Pulpo vs ShipHero (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pulpo and ShipHero share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Pulpo starts cheaper, at $590 a month against $1,250 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Pulpo if
- Fits if you run a warehouse and want bin locations and picking in the cloud
- Works for a 3PL that needs the 3PL plan's client tools
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small: $590 a month, paid annually in advance, is the floor
- Tight if you add people or stores, at $225 a user and $50 a connection a month
- Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, since evaluation is by demo
- Watch out: 3PL features are only on the 3PL plan at $1,290 and Enterprise
- Watch out: there is no iPhone app on record, only Android
Pick ShipHero if
- Fits if you ship more than 25,000 parcels a year from your own warehouse
- Works for 3PLs who need client billing and unmetered users and SKUs
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small: $15,000 a year is where Core starts, before onboarding
- Tight if you ship past the 25,000 allotment, as extra shipments are $0.24 each pay as you go
- Skip it if you want a trial, because none is offered
- Watch out: SSO is $500 a month on Core, and EDI and hardware are paid extras
- Watch out: wholesale orders over the allotment are $2.10 each
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAPulpoWeak | 1.8GPAShipHeroWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$590 a month on annual billing for 3 users sits above the $349 where the dearer quarter starts, and extra users are $225 a month. | DCore is $15,000 a year, about $1,250 a month, above the $900 where the dearest tenth of inventory tools starts, plus an onboarding fee from about $5,000. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial; a demo and a 60-day money-back guarantee are offered, and a guarantee is not a trial. | FNo free plan and no trial; the pricing page leads to a conversation with the sales team. |
| Features | BBin-level stock, picking and packing, returns, cycle counts, reports and store, ERP and carrier connections; 3PL tools are on the 3PL plan. | BReceiving, putaway, picking, packing, rate shopping, 3PL tools and returns are all listed, and no gap in the core job is named. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and warehouse and store connections have to be set up. | CNo store rating is on record, and a warehouse system comes with onboarding and hardware to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus an Android app, with Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Sendcloud connections. | BWeb only, with Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, Walmart, NetSuite and carrier links. No phone or computer app is on record. |
| Best for | online brands and 3PLs that want a cloud warehouse system | online brands and 3PLs shipping from their own warehouse |
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: Pulpo and ShipHero. How we grade
Price against what you get
Pulpo starts at $590 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ShipHero starts at $1,250 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Pulpo starts $660 a month lower. Of the other inventory management tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Pulpo for less, and 3 score higher than ShipHero 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
- ShipHero also covers online store and shipping labels.
At a glance
| Pulpo | ShipHero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $590 per month, billed annually | $15,000 per year (Core plan) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | PULPO WMS | ShipHero |
| Price read from | pulpowms.com | shiphero.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Pulpo
- No free plan or self-serve trial is listed; evaluation is through a demo and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- Plans are paid annually in advance, starting at $590 per month.
- Each extra user is $225 per month and each extra store or carrier connection is $50 per month.
- 3PL features are limited to the 3PL Plan and Enterprise.
ShipHero
- Plans start at $15,000 a year, plus a one-time onboarding fee typically starting around $5,000.
- Shipments over the allotment cost $0.24 each pay-as-you-go; wholesale orders over it cost $2.10 each.
- SSO is a $500 a month add-on on Core; EDI, label library, light-directed hardware and NetSuite are paid extras.
- Renewal increases are capped at 10% across every charge on the agreement.
Key features
Pulpo
- Inventory by bin
- Tracks stock across warehouse locations, with batch, lot and expiration-date management and serial number tracking on every priced plan.
- Picking and packing
- Supports multi-order picking, batch picking and cross docking, with scan-verified workflows on standard Android devices.
- Fulfillment and returns
- Handles orders from drop to carrier pickup, product kitting, label printing and returns processing.
- 3PL tools
- The 3PL Plan adds multi-client warehousing features, and the vendor lists a client portal and billing for fulfillment providers.
- Store, ERP and carrier connections
- Connects to Shopify, Magento, PrestaShop, WooCommerce, ERPs such as Plentymarkets and weclapp, and shipping tools such as Sendcloud and ShipStation.
- Reports and cycle counting
- Includes warehouse reports and cycle counting, plus an optional Analytics Suite with its own user seats.
ShipHero
- Receiving and putaway
- Receive stock against purchase orders and put it away to bin locations, with barcode-driven workflows.
- Picking and packing
- Batch picking, pack stations, Tap-to-Pack and light-directed Pick-to-Light and Pack-to-Light hardware.
- Shipping and rate shopping
- Creates labels and compares live carrier rates, with direct integrations for UPS, USPS and FedEx.
- 3PL tools
- A client portal and work orders for third-party logistics companies, with 3PL clients never metered.
- Returns management
- Handles returns and works with Loop Returns for customer-facing return flows.
- AI Toolkit with MCP
- Included free on every plan on its own API bucket, alongside the standard API.
Plans
Pulpo
Power Plan$590
per month, billed annually
3 users, unlimited warehouses, orders and SKUs, and 1 standard store connection. The page shows $590 for US customers and 590 euros otherwise.
3PL Plan$1,290
per month, billed annually
5 users, unlimited warehouses, 3 standard store connections, 3PL features and 1 Analytics Suite user.
StartUp ClubCustom
Pricing on request for early-stage teams: 2 users, 1 warehouse, 1 store connection and unlimited orders and SKUs, paid annually.
EnterpriseCustom
Pricing on request, with custom integrations and features and tailored user and warehouse options.
ShipHero
Core$15,000
per year
Includes 25,000 DTC shipments a year and 10 store connections; extra shipments $0.24 pay-as-you-go. Onboarding fee from about $5,000.
GrowthCustom
For high-volume DTC and wholesale operations, with a custom shipment and wholesale order allotment. Sold through sales.
EnterpriseCustom
For multi-site 3PLs with complex integrations: increased API capacity, SSO and location-aware warehousing included.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Pulpo or ShipHero?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pulpo is cheaper to start with: $590 a month, against $1,250 a month when paid by the year for ShipHero. Pulpo starts at $590 per month, billed annually, and ShipHero starts at $15,000 per year (Core plan).
Which has a free plan, Pulpo or ShipHero?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Pulpo nor ShipHero has a free plan.
Which platforms do Pulpo and ShipHero run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Pulpo lists an Android app. 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.