Pirate Ship vs ShippingEasy
We give Pirate Ship a 3.0 GPA and ShippingEasy a 2.4, out of 4.0. Pirate Ship grades higher on value for money and the free plan. ShippingEasy grades higher on features. 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.
Pirate Ship
Free web app for discounted USPS and UPS labels, with no monthly fee
ShippingEasy
Shipping software for small sellers, priced by shipments a month
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAPirate ShipVery good | 2.4GPAShippingEasyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CGrowth is $19.99 a month for up to 200 shipments, with no label fee listed and no yearly price on record. That's right about the middle of what this category charges. The next step is $29.99 at 500 shipments. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CStarter is free for up to 25 shipments a month and 3 connected stores, with discounted USPS and UPS rates, but no CSV uploads or branded tracking. A shop passes 25 fast. Paid plans have a 30-day trial with no card. |
| Features | 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. | BDiscounted USPS and UPS rates plus FedEx, DHL and GlobalPost, automatic imports from Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify and more, automation, your logo on labels, tracking emails and a tracking page, and reports. The whole job, with an email marketing add-on. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app where you connect stores and set up automation, though the free ConnectEasy tool sends labels straight to your printer. Usual setup for this category. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb only, with Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento and QuickBooks. No phone or desktop app is listed, and no API either, so it's a B for the integrations. |
| Best for | free USPS and UPS labels | small sellers shipping with USPS and UPS |
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: Pirate Ship and ShippingEasy. How we grade
Price against what you get
Pirate Ship has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ShippingEasy starts at $19.99 a month and scores 2.7.
ShippingEasy scores higher, and starts $19.99 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 Pirate Ship for less, and 1 scores higher than ShippingEasy 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
- Pirate Ship is free. ShippingEasy starts at $19.99 per month for up to 200 shipments.
- ShippingEasy also covers workflow automation and email campaigns.
At a glance
| Pirate Ship | ShippingEasy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $19.99 per month for up to 200 shipments |
| Free plan | 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. | Starter: up to 25 shipments a month, discounted USPS and UPS rates, automatic order imports from up to 3 stores or marketplaces, and shipping automation. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Pirate Ship | ShippingEasy |
| Price read from | pirateship.com | shippingeasy.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Pirate Ship
- Small sellers and occasional shippers in the US who want no software fee
- Etsy, eBay and Shopify sellers shipping with USPS or UPS
- Subscription box and crowdfunding shippers printing labels from a spreadsheet
ShippingEasy
- Small online and brick-and-mortar sellers shipping mostly with USPS and UPS
- Sellers who want phone support from a US-based team
- Shops that want shipping and follow-up emails from one company
Worth knowing
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.
ShippingEasy
- Postage is paid on top of the subscription, which rises with monthly shipments from $19.99 to $189.99.
- The free Starter plan stops at 25 shipments a month and 3 connected stores, and has no CSV uploads or branded tracking.
- Connecting your own carrier account adds a monthly fee that depends on the plan; the amount is in a help article.
- Customer Marketing emails are a separate add-on, and its price is not shown on the pricing page.
Key features
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.
ShippingEasy
- Discounted USPS and UPS rates
- Commercial USPS rates, cubic Flat Rate Green pricing and UPS discounts the page puts at up to 82% off daily rates (the vendor's claim), plus FedEx, DHL and GlobalPost.
- Order imports
- Pulls orders automatically from Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento and others, or from a CSV file on paid plans.
- Shipping automation
- Automation cuts repeat steps without IT help, and the free ConnectEasy tool sends labels straight to your printer.
- Branded tracking
- Paid plans add your logo to labels, customized tracking emails and a branded tracking page with links and social media.
- Reports
- Paid plans include reporting to help you track shipping volume and growth over time.
- Customer Marketing add-on
- An optional add-on sends automated and promotional emails, segments customers and requests Amazon feedback.
Plans
Pirate Ship
Free account$0
Every feature and unlimited users at no charge; postage is paid per label at Pirate Ship's discounted rates.
ShippingEasy
Starter$0
Up to 25 shipments a month and up to 3 connected stores or marketplaces, with discounted USPS and UPS rates.
Growth$19.99
per month for up to 200 shipments
Unlimited stores, CSV uploads, branded tracking, reports, phone support. Higher tiers: $29.99 at 500, $69.99 at 3,000, $119.99 at 6,000 shipments.
Enterprise$189.99
per month for up to 10,000 shipments
For 6,001 to 10,000 shipments a month, adding multiple locations, staff permissions and customization.
