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Logistics · head to head

Descartes Aljex vs Shippabo

D

Descartes Aljex

Logistics

Freight brokerage TMS with published plan pricing, from 699 dollars a month for five users

From
$699/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shippabo logo

Shippabo

Logistics

Freight forwarder with its own import management platform, priced on container volume

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Descartes Aljex customer EDI connections are metered by tier, with none on Essential, one on Professional and two on Enterprise, so a broker onboarding several EDI shippers pays above the published plan price.; Shippabo the software is priced on container volume under an annual service agreement, so the fee moves with freight rather than usage and a soft import season still carries a committed cost.
  • They diverge on capability: Descartes Aljex covers Published plan pricing, Shippabo covers Purchase order tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Descartes Aljex and Shippabo actually diverge.

Attributes where Descartes Aljex and Shippabo differ
AttributeDescartes AljexShippabo
Starting price$699/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month by planquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: 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 Aljex

  • Published plan pricing
  • Load entry and dispatch
  • Carrier vetting
  • Lane pricing
  • Tracking integrations
  • Brokerage accounting
  • Agent security
  • Customer EDI

Only in Shippabo

  • Purchase order tracking
  • Shipment visibility
  • Customs brokerage
  • Supplier collaboration
  • Landed cost
  • System integrations

What people use each for

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

Descartes Aljex

  • A five-person brokerage that needs to know its monthly software cost before committing rather than after a discovery callnot Shippabo
  • An agent-based brokerage that must stop agents seeing each other customers and marginsnot Shippabo
  • A growing broker moving off spreadsheets and email who wants load boards, tracking and carrier vetting already connectednot Shippabo
  • A 3PL needing brokerage settlement and QuickBooks accounting without a separate finance integration projectnot Shippabo

Shippabo

  • A mid-sized importer bringing containers from China that needs PO-level visibility without building it in-housenot Descartes Aljex
  • A wholesaler that wants factories updating purchase order status directly instead of by emailnot Descartes Aljex
  • A retailer needing landed cost per shipment to price goods before they arrivenot Descartes Aljex
  • An importer consolidating forwarding, customs brokerage and tracking with one providernot Descartes Aljex

Where each one falls short

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

Descartes Aljex

  • Customer EDI connections are metered by tier, with none on Essential, one on Professional and two on Enterprise, so a broker onboarding several EDI shippers pays above the published plan price.
  • The one-time implementation fee is not published at any tier, so the advertised monthly price is not the first-year cost.
  • User counts are bundled per tier, which means growing from five to six users on Essential forces a jump to the 999 dollar Professional plan rather than adding one seat.
  • It is a domestic brokerage system with no forwarding or customs capability, so any international freight work requires a second platform.
  • Descartes is an acquisitive group with several overlapping transportation products, so Aljex customers depend on portfolio decisions about which brokerage product receives investment.

Shippabo

  • The software is priced on container volume under an annual service agreement, so the fee moves with freight rather than usage and a soft import season still carries a committed cost.
  • Platform and forwarding are bought together, which makes tendering freight to a cheaper carrier expensive because you risk losing the visibility layer your team uses.
  • As a small forwarder it has less network depth and weaker space allocation than the global incumbents, which bites hardest in a tight ocean market when capacity is rationed to large accounts.
  • Nothing is published about price, so importers cannot benchmark the software fee against independent visibility vendors without a sales process.
  • Coverage is concentrated on the trans-Pacific import lane, so companies with significant intra-Europe, Latin American or export flows need a second provider anyway.

Pricing, plan by plan

Descartes Aljex

$699/month
  • Essential$699/month
    • Five users included
    • Unlimited shipments
    • MacroPoint, MyCarrierPortal, load boards, ProMiles, QuickBooks and DAT RateView
  • Professional$999/month
    • Fifteen users included
    • Unlimited shipments and carrier profiles
    • Ten hours of support and training
  • Enterprise$2375/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Fifteen hours of support and training
    • Ninety-day hypercare period

Shippabo

On request
  • Shippabo Platform$undefined/year
    • Annual software service agreement
    • Priced on container volume and partner count
    • Purchase order and container visibility

Which should you pick?

Choose Descartes Aljex if

  • You need published plan pricing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want load entry and dispatch.
Descartes Aljex review

Choose Shippabo if

  • You need purchase order tracking.
  • You also want shipment visibility.
Shippabo review

Questions people ask

Is Descartes Aljex or Shippabo better?
Neither clearly leads. Descartes Aljex starts at $699/month and Shippabo at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Descartes Aljex or Shippabo?
Descartes Aljex starts at $699/month and Shippabo at On request.
Does Descartes Aljex or Shippabo run on more platforms?
Descartes Aljex runs on Web, iOS, Android. Shippabo runs on Web.
What is Descartes Aljex best used for?
Descartes Aljex is most often used for a five-person brokerage that needs to know its monthly software cost before committing rather than after a discovery call, an agent-based brokerage that must stop agents seeing each other customers and margins, a growing broker moving off spreadsheets and email who wants load boards, tracking and carrier vetting already connected, a 3pl needing brokerage settlement and quickbooks accounting without a separate finance integration project. Of those, a five-person brokerage that needs to know its monthly software cost before committing rather than after a discovery call and an agent-based brokerage that must stop agents seeing each other customers and margins are not what Shippabo is typically brought in for.
What can Descartes Aljex do that Shippabo cannot?
Descartes Aljex covers Published plan pricing, Load entry and dispatch, Carrier vetting, Lane pricing. Shippabo covers Purchase order tracking, Shipment visibility, Customs brokerage, Supplier collaboration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Descartes Aljex: What does it cost?

Essential is 699 USD a month for five users, Professional from 999 USD for fifteen, Enterprise from 2,375 USD for unlimited users, plus a one-time implementation fee.

Shippabo: Is Shippabo still trading?

Yes. The platform and freight services are active, operated by Galleon Technology with United States and China operations.

Descartes Aljex: Is it priced per user?

No. Users are bundled into each tier, so cost steps up between plans rather than per seat.

Shippabo: Can I buy the software without using Shippabo as my forwarder?

The visibility product is sold as an annual agreement priced on container volume and partners, so it is structured around the freight relationship rather than as a standalone subscription.

Descartes Aljex: Are EDI connections included?

One on Professional and two on Enterprise. Essential includes none, and additional connections cost extra.

Shippabo: How is it priced?

On container volume and partner count under an annual software service agreement. No figures are published.

Descartes Aljex: Can it handle international freight?

No. It is a domestic brokerage TMS with no customs or forwarding functionality.

Shippabo: Is it a neutral multi-carrier platform?

No. It is a forwarder's own platform, so it will not give you a genuinely carrier-agnostic view of freight you tender elsewhere.

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