Route vs Shipup (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Route grades higher than Shipup: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Route grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Shipup grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Shipup
Post-purchase tracking, notifications and returns for online stores
Which one is for you
Pick Route if
- Fits if you run an online shop and want protection offered at checkout without paying for it yourself
- Works for a shop that wants tracking and returns pages beside it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not want shoppers charged for protection, as that is what pays for the $0 plan
- Watch out: Custom plans are quoted by sales
- Too light for a shop that wants shipping labels, as the listing covers protection, tracking and returns
- Not for you if you need a long integrations list, as none is shown
Pick Shipup if
- Fits if you are a mid-size retailer with a support team buried in where-is-my-order tickets
- Works for shops that want tracking, returns and claims from one vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are a small shop, as €299 a month and a 12-month commitment is a lot
- Pricey if you need Advanced: it is mandatory above set volume thresholds, even if you use few features
- Watch out: SMS and WhatsApp are billed per message, and delivery estimates and surveys per package
- Watch out: onboarding support is chargeable and the total monthly cost cannot be read from the page
How we grade them
| 2.6GPARouteGood | 1.8GPAShipupWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$0 a month for the merchant on Standard. The money comes from shoppers who opt in to protection at checkout. | D€299 a month before the per-package charge, and Advanced is €599, against $19 in the middle. The per-package price is hidden until you pick a volume. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free plan a shop can live on, as long as shoppers opt in. Custom plans are quoted by sales. | FNo free plan and no trial are listed on the pricing page, so you pay before you see it. |
| Features | CPackage protection, tracking, returns, analytics and routing. The free plan relies on shoppers paying at checkout, which is a limit on what it does for you. | BTracking pages, SMS and WhatsApp notifications, returns portal, logistics dashboards and carrier claims. The gaps in the listing are about cost, not the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It has to be connected to your shop and set up first. | CNo store rating on record. Retail integrations, carrier links and a returns flow have to be set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on the listing, with no integrations named. | BWeb with a browser extension, an API and partner integrations. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | package protection and tracking | post-purchase tracking and returns for mid-size shops |
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: Route and Shipup. How we grade
Where they differ
- Route also covers workflow automation.
- Shipup also covers sMS marketing and whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| Route | Shipup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | €299 per month plus a per-package charge, one-year commitment |
| Free plan | Standard: $0 a month for merchants; shoppers fund package protection and returns coverage. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Route | Shipup |
| Price read from | route.com | shipup.co |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Route
- The $0 plan relies on shoppers paying for protection at checkout.
- Custom plans are quoted by sales.
- Route says it is SOC 2 certified and GDPR and CCPA compliant.
Shipup
- Prices are shown in euros, with a minimum 12-month commitment; longer terms of 24 or 36 months give preferential pricing.
- The per-package charge is not shown without choosing a volume, so the total monthly cost cannot be read from the page.
- SMS and WhatsApp are billed per message, and Smart Delivery Estimate and post-delivery surveys per package.
- Onboarding support is chargeable, and no free plan or trial is listed.
Key features
Route
- Package protection
- Covers lost, stolen or damaged packages.
- Tracking
- Visual order tracking pages for shoppers.
- Returns
- Exchange-first returns portal with fraud checks.
- Analytics
- Dashboards, BI APIs and exports for return data.
- Smart routing
- Workflows routing returned items to resale or warehouse.
Shipup
- Branded tracking page
- A custom tracking page that centralizes delivery information in the retailer's own branding, intended to cut delivery-related support tickets.
- Multi-channel notifications
- Delivery notifications by email, SMS, WhatsApp and Apple Wallet, with marketing offers that can be added to follow-up messages.
- Returns portal
- An e-commerce return portal for customers, offered as part of the unified post-purchase platform.
- Incident and logistics dashboards
- Dashboards flag delivery incidents and measure carrier performance, with automated carrier claims and a Chrome extension for support teams.
- Smart Delivery Estimate
- Shows an estimated delivery date throughout the buying journey; the pricing page lists it as an add-on billed per package.
Plans
Route
Standard$0
per month
Whole platform with consumer-funded pricing; no monthly or hidden fees per the page, and eligible for the Merchant Incentive Program.
CustomCustom
Flat fee, volume-based or consumer-funded options, with API and custom integrations and monthly billing.
Shipup
Essential€299
per month, plus a per-package charge, one-year commitment
Fixed subscription plus a per-package price set by monthly volume; the page shows the per-package figure only after choosing a volume.
Advanced€599
per month, plus a per-package charge, one-year commitment
Marked as the most used plan. Becomes mandatory above set package-volume thresholds, even if not every feature is used.
Premium€999
per month, plus a per-package charge, one-year commitment
Uses a custom price per package rather than the standard volume rate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Route or Shipup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Route publishes no starting price, and Shipup starts at €299 per month plus a per-package charge, one-year commitment.
Which has a free plan, Route or Shipup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Route has a free plan. Shipup does not.
Which platforms do Route and Shipup run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Shipup lists a browser extension. 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.