The short answer
The best trade compliance software depends on how many compliance jobs you need one system to cover, and in how many countries. For screening, classification, customs filing, export controls and free trade agreement management on one platform, look at the global trade management (GTM) suites: SAP GTS or Oracle Global Trade Management if you are standardized on SAP or Oracle, or Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Global Trade, e2open, Descartes, MIC Customs Solutions or AEB. For narrower needs there are focused tools; Stable Software is one, covering duty drawback, denied party screening and an audit of filed entries for customs brokers and importers.
Disclosure: Stable Software makes one of the products on this list. We describe every other vendor from its own public materials as of October 2026, group them by type rather than ranking them, and have not tested competitors' products. Spot an error? Email hello@stablesoftware.com and we will correct it.
Key takeaways
- Trade compliance software covers several jobs: restricted party screening, classification, customs filing, export controls, free trade agreement (FTA) qualification and duty management. Few companies need all of them in one system.
- GTM suites (SAP GTS, Oracle GTM, Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE, e2open, Descartes, MIC, AEB) cover most of those jobs on one platform and file customs declarations in several countries.
- Your ERP often narrows the field: SAP GTS integrates with SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC, Oracle GTM is part of Oracle's transportation and trade cloud, and standalone suites such as MIC and AEB offer SAP interfaces.
- Focused tools cover one or two jobs beside a suite or a customs broker. Stable Software covers duty drawback, denied party screening and a post-filing entry audit.
Trade compliance software compared
| Software | Type | Core coverage | Deployment | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stable Software | Focused, drawback-first | Duty drawback, party screening, filed-entry audit, reconciliation prep | Web-based | Customs brokers and importers |
| SAP GTS | ERP-integrated suite (SAP) | Classification, screening, licenses, customs incl. U.S. ABI, FTA | SAP landscape, incl. private cloud | Companies on SAP |
| Oracle Global Trade Management | Suite in Oracle Cloud | Screening, classification, licenses, FTA, customs, drawback and FTZ programs | Oracle Cloud | Companies on Oracle |
| Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Global Trade | Enterprise GTM suite | Classification, screening, import and export, FTA, FTZ, filing in 9 countries | Cloud | Multinationals |
| e2open | GTM in a supply-chain platform | Screening, import and export, duty management, filing in 28+ countries | Cloud | Supply-chain enterprises |
| Descartes | Logistics and trade suite | Screening, tariff content, export controls, U.S., Canadian, UK and European filing | Cloud | Shippers and logistics providers |
| MIC Customs Solutions | Global customs suite | Filing in 55+ countries incl. U.S. ABI and AES, export controls, screening, FTA | Browser-based SaaS | Multinationals |
| AEB | Modular cloud suite | Screening, export controls, classification, origin, European filing | Cloud, German data centers | Europe-focused companies |
| QAD Global Trade Compliance | Mid-market suite | Import, export, screening, FTA, FTZ, classification | Not stated publicly | Manufacturers |
| Freehand | AI agent platform | Classification, duty, FTA, drawback, broker audit, screening | Not stated publicly | Enterprise importers |
| Shipping Solutions | Export software | Export forms, AES filing, screening, license determination | Windows | Small and mid-size exporters |
Trade compliance software, from full suites to focused tools
Stable SoftwareOur product
Brokers and importers that want drawback, screening and entry audit without a full suiteDrawback-first and modular. DrawbackAI by Stable Software is flat-license duty drawback software that customs brokers white-label for their importer clients, with optimized import-to-export matching and MPF capture, and no percentage of the refund. Around it: denied party screening, a post-filing entry audit of entries already filed, a reconciliation workbench that matches documents to entry lines for value and FTA adjustments, certificate of origin intake and a free tariff calculator. It is not a full GTM suite; it runs alongside your customs broker or the suite you already use.
SAP GTS
Companies standardized on SAPSAP Global Trade Services, edition for SAP HANA, runs trade compliance alongside SAP S/4HANA or SAP ECC: product classification (including HTS and ECCN), sanctioned party screening, export license control, customs management and FTA preference management. For U.S. imports it supports ABI filing, ISF and reconciliation, and it can send declarations to an authority or to a customs broker; SAP says its private cloud edition submits declarations only through third parties such as customs brokers. See Stable Software vs SAP GTS.
