To choose courier management software, first match the type of tool to your business: an agency that serves its own clients through several carriers needs agency software, not a shipping aggregator or a billing app. Then check five things: it works with all your carriers, tracking carries your brand, billing handles GST, COD is reconciled, and you can see profit per shipment.
The four kinds of “courier software”
| Type | Built for | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| A carrier's own portal | Booking and tracking with that one carrier | Covers one carrier only, and has no view of your clients, billing or profit |
| Shipping aggregator platform | Online sellers shipping their own orders at the platform's rates | You use the platform's carrier contracts, not your own. See software vs aggregators |
| General billing or accounting app | GST invoices for any business | Knows nothing about AWBs, weights, COD or returns, so shipments are typed in again |
| Courier management software | Agencies, franchise owners and logistics companies with their own clients and carriers | More to set up than a single-purpose tool |
Twelve things to check
- Carriers. Does it work with every courier, transporter and local partner you use, including the small ones?
- Booking speed. How many seconds does one booking take? Can a client's Excel sheet be uploaded as it is?
- Tracking in one place. Are all carriers' statuses in one list, or do you still open each website?
- Your brand. Do clients see your name and your tracking number, or the carrier's?
- Failed deliveries. Does it show failed attempts the same day, so you can act before a return?
- Billing with GST. Are invoices built from bookings, with nothing typed twice?
- Payments. Can you see who owes what, send reminders and set credit limits?
- COD. Can you see cash collected against cash received?
- Profit. Does it compare what you charged with what the carrier billed, per shipment?
- Your own riders. If you deliver locally, is there a rider app, and does it work without signal?
- Users and branches. How many are included, and does each person get their own login and access?
- Ease. Could your newest staff member use it on day one?
How courier software is priced
- One-time fee plus yearly maintenance (AMC). You pay once, then a smaller amount each year. The cost doesn't rise with your shipment count.
- Monthly subscription. Lower to start, usually priced per user.
- Per shipment. Cheap at low volume, and it grows with every parcel you book.
Work out the cost over three years at the volume you expect to reach, not the volume you have today. Ask what the yearly fee includes, and what happens to your data if you stop paying.
Questions to ask on a demo
- Can you show a booking, a tracking update and an invoice using my own carriers and one of my clients?
- What does my client see when they track a parcel?
- How do I get my existing client list and rates in?
- Who do I call when something breaks, and during which hours?
- Can I export all my data whenever I want?
- Which features are in which plan?
Where Hyper Route fits, and where it doesn't
Hyper Route is courier management software for Indian courier agencies, franchise owners and logistics companies. It covers bookings, multi-carrier tracking, tracking under your brand, billing with GST, cash on delivery, a rider app, a client portal and profit per shipment. It is priced as a one-time fee plus a yearly AMC:
| Plan | One-time | AMC per year | Users and branches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ₹44,900 | ₹29,900 | 3 users, 1 branch |
| Standard | ₹69,900 | ₹39,900 | 10 users, 2 branches |
| Premium | ₹1,19,900 | ₹54,900 | Unlimited users, Unlimited branches |
It is not the right tool if you are an online seller who only ships your own orders: a shipping aggregator will get you started faster. It is built for businesses that move other people's parcels and bill them for it. Full details are on the pricing page.