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Locus alternative

Optivo and Locus compared for companies planning their own vehicles' routes

With OptivoRoute, Optivo's route optimization software, your vehicles' routes are planned in 5-30 minutes, with on-board devices and the driver app in the same contract. Locus is the agentic TMS from Mara Labs, part of Ingka Group, for companies that hand deliveries to several carriers across countries. If you build routes rather than pick carriers, here are the differences.

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Thirty minutes on your own routes, no strings attached.

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Why people look for a Locus alternative

Locus was built for shippers and retailers that deliver through a network of carriers: pick the carrier for each shipment based on contracts, follow it in a control tower, reconcile the invoices. A company that plans its own vans every morning has a different problem: start from the orders, assign deliveries to vehicles and build routes with time windows, capacity and multiple depots, with on-board devices and the driver app from the same vendor. People also look elsewhere when they need a contact in Italy. Locus has no Italian site and sells on quote, through a demo request and an ROI calculator.

  • Positioned as an agentic TMS: eight agents recommend, a human decides, from planning to invoice settlement
  • Carrier allocation from contracts, invoice reconciliation and the ShipFlex multi-carrier layer are features for companies shipping with third parties
  • No Italian site: a "Locus in Europe" page, a US company (Mara Labs Inc.) running since 2015
  • Pricing on quote: demo request and ROI calculator, no public price list

Key differences

How Optivo is different

1

Building the route or picking the carrier

OptivoRoute starts from the day's orders and decides which deliveries go on which vehicle, in what order and from which depot, respecting time windows (including multiple ones), capacity per vehicle, priorities and industry constraints configured during onboarding. Optivo customers run it with three-compartment vans with adjustable partitions (dry, chilled, frozen) and with pickups paired to deliveries on the same route. Locus assigns each delivery to a carrier based on contracts, follows execution in a control tower and closes with invoice reconciliation; ShipFlex handles several carriers at once.

2

A team that configures the constraints or agents that recommend

In Optivo, your industry constraints are configured by the Italian team during onboarding, and the multi-constraint optimization engine applies them to every route. AI comes in where orders arrive, in Magic Order, the chat inside OptivoRoute: you upload Excel, CSV, PDF or photos, or paste text; the AI extracts the orders, looks up what is missing in your history and asks for confirmation when a value does not add up. The eight Locus agents read transport data and propose actions; the decision stays with an operator.

3

Data from the vehicle or data from the network

OptivoTrack, Optivo's tracking system, reads the vehicle in three ways: a plug & play OBD device, CAN bus for advanced telemetry, or hardware-free Cloud OEM, with data from the manufacturer's cloud and activation by VIN (30+ brands from 12 automotive groups, compliant with the EU Data Act). Position, fuel consumption and fuel anomalies, driving style and CO2 per vehicle and per route land in the same platform that built the route. Locus follows deliveries in its control tower; the products listed on its site include no on-board devices.

4

Who runs the onboarding

Optivo is an Italian team that configures your industry's constraints during onboarding and follows the customer directly; pharmaceutical distribution, food and beverage and agri-food deliveries to retail chains are the cases it knows from the inside. The quote is sized on the volumes you plan, agreed upfront, not on the individual deliveries executed. Locus sells on quote through a demo request, with a page dedicated to Europe and no Italian site.

At a glance

Who it is built for Companies planning routes for their own vehicles and owner-drivers Shippers and retailers with several carriers across countries
Route optimization Builds routes: vehicle assignment, time windows, capacity, multiple depots Agentic TMS: carrier allocation, planning, execution
Vehicle tracking Plug & play OBD, CAN bus or hardware-free Cloud OEM (30+ brands) Control tower; no on-board devices among its products
Proof of delivery Driver app in the browser: three taps to close a delivery, with signature, photo and notes Delivery tracking in the control tower
Contract Usually a subscription; on request an installed licence On quote, after a demo request
Price Quote on planned volumes On quote, no public price list
Presence in Italy Italian team, onboarding in Italian No Italian site; "Locus in Europe" page
Ownership and base Italian company Mara Labs Inc. (USA), in Ingka Group since 7 October 2025

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Commercial models compared

Optivo sizes the quote on the volumes you plan and includes devices, driver app and onboarding. Locus sells on quote through an enterprise negotiation.

