AfterShip vs Loop Returns (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, AfterShip grades higher than Loop Returns: 2.2 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
AfterShip grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AfterShip
Branded order tracking pages and delivery emails for online stores
Loop Returns
Returns and exchanges software for Shopify brands
Which one is for you
Pick AfterShip if
- Fits if your inbox fills up with "where is my order?" messages
- Works for Shopify brands that buy labels elsewhere and want one tracking page across carriers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need to buy labels, as it only tracks parcels and sells labels as a separate product
- Tight if you stay free, since Free sends no customer emails, has no branded page and stops at 50 shipments
- Pricey if you need the API, webhooks or your own domain, which start on Premium at $70 a month
- Watch out: each shipment over the quota costs $0.08 on Essentials or $0.12 on Premium, and the $1 first month then goes to $11
- Not for you if you want a phone or desktop app, as it runs on the web only
Pick Loop Returns if
- Fits if you run a Shopify shop with enough returns to pay for it
- Works for a shop that wants exchanges offered before refunds
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have few returns, as the Returns plan starts at $340 a month
- Not for you if you are not on Shopify, as other platforms need a custom build
- Watch out: Checkout+ is free only for merchants who qualify
- Skip it if you want to sign up alone, as plans are booked through a demo
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAfterShipFair | 1.4GPALoop ReturnsWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its listed rivals, on Shopify prices. Essentials is $108 a year for 100 shipments a month, and the other 100 of a 200-parcel month cost $0.08 each, $8 a month more. That's mid-pack against tools that mostly print the labels as well. | D$340 a month for up to 1,000 returns a year, against a category middle of $20 and a dearest tenth from $189. Returns software is a different job from a label tool, but this is the top of the range. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree tracks 50 shipments a month with a dashboard and carrier delivery dates, but no branded page and no customer emails, which are the reasons to buy it. Essentials has a 7-day trial and costs $1 for the first month. | FNo free plan or trial for most shops. Checkout+ is $0 only for merchants who qualify. |
| Features | CIt does tracking fully: 1,100+ carriers, a branded page, email and text updates, delivery estimates and reports on late parcels. That's a smaller job than its listed rivals do, since they also buy the labels. The API and your own domain need Premium. | CExchanges, fraud prevention, return labels, workflows and insights. It is built for Shopify, and other platforms need a custom build. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It installs from the Shopify App Store and pulls in shipments from your store, a CSV file or the API, then you style the tracking page. Ordinary setup. | CNo store rating on record. Workflows and policies have to be set up, and plans are booked through a demo. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Shopify, Klaviyo, Gorgias, Zendesk, Attentive, ShipStation, Loox and Amazon Seller Central. The API and webhooks start at Premium, and there's no phone or desktop app listed. | CWeb only on the listing, with one integration, Shopify. |
| Best for | branded tracking pages and delivery emails | returns and exchanges for Shopify stores |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: AfterShip and Loop Returns. How we grade
Price against what you get
AfterShip starts at $11 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Loop Returns starts at $340 a month and scores 2.0.
AfterShip scores higher and starts $329 a month lower. Of the other shipping software on the chart, none scores higher than AfterShip for less, and 17 score higher than Loop Returns for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- AfterShip also covers dashboards.
- Loop Returns also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| AfterShip | Loop Returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $11 per month for up to 100 shipments, billed monthly | $340 per month, up to 1,000 returns a year |
| Free plan | 50 shipments a month (up to 500 on the first import), 1,100+ carriers, service-level tracking updates, an order tracking dashboard and carrier delivery estimates. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Essentials | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | AfterShip | Loop |
| Price read from | apps.shopify.com | loopreturns.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
AfterShip
- It tracks parcels rather than buying labels; AfterShip sells labels and returns as separate products.
- Plans are billed per shipment tracked, and each shipment over the quota costs $0.08 on Essentials or $0.12 on Premium.
- The API, webhooks and a tracking page on your own domain need Premium at $70 a month.
- The Free plan has no branded tracking page or customer emails, so shoppers see only the carrier's own updates.
Loop Returns
- Checkout+ is free only for merchants who qualify.
- Returns plan starts at $340 a month and covers up to 1,000 returns a year.
- Built for Shopify; other platforms need a custom implementation.
- Plans are booked through a demo.
Key features
AfterShip
- Tracking across 1,100+ carriers
- Detects the carrier automatically on paid plans and follows each parcel, importing shipments from your store, a CSV file or the API.
- Branded tracking page
- Essentials adds a tracking page with your logo; Premium moves it onto your own domain and adds product recommendations.
- Email and SMS notifications
- Paid plans send automatic shipment updates by email and text, so customers do not have to ask where their order is.
- Estimated delivery dates
- Every plan shows the carrier's delivery estimate; Premium adds AI-predicted delivery dates for product and checkout pages.
- Dashboard and analytics
- A shipment dashboard flags exceptions and delays, with reports on Essentials and a full analytics suite on Premium.
- API and webhooks
- The Tracking API and webhooks start at Premium; Essentials users import shipments by app, CSV or hand instead.
Loop Returns
- Exchanges
- Variant and instant exchanges, plus Shop Now and Bonus Credit.
- Fraud prevention
- Tools to reduce abusive returns.
- Return labels
- US and Canada domestic return labels and printerless returns.
- Workflows
- Rules for returns, store credit or refund options and a custom return URL.
- Insights
- Reporting on returns and exchanges.
Plans
AfterShip
Free$0
50 shipments a month, tracking dashboard and carrier delivery dates; no branded page or customer notifications.
Essentials$11
per month for up to 100 shipments, billed monthly
Branded tracking page with your logo, email and SMS notifications, reports. Extra shipments cost $0.08 each; first month $1.
Premium$70
per month for up to 500 shipments, billed monthly
Tracking page on your own domain, AI delivery estimates, product recommendations, full analytics, API and webhooks. $0.12 per extra shipment.
Loop Returns
Checkout+$0
Free software and return shipping for merchants who qualify; eligibility depends on order and return volume.
Returns$340
per month and up, for up to 1,000 returns annually
Includes Shop Now, Instant Exchange, Bonus Credit and fraud prevention. Sold through a demo.
Ways to pay less
AfterShip
- Annual discount
About 16 to 18% off with yearly billing
Essentials is $108 a year against $11 a month (save 18%), and Premium is $708 a year against $70 a month (save 16%).
- Other savings
First month for $1
Essentials and Premium cost $1 for the first month, then renew at the regular monthly price.
Loop Returns
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, AfterShip or Loop Returns?
As of Nov 12, 2026, AfterShip is cheaper to start with: $11 a month, against $340 a month for Loop Returns. AfterShip starts at $11 per month for up to 100 shipments, billed monthly, and Loop Returns starts at $340 per month, up to 1,000 returns a year.
Which has a free plan, AfterShip or Loop Returns?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only AfterShip has a free plan. Loop Returns does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.