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Logistics · head to head

Descartes MacroPoint vs McLeod Software

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
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  • Each has a real cost: Descartes MacroPoint pricing is per tracked load and unpublished, and rates fall steeply with volume, so a small broker pays a much higher unit price than a large one for identical service and has little negotiating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.; 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: Descartes MacroPoint covers Carrier network, McLeod Software covers LoadMaster.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Descartes MacroPoint and McLeod Software actually diverge.

Attributes where Descartes MacroPoint and McLeod Software differ
AttributeDescartes MacroPointMcLeod Software
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, 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 Descartes MacroPoint

  • Carrier network
  • Multi-source tracking
  • Predictive ETA
  • Exception alerts
  • Multimodal
  • Capacity matching
  • API and TMS integration
  • Customer portals

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.

Descartes MacroPoint

  • A freight broker whose largest customer has made tracking compliance a contract conditionnot McLeod Software
  • A shipper wanting one tracking view across dozens of carriers rather than a portal per carriernot McLeod Software
  • A 3PL measuring carrier performance on dwell and on-time arrival with data the carrier cannot disputenot McLeod Software
  • An operation replacing check calls, where the labour saving alone justifies the per-load feenot McLeod Software

McLeod Software

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

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

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

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 Descartes MacroPoint if

  • You need carrier network.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-source tracking.
Descartes MacroPoint 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 Descartes MacroPoint or McLeod Software better?
Neither clearly leads. Descartes MacroPoint 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, Descartes MacroPoint or McLeod Software?
Descartes MacroPoint starts at On request and McLeod Software at On request.
Does Descartes MacroPoint or McLeod Software run on more platforms?
Descartes MacroPoint runs on Web, iOS, Android. McLeod Software runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
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 McLeod Software is typically brought in for.
What can Descartes MacroPoint do that McLeod Software cannot?
Descartes MacroPoint covers Carrier network, Multi-source tracking, Predictive ETA, Exception alerts. McLeod Software covers LoadMaster, PowerBroker, Driver pay and settlements, EDI and integration.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Descartes MacroPoint: Who owns it?

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

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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