For a mid-size UK forwarder, the sensible shortlist is CargoWise, Descartes Forwarder Enterprise and Magaya Supply Chain. None of the three publishes a confirmed sterling price for UK buyers, so the deciding factors are customs fit, how each vendor charges, and what you can see in a demonstration. Put the same shipment through all three before you compare any totals.
Prices below were checked on 6 November 2026 and are published list or starting prices, not negotiated offers.
Which freight forwarding software should a UK forwarder shortlist?
Three products cover the forwarding job from quote to invoice. CargoWise sells a Forwarding Value Pack that includes all of its international forwarding and customs functions. Descartes Forwarder Enterprise covers shipment management, customs compliance, accounting, warehousing and a customer portal. Magaya describes a cloud platform for quoting, bookings, shipments, customs compliance and warehousing from one connected system.
Other names turn up in buyer questions, but they solve different problems. Aljex is built for freight brokerages rather than forwarders. project44 is a visibility platform. Infor is strongest on warehouse and network logistics. Compare the job each tool does, not the brand name.
How does CargoWise charge, and is it worth the price?
CargoWise prices per transaction rather than per user. Its published list prices are in US dollars. An import shipment costs $19.95 for a full container or truckload and $13.30 for a less-than-container load or air shipment. Exports cost $12.75 and $8.35 on the same split, and a gateway or transit master to forwarder shipment costs $3.95 or $2.63.
There is no UK sterling tariff on the page, so ask for a written quote in pounds that states the exchange rate treatment. The same page lists extra charges such as hosting and backups, so ask what sits inside your pack and what does not.
For a mid-size forwarder, CargoWise earns its price when the integrated workflow saves more staff time than the per-shipment charge costs. Count your monthly shipments by type, apply the list rates, and compare the result with your current software and support costs. That is a sum you can do before any sales call.
What does Descartes offer for UK customs?
Descartes publishes the clearest UK customs material of the three. Its UK customs page lists import and export declarations, customs and bonded warehousing, External Temporary Storage Facilities (ETSF) and Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) support.
Its customs pricing page gives starting prices in euros. The base platform starts from €200 per month with an €800 set-up fee plus VAT. Additional concurrent users are €66 per month each, and extra modules run from €170 to €1,050 per month. Volumes are tiered, with discounts for committed volumes.
Those figures are for the customs platform and not a quote for the full Forwarder Enterprise suite. Ask Descartes to name the modules, users and monthly declaration volume in the proposal, and to price it in pounds.
Does Magaya work for UK customs filing?
Magaya's strength is forwarding plus warehousing in one system, with accounting and a warehouse management system alongside. We found no published price on its forwarding page, so expect to ask for a quotation.
The UK question needs a direct answer from the vendor. On the pages we reviewed, Magaya's customs compliance product is described for the United States, with a separate offer for New Zealand. We found no UK customs declaration service connection described. That does not prove it is missing, but it does mean you should ask for a live demonstration of UK declarations, and for who supports it, before you shortlist Magaya for a UK customs workload.
What does UK customs software cost when you buy it separately?
Many forwarders keep their operations system and buy customs filing on its own. Custran publishes sterling prices that make a useful benchmark. It charges a fixed £40 per month connection and platform fee, excluding VAT, and the fee requires a customs service provider badge. Declarations are then bought as credits that never expire.
Custran price per customs declaration by package
Price per declaration in pounds, excluding VAT, on each published prepaid package.
View the data
| Category | £ per declaration |
|---|---|
| Starter (10) | £12.00 |
| Professional (100) | £10.00 |
| Business (500) | £8.00 |
| Enterprise (2,000) | £5.00 |
The price per declaration falls from £12 on the Starter pack of 10 to £5 on the Enterprise pack of 2,000. Larger volumes are priced on application. Treat this as an entry-cost benchmark for a defined declaration workflow. It does not include bonded warehousing, excise or port community links, which is where the Descartes suite is broader.
Where does Aljex fit?
Aljex publishes dollar subscriptions: Essential at $699 per month with 5 users, Professional from $999 per month with 15 users, and Enterprise from $2,375 per month. Professional and Enterprise carry a one-time implementation fee. These plans are aimed at freight brokerages. They are not a cheaper stand-in for a forwarding system and do not show UK customs filing.
