FlagShip vs Pirate Ship (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Pirate Ship: it is first in our ranking of shipping software, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.8.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
FlagShip grades higher on features. Pirate Ship grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FlagShip
Canadian reseller of discounted courier rates for small business
Pirate Ship
Free web app for discounted USPS and UPS labels, with no monthly fee
Which one is for you
Pick FlagShip if
- Fits if you ship from Canada and want to compare couriers
- Works for stores on WooCommerce or Shopify wanting rates in checkout
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a published price list, as costs show only inside an account
- Watch out: the up-to-70% discount varies by courier and service
- Watch out: brokerage fees go to your account on ground shipments across the border without a broker
- Tight if you ship outside the carriers it resells
Pick Pirate Ship if
- Fits if you sell on Etsy, eBay or Shopify and ship mostly with USPS
- Works for small sellers who print batches of labels from a spreadsheet and want no monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you ship with FedEx or DHL, as only USPS and UPS are offered
- Not for you if you ship from outside the US, since UPS discounts apply only to US shipments
- Tight if you want phone support or an app, as it's chat and email in a browser only
- Watch out: the "up to 88%" savings figure is Pirate Ship's own comparison with retail rates
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFlagShipGood | 3.0GPAPirate ShipVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BNo subscription, contract or minimum, and you pay the courier rate per shipment. The up-to-70% discount is the vendor's claim, from an authorized reseller. | AThe software costs $0, with unlimited users and no monthly fee, markup or minimum volume, so 200 parcels a month costs only the postage. Free and this substantial is an A in any category. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free account with no fees or minimums, so one person can ship on it. Each shipment is paid at the courier rate. | AFree outright: every feature and unlimited users, with no paid plan to upgrade to. You pay each label's postage by card or PayPal, and return labels are charged only when used. |
| Features | BRate comparison, carrier partners, pickups, insurance, plugins, an API, a mobile app and freight. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. | CRates for every USPS and UPS service, batch labels from a spreadsheet or store, presets, custom tracking emails, reports, insurance and pay-on-use returns. The gap is carriers: no FedEx or DHL, and UPS discounts only for shipments from the US. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating is on record. Store plugins and an account are needed before shipping. | CNo store rating on record. You sign up free and can buy a label straight away, but for a shop the work is connecting the store and saving package presets, which is the ordinary setup here. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with plugins for WooCommerce, Shopify, Wix and others and an API. No desktop app. | BWeb only, with no mobile app listed, but orders come in from Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Square and Wix, or from CSV, Excel and ODS files. Web with integrations is a B. |
| Best for | Canadian courier discounts, no fees | free USPS and UPS 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: FlagShip and Pirate Ship. How we grade
Price against what you get
FlagShip has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Pirate Ship has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
FlagShip scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other shipping software on the chart, none scores higher than FlagShip for less, and none scores higher than Pirate Ship 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
- FlagShip also covers workflow automation.
- Pirate Ship also covers reports.
At a glance
| FlagShip | Pirate Ship | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free account with no subscription fees, no contracts and no minimums; you pay the courier rate for each shipment. | The software is free with unlimited users and no monthly fee, markup or minimum volume. You pay for each label's postage with a card or PayPal. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | FlagShip | Pirate Ship |
| Price read from | flagshipcompany.com | pirateship.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FlagShip
- FlagShip is an authorized reseller; the up-to-70% discount is the vendor's claim and varies by courier and service.
- No published price list: the cost of each shipment is only shown inside an account.
- For ground shipments across the border, brokerage fees are billed to your account if you have no customs broker.
Pirate Ship
- Only USPS and UPS are offered; there is no FedEx or DHL option.
- Postage is the only cost. The "up to 88%" savings figure is Pirate Ship's own comparison with retail rates.
- UPS discounts apply only to shipments that start in the US.
- It runs in a web browser only; the site lists no mobile app, and support is by chat and email.
Key features
FlagShip
- Rate comparison
- Enter one shipment and see services and rates from several couriers on a single screen, then pick the one that fits.
- Carrier partners
- Purolator, UPS, FedEx, Canpar, DHL and GLS, for shipping within Canada, to the U.S. and internationally.
- Pickups and insurance
- Schedule a courier pickup and insure a shipment from the same screen where the label is created.
- Store plugins and API
- Listed integrations include WooCommerce, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Magento, OpenCart and PrestaShop, plus a shipping API.
- Mobile app
- iOS and Android apps for processing shipments, scheduling pickups and paying invoices from a phone.
- Freight and bulk
- The site also lists freight LTL services and bulk shipment and distribution services.
Pirate Ship
- Discounted USPS and UPS rates
- Rate-shops every USPS and UPS service, including Priority Mail Cubic and Ground Saver. Pirate Ship says the discounts reach up to 88% off retail rates; that is its claim.
- Simple Export Rate
- An international service Pirate Ship says is exclusive to it, alongside USPS and UPS international services with electronic customs forms.
- Store and spreadsheet imports
- Imports orders from Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Square, Wix and others, or from CSV, Excel and ODS spreadsheets.
- Batch labels and presets
- Buy and print many identical labels at once from a spreadsheet or integration, and save presets for packages you ship often.
- Tracking emails and reports
- Customizable HTML tracking emails for recipients, plus tracking and accounting reports for your own records.
- Insurance and return labels
- Discounted shipping insurance is available, and return labels are pay-on-use, so you are charged only when one is used.
Plans
FlagShip
Free account$0
No subscription, contract or minimum. Each shipment is charged at the discounted courier rate, which the site says is up to 70% off.
Pirate Ship
Free account$0
Every feature and unlimited users at no charge; postage is paid per label at Pirate Ship's discounted rates.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FlagShip or Pirate Ship?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both FlagShip and Pirate Ship are free to use.
Which has a free plan, FlagShip or Pirate Ship?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both FlagShip and Pirate Ship have a free plan.
Which platforms do FlagShip and Pirate Ship run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only FlagShip lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.