Sendcloud vs ShipStation
We give Sendcloud a 2.2 GPA and ShipStation a 2.6, out of 4.0. ShipStation grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Sendcloud
European shipping platform for labels, tracking and returns
ShipStation
Shipping software for online sellers, priced by shipments a month
How we grade them
| 2.2GPASendcloudFair | 2.6GPAShipStationGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DLite is €28 a month billed yearly plus €0.10 a label, so 200 parcels a month comes to €48, in euros. That's well above what this category usually charges, and the branded tracking page and returns portal need Growth: €87 plus €0.09 a label, €105 at 200 parcels. | C200 shipments a month means Starter's 500 step: $39.99 a month, or $383.90 a year paid yearly (about $32 a month). That's above the middle of this category, and your own carrier accounts and the Shipping API need Standard, from $29.99 for 50 shipments. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan covers 20 parcels a month for 1 user and 2 shop integrations, with no courier contract needed. A working shop passes 20 fast, though the paid plans have a 14-day trial with no card. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day trial with no credit card needed. Long enough to ship a month of real orders before you pay. |
| Features | B170+ carriers on Sendcloud's rates or your own contract, 100+ shop and marketplace integrations, shipping rules, pick and pack, tracking by email, text and WhatsApp, a returns portal and a service point picker for your checkout. The whole job. | BOrders pulled in from every major marketplace, rate shopping, LTL quotes, batch labels, return labels and automations, with inventory and barcode scanning. The whole job, though returns and exchanges, and your own carrier accounts, start on Standard. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app, and you connect your shops, choose carriers and write shipping rules before it saves you time. Lite allows 5 rules, which keeps things simple but small. | BIts iPhone app averages 4.63 from about 6,200 App Store ratings. The web app still needs stores connected and automation rules set up before batch shipping pays off. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 100+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Magento, PrestaShop and Odoo. No phone or desktop app is listed, so it stops at a B. | BWeb and iPhone, with no Android app listed. It connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Walmart and TikTok Shop, and has a Shipping API on Standard and up. |
| Best for | shipping for online shops in Europe | busy shops shipping from many sales channels |
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: Sendcloud and ShipStation. How we grade
Price against what you get
Sendcloud starts at about $31.38 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ShipStation starts at $14.99 a month and scores 3.0.
ShipStation scores higher and starts $16.39 a month lower. Of the other shipping software on the chart, 1 scores higher than Sendcloud for less, and none scores higher than ShipStation 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
- Sendcloud starts at €28 per month, billed yearly (€35 billed monthly), plus €0.10 per label. ShipStation starts at $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly.
- Sendcloud has a free plan. ShipStation does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- Sendcloud also covers whatsApp messaging and review collection.
- ShipStation also covers inventory and barcode scanning.
At a glance
| Sendcloud | ShipStation | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | €28 per month, billed yearly (€35 billed monthly), plus €0.10 per label | $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Up to 20 parcels a month with no subscription fee and no courier contract needed, 1 user and up to 2 shop integrations. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Sendcloud | Auctane |
| Price read from | sendcloud.com | shipstation.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Sendcloud
- Online shops in Europe shipping with DPD, GLS, DHL and other European carriers
- Sellers who want branded tracking messages and a returns portal
- Shops selling through Bol, Amazon, Etsy and their own store at once
ShipStation
- Online sellers combining orders from several stores and marketplaces
- Growing shops that want automation rules to label orders in batches
- Businesses that ship pallets by LTL freight as well as parcels
Worth knowing
Sendcloud
- Every paid plan adds a fee per label, from €0.10 on Lite to €0.07 on Pro, plus €0.15 a label beyond the plan's monthly limit.
- Postage is paid on top; the homepage shows Sendcloud rates from €3.38 for DPD and €9.00 for UPS.
- Prices are in euros, and its pages name launches in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK.
- The branded tracking page and returns portal start at Growth; Lite sends plain tracking messages only.
ShipStation
- Every plan is priced by monthly shipments, and postage is paid on top of the subscription.
