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Logistics · head to head

Loadsmart vs Manhattan Associates

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
Manhattan Associates logo

Manhattan Associates

Logistics

Tier-one warehouse, order and transportation management, now cloud subscription only

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Manhattan Associates manhattan Active is cloud subscription only with no perpetual licence and no on-premises deployment, so organisations with a capital purchasing model or air-gapped requirements are excluded outright.
  • They diverge on capability: Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Manhattan Associates covers Warehouse management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loadsmart and Manhattan Associates actually diverge.

Attributes where Loadsmart and Manhattan Associates differ
AttributeLoadsmartManhattan Associates
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb, Cloud, iOS, Android

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 Loadsmart

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

Only in Manhattan Associates

  • Warehouse management
  • Order management
  • Transportation management
  • Labour management
  • Yard management
  • Versionless updates
  • Store and point of sale

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 Manhattan Associates
  • A warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier basenot Manhattan Associates
  • A shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract ratesnot Manhattan Associates
  • A distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logsnot Manhattan Associates

Manhattan Associates

  • A retailer fulfilling store, ecommerce and wholesale orders from one inventory pool without separate systems per channelnot Loadsmart
  • A distribution centre introducing goods-to-person robotics that needs the WMS to orchestrate the automationnot Loadsmart
  • A third-party logistics provider running multiple clients with different processes in one facilitynot Loadsmart
  • An operation where labour is the largest cost and engineered standards would pay for the softwarenot 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.

Manhattan Associates

  • Manhattan Active is cloud subscription only with no perpetual licence and no on-premises deployment, so organisations with a capital purchasing model or air-gapped requirements are excluded outright.
  • Legacy WMOS and SCALE customers pay annual maintenance of roughly 18 to 22 per cent of licence value while the vendor steers investment towards Active, so staying put has a rising opportunity cost as well as a cash cost.
  • Implementation is a tier-one project measured in quarters, and system integrator fees routinely match or exceed several years of subscription, which is the part that breaks budgets rather than the licence.
  • Functional depth assumes complexity; operations with simple distribution end up configuring around capability they do not need and paying for it every year.
  • Modules are priced individually, so warehouse, order, transportation and labour management each carry their own line, and a business case built on the WMS alone understates the eventual footprint.

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

Manhattan Associates

On request
  • Manhattan Active Warehouse Management$undefined/year
    • Cloud subscription only, no perpetual licence
    • Versionless with continuous updates
    • Priced per module and by volume or site
  • Manhattan Active Omni and Transportation$undefined/year
    • Order management, point of sale and store fulfilment
    • Multimodal transportation management
    • Each module priced separately
  • Legacy WMOS and SCALE$undefined/year
    • Perpetual licence held by existing customers
    • Annual maintenance typically 18 to 22 per cent of licence value
    • Still sold to existing customers with extended support

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 Manhattan Associates if

  • You need warehouse management.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want order management.
Manhattan Associates review

Questions people ask

Is Loadsmart or Manhattan Associates better?
Neither clearly leads. Loadsmart starts at On request and Manhattan Associates at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loadsmart or Manhattan Associates?
Loadsmart starts at On request and Manhattan Associates at On request.
Does Loadsmart or Manhattan Associates run on more platforms?
Loadsmart runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Manhattan Associates runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
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 Manhattan Associates is typically brought in for.
What can Loadsmart do that Manhattan Associates cannot?
Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Instant committed quotes, Opendock scheduling, NavTrac gate automation. Manhattan Associates covers Warehouse management, Order management, Transportation management, Labour management.

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.

Manhattan Associates: Can I buy Manhattan Active on-premises or perpetually?

No. Manhattan Active is cloud-native SaaS priced per module by subscription, with no perpetual licence option.

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.

Manhattan Associates: What happens to my WMOS or SCALE licence?

Existing perpetual licences continue, with maintenance typically 18 to 22 per cent of licence value each year. Manhattan offers discounted transition pricing to move to Active.

Loadsmart: Does it publish pricing?

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

Manhattan Associates: What does versionless actually mean?

Updates are applied continuously while the subscription is active, so there is no separate upgrade project, but you also do not control when changes arrive.

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.

Manhattan Associates: How much does implementation cost relative to the software?

Expect a system integrator engagement comparable to or larger than several years of subscription. Budget for it as the main line, not a footnote.

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