AfterShip vs ShipStation
We give AfterShip a 2.2 GPA and ShipStation a 2.6, out of 4.0. ShipStation grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
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
ShipStation
Shipping software for online sellers, priced by shipments a month
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAfterShipFair | 2.6GPAShipStationGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C200 shipments a month means Starter's 500 step: $39.99 a month, or $383.90 a year paid yearly (about $32 a month). That's above the middle of this category, and your own carrier accounts and the Shipping API need Standard, from $29.99 for 50 shipments. |
| 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. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day trial with no credit card needed. Long enough to ship a month of real orders before you pay. |
| 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. | BOrders pulled in from every major marketplace, rate shopping, LTL quotes, batch labels, return labels and automations, with inventory and barcode scanning. The whole job, though returns and exchanges, and your own carrier accounts, start on Standard. |
| 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. | BIts iPhone app averages 4.63 from about 6,200 App Store ratings. The web app still needs stores connected and automation rules set up before batch shipping pays off. |
| 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. | BWeb and iPhone, with no Android app listed. It connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Walmart and TikTok Shop, and has a Shipping API on Standard and up. |
| Best for | branded tracking pages and delivery emails | busy shops shipping from many sales channels |
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 ShipStation. 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. ShipStation starts at $14.99 a month and scores 3.0.
ShipStation scores higher, and starts $3.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other shipping software on the chart, none scores higher than AfterShip for less, and none scores higher than ShipStation 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 starts at $11 per month for up to 100 shipments, billed monthly. ShipStation starts at $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly.
- AfterShip has a free plan. ShipStation does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- AfterShip also covers dashboards.
- ShipStation also covers workflow automation, inventory, barcode scanning and shipping labels.
At a glance
| AfterShip | ShipStation | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $11 per month for up to 100 shipments, billed monthly | $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly |
| 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 | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | AfterShip | Auctane |
| Price read from | apps.shopify.com | shipstation.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
AfterShip
- Shopify stores that get many "where is my order?" messages
- Brands that want a tracking page and delivery emails in their own style
- Teams already buying labels elsewhere that need tracking across carriers
ShipStation
- Online sellers combining orders from several stores and marketplaces
- Growing shops that want automation rules to label orders in batches
- Businesses that ship pallets by LTL freight as well as parcels
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.
ShipStation
- Every plan is priced by monthly shipments, and postage is paid on top of the subscription.
- There is no free plan; Starter caps out at 5,000 shipments a month and 3 users.
- Using your own carrier accounts and the Shipping API need Standard or higher.
- The mobile app is for iPhone and iPad only; no Android app is listed.
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.
ShipStation
- Rate shopping across carriers
- Compares discounted rates from carriers such as USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL and GlobalPost. ShipStation says its carrier discounts reach 80% to 90%; that is the vendor's claim.
- Store and marketplace imports
- Unlimited store connections pull in orders from Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Walmart and TikTok Shop.
- Automation rules and batches
- Rules batch, route and print labels automatically, with automated rate shopping. Starter has basic automations; Standard and Premium have no limit.
- LTL freight beside parcels
- Every plan can quote, book and compare LTL freight shipments in the same screens as parcels.
- Returns, tracking and inventory
- Return labels on every plan, plus customer tracking emails. Standard adds returns and exchanges, and Premium adds purchase orders, forecasting and pick-to-tote.
- Mobile app
- ShipStation Mobile for iPhone and iPad imports orders, scans barcodes to find them, prints labels and pick lists, and re-sends tracking emails.
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.
ShipStation
Starter$14.99
per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly
3 users, unlimited stores, rate shopping, LTL quotes, return labels and basic automations. Rises with volume: $29.99 at 100 shipments, $39.99 at 500, $174.99 at 5,000.
Standard$29.99
per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly
10 users, unlimited automations, your own carrier accounts, returns and exchanges, Shipping API, phone support. $449.99 a month at 10,000 shipments.
Premium$349.99
per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly
15 users, advanced inventory and warehouse tools, custom analytics and auto-routing. $1,099.99 a month at 10,000 shipments.
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.
ShipStation
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
Paying yearly saves 20%: Starter at 50 shipments is $143.90 a year instead of $14.99 a month.
