Easyship vs ShipStation API (ShipEngine) (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Easyship and ShipStation API (ShipEngine) share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and Easyship starts cheaper, at $23 a month against $75 a month.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Easyship grades higher on features and ease of use. ShipStation API (ShipEngine) grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Easyship
Shipping software with 550+ courier services and duty estimates
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
Shipping API with rate shopping, labels and tracking
Which one is for you
Pick Easyship if
- Fits if you ship abroad and want duties and taxes worked out before the parcel leaves
- Works for crowdfunding campaigns sending rewards to backers in many countries
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as Free stops at 50 shipments a month and 1 team member and can't link your own courier account
- Pricey if you ship on your own courier account, since Plus adds $0.05 a label for it
- Skip it if you want duties shown at checkout on a low plan, since that starts on Premier at $55
- Watch out: plan contents and prices vary by country, and postage is paid on top; the savings figure is Easyship's own
- Watch out: each plan caps shipments, from 500 on Plus to 10,000 on Scale, and there's no phone or desktop app
Pick ShipStation API (ShipEngine) if
- Fits if you are a developer adding labels and tracking to a store or platform
- Works for teams that want discounted carrier rates with no monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if nobody on your team writes code
- Tight if you have your own carrier contracts, as those need Advanced at $75 a month
- Pricey if you grow: $325 at 5,000 labels and $600 at 10,000
- Watch out: ShipEngine's own site now redirects to ShipStation, and Enterprise is only for 25,000+ shipments a month through sales
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAEasyshipFair | 2.4GPAShipStation API (ShipEngine)Fair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C200 shipments a month means Plus: $23 a month billed yearly ($29 monthly), for up to 500. That's at the dearer quarter of this category. On Easyship's own rates no label fee is listed, but labels on your own courier account add $0.05 each. | BFree plan has no API usage charges. Advanced is $75 a month for 1,000 labels, which is where the category's dearer quarter starts, plus $0.075 per extra label. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree covers 50 shipments a month for 1 team member, with discounted rates and duty estimates. A shop sending 200 a month passes that quickly, and Free can't link your own courier account. | BThe free plan covers discounted carrier accounts, labels, rate comparison, tracking and webhooks, plus a 30-day sandbox. Your own carrier accounts are not allowed on it. |
| Features | B550+ courier services, duty and tax estimates on every plan, customs documents, rules and bulk labels, branded tracking emails, prepaid return labels, and live rates at checkout from Plus. The whole job, with an API. | CRate shopping, labels, tracking and webhooks do the job. The gaps in the listing: your own carrier accounts and address validation both need Advanced. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app where you connect a store and set rules and box sizes before it runs on its own, which is the usual setup for this category. | DIt's an API, so someone has to write code against it. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Wix and TikTok Shop, plus an open API and webhooks. No phone or desktop app is listed, so it stops at a B. | BWeb and API only, with UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL and two freight carriers on the list. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | international shipping with duty estimates | a shipping API with discounted labels |
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: Easyship and ShipStation API (ShipEngine). How we grade
Price against what you get
Easyship starts at $23 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ShipStation API (ShipEngine) starts at $75 a month and scores 2.0.
Easyship scores higher and starts $52 a month lower. Of the other shipping software on the chart, 1 scores higher than Easyship for less, and 15 score higher than ShipStation API (ShipEngine) 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
- Easyship also covers workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| Easyship | ShipStation API (ShipEngine) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $23 per month for up to 500 shipments, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly) | $75 per month for up to 1,000 labels |
| Free plan | Up to 50 shipments a month for 1 team member, with discounted rates, courier selection, tax and duty estimates and box selection. Linking your own courier account needs a paid plan. | ShipStation's discounted carrier accounts, label creation, rate comparison, tracking, webhooks and a sandbox, with no API usage charges. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the paid plans | 30-day sandbox trial with mock carrier accounts |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Easyship | ShipStation |
| Price read from | easyship.com | shipstation.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Easyship
- Postage is paid on top of the plan; the "up to 91% off" figure is Easyship's own comparison with retail rates.
