Comparison
A Cargo Optimizer alternative with published pricing
Cargo Optimizer is installed software for Windows, Mac and mobile, sold through an evaluation download and a quote. This page is for people who would rather see the price and start working in a browser tab.
Ten calculations a month, free, no card — and you can run one before signing in.
Side by side
| Feature | 3DPACK.ING | Cargo Optimizer |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 10 calculations a month, forever, no card | Evaluation download; limits not published |
| Runs on | Any browser, nothing installed | Windows, macOS, iOS and Android — installed |
| Install required | None | Yes, per device |
| Published pricing | Published: $0 / $29 / $99 / custom | Not published — quoted on request |
| Plain-English input | Yes | No |
| API | HTTP API on Pro and above | No |
| Multi-container in the free offer | No — one container free, multi-container on Pro | Yes — their page claims unlimited containers per loading |
| Works offline | No | Yes |
Rows where they win are marked as such. Every figure here comes from each product’s own published pages and is checkable in two clicks.
Why people look
Price discovery. There is no figure on the site; you download an evaluation and ask. For a department rolling out software that is normal, and for one person deciding on a Tuesday whether this is worth it, an unpublished price is a reason to look elsewhere. Ours is on the page you are reading.
Installation. It covers more platforms than most desktop planners — Windows, Mac, iOS and Android — but every one of them is an install, on a device you control, kept up to date. A load plan that lives at a URL is a link in a message, and the person opening it needs nothing.
And the input. Cargo Optimizer takes structured cargo definitions. If the shipment arrived as prose — twenty-four pallets, roughly this size, do not tip them — retyping it into fields is the slowest part of the job.
Where Cargo Optimizer is the better choice
Two things, and both are real. Their page claims unlimited containers and sizes per loading in the installed product; our free tier does one container per calculation and multi-container optimisation is a paid feature, so for large mixed loads on a budget of nothing they give you more. And it runs offline on desktop and on a phone, which matters in exactly the places load planning happens and connectivity does not. If you plan big multi-container loads from a yard with no signal, they are the better fit and we are not going to argue otherwise.
Moving over
There is nothing to migrate and nothing to install. Open the planner, paste or type the load, and you have a plan. If the items already live in a spreadsheet, Excel import on Pro takes the sheet as it is.
- Nothing to install
- Excel import on Pro
- Share a plan as a link
Try it here, without signing in
The planner below is the real one. Describe a load or edit the example, and you get the same 3D plan the paid tiers produce.
Questions
What does 3DPACK.ING cost?
Free for ten calculations a month with no card. Pro is $29 a month, Team $99, and there is a one-off pack of 25 calculations for $9 that never expires. All of it is on the pricing page rather than behind an enquiry.
Do I need to install it on every machine?
No — there is nothing to install anywhere. It runs in a browser tab, and a plan you share is a link the recipient opens without installing anything either.
Can it handle multiple containers?
Yes, on Pro and above: it compares container mixes and tells you which combination actually holds the load. The free tier is one container per calculation.
Can I describe the load instead of filling in a form?
Yes — that is the primary input. Type the shipment as a sentence and the quantities, dimensions and constraints are read out of it into the grid, where you can check them before packing.
Comparing something else?
- 3DBinPacking alternativeNo free tier — but genuinely cheaper than us at high API volume
- packVol alternativeWindows desktop software — but it works offline, and we do not
- EasyCargo alternativeTen-day trial, registration first — but a deeper product with a longer track record
- CargoWiz alternativeWindows software, 30-day trial — but it keeps working offline
- Cargo-Planner alternativeBroader equipment library than ours, including air ULDs and out-of-gauge cargo
See your own load
Paste a box list and the first plan takes about a minute.
Open the plannerCompared on 15 August 2026 against publicly published pricing and product pages. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.