Optivo

The quote is sized on the volumes you plan, agreed upfront, not on the individual deliveries executed. Optivo-branded OBD or CAN devices are usually provided on free loan, or purchased if you want them on the balance sheet; hardware-free Cloud OEM where the vehicle allows it. Usually a subscription; on request also a licence installed on the company's systems, with a separate fee for services. Book a demo for a quote on your routes.

Locus

Pricing on quote: it starts with a demo request or the ROI calculator on the site; no public price list.

What changes with Optivo

With Optivo, kilometres drop by 10-20% and fuel by 10-15%, with 5-10% fewer vehicles needed; route planning takes 5-30 minutes. Payback comes in 3-9 months.
Results from Optivo projects

10-20%

fewer kilometres from the first months

When Optivo is the right choice

Optivo is for you if…

You plan deliveries every day with your own vehicles or owner-drivers and need routes that respect time windows, capacity and several loading points. Today closing the plan takes half a day, and you want to get there in 5-30 minutes. You want proof of delivery and vehicle tracking in the same product that builds the routes, with fuel consumption and driving style from the vehicle. You want an Italian team that configures your constraints and follows you directly.

Locus at a glance

Locus is an agentic TMS operated by Mara Labs Inc., a US company running since 2015, which has been part of Ingka Group (IKEA) since 7 October 2025 and remains operationally independent. It addresses shippers and retailers that deliver through several carriers: it assigns deliveries based on contracts, follows them in a control tower and reconciles the invoices. It sells on quote.

Who Locus is built for

Locus addresses shippers and retailers that deliver in several countries through several carriers, and that need to assign each shipment based on contracts, follow it in a single control tower and reconcile the invoices.

How to move from Locus to Optivo

The switch is aligned with the end of the Locus contract, so you never pay two fees at once.

  1. 1

    Set the date on the contract end

    The Optivo team works with you to activate the platform when the Locus contract ends, without months of overlap.

  2. 2

    Bring orders and master data as they are

    Customers, addresses and orders come in through Magic Order, the chat inside OptivoRoute: Excel, CSV, PDF, photos or pasted text. The AI extracts the orders, looks up what is missing in your history and asks for confirmation when a value does not add up.

  3. 3

    Choose how to track vehicles

    Optivo-branded plug & play OBD or CAN bus devices, usually on free loan or purchased for the balance sheet; hardware-free Cloud OEM for factory-connected vehicles.

  4. 4

    Configure constraints with the team

    During onboarding you set time windows, capacity, depots and industry rules; for management systems there are documented REST APIs, and the connection is checked case by case in the demo. Drivers sign in to the app with email and password and close a delivery in three taps.

We'll walk you through the switch on your own data: orders, vehicles and the end date of your current contract.

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FAQ

I assign deliveries to several carriers with Locus: can I run Optivo alongside it?

Yes. Choosing the carrier for each delivery and reconciling the invoices stay in Locus. Optivo adds the routes for the vehicles you plan yourself, your own or owner-drivers', with time windows, capacity and multiple depots, plus the driver app with proof of delivery and vehicle tracking.

Locus has AI optimization: how is Optivo different?

OptivoRoute starts from the day's orders and distributes them across vehicles, decides the order and the departure depot, and respects time windows, capacity and industry constraints. With Optivo kilometres drop by 10-20% and fuel by 10-15%, and planning takes 5-30 minutes. Locus uses eight agents that recommend actions across the whole chain, from carrier allocation to invoice settlement.

Who owns Locus?

Since 7 October 2025 Locus has been part of Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, through Ingka Investments. According to the Ingka and Locus announcements, the company remains operationally independent, with its own brand and leadership, and keeps serving customers outside the group. The platform is operated by Mara Labs Inc.

How does Optivo's cost compare to Locus?

Optivo works on quotes: the price is built on the number of vehicles, the modules you choose and the volumes you plan, agreed upfront, not on the individual deliveries executed, and includes devices, driver app and onboarding. Payback with Optivo is usually between 3 and 9 months. Locus publishes no price list: the price is defined after a demo request, with an ROI calculator on the site.

How long does it take to move to Optivo?

Usually a few weeks: the platform runs in the cloud and is ready immediately, constraints are configured during onboarding, and devices take a few minutes per vehicle to install. Aligning the switch with the end of the Locus contract avoids double costs.

Updated on:

How this comparison was made

Comparison written by Optivo from the competitor's public sources, checked on the date shown.

Information about Locus was checked against the sources listed as of the update date. Prices, products and terms may change: check the official channels before deciding.

Before your Locus renewal, bring your routes to a demo and see how Optivo builds them.

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