Oracle Global Trade Management
Companies standardized on OracleOracle's cloud trade automation platform, part of Oracle Transportation and Global Trade Management, which Oracle positions for companies of all sizes. It covers restricted party screening, product classification (HS, Schedule B and ECCN), license screening, free trade agreement qualification and import, export and in-transit customs declarations, and it supports trade programs such as duty drawback and foreign-trade zones.
Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Global Trade
Multinationals that want one suite plus trade contentA cloud trade automation suite for multinational corporations that took in Integration Point, which Thomson Reuters acquired in 2018. Modules cover classification, denied party screening, import and export management, free trade agreements, foreign-trade zones and global trade content, and its connectivity software files declarations in nine countries, including the United States. See Stable Software vs ONESOURCE.
e2open
Enterprises that want trade management inside a supply-chain platformGlobal trade management that grew largely out of Amber Road, acquired in 2019, inside a wider supply-chain platform; e2open has been part of WiseTech Global, the maker of CargoWise, since August 2025. Its applications cover restricted party screening, export and import management, duty management (including FTZ and drawback programs), customs filing in more than 28 countries and trade content. See Stable Software vs e2open.
Descartes
Shippers and logistics providers that want screening, content and filing from one vendorA logistics technology company with several trade compliance products: Visual Compliance denied party screening, CustomsInfo classification and tariff research, export classification and license management, customs filing for the U.S. (entries and AES exports), Canada, the UK and other European countries, and OCR Global EASE, which Descartes calls a global trade management suite and acquired with OCR Services in 2024. See Stable Software vs Descartes.
MIC Customs Solutions
Multinationals filing customs declarations in many countriesA browser-based SaaS suite for customs filing in more than 55 countries, including U.S. ABI entries and AES exports, plus export controls, denied party screening, free trade agreement origin calculation, FTZ and duty drawback, with interfaces to SAP. See Stable Software vs MIC.
AEB
Companies that want modular cloud compliance, especially in EuropeA Stuttgart-based provider of modular cloud trade compliance software: sanctions and restricted party screening, export controls and license management, product classification, origin and preference management for EU, UK and Swiss agreements, and customs filing in European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. It connects to SAP ECC and S/4HANA and to other ERPs, and it publishes starting prices on its site.
QAD Global Trade Compliance
Manufacturers that want import, export, screening and FTA compliance togetherQAD's trade compliance product, formerly Precision Software and then QAD Precision. It covers import and export management, export license determination, restricted party screening, free trade agreement qualification, foreign-trade zones and classification, with AI agents that automate high-volume tasks while trade professionals make the decisions. QAD builds it for manufacturers and says it connects to existing ERP data feeds, including SAP.
Freehand
Enterprise importers that want AI agents auditing trade spendAn AI spend-management company whose trade product runs agents for HS classification, duty calculation, FTA qualification, drawback recovery, broker invoice audit, tariff monitoring and compliance screening, and connects to SAP GTS, Oracle GTM and ERPs such as SAP, Oracle and NetSuite. See Stable Software vs Freehand.
Shipping Solutions
Small and mid-size U.S. exportersExport documentation and compliance software for small and medium-sized exporters: it completes export forms, files Electronic Export Information through AES and screens transaction parties against restricted party lists, with license determination in its compliance module. It is Windows software (the Enterprise edition adds a cloud database), it is built for exports, and it publishes its prices.
What does trade compliance software do?
Trade compliance software, also sold as global trade compliance or customs compliance software, automates the checks and filings that come with moving goods across borders. The main jobs are:
- Restricted party screening: checking customers, suppliers and other parties against government sanctions and restricted party lists. See denied party screening.
- Classification: assigning HS or HTS codes, and export control numbers such as ECCNs, which set duty rates and decide which rules apply.
- Customs filing: import entries and export filings, made by the company itself or by its customs broker.
- Export controls: deciding whether a shipment needs a license and tracking the licenses you hold.
- FTA and origin management: qualifying goods for free trade agreements and collecting supplier certificates of origin.
- Duty management: duty drawback, foreign-trade zones, reconciliation and post-entry audits.
Global trade management (GTM) suites cover most of these jobs on one platform. Focused tools cover one or two.
How do you choose trade compliance software?
Answer these questions before you book demos:
- Which jobs, and which countries? List what you handle today, for imports and exports, and where you file.
