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Logistics · head to head

CargoWise vs Uber Freight

CargoWise logo

CargoWise

Logistics

Single-database freight forwarding and customs platform, repriced in December 2025 to per-transaction Value Packs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Uber Freight logo

Uber Freight

Logistics

Managed transportation and brokerage built on the Transplace business Uber bought for about 2.25 billion dollars

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CargoWise the December 2025 shift to per-transaction Value Packs repriced roughly 95 percent of the customer base, with early 2026 reports of twenty to fifty percent cost increases and large monthly rises at short notice.; Uber Freight managed transportation puts the carrier relationships, the rate history and the operating knowledge inside the provider, so bringing the function back in house later means rebuilding all three from a standing start.
  • They diverge on capability: CargoWise covers Single global database, Uber Freight covers Managed transportation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CargoWise and Uber Freight actually diverge.

Attributes where CargoWise and Uber Freight differ
AttributeCargoWiseUber Freight
PlatformsWeb, Windows, CloudWeb, 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 CargoWise

  • Single global database
  • Customs compliance
  • Value Packs licensing
  • Forwarding operations
  • Warehouse management
  • Accounting
  • eDocs and messaging
  • Universal Data Interchange

Only in Uber Freight

  • Managed transportation
  • Network TMS
  • Instant spot pricing
  • Powerloop trailer pool
  • Carrier app
  • Shipper analytics

What people use each for

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

CargoWise

  • A multinational forwarder wanting one shipment record across origin booking, customs clearance and destination deliverynot Uber Freight
  • A customs broker needing maintained regulatory content across many jurisdictions rather than building declarations in housenot Uber Freight
  • A 3PL consolidating forwarding, warehousing and financial accounting on one databasenot Uber Freight
  • Trading electronically with other CargoWise users through the shared data interchange rather than building point-to-point EDInot Uber Freight

Uber Freight

  • A large shipper that wants to outsource the transportation department rather than licence a TMS and staff itnot CargoWise
  • A shipper needing spot truckload capacity priced instantly without running a bidnot CargoWise
  • A manufacturer trying to cut detention cost at plants by moving to drop and hook trailer poolsnot CargoWise
  • A shipper consolidating a fragmented regional carrier base under one operating team and one set of reportsnot CargoWise

Where each one falls short

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

CargoWise

  • The December 2025 shift to per-transaction Value Packs repriced roughly 95 percent of the customer base, with early 2026 reports of twenty to fifty percent cost increases and large monthly rises at short notice.
  • Pricing is now tied to transaction volume, so growth in the forwarding business raises the software bill proportionally, which inverts the economics of the old seat-based model for high-volume low-margin traffic.
  • WiseTech publishes no price list, so the only way to know what the new model costs your business is a written projection from an account representative.
  • Enterprise implementations are routinely cited in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars with professional services making up a large share, and organisations commonly underestimate that by a wide margin.
  • The system is deep and unforgiving to learn, so staff turnover carries a real productivity cost and trained CargoWise operators command a premium in the labour market.

Uber Freight

  • Managed transportation puts the carrier relationships, the rate history and the operating knowledge inside the provider, so bringing the function back in house later means rebuilding all three from a standing start.
  • The business is an assembly of Uber brokerage and Transplace managed services, and shippers report that the technology a managed customer uses is not the same product a spot customer sees, which complicates any evaluation based on demonstrations.
  • Uber Freight has cut staff during freight downturns, and a managed customer feels that directly because service quality depends on the size and tenure of the assigned operating team.
  • Instant pricing is a Uber Freight capacity commitment rather than a market index, so a shipper using it as a benchmark is measuring one provider appetite rather than the spot market.
  • Depth outside North American truckload is uneven, and shippers with substantial ocean, air or European road freight generally keep separate providers and separate systems.

Pricing, plan by plan

CargoWise

On request
  • CargoWise Value Packs$undefined/month
    • Per-transaction automation fee replacing the seat and transaction licence model from December 2025
    • Unlimited users and more than two hundred modules bundled into the transaction fee
    • Standard CargoWise Cloud hosting costs removed from the model

Uber Freight

On request
  • Managed Transportation$undefined/year
    • Outsourced transportation operations
    • Network TMS access
    • Dedicated operating team and reporting
  • Brokerage$undefined/year
    • Spot and contract truckload capacity
    • Instant priced quotes
    • Tracking and document handling

Which should you pick?

Choose CargoWise if

  • You need single global database.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Cloud.
  • You also want customs compliance.
CargoWise review

Choose Uber Freight if

  • You need managed transportation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want network tms.
Uber Freight review

Questions people ask

Is CargoWise or Uber Freight better?
Neither clearly leads. CargoWise starts at On request and Uber Freight at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CargoWise or Uber Freight?
CargoWise starts at On request and Uber Freight at On request.
Does CargoWise or Uber Freight run on more platforms?
CargoWise runs on Web, Windows, Cloud. Uber Freight runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is CargoWise best used for?
CargoWise is most often used for a multinational forwarder wanting one shipment record across origin booking, customs clearance and destination delivery, a customs broker needing maintained regulatory content across many jurisdictions rather than building declarations in house, a 3pl consolidating forwarding, warehousing and financial accounting on one database, trading electronically with other cargowise users through the shared data interchange rather than building point-to-point edi. Of those, a multinational forwarder wanting one shipment record across origin booking, customs clearance and destination delivery and a customs broker needing maintained regulatory content across many jurisdictions rather than building declarations in house are not what Uber Freight is typically brought in for.
What can CargoWise do that Uber Freight cannot?
CargoWise covers Single global database, Customs compliance, Value Packs licensing, Forwarding operations. Uber Freight covers Managed transportation, Network TMS, Instant spot pricing, Powerloop trailer pool.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CargoWise: What changed in December 2025?

WiseTech moved about 95 percent of CargoWise customers from seat and transaction licensing to Value Packs, a per-transaction fee bundling modules and unlimited users.

Uber Freight: Is Uber Freight just the app?

No. Managed transportation, which came from the Transplace acquisition, is the larger part of the business for enterprise shippers.

CargoWise: Are seat fees gone?

Under Value Packs, yes, along with standard CargoWise Cloud hosting charges. Cost is driven by transaction volume instead.

Uber Freight: What did Uber pay for Transplace?

The 2022 deal was valued at approximately 2.25 billion dollars in cash and stock.

CargoWise: Does WiseTech publish prices?

No. Reported per-transaction figures come from forwarders and consultants, not from a vendor price list.

Uber Freight: Is Uber Freight profitable and stable?

It is a division of Uber Technologies and took a 550 million dollar outside investment in 2023 led by Greenbriar Equity Group, which had sold Transplace to it the year before.

CargoWise: What does implementation cost?

Enterprise deployments are commonly reported in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, with professional services a large share of the total.

Uber Freight: Can I licence the TMS on its own?

The platform is sold as part of a managed or brokerage relationship rather than as standalone licensed software.

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