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Logistics · head to head

McLeod Software vs Shipwell

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
Shipwell logo

Shipwell

Logistics

Cloud transportation management with a built-in carrier network, sold on freight volume not seats

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Shipwell pricing is not published and is set on freight volume, so the cost rises through a peak season regardless of how much anyone uses the software.
  • They diverge on capability: McLeod Software covers LoadMaster, Shipwell covers Rate shopping.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where McLeod Software and Shipwell differ
AttributeMcLeod SoftwareShipwell
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, API

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 McLeod Software

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

Only in Shipwell

  • Rate shopping
  • Automated tendering
  • Real-time tracking
  • Freight audit and pay
  • Carrier network
  • Analytics

What people use each for

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

McLeod Software

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

Shipwell

  • A mid-market shipper running truckload tenders on spreadsheets and emailnot McLeod Software
  • A broker replacing a legacy operating system without building one in-housenot McLeod Software
  • A manufacturer that needs proof of delivery and exception alerts pushed into its ERPnot McLeod Software
  • A logistics team that wants freight audit to catch accessorial overbilling automaticallynot McLeod Software

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Shipwell

  • Pricing is not published and is set on freight volume, so the cost rises through a peak season regardless of how much anyone uses the software.
  • Shipwell operates a carrier network as well as the TMS, so the vendor running your tender is also a bidder in it, which weakens the neutrality a competitive sourcing process depends on.
  • Coverage is heavily North American, and international ocean, air and customs handling is thin compared with a forwarder-grade platform.
  • ERP and WMS integrations turn deployment into a project with its own cost and timeline rather than a configuration exercise.
  • The company is small relative to the enterprise TMS incumbents, which matters for a system that sits in the path of every shipment if support or roadmap continuity slips.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Shipwell

On request
  • Shipwell TMS$undefined/year
    • Annual contract priced on freight volume
    • Rate shopping, tendering and tracking
    • Freight audit and payment

Which should you pick?

Choose McLeod Software if

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

Choose Shipwell if

  • You need rate shopping.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want automated tendering.
Shipwell review

Questions people ask

Is McLeod Software or Shipwell better?
Neither clearly leads. McLeod Software starts at On request and Shipwell at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, McLeod Software or Shipwell?
McLeod Software starts at On request and Shipwell at On request.
Does McLeod Software or Shipwell run on more platforms?
McLeod Software runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Shipwell runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is McLeod Software best used for?
McLeod Software is most often used for a truckload carrier above one hundred trucks whose driver pay rules break every simpler system it has tried, a brokerage that needs carrier payables, factoring interfaces and settlement controls rather than a load board with invoicing, a carrier required by large shippers to exchange edi tenders, status messages and invoices in specific formats, a company running both assets and a brokerage that wants each side on the vendor system built for it. Of those, a truckload carrier above one hundred trucks whose driver pay rules break every simpler system it has tried and a brokerage that needs carrier payables, factoring interfaces and settlement controls rather than a load board with invoicing are not what Shipwell is typically brought in for.
What can McLeod Software do that Shipwell cannot?
McLeod Software covers LoadMaster, PowerBroker, Driver pay and settlements, EDI and integration. Shipwell covers Rate shopping, Automated tendering, Real-time tracking, Freight audit and pay.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Shipwell: How much does Shipwell cost?

It is not published. Contracts are annual and priced on freight volume; third-party listings suggest entry engagements around $1,000 a month, which should be treated as indicative only.

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.

Shipwell: Does Shipwell broker freight as well as sell software?

Yes. It operates its own carrier network alongside the TMS, which speeds up sourcing but means the platform provider also competes for your loads.

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.

Shipwell: Is it suitable for international freight?

It is built around North American truckload and LTL. International ocean and air handling is limited.

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.

Shipwell: Is there a free trial?

No. Deployment involves configuration and integration work, so evaluation happens through a demo and a scoped implementation.

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