TimeToCargo and Tradlinx track ocean shipments across carriers and let teams share shipment information. The main buying differences are the billing unit, scheduled refresh frequency and access to integrations. TimeToCargo combines a reference quota with API/webhooks; Tradlinx sells MBL-based plans and places API access in its Enterprise offer.
TimeToCargo and Tradlinx comparison
Criterion | TimeToCargo | Tradlinx |
|---|---|---|
Purpose and target users | Container visibility for logistics teams, with a shared dashboard and API integration into internal systems. Overview | Ocean visibility for logistics teams, with port-to-port or door-to-door scope depending on plan. [2], [1]. |
Carrier coverage | Provides data from 100+ supported carriers, including ocean shipping lines. Carrier directory | States 50+ major shipping lines and 98% route coverage. Route share and carrier count measure different things. [2]. |
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, MBL and booking tracking; shipment events, notifications and email digests. Multiple containers can be tracked under one MBL. [2], [3]. |
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 | API, MapView and internal-system integration are listed under Enterprise. [1]. |
AI and forecasting | Carrier-supplied estimated time of arrival (ETA), where available. Tracking lifecycle | Promotes predictive ETAs using carrier schedules and vessel AIS data. [4]. |
Interface and analytics | Customizable dashboard, shipment route map with location updates, Excel export, event-based alerts and daily email digests. Workspace, Notifications | Shipment notes, uploads, shareable tracking links and data insights, depending on plan. [1]. |
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 | MBL-based subscription plans; annual or monthly billing. Enterprise uses custom pricing. [1]. |
Getting started | Seven-day trial, 50 Shipments, no card required. Pricing | Free trial available before choosing a paid plan. [1]. |
Limitations and best fit | TimeToCargo requests carrier updates twice daily and also supports manual refreshes in the Personal Account, up to once every three hours. Refreshing an existing tracked shipment uses no additional quota and incurs no separate charge. Refresh options, Billing. | API access and higher MBL volumes require a quote. The published refresh cadence does not guarantee new carrier data on every check. [1], [3]. |
Which differences matte
One MBL may represent several containers. Tradlinx bills by master bill of lading rather than by container or user. TimeToCargo also counts one submitted B/L as one reference, so MBL grouping can reduce both budgets. The saving disappears if containers are submitted separately. Compare the expected number of supported references, not just annual container volume. [1], TimeToCargo quota rules.
TimeToCargo’s corporate access lets you invite the logistics team into one shared workspace. Colleagues can track shipments, review their current statuses and manage the same dashboard in a common interface. This reduces the need to export shipment data merely to pass it to another team member and helps the team work from the same information. Tradlinx supports shipment notes, file uploads and tracking links that customers or colleagues can open without an account; feature availability depends on the plan. TimeToCargo workspace, [1].
Refresh frequency alone does not measure data quality. Tradlinx publishes a cadence of 12 tracking updates per day, while TimeToCargo automatically requests carrier data twice daily and allows additional manual refreshes. More frequent checks may detect a newly published event sooner, but they cannot produce new carrier events if the source has not changed. During a long ocean leg, twice-daily collection may be sufficient for routine monitoring; completeness and accuracy still depend on the underlying sources. [3], TimeToCargo refresh options.
Cost case 1000 containers per year
Imagine your team ships 1,000 containers over a year and wants to track them in one service. For this example, let’s give each container its own supported master bill of lading, so 1,000 containers means 1,000 MBLs. We’ll compare annual subscription costs and add an API integration fee where applicable. All figures are in USD, before taxes, trial credits, custom discounts and other implementation costs.
TimeToCargo: 1,000 annual references correspond to about 83.3 per month for its volume tier. The USD 1.50 base rate receives a 10% volume discount plus a 20% annual discount: 1,000 × USD 1.50 × 70% = USD 1,050 per year, including API/webhooks. Current calculator, Discount rules.
Tradlinx’s pricing page lists Professional at USD 24 per month for 10 MBLs per month when billed annually. That is USD 288 for an annual allowance of 120 MBLs, or USD 2.40 per MBL. Using this published unit rate, tracking 1,000 MBLs would cost approximately USD 2,400 under an annual subscription. [1].
Tradlinx also publishes a one-time API integration fee of USD 2,250 in its comparison with project44. Adding that fee gives an estimated first-year total of USD 4,650: USD 2,400 for 1,000 MBLs under an annual subscription + USD 2,250 for API integration. The one-time fee is not included again in subsequent years. [4].
The USD 4,650 total is a budgeting estimate based on those published figures. The current pricing page places API integration under Enterprise and directs volumes of 70 or more MBLs per month to sales. This case averages about 83.3 MBLs monthly, so the actual subscription and API terms depend on the quote. [1].
MBL grouping changes the result. If the same 1,000 containers travel under 200 MBLs, monthly demand averages about 16.7 MBLs. At the calculator’s 20-MBL monthly allowance, Essentials is USD 27.80 per month billed annually, or USD 333.60 per year; Professional is USD 48, or USD 576 per year. This requires each month to stay within that allowance and excludes Enterprise API access. TimeToCargo’s minimum annual quota is 300 references at USD 360, with API/webhooks included. These are different feature packages, not a universal ranking by price. [1], TimeToCargo calculator.
When to choose each service
Choose TimeToCargo when the logistics team needs to manage shipments together in one dashboard and connect tracking data to internal systems through included API/webhooks. Its annual reference quota provides a published budget, and users can supplement scheduled updates with manual refreshes. Integration, Tracking.
Choose Tradlinx when MBL-based tracking, customer sharing and its available analytics match your workflow. Select the plan for the required port-to-port or door-to-door scope; API integration is offered through Enterprise. [1].
Does tracking 1000 containers mean buying 1000 MBLs?
No. An MBL can cover multiple containers. Count supported MBLs actually submitted and account for monthly peaks. TimeToCargo also allows a supported B/L to consume one reference rather than one unit per included container. [1], TimeToCargo billing.
Does 12 updates per day guarantee 12 new carrier events?
No. It describes the checking cadence. A carrier may publish no new information between checks, so more frequent collection does not by itself establish more complete or accurate data. [3].
Is the USD 4650 first-year total a quoted price?
No. It combines a unit rate calculated from the public Professional annual plan with the one-time API fee published in Tradlinx’s project44 comparison. The 1,000-MBL volume and Enterprise API scope require an individual quote. [1], [4].
