Bol.ai
Summary
Every freight forwarder knows the drill: the carrier B/L arrives as a scan, someone opens a spreadsheet, and twenty fields get typed by hand while the customs clock ticks. Bol.ai exists to break that loop.
Upload a PDF, scan, or phone photo of a Bill of Lading and the tool returns a structured JSON or CSV payload covering 20+ fields — B/L number, parties, ports, containers, weights, Incoterms — in seconds. Every container number is checked against its ISO 6346 check digit; dates and weights run through plausibility rules; suspect fields are flagged rather than silently passed through. Drop in a matching commercial invoice and packing list and Bol.ai links all three documents, surfacing mismatches before they reach customs. The API and webhook outputs mean the extracted data can land directly in a TMS, ERP, or declaration workflow without a manual export step.
Bottom line: Pick this when your ops team is manually keying carrier B/Ls into any downstream system; reconsider when your workflow depends on document types beyond B/Ls, invoices, packing lists, and CMR waybills — the extraction scope does not extend further.
Pricing Plans
Usage-Based- Free Tier
- 5 free documents on signup
Starter
€19/month + €0.49 per document
- PDF/scan/photo extraction
- JSON/CSV export
- Document history
- EU data residency
Professional
€79/month + €0.29 per document
- Everything in Starter
- API access
- Priority processing
- Priority support
Pay as you go
One-time credit packs
- API access included
- Credits never expire
Pricing may have changed since last verified. Check the official site for current plans.
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Pros
Sign in to edit- Extracts 20+ structured fields from any carrier B/L layout — PDF, scan, or phone photo — so freight forwarders stop rebuilding the same data by hand for every shipment file.
- ISO 6346 check-digit validation on every container number and plausibility checks on dates and weights, which means bad data is flagged before it reaches a customs declaration rather than discovered during a hold.
- Cross-document linking between B/L, commercial invoice, and packing list surfaces weight, count, and consignee mismatches before filing, so customs amendments and demurrage charges from clerical errors are caught at the desk rather than at the port.
- JSON API and webhook output routes extracted data directly into a TMS, ERP, or declaration system without a manual export step, removing the human handoff that introduces transcription errors.
- EU-only data residency by architecture, so freight forwarders handling sensitive commercial relationships satisfy GDPR requirements without relying on contractual addenda.
Cons
Sign in to edit- Document type support is bounded at B/Ls, commercial invoices, packing lists, and CMR waybills — teams whose workflows include other freight documents such as dangerous goods declarations, certificates of origin, or phytosanitary certificates get no coverage, and at that point they are running a second extraction system alongside Bol.ai.
- There is no self-hosted or on-premises deployment option, so teams whose data-residency policies require documents to remain outside the EU — or within a specific non-EU jurisdiction — cannot use this tool and will need to evaluate an alternative with configurable hosting.
- The extraction scope is single-document or three-document cross-reference; teams that need end-to-end freight workflow automation beyond structured data extraction — booking, track-and-trace, carrier communication — will find Bol.ai covers one step of that chain and integrate it with a broader TMS rather than replacing one.
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About
- Platforms
- Web, mobile browser, email
- API Available
- Yes
- Self-Hosted
- No
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-02T10:23:17.014Z
Best For
Who it's for
- Freight forwarders
- Customs brokers
- Importers
- 3PLs
What it does well
- Freight forwarders converting carrier B/Ls to house B/L data
- Customs brokers pulling data into declarations
- Importers and 3PLs feeding arrival and warehouse systems
- Linking BOL, invoice and packing list to flag discrepancies
Integrations
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Bol.ai free?
- Bol.ai has a permanent free tier alongside paid upgrades. You can keep using a baseline version indefinitely without paying.
- Is Bol.ai open source?
- No — Bol.ai is a closed-source tool. Source code is not publicly available.
- Does Bol.ai have an API?
- Yes. Bol.ai exposes a developer API. See the official documentation at https://bol.ai for details.
- What platforms does Bol.ai support?
- Bol.ai is available on: Web, mobile browser, email.
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Curated lists that include this category
Most logistics teams have a hidden tax on every shipment: someone re-enters the same twenty fields from a carrier PDF into whatever system the freight is actually managed in. Bol.ai targets that specific task. The workflow is three steps: upload a B/L as a PDF, scan, or phone photo; receive structured JSON or CSV covering B/L number, booking number, SCAC, carrier, vessel, voyage, shipper and consignee with addresses, notify party, ports, container details, seal numbers, package descriptions, gross weight, volume, Incoterms, freight terms, and date of issue; then route that output to a TMS, ERP, spreadsheet, or customs declaration system via download, API call, or webhook.
The differentiating feature is verification, not just extraction. Container numbers are checked against ISO 6346 check digits. Dates and weights run through plausibility rules. Where the data is suspect, the field is flagged — the vendor explicitly states the design choice is to flag rather than return silently wrong values. The cross-document matching layer extends this: upload a B/L alongside a commercial invoice and packing list and Bol.ai links them, then surfaces weight discrepancies, consignee name mismatches, and package count differences before they cause customs holds or demurrage charges.
The tool fits freight forwarders converting carrier master B/Ls to house B/L data, customs brokers pulling consignee and goods details into declaration workflows, and importers or 3PLs feeding arrival and warehouse systems from carrier documents. It does not cover document types outside B/Ls, commercial invoices, packing lists, and CMR waybills — teams whose workflows depend on other freight document formats will hit that boundary quickly. There is no self-hosted option, so teams with data-residency requirements outside the EU should note that storage is EU-only by architecture, which resolves GDPR concerns for European operators but does not serve teams requiring data to remain in other jurisdictions.
The API accepts documents up to 10 MB and returns JSON directly; CSV download is available for spreadsheet or ERP import workflows. Webhooks allow extracted data to be pushed to downstream systems without polling. The tool is accessible as a progressive web app, meaning warehouse or dock staff can photograph paper B/Ls on a phone and trigger the same extraction without installing anything from an app store.