The short answer
Zollback is an AI-native, contingency drawback company that launched publicly in 2026, pitching global optimization over the industry's first-in-first-out default, the same matching argument Stable is built on. The real difference is the model and the channel: Zollback runs its own brokerage and offers forwarders a revenue share to refer drawback work, while Stable is a flat-license platform that powers brokers under their own POA. Choose Stable if you are a broker who wants to own the drawback book rather than refer it out for a share.
Key takeaways
- Zollback's 'global optimization vs first-in-first-out' pitch is the matching argument Stable is built on; on the engine, you agree.
- The difference is the model: Zollback is contingency and runs its own brokerage; Stable is flat-license and powers yours.
- Zollback's forwarder revenue-share program routes drawback into Zollback; Stable keeps that book inside your brokerage.
- A flat license keeps the recovery margin with you instead of splitting it through contingency or referral.
Stable vs Zollback at a glance
| Feature | Stable | Zollback |
|---|---|---|
| Business model | Flat license | Contingency |
| Who files | Your brokerage, under your POA | Zollback, its own brokerage |
| Channel motion | Powers your brokerage | Revenue share to forwarders who refer |
| Matching argument | Global optimization | Global optimization (the same pitch) |
| Recovery margin | You keep it | Split via contingency and referral share |
| Maturity | Established platform | Launched publicly in 2026 |
| Relationship owner | Your brokerage | Zollback |
| Best-fit customer | Brokers running drawback in-house | Forwarders referring drawback out |
Choose Stable if
You are a broker or forwarder who wants to run drawback in-house on a flat license and keep the client and the margin, rather than refer the work for a share.
Choose Zollback if
You would rather refer drawback to an outside contingency filer for a revenue share than build the capability in-house.
Where Stable and Zollback agree
On the engine, there is not much daylight. Zollback pitches global optimization over the first-in-first-out default, which is exactly the matching argument Stable has made all along: greedy matching leaves recoverable duty and MPF unclaimed, and solving globally recovers more. If a buyer is weighing the two on matching alone, they are weighing two versions of the same idea.
Where they differ: the business model
The difference is how the work is sold and who ends up owning it. Zollback prices on contingency and files through its own brokerage. Stable is flat-license software your brokerage runs under its own POA. One takes a percentage and holds the relationship; the other is a tool you operate and keep the margin from.
The channel question
Zollback runs a white-label partner program that gives forwarders a revenue share for referring drawback work into Zollback. That is a channel motion aimed squarely at distribution: it routes the drawback book out to Zollback in exchange for a cut. Stable's model does the opposite, keeping the book inside your brokerage. If your distribution is your asset, this is the deciding difference.
What does a 2026 launch mean for buyers?
Zollback is a new entrant with early momentum and reports meaningful refunds already processed. That is worth taking seriously, but it is early, and a drawback relationship is long-lived. Weigh the track record, and weigh where the client relationship ends up under each model, not just the matching pitch.
Which should you choose?
Choose Zollback if you would rather refer drawback out to a contingency filer for a share. Choose Stable if you want to own the capability in-house on a flat license. The DutyCalc alternatives guide places both against the rest of the field.
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Platform modules
Glossary
Comparisons
Alternatives
Frequently asked questions
They share the matching argument, global optimization over first-in-first-out. They differ on model: Zollback is contingency and runs its own brokerage; Stable is flat-license software that powers your brokerage.