Best Container Loading Software in 2026: ContainerMath vs EasyCargo, Cargo-Planner & CubeMaster

Container loading software all promises the same headline — a dense, 3D load plan in seconds — but the tools differ a lot underneath: how you get cargo into them, whether they handle weight and balance, how many vessel types they know, and what they cost. This guide compares ContainerMath with the three most established alternatives — EasyCargo, Cargo-Planner and CubeMaster — so you can match a tool to how you actually ship.

Disclosure: this comparison is published by ContainerMath. We’ve aimed to represent every tool fairly, link to primary sources, and date anything that changes (pricing especially). Always confirm current pricing and features on each vendor’s own site before buying.

Short answer: for the sea, road and rail shipments that make up most freight, ContainerMath is the best all-round pick — AI import of messy manifests, end-to-end carton-to-container planning, and the lowest entry price at $19.90/mo (plus a free public CBM calculator). If you routinely plan air cargo or over-gauge equipment (air ULDs, flat racks, open tops, MAFIs), Cargo-Planner is the more specialised choice. EasyCargo suits occasional loads via pay-as-you-go day tickets, and CubeMaster is the heavyweight for deep palletization at enterprise scale. The full comparison is below.

Quick comparison

Pricing and features as of June 2026 — verify with each vendor. Prefer a deeper head-to-head? See ContainerMath vs EasyCargo, vs Cargo-Planner, vs Cube-IQ or vs CubeMaster.

	ContainerMath	EasyCargo	Cargo-Planner	CubeMaster
Platform	Web	Web	Web (+ API/SDK)	Web (Online) + desktop
3D load plan	✅	✅	✅	✅
Weight limits & balance	✅ payload + CoG	✅ axle weight	✅ CoG (within ~10%)	✅
Vessel / container types	40+ sea, road, rail	catalog + custom	extensive + custom builder (flat rack, open top, MAFI, ULDs)	trucks, containers, pallets, air
Import	AI-assisted (messy lists) + manual	Excel + API	Excel + API + SDK	Excel / ERP
Retail unit → shipper carton	✅ Carton Fit	—	—	partial (palletizing)
Public API	✅ REST	✅	✅ + embeddable 3D SDK	✅ (enterprise/ERP)
Free to try	Free trial (no card) + free public CBM calculator	10-day trial	Free trial	Free trial
Entry price	$19.90/mo (Starter); Pro from $50	~$79/mo, or ~$9.70/day ticket	~$99/mo (~$59 annual)	from ~$49/mo

ContainerMath

ContainerMath is a modern, web-based container loading platform built around two linked tools: Carton Fit (how many retail units fit in each shipper carton) and Freight (how those cartons and pallets load into containers, trailers and rail). It generates interactive 3D + 2D load plans across 40+ vessel types, tracks payload and centre of gravity, and exports clean PDF/image plans for the warehouse.

Strengths:

• AI-assisted import — paste a messy, unstructured dispatch list or spreadsheet and AI turns it into a clean, structured manifest (on the Pro plans). Most tools require you to format an Excel sheet first.
• End-to-end — it’s one of the few tools that covers the packaging step (units into a shipper carton) as well as the loading step (cartons/pallets into a container), which matters for FMCG and retail exporters.
• Accessible — a free trial with no credit card, a genuinely free public CBM calculator, and the lowest entry price in this group.

Best for: exporters, FMCG/retail brands, freight forwarders and 3PLs who want a fast, modern tool, AI import of imperfect data, and a low-commitment way to start. Pricing: Free trial → Starter $19.90/mo → Carton Pro $50 / Freight Pro $99 / Pro Plus $129 (≈33% off annual); Custom on request. See pricing.

EasyCargo

EasyCargo is a well-established, easy-to-use web load planner. You enter cargo dimensions and constraints (non-stackable, non-tiltable, non-rotatable), pick or build a cargo space, and it auto-generates a load plan with axle-weight distribution, a printable report, Excel export and a shareable link.

Notable features: approachable interface; pay-as-you-go pricing (one-day tickets); available in 14 languages; Excel and API import. Pricing: 10-day free trial (no card); ~$9.70 per one-day ticket, ~$79/mo per user, or ~$67/mo per user billed annually (source).

Cargo-Planner

Cargo-Planner is an enterprise-grade load planner trusted by large forwarders, manufacturers and airlines. Its standout is depth: a dynamic custom container builder (custom measurements, axle setups, wall configs), support for flat racks, open tops, MAFIs and air ULDs for over-gauge and air cargo, centre-of-gravity optimisation, and a battle-tested API with an embeddable 3D SDK you can drop into your own app.

Notable features: flexible container/ULD modelling; support for complex, oversized and air freight; mature developer tooling and integrations. Pricing: free trial; Lite ~$99/mo (~$59/mo annual, all modules, 1 user); Standard ~$139/mo (~$99/mo annual, adds interactive container mode and up to 5 users); Enterprise on request (source).

