Every platform in this market promises forwarders leads. They supply structurally different things, and the difference between a shipper lead and an agent enquiry is the difference between full margin and a share of someone else's.
Based on each platform's own public statements, checked 14 August 2026. All are independent of CargoLinked and change over time — verify before relying on any detail. We list our own platform below and have an obvious interest in doing so; the entries state our limits too.
The two kinds of lead
Shipper leads come from the cargo owner. You quote, you win, you hold the relationship and the full margin. Agent enquiries come from another forwarder who already has the customer; you handle one leg, and the margin is split. Both are worth having. Confusing them when comparing platforms is why forwarders overpay.
The sources
| Source | Lead type | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CargoLinked | Shipper | Free listing; Connected $29/mo or $299/yr | Requests matched to your HQ country and lanes; five free quotes to test |
| Freightnet | Shipper | Premium $99/yr | States "13,000+ freight quotes and sales leads" distributed to Premium members in 365 days; free tier cannot respond to quotes |
| JCtrans | Mostly agent | Not published | 18,000+ inquiries in 30 days; strongest trust apparatus of any platform verified |
| DF Alliance | Mixed | Behind sign-in | Instant shipping requests with direct bidding; vendor access to SeaRates leads |
| WCAworld | Agent | Not published | 13,191 offices; no shipper request flow |
| Parnity | Agent | $999/yr | Partner discovery and management; publishes its prices |
| Your own site + SEO | Shipper | Time, or an agency | Slowest to start, compounds, and nobody can price-increase you out of it |
How to measure, properly
Most forwarders evaluate lead sources on volume, which is the wrong metric. The one that matters is cost per won shipment, and after that margin per won shipment:
- Tag every enquiry by source from day one. Without this you are guessing forever.
- Track quote-to-win rate per source. A source producing 100 leads at 1% is worse than one producing 12 at 25%.
- Record the margin, not the revenue. Agent enquiries convert well and pay less.
- Give it a full quarter. Freight buying cycles are long, and a month tells you nothing.
- Count repeat business to the source that introduced it. A platform that produces one shipper who ships monthly for three years has earned far more than its fee.
Respond fast, and completely
Across every platform, the two things that predict winning are response speed and quote completeness. A quote that arrives in two hours with all charges itemised beats a cheaper one that arrives in two days with "plus destination charges at cost". Shippers are increasingly comparing structurally — that is what a marketplace makes easy — and a vague quote loses to a clear one at the same price.
What none of this fixes
Lead platforms cannot fix a listing nobody would choose. Before paying for leads anywhere: complete your profile, list the countries you actually serve, add real services, and put your contact details where a shipper can use them. On our platform the countries you list determine which requests you see at all — the countries you serve — and the wider version is the online visibility playbook.
A sensible starting mix
- A free shipper-facing listing — costs nothing, tests whether demand exists on your lanes.
- One paid directory at the $99–$299/year level, measured for a quarter.
- A network if agent relationships underpin lanes you cannot otherwise quote.
- Your own site, always, because it is the only channel nobody else controls.
List your company free — five free quotes, no card.
