Search for forwarding software prices and you'll mostly find one thing: "price on request". Hardly any established vendor publishes a price list. That's no accident – costs traditionally consist of several blocks that vary widely per company. This article breaks the blocks down honestly and shows how cloud systems change the maths.
The four cost blocks of legacy forwarding software
1. Licences. Legacy systems license per seat or module. Depending on scope, expect two- to low three-figure amounts per user per month – dispatch, billing, and telematics connections often cost extra as separate modules.
2. Setup. Installation, data migration, adapting the system to your processes: with on-premise systems, rollout is a project with project managers and takes weeks to months. Setup costs quickly reach four to five figures.
3. Training. New dispatchers and clerks have to learn the system. The more complex the module landscape, the more expensive the knowledge build-up – and the more dependent the business becomes on individual key users.
4. Maintenance & operations. On-premise means your own server, updates, backups, and a maintenance contract (15–20% of the licence sum per year is common). This position rarely features prominently in quotes but runs every single year.
Realistically, a small forwarder on a legacy system quickly reaches several hundred euros per month before the first order is dispatched – plus the implementation project.
Why does hardly any vendor publish prices?
Because the module-and-project model requires individual quotes: the price depends on user count, modules, interfaces, and rollout effort. For buyers that means sales calls instead of comparability. In our TMS software comparison we documented what the known vendors state publicly – for most of them: nothing.
How cloud systems change the maths
Cloud TMS invert the cost logic:
- No setup costs: register, set up your fleet, get going – no installation project.
- No server and maintenance costs: the vendor runs updates and operations.
- Usage-based pricing instead of per-seat licences: at Maxmove, small teams start free; paid plans bill by shipment volume, not per user. Competitors like Impargo also publish self-service prices (from roughly €35 per month there, additional users cost extra – as of August 2026, per the vendors' websites).
The relevant comparison is therefore not "licence price A vs. licence price B" but total cost per year including rollout, maintenance, and training – and the time until you're productive.
Example: an 8-vehicle forwarder
A company with eight vehicles and two dispatcher seats realistically pays a mid four-figure to five-figure amount in year one on a legacy system with two licences, a maintenance contract, and its share of the rollout. A usage-based cloud system costs the same company a fraction of that, depending on shipment volume – and is productive in days instead of months.
What to check in any quote
- Are all modules you need included (dispatch, route planning, proof of delivery, billing) – or do surcharges apply?
- What does an additional user or driver cost?
- Which setup and training costs hide in the fine print?
- Is there a free trial with real data?
You'll find the detailed vendor assessment – including the cases where Maxmove is not the right choice – in the TMS software comparison. The feature overview of a modern forwarding software shows what a system should cover today.
