Shippo vs ShipStation
We give Shippo a 2.4 GPA and ShipStation a 2.6, out of 4.0. ShipStation grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Shippo
Multi-carrier shipping app and API, priced by labels a month
ShipStation
Shipping software for online sellers, priced by shipments a month
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAShippoFair | 2.6GPAShipStationGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 stores and set shipping rules before batch printing earns its keep. That's the ordinary amount of setup for this category. | 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 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. | 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 | multi-carrier labels for small online shops | 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: Shippo and ShipStation. How we grade
Price against what you get
Shippo starts at $17 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 $2.01 a month lower. Of the other shipping software on the chart, 1 scores higher than Shippo 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
- Shippo starts at $17 per month for up to 200 labels, billed annually ($19 billed monthly). ShipStation starts at $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly.
- Shippo has a free plan. ShipStation does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- ShipStation also covers inventory and barcode scanning.
At a glance
| Shippo | ShipStation | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $17 per month for up to 200 labels, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Shippo | Auctane |
| Price read from | goshippo.com | shipstation.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Shippo
- Small online shops shipping from one or more storefronts
- Sellers who want to start free at low volume
- Developers adding labels and tracking to their own app
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