- Who files? Many U.S. importers file entries through a customs broker, so customs filing features matter only for the filings you make yourself. See customs broker software for the broker side.
- Which ERP? SAP GTS and Oracle GTM are built around their own stacks; standalone suites connect to several ERPs. Ask to see the integration you need working.
- Where does the content come from? Ask who maintains tariff schedules, rulings and restricted party lists, and how quickly updates reach you.
- What is recorded? Screening decisions, classifications and filings should leave an audit trail you can export.
- How big is the rollout? A suite is usually an implementation project; a focused tool can solve one job first.
- How is it priced? Compare enterprise licenses, per-transaction fees and flat licenses at your volume, and ask whether any module charges a share of refunds or savings.
Do you need a full GTM suite or focused tools?
A full suite fits when you manage compliance across many countries and functions, want one data model and one vendor, and have a team to run the implementation. SAP GTS and Oracle GTM suit companies standardized on those stacks; Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Global Trade, e2open, Descartes, MIC and AEB are standalone suites.
Focused tools fit when your gaps are specific: your customs broker files your entries, and you need screening, export documents, duty drawback or a check of what was filed in your name. They can sit beside a suite, an ERP or a broker's systems.
Many companies run both: a suite or a broker for day-to-day filing, and focused tools for specific jobs such as duty drawback.
Where does Stable Software fit?
Stable Software makes DrawbackAI, flat-license duty drawback software that U.S. customs brokers white-label for their importer clients and file under their own filer code. Flat software license. No contingency, no percentage of the refund.
Around drawback, Stable Software offers denied party screening against named U.S. and international lists, with nightly rescreening and analyst review; a post-filing entry audit that reads the ACE ES-003 report and checks filed entries for Chapter 99 structure, Section 232 and origin applicability, and duty, MPF and HMF math; a reconciliation workbench that matches documents to entry lines for value and FTA adjustments; certificate of origin intake; and a free tariff calculator that stacks Chapter 99 tariffs such as Section 301 and 232 duties with MPF and HMF.
It suits brokers and importers who want those jobs covered without a full GTM suite, and it runs alongside the suite or the broker's ABI system already in place. Stable Software is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, a member of the NCBFAA and ICPA, and based in Detroit, Michigan. See Stable Software for customs brokers and for importers.
Related
Platform modules
Comparisons
Frequently asked questions
What is the best trade compliance software in 2026?
It depends on scope. For one platform covering most compliance jobs, the main GTM suites are SAP GTS and Oracle Global Trade Management for companies on those stacks, and Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Global Trade, e2open, Descartes, MIC Customs Solutions and AEB as standalone suites. QAD Global Trade Compliance targets manufacturers, Shipping Solutions targets small exporters, Freehand sells AI agents to enterprise importers, and Stable Software covers duty drawback, denied party screening and a post-filing entry audit for customs brokers and importers.
What is trade compliance software?
Software that automates the checks and filings involved in importing and exporting: restricted party screening, product classification, customs filing, export controls, free trade agreement qualification, and duty management such as drawback. It is also sold as global trade compliance, customs compliance or global trade management (GTM) software.
Is customs compliance software the same as trade compliance software?
They overlap. Customs compliance usually means the import and export side (classification, valuation, customs filing and duties), while trade compliance also covers export controls, sanctions and restricted party screening. Most GTM suites sell both, while customs brokers' ABI systems focus on the customs side.
Do importers need trade compliance software if they use a customs broker?
Often, for the jobs a broker does not do for them. The broker files the entries, but the importer of record must use reasonable care in declaring the value, classification and rate of duty of its goods. Many importers add restricted party screening, a check of the entries filed in their name, and duty recovery such as drawback.
Which trade compliance software works with SAP?
SAP GTS integrates with SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC. Among other vendors, AEB states support for SAP ECC and S/4HANA, MIC offers SAP interfaces, QAD says it connects to SAP data feeds, and Freehand connects to SAP GTS and SAP ERP.
Is Stable Software a full trade compliance suite?
No. Stable Software is drawback-first and modular: duty drawback (DrawbackAI), denied party screening, a post-filing entry audit, a reconciliation workbench, certificate of origin intake and a free tariff calculator. It runs alongside a GTM suite or a customs broker's ABI system rather than replacing them.