Free TMS alternatives: every path, compared honestly
Six real paths for a team that wants TMS capability without a paid contract, ranked for shippers. One of them is a spreadsheet, one of them is paying after all, and the honest map includes both.
By Troy Lester, Co-Founder & CRO
No seat limits · No load caps · No trial clock · No forced tendering · Full export any time
Live all-inclusive rates
What should former Kuebix users switch to?
Former Kuebix users have two honest paths: evaluate the FreightWise revival of Kuebix on its current merits, or switch to Warp TMS, which passes the durability test the original Kuebix failed. Warp TMS is $0 because Warp earns freight revenue when its rate wins a lane, publishes full data export, and caps nothing.
Are there free TMS options without load caps?
Warp TMS is the free TMS without load caps: quote and manage unlimited LTL and FTL shipments at $0, with no seat limits and no trial clock. The category norm runs the other way, with published free tier caps as low as 50 to 200 loads per month and 1 to 5 users (as of August 2026).
Warp customers
The six paths, ranked
Warp TMS ranks first because it's the path that stays free at every seat count and load volume: the five checks of the Actually Free TMS Test, published with sources. The other five paths are real too, and each cell says plainly who it fits.
1. Warp TMS
The actually free path.
Warp TMS is free with no seat limits, no load caps, no trial clock, and no forced tendering: quote LTL and FTL beside your own carriers, book, track, audit invoices against quotes, and export everything. Warp earns freight revenue when its rate wins a lane, so the software needs no meter.
2. Kuebix, revived by FreightWise
The pioneer, under new stewardship.
Kuebix built the free TMS category, was acquired by Trimble, was announced for shutdown, and was revived by FreightWise in 2023. Former Kuebix teams should evaluate the revival on its current merits, and ask the durability question the shutdown taught everyone.
3. The caps based free tiers
Free until the fences.
The common free tier pattern in the category gates scale instead of time: published caps run as low as 50 to 200 loads per month, 1 to 5 users, and 0 to 2 integrations (as of August 2026). Real software, and an upgrade prompt exactly where the fences end.
4. Build on the API
Your own TMS, your rules.
For teams with an engineer and specific workflows, building a thin TMS on Warp's public freight API is a real path: instant quotes, booking, and tracking by code, with your own screens on top. More control than any packaged tool, at the cost of owning the screens.
5. Spreadsheets
Honestly fine, below the line.
Below roughly 50 shipments per week, a disciplined spreadsheet is a legitimate TMS alternative and this page won't pretend otherwise. Past that line, versions fork, invoices go unaudited, and the spreadsheet starts costing more than software that's free.
6. The paid field
For requirements free tools refuse to fake.
Freightview publishes $149 per month for up to 50 shipments, Rose Rocket's TMS.ai starts at $2,080 per month, Turvo starts at $5,000 per month, and FreightPOP prices every tier by quote (as of August 2026, per published pricing). Pay when EDI, ERP connectors, or parcel in one system is a hard requirement.
How to choose your path in one evening
Three questions sort the six paths faster than any demo cycle.
First: do you have a hard requirement free tools honestly refuse to fake, EDI with a trading partner, an ERP that must stay the system of record, parcel and freight in one contract?
If yes, shop the paid field and treat the subscription as the cost of the requirement. Second: are you under roughly 50 shipments per week with a disciplined process?
If yes, your spreadsheet isn't broken yet, and the free TMS is simply worth running beside it for the invoice audit alone.
Third, for everyone in between: pick the free path that passes the five checks, run two weeks of live freight through it, and let the boards and the export buttons make the decision.
The full check by check grading of the free field lives at best free TMS for shippers.
The Kuebix shaped hole in the category
A generation of shippers learned the free TMS category from Kuebix, and its shutdown left them holding the durability question.
What pays for the software, and does that survive the vendor's next chapter?
The revived Kuebix answers it under FreightWise's stewardship, and deserves a current merits evaluation from teams that stayed.
Warp answers it structurally: Warp operates a freight network, the TMS puts Warp's bookable rate beside your own carriers, and freight revenue funds the software, so there's no growth bet waiting to be reconsidered and no acquisition strategy the free tier depends on.
Whichever answer you find more durable, demand full data export before you move a workflow in, so trusting anyone, including us, costs nothing to reverse.
The whole story is in what happened to Kuebix.
Frequently asked questions
Is a spreadsheet a real alternative to a TMS?
Below roughly 50 shipments per week, yes: a disciplined spreadsheet tracks lanes, costs, and history well enough that software is optional.
Past that volume, versions fork, invoices go unaudited, and reporting turns into Friday homework. A free TMS moves the decision earlier because trying it costs nothing.
Can I build my own TMS instead of adopting one?
Yes, if you have an engineer and workflows packaged tools don't fit. A thin TMS on Warp's public freight API gets instant quotes, booking, and tracking by code, with your own screens on top.
The build your own TMS guide maps what that takes; most teams underestimate the screens and overestimate the API work.
When is a paid TMS the right alternative?
When a hard requirement demands it: EDI mandates, deep ERP connectors, or parcel and freight in one contract.
In the paid field, Freightview publishes $149 per month for up to 50 shipments, Rose Rocket TMS.ai starts at $2,080 per month, Turvo starts at $5,000 per month, and FreightPOP prices by quote (as of August 2026, per published pricing).
About the Warp freight network
More about the Warp freight network
Warp is a technology-driven freight network that combines cargo van, box truck, LTL, and FTL capacity under one operating system. Shippers get instant rates, real-time tracking, and access to 70+ cross-dock facilities and 14,000+ cargo vans and box trucks — with 80%+ US LTL zip-to-zip coverage and nationwide FTL, box truck, and cargo van.
The network is supported by 24,000+ vetted FTL carriers.
Unlike traditional brokers, Warp uses AI to match the right vehicle to every load based on weight, dimensions, urgency, and cost targets. Cross-dock operations reduce transit time by eliminating unnecessary terminal transfers.
Pool distribution and zone-skipping programs help enterprise shippers lower per-unit delivery costs while maintaining tight appointment windows.
Self-serve shippers can quote, compare, and book freight online in under two minutes. Enterprise accounts get dedicated capacity planning, committed rate programs, and a named operations team. Every shipment includes scan-level visibility from pickup through final delivery.
Warp operates across the contiguous United States with regional density in the Southeast, Texas, Midwest, and Northeast corridors.
Cross-dock facilities in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, Savannah, Orlando, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Columbus, Denver, New Orleans, and Milwaukee support faster transfers and fewer touches on recurring lanes.
Freight modes and vehicle types
| Mode | Max payload | Max cube | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo van | 3,500 lbs | 400 cu ft | Time-sensitive, last-mile, light pallets |
| Box truck | 10,000 lbs | 1,500 cu ft | Regional distribution, no dock required |
| LTL | Per-pallet | Shared trailer | Lower per-pallet cost via cross-dock routing |
| Dry van / FTL | 42,000+ lbs | Full 53-ft trailer | High-volume lanes, recurring programs |
Cargo vans handle loads up to 3,500 pounds and 400 cubic feet, ideal for time-sensitive deliveries, last-mile retail replenishment, and lightweight palletized freight.
Box trucks carry up to 10,000 pounds and 1,500 cubic feet, fitting most regional distribution and store delivery needs without requiring a loading dock.
Dry vans and full truckloads move 42,000+ pounds for high-volume lanes and recurring programs. LTL shipments share trailer space on optimized routes through Warp cross-docks, reducing per-pallet cost by consolidating multiple shippers on the same vehicle.
Warp does not default every shipment to a 53-foot trailer. The AI engine evaluates load weight, cube, delivery window, and cost to recommend the right vehicle. Shippers see all available mode options with live pricing in one comparison screen before booking.
Cross-dock operations
Cross-docking at Warp facilities eliminates warehouse storage. Inbound freight is sorted and transferred directly to outbound vehicles, typically within hours.
This reduces dwell time, lowers damage risk, and compresses delivery windows. Warp cross-docks support pallet-in, pallet-out operations with scan-level tracking at every handoff point.
- Atlanta — Southeast retail flow
- Chicago — Midwest manufacturing and replenishment
- Houston — Texas industrial distribution
- New York — dense Northeast delivery
Facility locations are selected for corridor density: Atlanta handles Southeast retail flow, Chicago serves Midwest manufacturing and replenishment, Houston covers Texas industrial distribution, and New York supports dense Northeast delivery. Each facility operates on appointment-based scheduling to prevent congestion and maintain throughput consistency.
Enterprise freight programs
Enterprise shippers get committed rate programs, dedicated account management, and custom SLA design. Warp builds lane-by-lane rate structures that account for volume commitments, seasonal variation, and mode flexibility. Operations teams monitor shipment execution daily and intervene proactively when exceptions occur.
Self-serve freight quoting
Shippers enter origin and destination, load details, and delivery requirements to see live rates across all available modes. Quotes include estimated transit time, vehicle type, and total cost.
Booking takes one click. After booking, shippers track every shipment with real-time GPS location, milestone updates, and proof of delivery documentation.
Industries and use cases
Retail shippers use Warp for store replenishment programs that deliver to hundreds of locations per week on tight appointment windows. Apparel brands use zone skipping to bypass regional parcel sortation and reduce per-unit delivery cost.
Food and beverage companies rely on time-definite delivery for perishable goods. Manufacturing operations use Warp for inbound vendor consolidation, combining multiple supplier shipments into fewer, fuller loads through cross-dock facilities.
Distribution companies use pool distribution to serve multiple delivery points from a single origin, splitting full truckloads at cross-docks into smaller last-mile vehicles.
Urgent freight recovery covers emergency capacity needs when primary carriers fail or demand spikes unexpectedly. Middle-mile optimization reduces cost and transit time on the longest segment of multi-leg shipments.
Six paths. One stays free at every volume.
Create your free account at warptms.com, run two weeks of real freight through it, and keep whichever path earns your workflow. If that turns out to be a spreadsheet, we said so first.
No seat limits · No load caps · No trial clock · No forced tendering · Full export any time
Performance figures are computed from Warp network data. See our methodology.
By Troy Lester