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Logistics · head to head

Kuebix vs Loadsmart

Kuebix logo

Kuebix

Logistics

Shipper TMS known for its free tier, acquired by Trimble in 2020 and now sold inside the Trimble portfolio

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Loadsmart logo

Loadsmart

Logistics

Digital freight brokerage sold together with the TMS, dock scheduling and gate tools that book the loads

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kuebix the free tier that made the product well known was the reason most buyers looked at it, and after the Trimble acquisition the entry level commercial terms are no longer what the widely circulated reviews describe, so any research older than the acquisition is misleading.; Loadsmart the brokerage and the software share a parent, so quotes shown inside ShipperGuide are Loadsmart capacity offers rather than a neutral market view, and a shipper wanting a benchmark has to source rates elsewhere.
  • They diverge on capability: Kuebix covers Rate shopping, Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kuebix and Loadsmart actually diverge.

Attributes where Kuebix and Loadsmart differ
AttributeKuebixLoadsmart
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Kuebix

  • Rate shopping
  • Booking and tendering
  • Shipment tracking
  • Freight audit support
  • Community capacity
  • Reporting

Only in Loadsmart

  • ShipperGuide TMS
  • Instant committed quotes
  • Opendock scheduling
  • NavTrac gate automation
  • Managed transportation
  • Carrier app and load board

What people use each for

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

Kuebix

  • A small shipper with negotiated LTL rates that currently compares carriers in a spreadsheetnot Loadsmart
  • A distributor wanting to check carrier invoices against quoted rates without buying a freight audit servicenot Loadsmart
  • A shipper already invested in Trimble transportation technology and wanting the shipper side from the same vendornot Loadsmart
  • A logistics team needing basic lane and carrier spend reporting without an enterprise TMS implementationnot Loadsmart

Loadsmart

  • A mid market shipper with no TMS that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separatelynot Kuebix
  • A warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier basenot Kuebix
  • A shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract ratesnot Kuebix
  • A distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logsnot Kuebix

Where each one falls short

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

Kuebix

  • The free tier that made the product well known was the reason most buyers looked at it, and after the Trimble acquisition the entry level commercial terms are no longer what the widely circulated reviews describe, so any research older than the acquisition is misleading.
  • Ownership by Trimble means the roadmap is set against a portfolio strategy centred on carrier and fleet technology, and shipper side investment competes internally with products that sell to a different customer.
  • It is a rating and booking tool rather than a full transportation management system, so shippers with multi leg, international or complex allocation requirements outgrow it quickly.
  • Rate accuracy depends on the shipper loading and maintaining its own carrier contracts, and stale rate tables produce confident quotes that the carrier invoice then contradicts.
  • Support and account management now run through a large diversified vendor, and small shippers on entry level arrangements report less direct access than they had with the original company.

Loadsmart

  • The brokerage and the software share a parent, so quotes shown inside ShipperGuide are Loadsmart capacity offers rather than a neutral market view, and a shipper wanting a benchmark has to source rates elsewhere.
  • Instant quoting only works where Loadsmart has carrier depth, so a shipper running thin regional or rural lanes finds committed pricing unavailable in exactly the conditions where it would have been most valuable.
  • Opendock depends on carriers and drivers creating accounts and booking their own slots, so a facility with hundreds of small carriers spends months chasing adoption before the appointment data is complete enough to act on.
  • Pricing is not published and is negotiated per shipper, frequently alongside a freight volume expectation, which makes it hard to compare against an independent TMS licence and awkward to unwind if you later move the freight to another provider.
  • The portfolio was assembled by acquisition, with Opendock and NavTrac bought in separately, and the modules still behave as separate applications with their own logins and reporting rather than a single system.

Pricing, plan by plan

Kuebix

On request
  • Kuebix (Trimble Transportation)$undefined/year
    • Shipper rating, booking and tracking
    • Carrier rate management
    • Reporting and freight audit support

Loadsmart

On request
  • ShipperGuide$undefined/year
    • Transportation management for shippers
    • Quoting, tendering and execution
    • Reporting and rate benchmarking
  • Opendock$undefined/year
    • Dock appointment scheduling by facility
    • Carrier self service booking
    • Door and dwell reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Kuebix if

  • You need rate shopping.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want booking and tendering.
Kuebix review

Choose Loadsmart if

  • You need shipperguide tms.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want instant committed quotes.
Loadsmart review

Questions people ask

Is Kuebix or Loadsmart better?
Neither clearly leads. Kuebix starts at On request and Loadsmart at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kuebix or Loadsmart?
Kuebix starts at On request and Loadsmart at On request.
Does Kuebix or Loadsmart run on more platforms?
Kuebix runs on Web, API. Loadsmart runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is Kuebix best used for?
Kuebix is most often used for a small shipper with negotiated ltl rates that currently compares carriers in a spreadsheet, a distributor wanting to check carrier invoices against quoted rates without buying a freight audit service, a shipper already invested in trimble transportation technology and wanting the shipper side from the same vendor, a logistics team needing basic lane and carrier spend reporting without an enterprise tms implementation. Of those, a small shipper with negotiated ltl rates that currently compares carriers in a spreadsheet and a distributor wanting to check carrier invoices against quoted rates without buying a freight audit service are not what Loadsmart is typically brought in for.
What can Kuebix do that Loadsmart cannot?
Kuebix covers Rate shopping, Booking and tendering, Shipment tracking, Freight audit support. Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Instant committed quotes, Opendock scheduling, NavTrac gate automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kuebix: Is Kuebix still free?

Do not assume so. The free community tier was central to the original company and the terms changed after Trimble acquired the business in 2020. Confirm current availability with Trimble.

Loadsmart: Can I use ShipperGuide with my own contracted carriers and not Loadsmart capacity?

Yes, it will tender to your carrier panel, but the instant quoting and the managed service are where the product invests and where the commercial relationship sits.

Kuebix: Who owns Kuebix?

Trimble Inc., which acquired it in 2020.

Loadsmart: Is Opendock sold separately from the brokerage?

Yes. It is the most commonly standalone purchase, and warehouses buy it without ever tendering freight to Loadsmart.

Kuebix: Is it a full TMS?

It is strongest at LTL rate shopping, booking and tracking. Complex multimodal planning is not its territory.

Loadsmart: Does it publish pricing?

No. Every deal is quoted, and software cost is often discussed together with freight volume.

Kuebix: Does it work with my own carrier contracts?

Yes, that is the core use case, but you are responsible for keeping the rate tables current.

Loadsmart: How does it compare to a visibility platform like project44?

It is not a visibility network. Tracking covers freight moving through Loadsmart and connected carriers, not your whole carrier base across every mode.

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