- Labels on your own courier account cost $0.05 each on Plus, falling to $0.03 on Scale, and Free cannot link one.
- Each plan caps monthly shipments, from 50 on Free to 10,000 on the top Scale step; more needs Enterprise.
- Easyship says plan contents and prices vary by country; these are the US figures from its plans page.
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
- ShipEngine's site now redirects to ShipStation, and the docs say ShipStation API was formerly ShipEngine.
- Bringing your own carrier accounts needs the Advanced plan.
- Usage over the monthly allowance is billed per extra label, or pay-as-you-go for API calls.
- Enterprise is for volumes above 25,000 shipments a month and is sold through sales.
Key features
Easyship
- 550+ courier services
- Compares USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express, Canada Post, Royal Mail and many more. Easyship says its pre-negotiated rates are up to 91% off; that is its claim.
- Taxes, duties and customs
- Estimates import taxes and duties on every plan and prepares customs documents. Premier and above can show taxes and duties at your store's checkout.
- Rates at checkout
- From Plus, live shipping rates can be shown on your store's checkout page so buyers pay what the shipment costs.
- Rules and batch labels
- Shipping rules and automations, CSV upload, packing slips, pick lists and bulk label printing on 4x6 thermal printers.
- Branded tracking and returns
- Branded tracking pages and emails, which can carry your own promotions, plus prepaid return labels.
- Shipping API
- An open API and webhooks. Paid plans include a monthly quota of advanced calls such as rates and address checks; the Free plan pays for each call.
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
- Labels and rate shopping
- Create shipments and labels and compare rates across 100+ supported carriers.
- Address validation
- Validate addresses on the Advanced plan, with US and global validation listed.
- Tracking
- Track parcels and create tracking webhooks, available on the Free plan.
- Taxes and duties
- Calculates taxes and duties and produces customs documentation for international parcels.
- LTL freight
- Freight quotes, booking and tracking for LTL shipments, using your own accounts.
- Sandbox
- A sandbox with mock carriers lets developers test every endpoint, free beyond the trial.
Plans
Easyship
Free$0
Up to 50 shipments a month, 1 team member, discounted rates and duty estimates. Advanced API calls are billed per call.
Plus$23
per month for up to 500 shipments, billed yearly ($29 monthly)
3 team members, rates at checkout, order auto-sync, 1 linked courier account and live chat support.
Premier$55
per month for up to 2,500 shipments, billed yearly ($69 monthly)
5 team members, taxes and duties shown at checkout, pre-generated return labels, multi-box shipments, 24/7 phone support.
Scale$79
per month for up to 5,000 shipments, billed yearly ($99 monthly)
8 team members and 3 linked courier accounts. Rises with volume: $159 a month at 10,000 shipments, billed annually.
EnterpriseCustom
More than 10,000 shipments a month, personalized onboarding and the 3PL fulfillment network as an add-on.
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
Free$0
Discounted carrier accounts, labels, rate comparison, tracking and webhooks; no bring-your-own accounts.
Advanced$75
per month for up to 1,000 labels
Adds your own carrier accounts and address validation. $0.075 per extra label; $325 at 5,000 labels, $600 at 10,000.
EnterpriseCustom
For 25,000+ shipments a month: higher rate limits, an implementation manager and branded partner UIs.
Ways to pay less
Easyship
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
Paying yearly saves 20%: Plus is $23 a month billed annually against $29 billed monthly.
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Easyship or ShipStation API (ShipEngine)?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Easyship is cheaper to start with: $23 a month, against $75 a month for ShipStation API (ShipEngine). Easyship starts at $23 per month for up to 500 shipments, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly), and ShipStation API (ShipEngine) starts at $75 per month for up to 1,000 labels.
Which has a free plan, Easyship or ShipStation API (ShipEngine)?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Easyship and ShipStation API (ShipEngine) 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.