Shipping Software

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
2. 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
3. 03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
4. 04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
5. 05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
6. 06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
7. 07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
8. 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Shipping Software page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.

Compare carrier rates, print labels in bulk and send tracking emails for your online orders.

Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about shipping software, worked out from every one we grade.

1. 1

   We grade 11 shipping software

   8 of them are free or have a free plan, and 3 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.

2. 2

   Paid plans start at $19.49 a month in the middle

   From $11 (AfterShip) to $189 (ShipWorks), going by what each one's paid plans start at.

3. 3

   Best value: ShipStation and Pirate Ship

   Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.

4. 4

   2 of 11 have iPhone and Android apps

   10 run in a web browser and 2 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.

5. 5

   The middle GPA is 2.4

   2 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Pirate Ship, at 3.0.

6. 6

   Best free option: Pirate Ship

   Pirate Ship has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.0. Free web app for discounted USPS and UPS labels, with no monthly fee.

7. 7

   11 worth keeping, 0 you could make

   By our keep-or-make rules, 11 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three shipping software we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1. 1st

   

   3.0GPA

   Pirate Ship

   Free

   For: Most small online shops in the US

   Pirate Ship compares rates for every USPS and UPS service, imports orders from Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Square and Wix or from a spreadsheet, prints labels in batches and sends tracking emails you can customize. The software is free with unlimited users and no monthly fee, markup or minimum volume; you pay each label's postage, and return labels are charged only when used. Know the limits: there is no FedEx or DHL, UPS discounts apply only to shipments that start in the US, it runs in a browser with no mobile app listed, and support is by chat and email.

   The Pirate Ship Insider’s Guide

2. 2nd

   

   3.0GPA

   Veeqo

   Free plan · from $19/mo

   For: Amazon sellers, and shops that need FedEx or DHL

   Veeqo's Shipping plan is free for unlimited shipments, users and warehouses. It compares rates from Amazon Shipping, UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL and OnTrac or your own carrier account, prints up to 100 labels in one click with shipping rules, and imports orders from Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Walmart, WooCommerce, Etsy and TikTok Shop. Labels marked as protected guard Amazon orders against A-to-z claims, and you pay only postage. It is second because its listing shows no tracking emails to buyers, stock sync across channels needs the Inventory plan from $19 a month, and it runs on the web and iPhone only.

   The Veeqo Insider’s Guide

3. 3rd

   

   2.6GPA

   ShipStation

   Free trial · from $14.99/mo

   For: Busy shops that want automation rules, returns and an app

   ShipStation gathers orders from unlimited stores and marketplaces, compares rates from carriers such as USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL, and prints labels in batches with automation rules, with return labels, customer tracking emails and LTL freight quotes on every plan. Starter is $14.99 a month for up to 50 shipments, rising to $39.99 at 500, billed monthly, with a 30-day free trial. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 from about 6,200 ratings. It is third because the two above cost nothing and it has no free plan; postage comes on top, your own carrier accounts need Standard from $29.99, Starter allows 3 users, and there is no Android app.

   The ShipStation Insider’s Guide

Going by our grades, ShipStation and Pirate Ship give the most for the money among shipping software: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $19.49 a month across the 10 that charge, from $11 (AfterShip) to $189 (ShipWorks). 1 more costs nothing at all.

2 of the 11 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 1 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 11 highest graded shipping software, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Pirate Ship	A	A	C	C	B	3.0
Veeqo	A	A	C	C	B	3.0
ShipStation	C	C	B	B	B	2.6
Easyship	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
PitneyShip	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
ShippingEasy	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
Shippo	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
AfterShip	C	C	C	C	B	2.2
Sendcloud	D	C	B	C	B	2.2
Stamps.com	C	C	C	C	B	2.2
ShipWorks	D	C	C	C	D	1.6

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where shipping software land, by the same rules for every tool.

• 11

  Keep it

  It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.

• 0

  Your call

  You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.

• 0

  You could make this

  What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Every shipping software we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

1. 1Pirate ShipFree3.0
2. 2VeeqoFree plan · from $19/mo3.0
3. 3ShipStationFree trial · from $14.99/mo2.6
4. 4EasyshipFree plan · from $23/mo2.4
5. 5PitneyShipFree plan · from $34.99/mo2.4
6. 6ShippingEasyFree plan · from $19.99/mo2.4
7. 7ShippoFree plan · from $17/mo2.4
8. 8AfterShipFree plan · from $11/mo2.2
9. 9SendcloudFree plan · from €28/mo2.2
10. 10Stamps.comFree trial · from $14.99/mo2.2
11. 11ShipWorksFree trial · from $189/mo1.6

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 2,068

  tools graded

• 57

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries