Short answer: Descartes Aljex is a long-established broker TMS with per-user tiers, unlimited shipments and the deepest Descartes integrations (MacroPoint, MyCarrierPortal) built in. Polt is an AI-native broker TMS priced by load volume with unlimited users. Small teams moving high volume often pay less on Aljex. Larger teams, or brokerages that want loads built from emails and documents without add-ons, usually fit Polt better.
At a glance
Polt | Descartes Aljex | |
|---|---|---|
Built for | Freight brokers and 3PLs | Freight brokerages from 2 to several hundred users |
Pricing basis | Per load, unlimited users | Per tier with a user cap, unlimited shipments |
Starting price | $1,199/month, up to 200 loads | Essential $699/month, 5 users, plus a one-time setup fee |
Mid tier | $2,899/month, 500 loads | Professional from $999/month, 15 users, plus implementation fee |
Top published tier | $5,999/month, 1,100 loads; custom above 1,500 | Enterprise from $2,375/month, plus implementation fee |
Setup fees | Dedicated onboarding | One-time setup or implementation fee on every tier (amount not published) |
Load boards | Truckstop posting from the shipment | 123Loadboard, DAT, Truckstop (pick two on Professional and up) |
Tracking | Polt Tracking, Descartes MacroPoint | Descartes MacroPoint on every tier |
Carrier onboarding | Highway, Descartes MyCarrierPortal | Descartes MyCarrierPortal on every tier |
Rate data | Lane pricing tool | DAT RateView, Truckstop RateMate |
Accounting | Open API | QuickBooks on Essential |
AI | Loads from tender emails and documents, automatic alerts, freight matching | Vooma, Fleetworks and Parade Co-Driver listed as available add-ons |
EDI | Supported | 1 customer connection on Professional, 2 on Enterprise |
Portals | Driver app with geofenced status updates | Customer and carrier portals on Professional and up |
From each vendor’s public pricing page, November 2026. Third-party listings still show Aljex “from $499”, which is older.
Pricing: users vs loads
Aljex caps users per tier: 5 on Essential, 15 on Professional. Shipments are unlimited, so a 5-person team moving 1,000 loads a month can sit on Essential at $699 plus the setup fee. Every tier carries a one-time setup or implementation fee that is not published.
Polt caps loads, not people: $1,199 for 200, $2,899 for 500, $5,999 for 1,100, custom above that, with unlimited users and AI included.
Rule of thumb: few people and many loads favours Aljex; many people or steady growth in headcount favours Polt. Ask Aljex for the implementation fee before comparing totals.
Integrations
Aljex is owned by Descartes, so MacroPoint tracking and MyCarrierPortal onboarding are native on every tier, with DAT, Truckstop and 123Loadboard as load board options and DAT RateView for rates. Third-party subscriptions are billed separately, and integration fees are one-time.
Polt connects to the same two Descartes products, MacroPoint and MyCarrierPortal, plus Highway, Truckstop and Telegram, with an open API and EDI. Polt does not post to DAT or 123Loadboard yet.
Automation and AI
Aljex lists AI through partners: Vooma, Fleetworks and Parade Co-Driver are marked available, with details and pricing on request.
Polt builds loads from tender emails and imported documents, raises automatic shipment alerts (double broker, detention, pickup and delivery delays, lost signal), checks FMCSA and Highway status on every bid, and matches freight to carriers from inside the shipment. These are part of the plan, not add-ons.
Who should pick which
Pick Aljex if: your team is small and your volume is high, you already run on Descartes tools, you want customer and carrier portals, and you are comfortable with a one-time implementation fee and a mature, conventional TMS.
Pick Polt if: you want unlimited users, published pricing with no setup fee surprises, and AI load building and fraud alerts included rather than bought from partners.
See Polt on one of your own loads
Comparison based on public product and pricing pages reviewed in November 2026. Confirm current terms with each vendor.
See what an AI-native TMS looks like.
See Polt in action