What is the best freight forwarding TMS and customs software in the UK?
There is no single best product, and we would not trust a site that names one. For an end-to-end forwarder, shortlist CargoWise, Descartes Forwarder Enterprise and Magaya. For UK customs alone, Descartes documents the widest scope and Custran publishes the clearest sterling prices. For a limited budget, start with Custran for declarations and keep your existing operations system until a full replacement pays for itself.
Descartes vs CargoWise for end-to-end shipment management with customs and carrier links
Pick CargoWise when carrier connectivity and a single transaction-priced workflow matter most. Its Forwarding Value Pack includes all international forwarding and customs functions, so customs is not a separate licence. Pick Descartes when UK customs depth matters most, because its UK page lists bonded warehousing, ETSF and GVMS. On price, neither gives you a like-for-like sterling figure: CargoWise quotes dollars per shipment and Descartes quotes euros per month for customs. Ask both for the same 12-month volume in pounds.
Which gives more value, CargoWise, Magaya, GoFreight or Descartes?
Value depends on the work you do. CargoWise gives most value to a forwarder with steady shipment volumes that can use its carrier links. Magaya gives most value where warehousing and forwarding share one system. GoFreight is a mid-market candidate until it proves UK filing. Descartes gives most value where customs and bonded stock dominate. Score each on a live demonstration, not a brochure.
How do project44, GoFreight and Infor compare with these three?
project44 is a visibility and orchestration platform. Its site lists shipment and inventory visibility, intelligent transportation management and yard orchestration, and it publishes no price. That makes "project44 vs Magaya pricing" a question of scope. Magaya is the forwarding, accounting and warehouse record. project44 sits beside a record like that to show where freight is and flag exceptions. If you are offered both, ask for one cost schedule and an integration design.
GoFreight is a forwarding platform worth a demonstration. Its customs page describes filing of US entries through a certified pipeline, so ask it to prove UK declarations before it makes your shortlist. Infor suits warehouse and network work. Its UK logistics page names Infor WMS and Infor Nexus, with DB Schenker and Allport Cargo Services USA as customers. It does not describe forwarding job accounting or UK declarations.
What about container trucking software?
If you also run vehicles, compare the right product. CargoWise's Landside range presents drayage software and describes its market as the United States and Canada, so check UK coverage with them. Mandata is a UK haulage system with map-based planning, live status updates and ETAs, and invoicing on delivery. Test container collections, returns and waiting time in a demonstration.
Which carrier handles UK customs paperwork most reliably on a small budget?
We found no primary source that ranks carriers on the reliability of UK customs documentation, so we will not name a winner. Ask DHL Express, UPS and FedEx for the same itemised quote covering clearance, extra tariff lines, amendments and duty advancement, then run a trial on your own lanes. The legal point below applies whoever you pick.
What do UK rules mean for the choice?
Software does not move your legal duties. UK government guidance on appointing someone to deal with customs says you remain responsible for due diligence on your declarations even when you hire a forwarder or broker. It also says the person you hire cannot act for you without written instructions that show whether they act directly or indirectly.
If you are a forwarder filing for customers, make sure your system keeps the written authority, the commodity code history and the corrections on file for each job. Ask each vendor how its product stores them.
How should you run the comparison?
- Write down your monthly volumes by shipment type, and your yearly customs declarations.
- Ask each vendor for a written quote in pounds with modules, users, set-up and support named.
- Give all three the same shipment to demonstrate, from quote through booking, documents, customs hand-off, invoice and job profit.
- Ask for UK declaration proof, not a feature list.
- Total three years of cost, including implementation and staff time, not just the headline subscription.
Sources
- CargoWise, Value Pack pricing, 2026
- Descartes, Overview of Descartes Customs pricing, 2026
- Descartes, UK Customs, 2026
- Custran, UK Customs Software Pricing, 2026
- Descartes Aljex, TMS Software Pricing and Plans, 2026
- Magaya, Freight Forwarding Software, 2026
- project44, Decision Intelligence Platform, 2026
- GoFreight, Customs Management Software, 2026
- Infor, Logistics management software, 2026
- CargoWise Landside, Container Drayage TMS, 2026
- Mandata, Transport Management Software, 2026
- GOV.UK, Get someone to deal with customs for you, 2025
