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Logistics · head to head

Loadsmart vs ShipEngine

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
ShipEngine logo

ShipEngine

Logistics

Shipping API for labels, carrier rates and address validation across 200+ carriers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ShipEngine has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; ShipEngine free plan limited to sandbox access, not production use
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loadsmart and ShipEngine actually diverge.

Attributes where Loadsmart and ShipEngine differ
AttributeLoadsmartShipEngine
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb

Identical on both: 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 Loadsmart

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

Only in ShipEngine

Nothing recorded that Loadsmart does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Loadsmart

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

ShipEngine

  • Comparing rates across 100+ carriers for optimal pricingnot Loadsmart
  • Creating shipping labels and managing manifests at scalenot Loadsmart
  • Validating addresses to reduce failed deliveriesnot Loadsmart
  • Consolidating orders from multiple ecommerce channelsnot Loadsmart
  • Tracking parcels with webhook notifications for automationnot Loadsmart

Where each one falls short

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

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.

ShipEngine

  • Free plan limited to sandbox access, not production use
  • Enterprise plan requires custom pricing for high-volume users with 25,000+ monthly shipments

Pricing, plan by plan

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

ShipEngine

Free
  • FreeFree
    • sandbox access
    • discounted carrier rates
    • analytics
  • Advanced$75/month
    • carrier account management
    • address validation
    • PUDO location search
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • minimum 25,000+ shipments monthly
    • custom billing
    • higher rate limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Loadsmart if

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

Choose ShipEngine if

  • You want to start without paying.
ShipEngine review

Questions people ask

Is Loadsmart or ShipEngine better?
Neither clearly leads. Loadsmart starts at On request and ShipEngine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loadsmart or ShipEngine?
ShipEngine has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Loadsmart and Free for ShipEngine.
Does Loadsmart or ShipEngine run on more platforms?
Loadsmart runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. ShipEngine runs on Web.
Can I use ShipEngine for free?
Yes. ShipEngine has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Loadsmart starts at On request.
What is Loadsmart best used for?
Loadsmart is most often used for a mid market shipper with no tms that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separately, a warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier base, a shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract rates, a distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logs. Of those, a mid market shipper with no tms that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separately and a warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier base are not what ShipEngine is typically brought in for.
What can Loadsmart do that ShipEngine cannot?
Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Instant committed quotes, Opendock scheduling, NavTrac gate automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

ShipEngine: How much does ShipEngine cost?

ShipEngine offers a free plan, an Advanced plan starting at $75/month, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Advanced plan includes label tier pricing from $0.075 to $0.060 per label depending on volume.

Source
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.

ShipEngine: What does ShipEngine's free plan include?

ShipEngine's free plan includes sandbox access for testing, discounted carrier rates, analytics, label creation, rate comparison tools, tracking capabilities, and webhook support.

Source
Loadsmart: Does it publish pricing?

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

ShipEngine: How does ShipEngine charge for label overages?

ShipEngine's Advanced plan includes monthly label allowances from 1,000 to 10,000 labels. Overages beyond the monthly tier are charged at $0.075 per label (1,000 tier), $0.065 (5,000 tier), or $0.060 (10,000 tier).

Source
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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