Freightos is the reference point for instant freight rates: compare priced options and book in seconds, with a stated 4,000 forwarders using its solutions and "nearly all of the top 20". People look for alternatives either because they want a second opinion on price, or because their shipments keep falling outside what instant rates cover.
Based on each platform's own public statements, checked 14 August 2026. All are independent of CargoLinked and their products change — verify before deciding. We have an obvious interest here, so this page states what each alternative does better than us as well as worse.
Alternatives that also do instant rates
| Platform | Instant rates | Better than Freightos at | Worse at |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeaRates (DP World) | Yes — Freight Calculator + booking, 190+ countries | Free tool breadth: tracking, ship schedules, freight index, load calculator, CO₂; plus an API | Less prominent as a pure marketplace; part of a group that also sells the underlying services |
| All Forward | Yes — "all possible rates in just 30 seconds" | Publishes specific regional partner counts; integrated booking and shipment management | Air freight listed as "coming soon"; smaller network |
When instant rates are the wrong tool
An instant rate exists because someone loaded a rate for that lane in advance. That is precisely why it is fast, and precisely where it stops:
- Out-of-gauge, hazardous, oversized or temperature-controlled cargo — a pre-loaded rate cannot anticipate the specifics.
- Thin lanes between two secondary countries, where nobody maintains a rate.
- Anything with awkward timing, tight cut-offs or a routing constraint.
- Shipments where the quoted rate keeps not matching the invoice — usually a sign the excluded charges are where the money is. See how to compare freight quotes.
In those cases the alternative is not a different rate engine, it is a different model: post the shipment and have forwarders price it. That is what CargoLinked does — hours to a day rather than seconds, and an answer that holds up because a person produced it. The trade-off in full: instant freight quotes explained.
Also worth knowing
- Freightos states no vetting claims about the forwarders on its marketplace, and neither do we — our listings self-publish. Nobody in this comparison should be treated as having screened your provider for you.
- SeaRates and DF Alliance are the same group (both DP World), so counting them as two independent alternatives overstates your coverage.
- Freightos publishes quarterly metrics — 425K transactions and $343M gross booking value in Q1 2026 — which is more transparency about actual volume than any other platform here offers, including us.
How to choose
| Your situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Standard cargo, major lane, need a number now | Freightos or SeaRates |
| Ocean/rail, want booking and management in one flow | All Forward |
| Air freight | Freightos or a request board — All Forward's air is not live |
| Unusual cargo or a thin lane | Post a request |
| Budgeting, then committing | Both — instant rate to frame it, quotes to commit |
Related: CargoLinked vs Freightos and freight marketplaces compared.
Post a freight request — free, and no obligation to accept a quote.
