If you're a freight forwarder running CargoWise, you've probably noticed something strange happening to your invoices lately. What used to be a simple software cost has quietly turned into something much more complicated—and expensive. The industry is buzzing, and not in a good way. Forwarders across the globe are dealing with the same issue: paying significantly more for software that's supposed to save them money.
Let's talk about what's really happening with CargoWise's new pricing model, and why smart logistics companies are looking at alternatives like Gama.
What Changed With CargoWise Pricing?
Around 31 October 2025, WiseTech Global rolled out a completely new pricing structure for CargoWise. Out went the familiar STL (Software Transaction License) model. In came something called "Value Pack Community Pricing." On paper, it sounds reasonable. In practice, it's become one of the most talked-about and criticized moves in logistics software history.
Here's how it works now: instead of paying a set software fee, you're charged per transaction. And we're not talking small amounts.
Forwarding Value Pack:
- Import shipment with domestic leg (FCL/FTL): $19.95 per shipment
- Import shipment with domestic leg (LCL/LTL/Air): $13.30 per shipment
- Export shipment with domestic leg (FCL/FTL): $12.75 per shipment
- Export shipment with domestic leg (LCL/LTL/Air): $8.35 per shipment
- Gateway/Transit/Cross-trade (FCL/FTL): $3.95 per shipment
- Gateway/Transit/Cross-trade (LCL/LTL/Air): $2.63 per shipment
Customs Broker Value Pack:
- Export declaration: $3.28 per stand-alone declaration
- Import declaration: $9.95 per stand-alone declaration
Warehouse Manager Value Pack:
- eCommerce order line: $0.45 per line
- Standard warehouse order line: $0.95 per line
- Complex pick/kitting services: $4.95 per request
- Duty deferral/bonded warehouse: $4.95 per procedure
Land Transport Value Pack:
- Containerized: $1.95 per container
- LTL/General freight: $1.45 per consignment
Container Transport Optimization:
- CTO booking: $9.95 per booked container
Do the math. A small forwarder handling just 50 shipments a month could be looking at $1000 in total software costs before any recovery. Mid-sized operations? We're talking thousands of dollars monthly.
How the Fee Pass-Through Actually Works?
Here's where it gets interesting—or frustrating, depending on your viewpoint. CargoWise has cleverly designed these Value Pack fees to be automatically passed through to your customers as extra charges. Think of it like a fuel surcharge or documentation fee. The system is actually set up to add these charges to your customer invoices by default.
WiseTech's pitch is straightforward: "You can recover 80-100% of these costs from your clients, so it won't hurt your bottom line!"
Sounds great at first. But there are several major problems with this approach:
Problem #1: You become the bad guy
Your customers see a new "technology fee" on their invoices that wasn't there before. You're the one explaining it, defending it, and dealing with the complaints.
Problem #2: Not every customer will accept it
Sure, large shippers might accept the cost without complaining. But what about your long-term clients who've never paid a "software fee" before? What about the price-sensitive customers in competitive shipping lanes?
Problem #3: You're doing WiseTech's collection work
You're now responsible for recovering fees that benefit WiseTech's revenue model. If a customer refuses to pay the fee, guess who still owes CargoWise? You do.
Problem #4: Your reputation takes the hit
Even if you successfully pass through 100% of the fees, you're now known as the forwarder who added surprise charges. Trust is hard to build and easy to lose.
Costs That Don't Show Up on Your Invoice
The price tag is just the beginning. There are costs that don't show up on your CargoWise invoice but hit your business just as hard:
i-Time Spent Explaining
Your sales team is now spending hours explaining technology charges instead of closing deals. Your customer service team is fielding angry calls about "new fees that came out of nowhere."
ii-Customer Loss Risk
Some customers will simply move to competitors who don't pass through these fees—or who use more affordable software that doesn't require fee pass-throughs in the first place.
iii-Competitive Disadvantage
While you're explaining technology fees, your competitors using lighter, more affordable platforms are winning business with cleaner pricing.
Why Are Forwarders Getting Crushed?
Let's be honest: this pricing model was designed for large global forwarders with huge volume and bargaining power. They can absorb the setup costs, manage the customer communications at scale, and take advantage of the high-end features. But if you're a small to mid-sized operation, the story is very different.
You get all the costs with fewer of the benefits. You don't have the volume to make the per-transaction fees small. You don't have a dedicated team to manage customer pushback. You don't have the power to negotiate better rates. And here's the kicker: many of the "new features" WiseTech uses to justify these fees aren't used by most forwarders. Faster automated quoting, real-time rate information, container optimization—these sound impressive, but most operators don't use them every day. Many are paying for big-company bells and whistles when they just need reliable freight forwarding software.
Why Gama Is Different?
