PRO estates, and migrating those customisations to Adaptive ERP is a re-implementation, not an upgrade, which is why some sites have stayed on old versions for years.

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

QAD Adaptive ERP

On request
  • QAD Adaptive ERP$undefined/year
    • Subscription priced by user type, modules and deployment
    • Cloud or on-premise deployment
    • Implementation delivered by QAD or a partner and billed separately

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 QAD Adaptive ERP if

  • You need automotive edi.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want manufacturing execution.
QAD Adaptive ERP review

Questions people ask

Is CargoWise or QAD Adaptive ERP better?
Neither clearly leads. CargoWise starts at On request and QAD Adaptive ERP at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CargoWise or QAD Adaptive ERP?
CargoWise starts at On request and QAD Adaptive ERP at On request.
Does CargoWise or QAD Adaptive ERP run on more platforms?
CargoWise runs on Web, Windows, Cloud. QAD Adaptive ERP runs on Web, Windows, 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 QAD Adaptive ERP is typically brought in for.
What can CargoWise do that QAD Adaptive ERP cannot?
CargoWise covers Single global database, Customs compliance, Value Packs licensing, Forwarding operations. QAD Adaptive ERP covers Automotive EDI, Manufacturing execution, Supply chain planning, Quality management.

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.

QAD Adaptive ERP: Who owns QAD?

Thoma Bravo, which took the company private in 2021. It is no longer publicly listed, so financials and roadmap commitments are not disclosed the way they once were.

CargoWise: Are seat fees gone?

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

QAD Adaptive ERP: Is QAD only for automotive?

No, but automotive supplier compliance is its deepest area, alongside life sciences, food and beverage and industrial manufacturing. Non-manufacturers are not the target.

CargoWise: Does WiseTech publish prices?

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

QAD Adaptive ERP: Can it run on-premise?

Yes, both cloud and on-premise deployments are supported, which matters to manufacturers with plant-floor systems that cannot tolerate a WAN dependency.

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.

QAD Adaptive ERP: Is Adaptive ERP an upgrade from MFG/PRO?

Not in practice for a customised site. Moving heavily modified MFG/PRO installations is a re-implementation project, and that cost should be in the business case from the start.

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