- There is no free plan; Starter caps out at 5,000 shipments a month and 3 users.
- Using your own carrier accounts and the Shipping API need Standard or higher.
- The mobile app is for iPhone and iPad only; no Android app is listed.
Key features
Sendcloud
- Carrier choice and rates
- Connects to 170+ carriers, such as DPD, GLS, DHL, UPS and FedEx. You can ship on Sendcloud's pre-negotiated rates or add your own contract on any plan.
- Shop and marketplace integrations
- 100+ integrations bring in orders from Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Magento, PrestaShop, Bol and ERPs such as Odoo and Exact Online.
- Shipping rules and pick and pack
- Rules pick a carrier and box for each order (5 on Lite, 10 on Growth, unlimited above). Packing slips, picking lists and item scanning help with packing.
- Branded tracking messages
- Tracking notifications go out by email, text and WhatsApp, in 2 languages on Lite and 8 on Growth, which also adds a branded tracking page and review requests.
- Returns portal
- Growth adds a branded return portal with return rules; Premium adds advanced returns management, QR code returns and paid returns.
- Checkout and service points
- A service point picker for your checkout comes with every paid plan; Pro adds delivery options and delivery date estimates in the checkout.
ShipStation
- Rate shopping across carriers
- Compares discounted rates from carriers such as USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL and GlobalPost. ShipStation says its carrier discounts reach 80% to 90%; that is the vendor's claim.
- Store and marketplace imports
- Unlimited store connections pull in orders from Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Walmart and TikTok Shop.
- Automation rules and batches
- Rules batch, route and print labels automatically, with automated rate shopping. Starter has basic automations; Standard and Premium have no limit.
- LTL freight beside parcels
- Every plan can quote, book and compare LTL freight shipments in the same screens as parcels.
- Returns, tracking and inventory
- Return labels on every plan, plus customer tracking emails. Standard adds returns and exchanges, and Premium adds purchase orders, forecasting and pick-to-tote.
- Mobile app
- ShipStation Mobile for iPhone and iPad imports orders, scans barcodes to find them, prints labels and pick lists, and re-sends tracking emails.
Plans
Sendcloud
Free€0
Up to 20 parcels a month, 1 user and 2 shop integrations, using Sendcloud's rates or your own contract.
Lite€28
per month, billed yearly (€35 billed monthly), plus €0.10 per label
Up to 4,800 labels a year, 3 users, 3 integrations, 5 shipping rules, tracking messages in 2 languages.
Growth€87
per month, billed yearly (€109 billed monthly), plus €0.09 per label
Up to 12,000 labels a year, 5 users, branded tracking page and return portal, review requests, phone support.
Premium€175
per month, billed yearly (€219 billed monthly), plus €0.08 per label
Up to 120,000 labels a year, 10 users, unlimited integrations and rules, advanced returns and shipping analytics.
Pro€639
per month, billed yearly (€799 billed monthly), plus €0.07 per label
Up to 360,000 labels a year, unlimited users, checkout delivery options and a success manager. Sold through sales.
EnterpriseCustom
Tailored setups for brands, 3PLs, marketplaces and carriers, with extended support hours.
ShipStation
Starter$14.99
per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly
3 users, unlimited stores, rate shopping, LTL quotes, return labels and basic automations. Rises with volume: $29.99 at 100 shipments, $39.99 at 500, $174.99 at 5,000.
Standard$29.99
per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly
10 users, unlimited automations, your own carrier accounts, returns and exchanges, Shipping API, phone support. $449.99 a month at 10,000 shipments.
Premium$349.99
per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly
15 users, advanced inventory and warehouse tools, custom analytics and auto-routing. $1,099.99 a month at 10,000 shipments.
Ways to pay less
Sendcloud
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
Paying yearly takes 20% off each plan, for example Lite at €28 a month instead of €35.
ShipStation
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
Paying yearly saves 20%: Starter at 50 shipments is $143.90 a year instead of $14.99 a month.
