Portcast vs SmartLink Visibility
Portcast
portcast.ioSmartLink Visibility
e-smartlink.comSide by side
| Figure | Portcast | SmartLink Visibility |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $3,750/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Container Tracking Software | 8.4 (#2) | 6.8 (#23) |
| Audience | The container tracking product describes use by freight forwarders and 3PLs, shippers and BCOs, and supply chain and procurement teams. | The maker says its container shipping solutions are intended for both large corporations and small businesses. |
| Carrier coverage | The company says its data network covers 220+ carriers and NVOCCs. | The maker states that the service provides 98% carrier coverage and visibility for over 98% of global ocean freight. |
| Container tracking | Its tracking software combines carrier milestones, AIS, schedules, port and terminal data, and market insights into a shipment view with predicted ETAs and risk alerts. | Users can register containers and bills of lading and view container events, estimated arrival times, and vessel routes and positions. |
| Product | Portcast connects shipment data to orders, contracts, and invoices, using AI to surface risks and recommend actions for global transportation teams. | SmartLink Visibility provides real-time cargo visibility using tracking data from over 70 shipping companies and real-time and historical vessel AIS data. |
| Support | Portcast describes onboarding with custom integrations, historical shipment data migration, regular check-ins, and training. | Data Integration Specialists take responsibility for incorporating tracking data into a customer's system via the SmartLink API. |
Plans
In their own words
Portcast
Portcast connects shipment data with orders, contracts and invoices for global transportation teams, using AI to surface risks and recommend actions. Its container tracking combines carrier milestones, AIS, schedules, port and terminal data, and market insights into shipment views with predicted ETAs and risk alerts. Users can search by container, booking or bill of lading number; Portcast says its network covers 220+ carriers and NVOCCs. ETA predictions use machine learning across 70+ data sources and update as voyage conditions change. Freight audit checks ocean invoices against contract terms and shipment milestones, flagging billing discrepancies. Invoice extraction is described as 99%+ accurate and enabling 95%+ touchless processing, including scanned, multilingual and non-standard formats. The service is available through web and API, with data for ocean, air, rail and road, and supports custom integrations. A trial account can track up to 10 containers, with no feature limitations stated; setup follows a scheduled meeting. Pricing is on request. The listed Enterprise Predictive Visibility Platform costs $45,000 a year on a 12-month contract, with additional AWS infrastructure costs potentially applying. Portcast says its forwarder-specific freight audit product is still being developed.
SmartLink Visibility
SmartLink Visibility has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.