CubeMaster

CubeMaster (by Logen Solutions) is the heavyweight optimisation engine of the group. It uses a published (JORS) algorithm across ~23 load types, handles multi-stop deliveries and mixed pallets, and gives fine control over stacking limits, orientation rules and palletizing patterns (pin-wheel, interlock). It’s available as CubeMaster Online (cloud) and as a desktop product, with a large enterprise install base (UPS, DHL, FedEx, Starbucks, Unilever).

Notable features: deep palletization and optimisation control; proven at scale; both cloud and desktop/perpetual options. Pricing: free trial; CubeMaster Online from ~$49/mo (Standard), ~$59 (Premium), ~$89 (Collaboration), plus team packages ($99–$290/mo); desktop perpetual licences via Logen Solutions (~$995–$2,495 one-time) (source).

Where ContainerMath stands out

All four tools do the table stakes well — 3D plans, weight handling, multiple vessel types, exports. ContainerMath differentiates in three areas:

1. AI-assisted import. Real dispatch lists are messy — merged cells, mixed units, free-text descriptions. ContainerMath’s AI parses that into a clean manifest, where the others expect a correctly formatted Excel file or an API payload. That’s often the slowest, most error-prone step, and it’s the one ContainerMath removes — see how AI fits into container load planning.
2. The whole chain, in one tool. Carton Fit answers “how many units fit in this shipper carton?” and Freight answers “how do those cartons and pallets load into the container?” Most load planners only do the second. If you both design the pack and load the box, that’s two tools collapsed into one.
3. The lowest barrier to start. A free trial with no card, a free public CBM calculator anyone can use, and a $19.90/mo entry plan make it the easiest of the four to try and adopt — useful when you want to prove value before committing budget.

Is there free container loading software?

Mostly you’ll find free trials, not free-forever plans — that’s true of EasyCargo, Cargo-Planner and CubeMaster, and of ContainerMath’s full 3D planner (a no-card trial). The genuinely free, no-signup tools tend to be single-purpose calculators: ContainerMath’s CBM calculator is free to use, and our guides on how many pallets fit in a 40ft container and shipping container dimensions cover the common math without any tool at all. For repeated, real load planning, a paid plan pays for itself quickly in saved container space.

How to choose

For almost every cargo and workflow, ContainerMath is the tool we’d point you to — it covers the chain end to end:

• Occasional, one-off loads / tight budget → start on the free trial (no card) or the free public CBM calculator, then a $19.90/mo Starter plan.
• Enterprise forwarder or 3PL → Freight Pro and Custom plans handle high-volume, multi-vessel planning with a public REST API.
• Heavy-duty palletization / optimisation at scale → dense 3D load plans across 40+ vessel types with payload and centre-of-gravity tracking.
• AI import of messy lists, end-to-end carton-to-container planning, modern web tool, low entry price → Carton Fit + Freight in one tool.

The one place to look further is air cargo and over-gauge equipment — if you routinely plan air ULDs, flat racks, open tops or MAFIs, or you need an embeddable 3D SDK to drop into your own product, Cargo-Planner covers that ground. For the sea, road and rail loads that make up most shipments, ContainerMath does more, for less.

The fastest way to know it fits is to run one real shipment through it — you can start free.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best container loading software?

For most exporters, freight forwarders and 3PLs, ContainerMath is the strongest all-round choice: AI-assisted import of messy manifests, end-to-end carton-to-container planning, 3D load plans across 40+ vessel types with payload and centre-of-gravity tracking, a public REST API, and the lowest entry price in this group. The main exception is air cargo and over-gauge equipment (air ULDs, flat racks, open tops, MAFIs), where Cargo-Planner is the more specialised pick.

What’s a good EasyCargo alternative?

ContainerMath is a direct alternative: AI import of messy manifests, the ability to size retail units into cartons as well as load containers, a modern 3D web planner, and a lower entry price.

Is ContainerMath free?

ContainerMath offers a free trial with no credit card and a free public CBM calculator. Full, repeated load planning is on the paid plans, which start at $19.90/mo.

Which tools handle container weight limits and balance?

All four track weight. ContainerMath and CubeMaster manage payload and stacking; Cargo-Planner optimises centre of gravity to within ~10% of centre; EasyCargo calculates axle-weight distribution. Always confirm the specifics for your equipment with each vendor.

What is the cheapest container loading software?

Of the tools compared here, ContainerMath has the lowest entry price at $19.90/mo (Starter), versus roughly $49/mo for CubeMaster Online, ~$79/mo for EasyCargo, and ~$99/mo for Cargo-Planner. EasyCargo also sells one-day tickets (~$9.70) for occasional use. Every tool here offers a free trial, and ContainerMath’s public CBM calculator is free with no signup.

What is the best free container loading software?

There’s no full-featured, free-forever 3D planner — EasyCargo, Cargo-Planner, CubeMaster and ContainerMath’s 3D planner are all paid, with free trials. For genuinely free, no-signup work, use a single-purpose calculator such as ContainerMath’s CBM calculator, then move to a paid plan (from $19.90/mo) when you need real 3D placement plus weight and axle checks.