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Logistics · head to head

Descartes MacroPoint vs Epicor

Descartes MacroPoint logo

Descartes MacroPoint

Logistics

Freight visibility network that tracks loads across carriers using ELD, telematics and driver mobile data

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Epicor logo

Epicor

ERP

A portfolio of separately acquired ERP products, not one system

From
$750/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Descartes MacroPoint pricing is per tracked load and unpublished, and rates fall steeply with volume, so a small broker pays a much higher unit price than a large one for identical service and has little negotiating leverage.; Epicor epicor is a portfolio of separately acquired products rather than one system, so reviews, references and analyst coverage about Epicor as a brand can be misleading about the specific product you are being sold.
  • They diverge on capability: Descartes MacroPoint covers Carrier network, Epicor covers Kinetic.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Descartes MacroPoint and Epicor actually diverge.

Attributes where Descartes MacroPoint and Epicor differ
AttributeDescartes MacroPointEpicor
Starting priceOn request$750/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud, On-premise, Hybrid
CategoryLogisticsERP
FoundedUnknown1972

Identical on both: 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 Descartes MacroPoint

  • Carrier network
  • Multi-source tracking
  • Predictive ETA
  • Exception alerts
  • Multimodal
  • Capacity matching
  • API and TMS integration
  • Customer portals

Only in Epicor

  • Kinetic
  • Prophet 21
  • Eclipse
  • BisTrack
  • Cloud deployment
  • Extensibility tooling
  • Manufacturing execution
  • Industry compliance

What people use each for

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

Descartes MacroPoint

  • A freight broker whose largest customer has made tracking compliance a contract conditionnot Epicor
  • A shipper wanting one tracking view across dozens of carriers rather than a portal per carriernot Epicor
  • A 3PL measuring carrier performance on dwell and on-time arrival with data the carrier cannot disputenot Epicor
  • An operation replacing check calls, where the labour saving alone justifies the per-load feenot Epicor

Epicor

  • A discrete manufacturer moving off spreadsheets and an accounting package onto a system that models routings and job costsnot Descartes MacroPoint
  • A wholesale distributor whose pricing, rebate and purchasing rules exceed what a general ERP handles without customisationnot Descartes MacroPoint
  • An electrical or plumbing distributor needing counter sales and trade-specific workflow out of the boxnot Descartes MacroPoint
  • A building materials dealer needing yard operations, delivery scheduling and configured product ordering in one systemnot Descartes MacroPoint

Where each one falls short

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

Descartes MacroPoint

  • Pricing is per tracked load and unpublished, and rates fall steeply with volume, so a small broker pays a much higher unit price than a large one for identical service and has little negotiating leverage.
  • Tracking depends on carrier consent, so coverage on any given lane is a percentage rather than a guarantee, and the carriers most likely to be untracked are the small ones causing the exceptions you care about.
  • Driver mobile tracking as the fallback depends on drivers accepting location sharing, and refusal rates mean visibility gaps that appear as service failures to your customer.
  • Ocean and air visibility is materially less mature than domestic North American truckload, so a global shipper ends up running a second platform for international freight.
  • MacroPoint is one product inside a large acquisitive software group, so roadmap attention and support responsiveness are set by Descartes portfolio priorities rather than by visibility customers.

Epicor

  • Epicor is a portfolio of separately acquired products rather than one system, so reviews, references and analyst coverage about Epicor as a brand can be misleading about the specific product you are being sold.
  • The products are highly customisable and are routinely customised, and heavily customised installations become expensive to upgrade, which is why long-standing customers frequently run versions several releases behind current.
  • Cloud delivery is single-tenant hosting rather than multi-tenant SaaS, so you still own an upgrade decision and the regression testing that comes with it, and buyers who expected the SaaS model of no upgrades are surprised.
  • Sales and delivery run through a mix of direct staff and partners depending on product and region, so accountability for a failed implementation can be genuinely ambiguous unless it is fixed in the contract before signature.
  • The strongest coverage is in North American manufacturing and distribution, so an international group needing statutory compliance and local support across many countries has to test that coverage carefully rather than assume it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Descartes MacroPoint

On request
  • Descartes MacroPoint$undefined/year
    • Priced per tracked load with rates varying by mode and volume
    • Per-load rates fall substantially at high volume, so small shippers pay more per load
    • Annual subscription with minimum commitments

Epicor

$750/month
  • Starter$750/month
    • Core ERP
    • Manufacturing
    • Financial management
  • Professional$1500/month
    • Advanced ERP
    • Advanced CRM
    • Analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Descartes MacroPoint if

  • You need carrier network.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-source tracking.
Descartes MacroPoint review

Choose Epicor if

  • You need kinetic.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
  • You also want prophet 21.
Epicor review

Questions people ask

Is Descartes MacroPoint or Epicor better?
Neither clearly leads. Descartes MacroPoint starts at On request and Epicor at $750/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Descartes MacroPoint or Epicor?
Descartes MacroPoint starts at On request and Epicor at $750/month.
Does Descartes MacroPoint or Epicor run on more platforms?
Descartes MacroPoint runs on Web, iOS, Android. Epicor runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
What is Descartes MacroPoint best used for?
Descartes MacroPoint is most often used for a freight broker whose largest customer has made tracking compliance a contract condition, a shipper wanting one tracking view across dozens of carriers rather than a portal per carrier, a 3pl measuring carrier performance on dwell and on-time arrival with data the carrier cannot dispute, an operation replacing check calls, where the labour saving alone justifies the per-load fee. Of those, a freight broker whose largest customer has made tracking compliance a contract condition and a shipper wanting one tracking view across dozens of carriers rather than a portal per carrier are not what Epicor is typically brought in for.
What can Descartes MacroPoint do that Epicor cannot?
Descartes MacroPoint covers Carrier network, Multi-source tracking, Predictive ETA, Exception alerts. Epicor covers Kinetic, Prophet 21, Eclipse, BisTrack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Descartes MacroPoint: How is MacroPoint priced?

Per tracked load, varying by mode and volume, quoted per customer. Nothing is published as a list price.

Epicor: Which Epicor product am I actually being sold?

Ask explicitly, by name. Kinetic, Prophet 21, Eclipse and BisTrack are different systems with different roadmaps. Then ask for references on that specific product, in your industry, at your size.

Descartes MacroPoint: What happens when a carrier has no telematics?

A driver mobile app is used as a fallback, which depends on the driver agreeing to share location.

Epicor: Is Epicor Kinetic a true SaaS product?

It is delivered as a hosted single-tenant service on Azure. You get vendor-managed infrastructure, but you do not get the multi-tenant model where the vendor upgrades everyone at once and no upgrade project exists.

Descartes MacroPoint: Is it only North American trucking?

No, it covers ocean, rail, LTL and parcel too, but truckload in North America is where coverage is strongest.

Epicor: How much should I customise?

Less than you will want to. Every modification is something to retest and potentially rework at each upgrade, and the accumulation of them is the main reason customers get stranded on old versions. Push hard on whether a requirement is genuinely a differentiator before building for it.

Descartes MacroPoint: Who owns it?

Descartes Systems Group, which acquired MacroPoint in 2017 and retains it as a named product.

Epicor: Direct or partner implementation?

Both exist. The partner's track record on your product and industry matters more than the vendor's, so ask who will staff the project, request their references, and put named staff into the statement of work.

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