For US importers outgrowing a free plan
Quickcode alternative: HTS classification software between free and $749 a month
Quickcode gives you 10 free classifications a month, then its next published plan is $749 a month for 500, built for customs brokers. If you are an importer who needs 50 or 800 codes a month with the 2026 duty attached, you can test the middle option right now. Describe a product and read the code, the reasoning and the duty.
From $59 a month · Monthly billing · A classification recommendation for your review, not a CBP ruling
Customs declaration · AI classifier
FORM TW-01
The short answer
Quickcode is an AI-assisted HTS classification and trade compliance platform from McLean, Virginia, aimed first at licensed customs brokers and then at importers that want their whole catalog monitored. Its plans jump from free (10 classifications a month) to $749 a month for 500 to $2,099 a month for up to 25,000 monitored products. An importer classifying a few hundred products a year falls in the gap between the first two. TariffWise covers that gap: a plain-English description in, a 10-digit HTSUS code with the General Rules of Interpretation written out and the 2026 duty back, at $59 a month for 100 or $199 a month for 1,000.
How much does Quickcode cost?
Quickcode publishes its plans, which makes a straight comparison possible. The rows below are taken from quickcode.ai/pricing. The per-classification column is our arithmetic on the included allowance, and it assumes you use all of it.
| Quickcode plan | Price | What is included | Per classification, if all used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Always Free | $0 | 10 AI-assisted HTS classifications a month; searchable HTSUS, CROSS rulings, AD/CVD and General Notes | $0, capped at 10 |
| Broker Partner Program | From $749 a month | 500 classifications; Chapter 99, PGA, AD/CVD and FTA lookups; WCO Explanatory Notes; PDF classification reports; unlimited seats; referral incentives | About $1.50 |
| Importers and Manufacturers | From $2,099 a month | Up to 25,000 monitored products; 24/7 compliance monitoring and alerts, dashboard, product upload, compliance audit, ERP integration, dedicated support | Priced on monitored products, not classifications |
The structure tells you who Quickcode is built for. A broker classifying for dozens of clients will burn through 500 a month and gets unlimited seats for the whole office. An importer is a different shape. Say you launch 40 new products a month and re-check a few older ones: that is roughly 50 classifications. On the broker plan you pay $749 a month, which is about $15 per product you actually classify, because 450 of the allowance goes unused. The free plan does not cover you either, since 10 a month runs out in the first week of a launch.
For comparison, our classification pricing is $59 a month for 100 classifications, $199 for 1,000 with bulk CSV runs and five seats, and $499 for 10,000 with twenty seats, billed monthly. That is about 59 cents, 20 cents and 5 cents per classification, and you can stop paying in the months you are not launching anything.
| Your monthly volume | Cheapest Quickcode fit | Cheapest TariffWise fit |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 classifications | Always Free, $0 | Starter, $59, or the on-page classifier to test |
| 50 classifications | Broker Partner, $749 | Starter, $59 |
| 300 classifications | Broker Partner, $749 | Growth, $199 |
| 900 classifications | Broker Partner from $749 covers 500; above that is not published | Growth, $199 |
| 5,000 classifications | Not published at this volume | Business, $499 |
What Quickcode does well, and which part an importer actually uses
Quickcode was founded by Gary King, a Harvard professor, and lists a former CBP executive, Todd Owen, as a board advisor. The product reflects that: it is a research workbench for classifiers. Here it is feature by feature, with an honest note on whether a focused classifier replaces it.
