TimeToCargo provides a shared tracking workspace and an API. Navo24 TrackingMCP delivers container information through REST, webhooks and tools for AI clients. The practical differences are where operators use the data and how follow-up requests are billed.
TimeToCargo and Navo24: comparison table
Criterion | TimeToCargo | Navo24 |
Purpose and target users | Container visibility for logistics teams, with a shared dashboard and API integration into internal systems. Overview | TrackingMCP for developers and AI-assisted logistics workflows. [1], [2] |
Carrier coverage | Provides data from 100+ supported carriers, including ocean shipping lines. Carrier directory | Public pages report different totals: 234 carriers on the product page and 242 in the API reference; both list 157 direct connectors. Counts checked 15 October 2026. [1], [3]. |
Operational features | Standardized carrier data: shipment status, dated events, vessel, ETA, ports, route, latest available position and event notes, subject to source availability. Tracking data. Corporate access enables colleagues to work in one shared dashboard. | Container timelines, portfolio summaries, ETA changes and free-time information. [1], [2] |
Integrations | REST API (JSON over HTTPS) for container, bill of lading and booking references; shipment statuses, events and routes, batch requests and webhooks. API documentation. Included in trial and paid plans. Access | REST API, Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools and webhooks. [1], [2] |
AI and forecasting | Carrier-supplied estimated time of arrival (ETA), where available. Tracking lifecycle | Documents predicted ETA using lane delays and vessel data. [1] |
Interface and analytics | Customizable dashboard, shipment route map with location updates, Excel export, event-based alerts and daily email digests. Workspace, Notifications | API summaries/timelines documented; a separate operator dashboard is not confirmed here. [2] |
Pricing | USD 1.50 base per activated reference, with quota and annual discounts. Annual plans count a reference once within the paid year; monthly plans count it in each month it remains active. Pricing, Billing rules | Starter: USD 69/month, 7,000 monthly credits; new ocean reference 250 credits, subsequent query 10. [4] |
Getting started | Seven-day trial, 50 Shipments, no card required. Pricing | Seven-day trial with 1,250 credits; no card required. [4] |
Limitations and best fit | Scheduled refresh twice daily; required fields depend on carrier data. Integration | Frequent non-cached tracking updates consume additional credits and can increase costs. [4] |
Which differences matter
Request patterns affect cost. Navo24 distinguishes the initial tracking request from later paid lookups; checks within one hour use a free cache. The cost case below models an explicit request schedule. [4].
MCP is an integration choice. Navo24 publishes tools intended for AI clients. [2]. This can suit a team building an assistant around shipment information. TimeToCargo publishes an HTTP API and webhook events. API documentation, Webhooks. That difference concerns access, not the quality of the underlying shipment data.
Carrier counts and free-time values describe different things. Navo24 separates total coverage from direct connectors; its published free-time information comes from carrier tariffs. A tariff allowance is not the same as a container-specific terminal last free day. [1], [3].
Cost case 1000 containers per year
magine you need to track 1,000 containers over the next year. With Navo24, volume alone does not determine the bill: the number of follow-up requests matters too. For a concrete example, let’s monitor each container for 30 days and make three paid status requests per day after the initial lookup, spaced more than one hour apart. Three requests is a modeling choice for this cost example, not a general tracking requirement. Assume shipments are spread evenly across the year, and exclude taxes, trials, other paid tools and implementation costs.
Navo24 charges 250 credits for initial ocean tracking and 10 for each subsequent paid lookup; cached checks within one hour are free. The scenario requires 1,000 × (250 + 30 × 3 × 10) = 1,150,000 credits per year. Growth at USD 349 per month provides 40,000 credits monthly: USD 4,188 buys 480,000 credits over 12 months. [4].
Growth plus top-ups: 12 monthly payments cost USD 4,188 and include 480,000 credits. The remaining 670,000 credits cost an estimated USD 5,845.75 at the effective Growth rate of USD 349 / 40,000 credits. Total: approximately USD 10,034 per year. This assumes top-ups use that effective plan rate, as the pricing page says, and excludes any rounding to purchase increments. [4].
Scale: USD 1,399 per month × 12 = USD 16,788 per year, with 2,400,000 credits included. The modeled workload averages about 95,833 credits per month, below Scale’s 200,000-credit monthly allowance, so no top-ups are needed under the even-volume assumption. That leaves 1,250,000 credits unused at year end. Growth plus top-ups is about USD 6,754 cheaper for this workload; Scale adds capacity and a contractual SLA that Growth does not include. [4].
TimeToCargo’s annual quota of 1,000 references costs USD 1,050: USD 1.50 × 1,000 × (1 − 10% volume discount − 20% annual discount). API and webhooks are included. The service automatically requests data from carriers twice daily, which may be sufficient for routine monitoring during long ocean voyages. Users can also refresh a container in the Personal Account up to once every three hours without using another tracking slot or paying an extra fee. Neither scheduled nor manual checks can reveal new carrier data before the source publishes it. Pricing, Billing rules, Manual refreshes, No separate refresh charges.
When to choose each service
Choose TimeToCargo when staff need a ready-to-use shared workspace and a subscription that includes API/webhooks without per-call billing. Its standard scheduled refresh is twice daily. API access and refreshes.
Choose Navo24 when MCP access is a requirement for your assistant or application. Its REST API also supports direct integration. Request frequency affects the credit budget; MCP support alone does not establish better tracking data. [3].
Does Navo24 offer an unlimited free tracking tier?
No. The published offer is a seven-day trial with 1,250 credits, not unlimited production tracking. [4].
Are all “free-time” values interchangeable?
No. A published carrier allowance, a customer-specific contractual allowance and a terminal’s current last free day can differ. Navo24 describes published carrier free-time information. [1].
Check TimeToCargo’s supported carriers against your shipment list.
