ShipStation API (ShipEngine) vs Shippo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ShipStation API (ShipEngine) and Shippo share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and Shippo starts cheaper, at $17 a month against $75 a month.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
ShipStation API (ShipEngine) grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Shippo grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
Shipping API with rate shopping, labels and tracking
Shippo
Multi-carrier shipping app and API, priced by labels a month
Which one is for you
Pick ShipStation API (ShipEngine) if
- Fits if you are a developer adding labels and tracking to a store or platform
- Works for teams that want discounted carrier rates with no monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if nobody on your team writes code
- Tight if you have your own carrier contracts, as those need Advanced at $75 a month
- Pricey if you grow: $325 at 5,000 labels and $600 at 10,000
- Watch out: ShipEngine's own site now redirects to ShipStation, and Enterprise is only for 25,000+ shipments a month through sales
Pick Shippo if
- Fits if you ship from a Shopify, Etsy or eBay store and want several carriers' rates side by side
- Works for developers who want labels and tracking inside their own app through an API
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to print labels from a phone, since the listing shows a web app only
- Tight if you stay free, as Starter stops at 30 labels a month and 1 user, and labels on your own carrier account cost 5¢ each
- Pricey if you grow well past 200 labels, since Pro rises to $179 a month at 10,000 and $0.08 a label beyond that
- Watch out: non-US address checks cost 6¢ to 9¢ each, and tracking or rating calls outside Shippo labels are billed at API rates
- Watch out: branded tracking emails, pick lists and phone support need Pro, and postage is paid on top
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAShipStation API (ShipEngine)Fair | 2.4GPAShippoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BFree plan has no API usage charges. Advanced is $75 a month for 1,000 labels, which is where the category's dearer quarter starts, plus $0.075 per extra label. | C200 labels a month means Pro: $17 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly), with no label fee listed on top. That's a little under the middle of what this category charges, but not in its cheapest quarter. It climbs with volume, to $179 a month at 10,000 labels. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plan covers discounted carrier accounts, labels, rate comparison, tracking and webhooks, plus a 30-day sandbox. Your own carrier accounts are not allowed on it. | CStarter is free for up to 30 labels a month and 1 user, with discounted rates, tracking and return labels. A shop that ships most days is past 30 well inside the month, and labels on your own carrier account cost 5¢ each. |
| Features | CRate shopping, labels, tracking and webhooks do the job. The gaps in the listing: your own carrier accounts and address validation both need Advanced. | BRates from 40+ carriers, orders pulled in from Shopify, Etsy, eBay, Amazon and more, bulk labels with shipping rules, customs forms, return labels and, on Pro, branded tracking emails and pick lists. That's the whole job, plus an API. |
| Ease of use | DIt's an API, so someone has to write code against it. No store rating on record. | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app, and you connect your stores and set shipping rules before batch printing earns its keep. That's the ordinary amount of setup for this category. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and API only, with UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL and two freight carriers on the list. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb only, with no phone or desktop app listed, but it connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, Square, Wix, BigCommerce, Etsy, eBay and Amazon, and there's a shipping API. Web with integrations is a B here. |
| Best for | a shipping API with discounted labels | multi-carrier labels for small online 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: ShipStation API (ShipEngine) and Shippo. How we grade
Price against what you get
ShipStation API (ShipEngine) starts at $75 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shippo starts at $17 a month and scores 2.7.
Shippo scores higher and starts $58 a month lower. Of the other shipping software on the chart, 15 score higher than ShipStation API (ShipEngine) for less, and 1 scores higher than Shippo 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
- Shippo also covers workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| ShipStation API (ShipEngine) | Shippo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $75 per month for up to 1,000 labels | $17 per month for up to 200 labels, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | ShipStation's discounted carrier accounts, label creation, rate comparison, tracking, webhooks and a sandbox, with no API usage charges. | Starter plan: up to 30 labels a month, 1 user, unlimited store connections, discounted carrier rates, tracking, returns and email support. Labels bought on your own carrier account cost 5¢ each. |
| Free trial | 30-day sandbox trial with mock carrier accounts | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ShipStation | Shippo |
| Price read from | shipstation.com | goshippo.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
- ShipEngine's site now redirects to ShipStation, and the docs say ShipStation API was formerly ShipEngine.
