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Logistics · head to head

Alvys vs McLeod Software

Alvys logo

Alvys

Logistics

Cloud transportation management system built for carriers and brokers that run both sides of the business

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
McLeod Software logo

McLeod Software

Logistics

The long standing transportation management system for North American asset carriers and brokerages

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Alvys the company was founded in 2020, so the integration catalogue is short compared with systems that have spent thirty years accumulating EDI trading partner maps, and a customer with an unusual shipper connection may be funding that build.; McLeod Software it is a Microsoft SQL Server application that most customers still run on their own servers, so the total cost includes hardware, database administration and a disaster recovery plan that the vendor does not provide.
  • They diverge on capability: Alvys covers Unified asset and brokerage loads, McLeod Software covers LoadMaster.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alvys and McLeod Software actually diverge.

Attributes where Alvys and McLeod Software differ
AttributeAlvysMcLeod Software
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWindows, Web, 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 Alvys

  • Unified asset and brokerage loads
  • Dispatch board
  • Driver mobile app
  • Carrier onboarding
  • Settlements and invoicing
  • Load and lane reporting

Only in McLeod Software

  • LoadMaster
  • PowerBroker
  • Driver pay and settlements
  • EDI and integration
  • Document Power imaging
  • Business intelligence

What people use each for

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

Alvys

  • A carrier with its own trucks that also brokers overflow freight and is tired of reconciling two systemsnot McLeod Software
  • A growing brokerage that wants a hosted system without an on premises database server and a DBAnot McLeod Software
  • A trucking company that needs drivers to submit paperwork from the cab instead of at the terminal on Fridaynot McLeod Software
  • A fleet replacing spreadsheets for settlements and wanting per load margin without a month end exercisenot McLeod Software

McLeod Software

  • A truckload carrier above one hundred trucks whose driver pay rules break every simpler system it has triednot Alvys
  • A brokerage that needs carrier payables, factoring interfaces and settlement controls rather than a load board with invoicingnot Alvys
  • A carrier required by large shippers to exchange EDI tenders, status messages and invoices in specific formatsnot Alvys
  • A company running both assets and a brokerage that wants each side on the vendor system built for itnot Alvys

Where each one falls short

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

Alvys

  • The company was founded in 2020, so the integration catalogue is short compared with systems that have spent thirty years accumulating EDI trading partner maps, and a customer with an unusual shipper connection may be funding that build.
  • There is effectively no independent consultant market, so implementation, data migration and configuration expertise all come from the vendor, which is a single point of dependency during a cutover.
  • Accounting depth is limited and most customers still run a general ledger in QuickBooks or similar, so the TMS is a subledger rather than the finance system.
  • Complex driver pay schemes, cross border currency handling and heavy accessorial structures in drayage are areas where the older systems are more complete and where workarounds are still common.
  • Pricing is not published, so a buyer cannot size the cost before entering a sales process, and per user pricing on a dispatch team with part time night staff can be an unpleasant surprise.

McLeod Software

  • It is a Microsoft SQL Server application that most customers still run on their own servers, so the total cost includes hardware, database administration and a disaster recovery plan that the vendor does not provide.
  • Version upgrades are projects rather than background events, and carriers routinely run releases that are a year or more old because upgrading requires testing every customisation and integration.
  • Licensing is per seat with modules priced separately, so a carrier with part time weekend dispatchers or occasional finance users pays full seats for people who log in a few hours a week.
  • The interface is dense and built for trained operators, and onboarding a new dispatcher takes weeks rather than days, which is expensive in a role with high turnover.
  • Pricing is never published and implementations commonly run six months or more with vendor or partner services, so the first year cost is a multiple of the annual licence and difficult to estimate before a sales process.

Pricing, plan by plan

Alvys

On request
  • Alvys TMS$undefined/year
    • Dispatch, brokerage and settlements
    • Driver mobile application
    • Integrations and reporting

McLeod Software

On request
  • LoadMaster$undefined/year
    • Asset carrier transportation management
    • Driver pay and settlements
    • Dispatch and equipment management
  • PowerBroker$undefined/year
    • Brokerage operations
    • Carrier procurement and payables
    • Customer billing

Which should you pick?

Choose Alvys if

  • You need unified asset and brokerage loads.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want dispatch board.
Alvys review

Choose McLeod Software if

  • You need loadmaster.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want powerbroker.
McLeod Software review

Questions people ask

Is Alvys or McLeod Software better?
Neither clearly leads. Alvys starts at On request and McLeod Software at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alvys or McLeod Software?
Alvys starts at On request and McLeod Software at On request.
Does Alvys or McLeod Software run on more platforms?
Alvys runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. McLeod Software runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is Alvys best used for?
Alvys is most often used for a carrier with its own trucks that also brokers overflow freight and is tired of reconciling two systems, a growing brokerage that wants a hosted system without an on premises database server and a dba, a trucking company that needs drivers to submit paperwork from the cab instead of at the terminal on friday, a fleet replacing spreadsheets for settlements and wanting per load margin without a month end exercise. Of those, a carrier with its own trucks that also brokers overflow freight and is tired of reconciling two systems and a growing brokerage that wants a hosted system without an on premises database server and a dba are not what McLeod Software is typically brought in for.
What can Alvys do that McLeod Software cannot?
Alvys covers Unified asset and brokerage loads, Dispatch board, Driver mobile app, Carrier onboarding. McLeod Software covers LoadMaster, PowerBroker, Driver pay and settlements, EDI and integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Alvys: Does it work for a company that only brokers?

Yes, and also for one that only hauls. The point is that it does not force a choice.

McLeod Software: Is McLeod available as a hosted service?

Yes, McLeod offers hosting, but a large part of the installed base still runs on premises and budgets accordingly.

Alvys: Is it hosted or on premises?

Hosted only. There is no on premises deployment option.

McLeod Software: Can a fifty truck carrier use it?

It will run, but the licence and implementation economics rarely make sense below roughly one hundred trucks.

Alvys: Does it replace my accounting system?

No. It handles settlements and invoicing and pushes to an accounting package.

McLeod Software: Who owns McLeod Software?

It has remained privately held and independent since it was founded in 1985, which is unusual in this market.

Alvys: Is pricing published?

No. Expect a quote based on users and volume.

McLeod Software: How long is a typical implementation?

Plan for six months or more once data migration, EDI setup and settlement rule configuration are included.

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