The short answer
Flexport is a freight and logistics platform that offers duty drawback as a feature within the freight relationship, aimed at mid-market importers who already run their shipping through it. Stable is a dedicated, flat-license US drawback platform for the broker channel, with a global-optimization matching engine at the center. Choose Flexport if you want drawback as a convenience inside your freight platform; choose Stable if drawback recovery depth and broker economics are the priority.
Key takeaways
- Flexport bundles drawback into the freight relationship; Stable is a dedicated duty drawback recovery engine.
- Bundled drawback is a convenience for importers already on Flexport; it is one feature, not the core product.
- Stable centers a global-optimization matching engine and MPF capture, on a flat license under your own POA.
- For a broker, Stable keeps the drawback book inside your brokerage rather than inside a freight platform.
Stable vs Flexport at a glance
| Feature | Stable | Flexport |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Duty drawback recovery | Freight and logistics |
| Duty recovery | Global-optimization matching engine | Bundled feature within freight |
| Model | Flat license, white-label | Within the freight relationship |
| Channel | Powers brokers, under your POA | Importers already on Flexport |
| Matching | Global optimization | Feature-level, not the core product |
| Relationship owner | Your brokerage | Flexport |
| Best-fit customer | Brokers and importers focused on drawback | Mid-market importers on Flexport freight |
Choose Stable if
Drawback recovery depth matters and you want a dedicated engine run under your own POA, keeping the client relationship and margin in your brokerage.
Choose Flexport if
You are a mid-market importer already shipping with Flexport and want drawback as a convenient add-on within that freight relationship.
What is the core difference between Stable and Flexport?
Flexport is a freight platform first, and drawback is one feature it offers importers who already ship with it. Stable is a dedicated duty drawback recovery engine for the broker channel. Flexport wins on convenience for its existing freight customers; Stable wins on drawback depth and on keeping the recovery inside your own brokerage.
How does drawback recovery differ?
Recovery is decided by the matching engine: optimizing which import lines back which export claims across the claim window, and capturing capped MPF rather than stranding it. That is the whole of what Stable does, where a freight platform treats drawback as one convenience among many services.
Who owns the relationship
When drawback is bundled into a freight platform, the recovery, and the touchpoint, live with that platform. For a broker, that is the channel risk: the freight relationship absorbs the drawback book. Stable is flat-license and white-label, so drawback stays inside your brokerage, filed under your own POA.
A note on the field
The AI-native contingency filers in this space share DNA with Flexport; Caspian, for instance, was founded by ex-Flexport engineers. Whether drawback comes bundled in freight or as a contingency service, the recurring question is the same: does the recovery, and the client, end up with an outside provider or inside your own operation? See Stable vs Caspian for the contingency version of this trade-off.
Which should you choose?
Choose Flexport if you already ship with it and want drawback as a convenient add-on. Choose Stable if drawback recovery depth and broker economics are the priority and you want a dedicated engine under your own POA. See the DutyCalc alternatives guide for the full field.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Flexport offers drawback as a feature within its freight relationship, aimed at importers who already ship with it. Stable is a dedicated drawback recovery engine for the broker channel.