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Logistics · head to head

Descartes MacroPoint vs GEP SMART

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
GEP SMART logo

GEP SMART

ERP

Enterprise source-to-pay from a vendor that also sells the consulting and the outsourced procurement team

From
On request
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  • Each has a real cost: Descartes MacroPoint pricing is per tracked load and unpublished, and rates fall steeply with volume, so a small broker pays a much higher unit price than a large one for identical service and has little negotiating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.; GEP SMART gEP sells the software, the consulting and the outsourced procurement team, so the vendor measuring the savings is often the vendor delivering them, which makes independent verification difficult.
  • They diverge on capability: Descartes MacroPoint covers Carrier network, GEP SMART covers Unified source-to-pay.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Descartes MacroPoint and GEP SMART actually diverge.

Attributes where Descartes MacroPoint and GEP SMART differ
AttributeDescartes MacroPointGEP SMART
CategoryLogisticsERP

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 GEP SMART

  • Unified source-to-pay
  • Spend and category analytics
  • Savings tracking
  • Supplier risk management
  • GEP QUANTUM
  • Managed services attachment

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 GEP SMART
  • A shipper wanting one tracking view across dozens of carriers rather than a portal per carriernot GEP SMART
  • A 3PL measuring carrier performance on dwell and on-time arrival with data the carrier cannot disputenot GEP SMART
  • An operation replacing check calls, where the labour saving alone justifies the per-load feenot GEP SMART

GEP SMART

  • An enterprise that needs category expertise as well as software and would otherwise run two procurement processesnot Descartes MacroPoint
  • A company outsourcing tactical sourcing while retaining strategic categories, using one platform across bothnot Descartes MacroPoint
  • A multinational consolidating regional procurement systems onto one spend taxonomynot Descartes MacroPoint
  • An organisation that needs savings tracked and reconciled against realised spend rather than claimed in a spreadsheetnot 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.

GEP SMART

  • GEP sells the software, the consulting and the outsourced procurement team, so the vendor measuring the savings is often the vendor delivering them, which makes independent verification difficult.
  • Nothing is published and reported entry points around half a million US dollars a year exclude implementation, which GEP typically delivers itself rather than through a competing integrator.
  • Implementation being delivered by the vendor limits the pool of independent consultants who can advise you during the project or take over afterwards.
  • Combined software and services engagements are difficult to unwind, because replacing the platform also means rebuilding procurement capability the outsourcer was providing.
  • The platform is scoped for very large enterprises, so mid-market organisations face both a price and a complexity floor that no module selection brings down.

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

GEP SMART

On request
  • GEP SMART$undefined/year
    • Scaled by managed spend volume, modules and user count
    • Third parties report deployments starting around 500,000 USD per year
    • Frequently bundled with GEP consulting or managed services

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 GEP SMART if

  • You need unified source-to-pay.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want spend and category analytics.
GEP SMART review

Questions people ask

Is Descartes MacroPoint or GEP SMART better?
Neither clearly leads. Descartes MacroPoint starts at On request and GEP SMART at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Descartes MacroPoint or GEP SMART?
Descartes MacroPoint starts at On request and GEP SMART at On request.
Does Descartes MacroPoint or GEP SMART run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 GEP SMART is typically brought in for.
What can Descartes MacroPoint do that GEP SMART cannot?
Descartes MacroPoint covers Carrier network, Multi-source tracking, Predictive ETA, Exception alerts. GEP SMART covers Unified source-to-pay, Spend and category analytics, Savings tracking, Supplier risk management.

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.

GEP SMART: Is GEP just a software company?

No. It sells procurement software, procurement consulting and outsourced procurement operations, and deals often combine all three.

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.

GEP SMART: What does GEP SMART cost?

Not published. Third parties report deployments from around 500,000 USD a year, scaled by managed spend, modules and users.

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.

GEP SMART: Who implements it?

GEP typically does, which shortens the project but reduces independent advice during and after it.

Descartes MacroPoint: Who owns it?

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

GEP SMART: How does it compare with Ivalua?

Both are single-platform enterprise source-to-pay. GEP adds consulting and managed services; Ivalua is software only and stronger on direct materials.

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