| Quickcode feature | What it does | Replaceable by TariffWise? |
|---|---|---|
| AI-assisted HTS classification | Suggests HTS codes from a product description | Yes, for US imports. Full 10-digit HTSUS with the GRI reasoning written out and two runner-up codes |
| CROSS rulings and WCO Explanatory Notes | Puts the rulings and notes next to the suggestion so a classifier can check it | Partly. We cite the chapter and section notes behind each code; we do not ship a rulings library or the Explanatory Notes text |
| Chapter 99, AD/CVD and PGA lookups | Flags trade remedies and partner agency requirements per code | Partly. We price the 2026 Section 232 and 301 layers per code; PGA flags are not in scope |
| Global HS lookup | HS lookups for more than 160 countries and jurisdictions, per the vendor | No. US HTSUS only, on purpose |
| 24/7 compliance monitoring | Watches an uploaded catalog and alerts when a tariff or rule changes | No. Re-run the catalog through bulk CSV when a change lands |
| Compliance audit | Finds likely misclassified products in an existing catalog | Partly. A bulk CSV run against your current codes shows where our code differs |
| ERP integration | Syncs products with the ERP on the importer plan | Partly. Our HS code API writes codes back, but there is no packaged ERP connector |
| PDF classification report | A printable record per classification for the file | Yes. Every result keeps its reasoning in your saved history |
If your team includes a licensed broker who reads rulings before committing to a code, Quickcode's research panel is doing real work and the broker plan's unlimited seats are good value. If you need to know automatically, the morning after a Federal Register notice, which of 20,000 SKUs just changed duty, the monitoring on the importer plan is the thing you are paying for. The alternative case is narrower: an importer whose week is spent deciding what a new product is and what it will cost to land.
Quickcode vs TariffWise, side by side
The rows where Quickcode wins are in the table too. Vendor claims are marked as vendor claims.
| Quickcode | TariffWise | |
|---|---|---|
| Built first for | Licensed customs brokers and classification teams | US importers and the ops people who file their products |
| Classification | AI-assisted HTS suggestions alongside rulings and notes | 10-digit HTSUS from a plain-English description or a catalog CSV |
| Shows why the code applies | CROSS rulings and WCO Explanatory Notes beside the code | GRI and chapter notes written out on every result, plus two runner-up codes |
| Country coverage | More than 160 countries and jurisdictions, per the vendor | US HTSUS only |
| 2026 US duty | Section 122, 232 and 301 checks listed on the vendor homepage | Section 232 and 301 layers priced per code, with landed cost |
| Catalog monitoring | Yes, 24/7 on the importer plan | No; re-run in bulk when rules change |
| Seats | Unlimited on the broker plan | 1, 5 or 20 by plan |
| Free option | 10 classifications a month, always free | Try the classifier on this page before you create an account |
| First paid plan | From $749 a month for 500 | $59 a month for 100 |
| Vendor claims | 80 percent time savings and 30 percent risk reduction, as stated by Quickcode | Codes are recommendations for your review; no accuracy percentage is claimed |
Neither tool makes the code legally yours. Under 19 U.S.C. 1484 the importer of record is responsible for using reasonable care in classifying its goods, whichever software suggested the number. What you are buying is speed and a written record of why the code was chosen, and both tools give you a record. The difference is whose job the tool is shaped around.
Who should stay with Quickcode, and who should switch
Stay with Quickcode if
- You are a customs broker classifying for many clients and want unlimited seats.
- Your classifiers read CROSS rulings and Explanatory Notes before every call.
- You need PGA and AD/CVD flags on the same screen as the code.
- You classify for export markets as well as the US.
- You want a large catalog watched around the clock and will pay for monitoring.
- You only ever need 10 codes a month, in which case the free plan is hard to beat.
Switch the classification work if
- You import into the US and are the importer of record, not a broker.
- You need more than 10 codes a month but nowhere near 500.
- You want the duty and landed cost for each code, including the 2026 layers, on the same screen.
- You want to run a whole catalog as a CSV without a broker or ERP program.
- Your budget line is $59 or $199 a month, not $749.
Other Quickcode alternatives worth a look
Only prices the vendor publishes appear below. Where a vendor quotes privately the table says so rather than guessing.
