Tyllus vs Terminal49
Tyllus vs Terminal49: import operations vs container tracking data
Tyllus is import operations software for importers moving roughly 10 to 100+ ocean containers a month into the US and Mexico. Beyond tracking, it reads shipping and customs documents, runs purchase orders, coordinates suppliers, forwarders and brokers, and builds landed cost per shipment. Terminal49 describes itself as automated container tracking with carrier, terminal, vessel and rail milestones for the North American import supply chain.
Updated: October 3, 2026
What is the main difference between Tyllus and Terminal49?
Terminal49 focuses on container visibility data: carrier, terminal, vessel and intermodal rail milestones, terminal holds and fees, and LFD dates, available in its dashboard or inside your own systems. It also classifies shipment documents and links them to containers.
Tyllus covers the whole import around the container: purchase order, supplier readiness, booking, documents it reads and cross-checks, customs handoff to your broker, arrival, invoices and landed cost. Tracking is one part of the shipment record, not the whole product.
How do Tyllus and Terminal49 compare side by side?
Terminal49 cells follow Terminal49's own website as of 3 October 2026.
| Dimension | Tyllus | Terminal49 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Import operations software | Automated container tracking that unifies tracking, shipment documents and workflows |
| Built for | Importers and import teams moving roughly 10 to 100+ ocean containers a month | Cargo owners, freight forwarders and drayage companies |
| Tracking coverage | 11 ocean carriers automatically; the Tyllus team checks the ETA, ports and ETD for any other line | 35 integrated ocean carriers plus terminals, vessels and rail; 65 more lines listed for reference |
| Tracking input | Container number plus master bill of lading or carrier name; carrier recognised from the MBL prefix | Container number, bill of lading or booking number; carrier detected automatically |
| What you see per container | Carrier events, container type, latest movement, location, ETD and ETA at the destination port, with the PO | Carrier, terminal, vessel and rail milestones, holds, fees and LFD dates |
| ETA changes | Re-checked daily; customs request, document checks and invoice request re-timed automatically | ETA change, vessel discharge and LFD notices, with milestone and exception alerts |
| Documents | Reads 8 US document types, including ISF and CBP Form 7501, and fills in their data | Classifies documents from any source and links them to the right container |
| Purchase orders | Orders page with six statuses and one-click shipment creation | Not a stated focus |
| Partner coordination | 11-step flow for US imports (Mexico skips the ISF step); most steps send the supplier, forwarder or broker a request and reminders automatically | Shares container reporting with teams and customers |
| Customs | Broker request 7 days before ETA; filed entries and duty by HTS code from the 7501 | Container holds and terminal fees |
| Landed cost | Per shipment: goods, freight, broker fees, duties, taxes and fees | Not a stated focus |
| Integrations | None needed to start; spreadsheet import, Excel and CSV export | ERP, TMS, spreadsheets, data warehouses and developer access to container data |
| Markets | US ocean imports and Mexico definitive ocean imports | North American import supply chain |
When is Tyllus the better choice?
Tyllus fits importers who want the work around each container handled, not only its milestones.
- You need more than container status: Tyllus also runs the purchase order, supplier readiness, booking confirmation, shipping documents, customs handoff and invoices for each shipment.
- You want documents read, not only stored: ISF, CBP Form 7501, commercial invoice, packing list, house bill of lading and partner invoices are read and cross-checked across 23 shipment fields.
- You want partners chased automatically: requests and reminders go to the supplier, forwarder and broker through secure links, and Tyllus warns you when a partner goes quiet.
- You import into Mexico as well as the US: Tyllus handles definitive ocean imports into Mexico, including the pedimento.
- You want landed cost and duty history built from your documents, without connecting other systems.
When is Terminal49 the better choice?
Terminal49 is stronger on terminal and rail data and on feeding container data into other systems.
- Your developers need container milestones inside your own TMS, ERP, spreadsheet or data warehouse.
- You plan pickups and need terminal holds, fees and LFD dates, plus intermodal rail milestones.
- You want tracking by container, bill of lading or booking number across 35 integrated ocean carriers, terminals, vessels and rail.
- You are a freight forwarder or drayage company rather than an importer.
What does Tyllus show for each tracked container?
For each container, Tyllus shows the carrier's event list, container type, latest movement, current location, ETD, ETA at the destination port in the port's local time, the PO and the carrier. ETAs are re-checked every day and on demand with a Refresh button.
Every shipment with an ETA, origin and destination appears on a route map with transshipment stops and badges for arriving within 3 days, within a week, and arrived. Containers you only want to watch can be added as tracking-only, imported from your own spreadsheet, and exported to Excel.
Track a container, then run the whole shipment
Create an account, add a container number with its master bill of lading, and see tracking next to documents, partner requests, customs and cost.