Aggregator SaaS platforms like Shipsy and LogiNext solve a real problem — fast. But they aren't the right answer for every operator. This is a vendor-honest comparison: when SaaS wins, when custom wins, and what a 3-year total cost of ownership really looks like on both paths.
Shipsy and LogiNext win when you need multi-carrier rate aggregation live in weeks, you're running under ~50,000 shipments/month, and your workflow fits a broadly standard 3PL or aggregator model.
A custom-built courier platform wins when your operation has its own hubs, line-haul fleet, corporate contracts or unusual workflow rules; when you're doing >50,000 shipments/month and licensing costs compound; or when the platform is your IP and differentiator, not a cost centre.
Break-even point: operators typically cross over to custom being cheaper between month 18 and month 30, depending on volume. Below, we show the numbers.
ITD GrowthLabs builds custom courier, logistics and supply-chain software. So yes, we have a commercial interest in you picking the build path. We've also lost enough deals to Shipsy and LogiNext (and recommended them ourselves, when the fit was right) to know this is a real decision, not a sales question.
This page is written the way we talk to clients on a first call: with honest acknowledgement that aggregator SaaS is the right answer a lot of the time — and a clear framework for the cases where it's genuinely not.
If most of your answers land on the left side, a SaaS pilot is probably the fastest way to stop bleeding. If most land on the right, continuing to pay rent on someone else's platform is the expensive option dressed up as the cheap one.
Honest comparison — no feature-list gymnastics. Where one side is just better, we say so.
| Dimension | Shipsy / LogiNext (SaaS) | Custom build (ITD GrowthLabs-style) |
|---|---|---|
| Time to pilot | 2–4 weeks to a working pilot with a few integrated carriers | 4–7 months to a production-ready v1 covering core workflow |
| Year-1 cost (typical) | Rs 12–25 lakhs/year in licensing + per-shipment fees (volume-dependent) | Rs 35–70 lakhs one-time build + Rs 6–12 lakhs/year hosting & AMC |
| 3-year TCO at 50k shipments/mo | Rs 65–100 lakhs+ (licensing grows with volume) | Rs 60–95 lakhs (flat hosting + feature roadmap) |
| Customisation depth | Configuration, not code. Workflow tweaks go through vendor roadmap. | Full code access. Any workflow rule is shippable. |
| IP & ownership | Vendor-owned. You rent access. | You own the code, database, carriers and data. |
| Multi-carrier rate aggregation | 15-20+ carriers pre-integrated. Day-one advantage. | Built per client — typically 5-10 carriers in phase 1, more as needed. |
| Own-fleet workflow (hubs, line-haul, delivery beats) | Partial. Best for aggregation-first operators. | First-class. Modelled end to end: hub, manifest, line-haul, POD. |
| Corporate client experience | Mostly generic tracking portal. Co-branding limited. | White-label everything — portal, tracking, emails, invoices. |
| Data ownership & exports | CSV/API exports available. Full schema-level access limited. | Your database, your schema. Full control. |
| Integration with your OMS / ERP / WMS | Standard connectors exist, but deep integrations queue for vendor roadmap. | Any integration, any time. Build it yourself or we will. |
| Vendor lock-in | High. Migrating off is a 4-8 week project. | None. Switch hosting, switch maintenance vendor, keep running. |
| Support model | Tier-based vendor SLAs. Escalation path defined. | AMC-based retainer with your build team. Direct engineer access. |
| Compliance, audit & security | Shared responsibility. SOC 2 / ISO common but vendor-controlled. | You control the security model end to end (harder but non-negotiable in BFSI, healthcare, Gov). |
| Exit strategy | Re-platform required. Plan 4-8 weeks. | Not needed — the platform is yours. |
We've modelled the two paths for an operator doing ~50,000 shipments/month across three years. Numbers are indicative ranges in INR, and will vary with carrier mix, support tier, hosting choices and AMC scope. Use them to frame the conversation with your CFO, not as a quote.
3-year total: Rs 66–98 lakhs. You end year 3 owning nothing tangible; renewal continues.
3-year total: Rs 65–93 lakhs. You end year 3 owning the platform — debt on the balance sheet converts to an asset.
At mid-volume, the headline TCO is similar over three years. The real difference is where the money goes: SaaS spend is rent; custom spend builds an asset. Above 80,000 shipments/month, the SaaS line tilts sharply higher and the custom line stays roughly flat.
If you're already on Shipsy or LogiNext and considering a move, the good news is the data is structured and exportable. The hard part isn't the data — it's the operational re-plumbing. Here's the rollout template we use on courier-network migrations:
Total effort: ~5 months, usually 6-8 engineers + your ops team. For operators who've been on SaaS for 2+ years, the custom build has usually paid for itself before month 18 post-migration.
It depends on volume and timeline. A typical custom courier platform costs Rs 35-70 lakhs to build in year one versus roughly Rs 12-25 lakhs/year in SaaS licensing + per-shipment fees on mid-volume plans. Over 3 years, custom usually breaks even between year 2 and 3 for operators doing 50,000+ shipments a month. Below that volume, SaaS typically wins on absolute cost.
For a core platform covering booking, pickup, hub scan, manifest, tracking and billing: 4-7 months to a usable v1 with a 6-10 engineer team. Multi-carrier rate aggregation, COD remittance, and NDR workflows usually take another 2-3 months. Shipsy or LogiNext can get a pilot live in 2-4 weeks.
Yes, with a dual-run rollout. Most operators run the new platform in shadow mode for 2-3 weeks, switch bookings first, then hub/manifest, then billing last. A single-hub or single-corporate-client pilot typically de-risks the rollout before a full switch.
Carrier APIs are standardised (rates, book, label, track, cancel) and most Indian carriers publish public-ish integration docs. Building 5-10 carriers takes about 8-12 engineering weeks. With a custom build you own the adapters; you can add/remove/re-negotiate carriers without vendor permission.
Both are credible SaaS platforms with overlapping feature sets. Shipsy skews more toward 3PL and multi-carrier aggregation; LogiNext has deeper on-road transportation and last-mile visibility tooling. Pick based on your actual use case, not brand — most serious buyers run both as short pilots before deciding.
Most SaaS platforms let you export historical shipments, customers, and invoices via API or CSV. You typically do not get the full operational configuration (routing rules, pricing engine state, carrier-level contract data) in a machine-readable form — that has to be rebuilt. Plan a 4-8 week data migration window when switching to a custom build.
Spend 30 minutes with our senior logistics engineer. We'll look at your actual volume, workflow and contracts — and give you an honest recommendation, even if it's "stay on Shipsy." No slide deck.
Book My Free Consultation