- Bringing your own carrier accounts needs the Advanced plan.
- Usage over the monthly allowance is billed per extra label, or pay-as-you-go for API calls.
- Enterprise is for volumes above 25,000 shipments a month and is sold through sales.
Shippo
- Postage is paid on top of the plan for every label; the discounts are against carriers' retail rates.
- The free Starter plan stops at 30 labels a month and charges 5¢ a label on your own carrier account.
- Pro tops out at 10,000 labels a month; each label beyond that costs $0.08.
- Non-US address validation costs 6¢ to 9¢ each, and tracking or rating calls outside Shippo labels are billed at API rates.
Key features
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
- Labels and rate shopping
- Create shipments and labels and compare rates across 100+ supported carriers.
- Address validation
- Validate addresses on the Advanced plan, with US and global validation listed.
- Tracking
- Track parcels and create tracking webhooks, available on the Free plan.
- Taxes and duties
- Calculates taxes and duties and produces customs documentation for international parcels.
- LTL freight
- Freight quotes, booking and tracking for LTL shipments, using your own accounts.
- Sandbox
- A sandbox with mock carriers lets developers test every endpoint, free beyond the trial.
Shippo
- Discounted carrier rates
- Compares rates from 40+ carriers, including USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL Express. Shippo says its discounts save up to 90% off retail rates; that is the vendor's claim.
- Store and marketplace connections
- Imports orders from Shopify, WooCommerce, Square, Wix, BigCommerce, Etsy, eBay, Amazon, Walmart and TikTok, or from a CSV file.
- Bulk labels and automations
- Edit and print labels for many orders at once, with shipping rules that fill in label settings. Customs forms and commercial invoices are generated for international orders.
- Tracking and returns
- Every plan tracks shipments and makes return labels. Pro adds branded tracking pages, notification emails and packing slips.
- Pick and pack
- Pro adds printed pick lists and scan-to-print, plus delivery date estimates that Shippo says are AI-powered.
- Shipping API
- A separate API lets developers buy labels, track parcels and validate addresses. API Starter gives 30 free labels a month, then 7¢ a label.
Plans
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
Free$0
Discounted carrier accounts, labels, rate comparison, tracking and webhooks; no bring-your-own accounts.
Advanced$75
per month for up to 1,000 labels
Adds your own carrier accounts and address validation. $0.075 per extra label; $325 at 5,000 labels, $600 at 10,000.
EnterpriseCustom
For 25,000+ shipments a month: higher rate limits, an implementation manager and branded partner UIs.
Shippo
Starter$0
Up to 30 labels a month, 1 user and email support. Labels on your own carrier account cost 5¢ each.
Pro$17
per month for up to 200 labels, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
Branded tracking pages and emails, pick lists, chat and phone support, 5+ users. Price rises with volume: $179 a month at 10,000 labels, billed annually.
PremierCustom
Unlimited shipments, 15+ users and a dedicated account manager, priced through sales.
Ways to pay less
ShipStation API (ShipEngine)
No public discounts listed.
Shippo
- Annual discount
About 10% off Pro with yearly billing
Pro costs $205 a year for up to 200 labels a month against $19 a month billed monthly; Shippo calls it 10% savings.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ShipStation API (ShipEngine) or Shippo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Shippo is cheaper to start with: $17 a month, against $75 a month for ShipStation API (ShipEngine). ShipStation API (ShipEngine) starts at $75 per month for up to 1,000 labels, and Shippo starts at $17 per month for up to 200 labels, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ShipStation API (ShipEngine) or Shippo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both ShipStation API (ShipEngine) and Shippo have a free plan.
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.