This is where Gama enters the picture. While CargoWise has been busy designing complex fee structures and turning forwarders into collection agents, Gama has taken a completely different approach: building a modern freight management platform that actually works with your existing systems rather than forcing you to overhaul everything.
i-Simple, Affordable Pricing
Gama uses a straightforward subscription model starting at just $499 per month. Unlimited users, No per-transaction fees that appear on customer invoices. No surprise charges. No complicated recovery systems. You know exactly what you're paying, and it stays on your books where it belongs—not on your customer's invoice.
ii-Customer Self-Service That Actually Works
Your shippers get a branded online portal and mobile app where they can search rates, get instant quotes, book shipments, track containers in real-time, download documents, and pay invoices—all on their own. This means fewer emails, fewer phone calls, and happier customers who feel in control.
iii-Real Time Savings
Forwarders using Gama report cutting quote processing time from 35 minutes down to just 4 minutes per shipment. That's not marketing talk—that's the difference between your team being buried in manual work and actually growing your business.
iv-Built Just for You
Unlike enterprise platforms designed for global giants, Gama was built specifically for operations like yours. The interface is intuitive, setup is straightforward, and you're not paying for complex features you'll never use.
v-No Awkward Customer Conversations
Your pricing stays your pricing. You don't need to explain technology charges, defend new fee structures, or risk customer relationships over software costs. The software cost is yours alone—simple and clean.
What's Happening in the Industry?
Browse LinkedIn or any freight forwarding forum, and you'll see the debate raging. Industry voices are split between those who've made the CargoWise model work (usually larger players with significant resources) and those who feel trapped by rising costs. Comments like "bold but brutal," "genius for WiseTech, disaster for small forwarders," and "the net cost is killing us" are common. Many operators are running the numbers and realizing that what WiseTech calls "transparency" is really just cost-shifting dressed up in marketing language.
The general agreement among small and mid-sized forwarders? There has to be a better way.
How to Get Started With Gama?
If you're considering adding Gama to your tech stack (or using it alongside CargoWise), here's what the process typically looks like:
i-Schedule a Demo
Gama's team will walk you through the platform, show you how it works, and help you understand exactly how it fits your operation.
ii-Integration Setup
Because Gama is built to work with existing TMS platforms, implementation is relatively quick and straightforward. Your core system stays in place—Gama adds the modern customer-facing layer on top.
iii-Customization
You'll set up your branded customer portal, configure your rate markups, and customize the workflows to match how your business operates.
iv-Team Training
The interface is designed to be intuitive, so most users get up to speed quickly. You're training on a customer portal system, not learning an entirely new TMS from scratch.
v-Customer Onboarding
Roll out the new self-service portal to your customers gradually or all at once. Many forwarders report that shippers love the modern experience and adopt it quickly.
vi-Ongoing Support
When you need help, you work with a development team that understands freight forwarding, not just generic software support.
What It Really Comes Down To?
This isn't really about CargoWise vs. Gama. It's about control.
Ask yourself:
1-Do you want predictable expenses you can plan around, or do you want changing costs that spike with every shipment?
2-Do you want software that works for your business model, or do you want to adapt your business model to serve your software's pricing structure?
3-Do you want to control your software costs, or do you want your software vendor controlling your customer relationships?
CargoWise is a powerful platform—nobody disputes that. But power without affordability, without clarity, and without respect for your customer relationships is power that works against you, not for you.
What Forwarders Are Saying About Gama
Forwarders who've implemented Gama consistently report:
1-Dramatic time savings: Quote processing time dropping from 35 minutes to 4 minutes per shipment
2-Faster client growth: Some forwarders report onboarding 210% more clients per month after implementation
3-Happier customers: Shippers love having self-service portals with real-time tracking and instant quotes
4-Better cash flow: Knowing exactly what you'll pay each month, with no need to recover fees from customers
5-Easy adoption: Intuitive design means minimal training time
6-Superior to alternatives: Users who tested other platforms consistently chose Gama for functionality and ease of use
One forwarder called it a "game-changer" for becoming truly digital, noting it helps create a virtual, customer-centric operation that rivals what the big players offer.
Is It Time for You to Make a Change?
Consider these key points:
1-Explaining CargoWise's technology fees to every customer creates unnecessary friction
2-Many forwarders struggle to recover 100% of those fees, meaning some eat into profits
3-Most operators don't actually use the premium features that supposedly justify the premium pricing
4-The complexity of the Value Pack model often hurts the business more than it helps
5-Lower overhead costs directly translate to better competitive positioning
If any of these points resonate with your situation, having a conversation with Gama is worth your time.
The Freight Forwarding Software You Deserve!
The logistics industry is competitive enough without your own software working against you. You shouldn't have to be a collection agent for your software vendor. You shouldn't have to risk customer relationships to recover technology fees. And you definitely shouldn't have to do complex math to figure out what your software actually costs each month.
Gama represents what freight forwarding software should be: powerful, affordable, and designed for those who need modern customer-facing tools without the enterprise complexity or per-transaction fees. While CargoWise is busy finding new ways to pull value from forwarders through transaction-based fees, Gama offers a simple pricing model that integrates with your existing systems—including CargoWise itself—to modernize your customer experience without the pricing headaches.
That's not just a different pricing model. That's a different philosophy.
Ready to Explore Your Options!
The freight forwarding landscape is changing rapidly. The real question isn't whether you'll need to make changes to stay competitive—it's whether you'll make those changes on your terms or on your software vendor's terms. Visit Gama at gamasuite.com to schedule a demo and learn more about how their integration-friendly platform can transform your customer experience without forcing you to abandon CargoWise or deal with per-transaction fees. Because at the end of the day, your software should solve problems for your business—not create new ones.
