AfterShip vs Route (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Route grades higher than AfterShip: 2.6 against 2.2 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 platforms. Route grades higher on value for money and the free plan. 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
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 Route if
- Fits if you run an online shop and want protection offered at checkout without paying for it yourself
- Works for a shop that wants tracking and returns pages beside it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not want shoppers charged for protection, as that is what pays for the $0 plan
- Watch out: Custom plans are quoted by sales
- Too light for a shop that wants shipping labels, as the listing covers protection, tracking and returns
- Not for you if you need a long integrations list, as none is shown
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAfterShipFair | 2.6GPARouteGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | A$0 a month for the merchant on Standard. The money comes from shoppers who opt in to protection at checkout. |
| 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. | BA free plan a shop can live on, as long as shoppers opt in. Custom plans are quoted by sales. |
| 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. | CPackage protection, tracking, returns, analytics and routing. The free plan relies on shoppers paying at checkout, which is a limit on what it does for you. |
| 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. It has to be connected to your shop and set up first. |
| 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 no integrations named. |
| Best for | branded tracking pages and delivery emails | package protection and tracking |
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 Route. How we grade
Where they differ
- AfterShip also covers reports.
- Route also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| AfterShip | Route | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11 per month for up to 100 shipments, billed monthly | Not published |
| 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. | Standard: $0 a month for merchants; shoppers fund package protection and returns coverage. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Essentials | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | AfterShip | Route |
| Price read from | apps.shopify.com | route.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.
Route
- The $0 plan relies on shoppers paying for protection at checkout.
- Custom plans are quoted by sales.
- Route says it is SOC 2 certified and GDPR and CCPA compliant.
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.
Route
- Package protection
- Covers lost, stolen or damaged packages.
- Tracking
- Visual order tracking pages for shoppers.
- Returns
- Exchange-first returns portal with fraud checks.
- Analytics
- Dashboards, BI APIs and exports for return data.
- Smart routing
- Workflows routing returned items to resale or warehouse.
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.
Route
Standard$0
per month
Whole platform with consumer-funded pricing; no monthly or hidden fees per the page, and eligible for the Merchant Incentive Program.
CustomCustom
Flat fee, volume-based or consumer-funded options, with API and custom integrations and monthly billing.
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.
Route
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, AfterShip or Route?
As of Nov 12, 2026, AfterShip starts at $11 per month for up to 100 shipments, billed monthly, and Route publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, AfterShip or Route?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both AfterShip and Route have a free plan.
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.