SeaRates Shut Down Its Load Calculator in 2026. Truck Packer Does the Same Job for $28 a Month

SeaRates' Load Calculator is gone: DP World confirmed in August 2026 that it's no longer running the SeaRates business, and searates.com now forwards to dpworld.com. Its last paid plan started at $29 a month for 50 calculations. Truck Packer Pro builds the same kind of 3D container and truck load plan for $28 a month with no cap on how many you build, so if you used SeaRates to stuff containers, here's what it did, what it cost, and how we compare.

I'll be straight about where SeaRates was stronger, because it was a good tool for freight forwarders, and a few of those things we don't do yet.

DP World shut down SeaRates in August 2026

Source: FreightWaves, August 27, 2026

DP World bought SeaRates in 2020 and ran it as "SeaRates By DP World." In August it told FreightWaves, "we are no longer using the SeaRates business globally," and the article says companies that relied on SeaRates were already looking for alternatives. The trade press reported the same closure. When I checked in October, searates.com and its load calculator page both redirected to the DP World home page.

SeaRates charged $29 to $149 a month by the calculation

Source: SeaRates, Load Calculator pricing (archived January 2026)

The last published plans were metered by calculation. PackLite was $29 a month for up to 50 calculations, CargoFit was $69 for 150, and LoadPro was $149 for 350, with 15% off billed annually. Without an account you got 1 free calculation a day, and a free account got 20 a month with no more than 3 in a day. The terms of service said web plans came with no support, purchases weren't refundable, and prices could change every month.

Truck Packer Pro costs $28 a month with unlimited packs

Source: Truck Packer, Pricing

Pro is for one person and includes unlimited packs, the case and container library, CSV import, PDF export, AutoPack, weight visualization, shareable packs and a loadout checklist. There's no meter, so the 51st load plan in a month costs the same as the first. Annual billing takes 25% off, which makes it $21 a month. The 7-day trial unlocks every Business feature with no credit card, and Business adds multi-user orgs, multi-truck packs, the advanced importer, API access and SSO.

Both plan containers, trucks and air ULDs, with about 83 presets in Truck Packer

Source: SeaRates, Load Calculator (archived) and Truck Packer, Container library

SeaRates loaded boxes, sacks, big bags, barrels, rolls, pipes and pallets into standard, high cube and reefer containers, trucks, custom spaces and multi-section air ULDs. Truck Packer's container library has 83 presets: 14 shipping containers, 13 semi-trailers, 17 box trucks, 12 rental trucks, 16 air ULDs, 4 rail cars and 7 pallets, each with interior dimensions and payload. You can also type in any custom space. Truck Packer plans boxed loads, so if you load barrels, pipes or bulk bags, SeaRates handled those shapes and we don't.

SeaRates had stacking rules and truck axle loads, and Truck Packer's are in progress

Source: SeaRates, How to use the Load Calculator (archived)

This is where SeaRates was ahead. Each item could tilt or not, stacks could be limited by layer count, weight on top or height, and groups loaded in the order you entered them. It could pick the container type for you, spread a load over several containers, and check truck axle loads against front and rear limits. Truck Packer's AutoPack is a space solver without stack limits, bottom-only rules or unload order yet. We show total weight per container and a weight view of the pack, and axle and kingpin weights are in progress.

Truck Packer gives the crew a link and a QR code, not just a report

Source: Truck Packer, Changelog

SeaRates was built around the freight quote: you sized a shipment, got a report with volume and weight and a 3D view, and moved on to booking. It could also export a step-by-step stuffing plan to PDF. Truck Packer is built for the people loading the box. Crew View is a public link with the plan, notes and a shared checklist that opens on any phone with no account, and since v0.10.2 the share button makes a QR code the crew can scan at the dock. Every container also gets its own PDF.

Both import from a spreadsheet, and Truck Packer Business has a REST API

Source: Truck Packer, Pricing

SeaRates took items from an Excel template and offered an API and a white-label widget that forwarders put on their own sites. Truck Packer Pro imports CSV, and the Business importer also reads XLSX and dimensions packed into one column like 48x24x30. Business includes a REST API, so your own system can create cases and build packs.

Truck Packer does the same container load plan for $28 a month with no meter

Source: SeaRates, Load Calculator pricing (archived) and Truck Packer, Pricing

If you were on PackLite, Truck Packer costs about the same and drops the 50-calculation cap. If you were on CargoFit or LoadPro, it costs less. What you'd give up today is axle loads, stacking rules in the solver and round or bulk cargo shapes, and I'd rather tell you that now than after you've moved your loads over. The trial is free for 7 days with no card, so load one of your old SeaRates shipments and see if the plan holds up.

Moving off SeaRates? Log in to Truck Packer and pack your next container.