| Vendor | Shape of the product | Best for | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| TariffWise | US import classification, duty and landed cost | US importers who want 10-digit codes with reasoning on a monthly plan | $59, $199, $499 a month |
| Descartes CustomsInfo | Multi-country tariff content library with AI assist | Teams that research rulings before committing to a code | Not published |
| Gaia Dynamics | AI classification with ruling citations, credit based | Teams wanting citations across several countries, yearly billing | $99, $379, $1,399 a month, billed yearly |
| KYG Trade | Enterprise trade and tariff management platform | Importers and exporters who also need ECCNs, FTA and screening | From $825 a month, annual prepay, plus a platform fee |
| Tarifflo | Per-item classification plus refund audit work | Importers who want a firm doing the work | $125 per item, or $7,500 a year for 500 |
| Avalara Tariff Code Classification | Automated, self-serve and managed classification tiers | Cross-border sellers already on Avalara | Not published |
Each has its own comparison: Descartes CustomsInfo alternative, Gaia Dynamics alternative, KYG Trade alternative, Tarifflo alternative and Avalara alternative. The whole field is on the best HS code classification software roundup. If you are weighing software against keeping your broker on every line, the customs broker vs classification software breakdown puts numbers on both.
Test it on your own catalog before you move up from the free plan
1
Count your real volume
Pull last year's new SKUs and the ones you re-classified, then divide by twelve. That monthly number decides which plan on either side you are really buying.
2
Pull the awkward ten
Take the ten products your team argued about most, plus anything with metal content or a Chapter 99 line. Easy products prove nothing.
3
Classify them cold
Use your ten free Quickcode classifications and the classifier on this page on the same descriptions. Compare all 10 digits and read the rule each one cites.
4
Price what you use
Divide each monthly price by your real volume from step 1. Compare that per-product number, not the plan allowance.
Two 2026 checks separate tools that track the US schedule from tools that return a code and stop. First, a metal-bodied product: since 6 April 2026 Section 232 metals duty applies to the full customs value of a covered article, and the 8 June 2026 amendment moved some equipment to temporary lower rates, so ask which Chapter 99 subheading the tool returns. Second, a Chinese-origin kitchen or household item: the Section 301 layer attaches by 8-digit subheading, so a stainless pot and a cast iron one can land on different lines. We walk through both on best HS code classification software for steel and aluminum importers and best HS code classification software for kitchenware importers.
Quickcode alternative questions
What is the best alternative to Quickcode?
It depends on what you use Quickcode for. A licensed broker who wants CROSS rulings, WCO Explanatory Notes and PGA lookups next to every classification is well served by Quickcode itself or by Descartes CustomsInfo. A US importer who mainly needs a defensible 10-digit HTSUS code and the 2026 duty for its own products can use a focused classifier like TariffWise from $59 a month.
How much does Quickcode cost?
Quickcode publishes three plans. Always Free is $0 for 10 classifications a month with searchable HTSUS, CROSS, AD/CVD and General Notes resources. The Broker Partner Program starts at $749 a month for 500 classifications with unlimited seats and PDF classification reports. Importers and Manufacturers starts at $2,099 a month for up to 25,000 monitored products, with monitoring, audits and ERP integration.
Does Quickcode have a free plan?
Yes. Quickcode lists an Always Free plan with 10 AI-assisted HTS classifications a month plus its searchable compliance resources. That is enough to test the tool on a handful of products. The next published step is $749 a month, so the question for most importers is what happens between 10 and 500 classifications a month.
Is Quickcode worth it for a small importer?
The free plan is worth using to test it. The paid plans are built for brokers and for manufacturers monitoring thousands of products. An importer launching 100 to 300 products a year would pay $749 a month for an allowance of 500 a month on the broker plan. A monthly classifier plan at $59 for 100 or $199 for 1,000 fits that volume more closely.
What does Quickcode do that TariffWise does not?
Quickcode covers HS lookups for more than 160 countries, surfaces CROSS rulings and WCO Explanatory Notes, checks PGA and AD/CVD flags, monitors a product catalog around the clock for tariff changes, runs compliance audits and offers ERP integration on its importer plan. TariffWise does US import classification with written reasoning, plus duty and landed cost, and nothing else.
How do I compare two HS classification tools fairly?
Take the ten products your team argued about most this year and run the same plain descriptions through both tools with no hints. Compare all ten digits, not the first six, read the rule each tool cites, and check whether the duty shown includes the 2026 Section 232 and 301 layers. Then divide the monthly cost by the classifications you will actually use.
Used your ten free classifications? Run the next hundred here for $59 and keep the reasoning on file.
Related: tariff classification software, HS code API, HTS code lookup.