ShipRush vs ShipStation (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick ShipStation: it is third in our ranking of shipping software, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ShipRush grades higher on value for money. ShipStation grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ShipRush
Cloud multi-carrier shipping software from Descartes
ShipStation
Shipping software for online sellers, priced by shipments a month
Which one is for you
Pick ShipRush if
- Fits if you sell on several marketplaces and want cheaper carrier rates in one place
- Works for small shops that start on Express with 3 users
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have your own carrier deals: that needs Speedy at $29.95
- Not for you if you want live shipping rates at checkout: it does not show them
- Pricey if you add staff: extra users come in bundles of 3 at the plan price
- Watch out: a service fee may apply when buying labels by credit card
Pick ShipStation if
- Fits if you sell on several marketplaces and want every order in one shipping queue
- Works for shops that want LTL freight quotes beside parcel rates
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only the 30-day trial
- Pricey if you send a few hundred parcels a month, since Starter climbs to $39.99 at 500
- Not for you if your packers use Android phones, as the app is iPhone and iPad only
- Tight if you want your own carrier accounts, returns and exchanges or the API, which need Standard
- Watch out: Starter caps at 3 users and 5,000 shipments a month, and postage is paid on top of the plan
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAShipRushFair | 2.6GPAShipStationGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$9.95 a month for 3 users, inside the cheapest quarter of shipping tools ($14.99 or less). | 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 | C15-day free trial. No free plan, and the card terms are not stated. | 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 | CRate shopping, 90+ channels, discounted rates, LTL on Warehouse and rules. It shows no checkout rates for customers. | 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. You connect channels and carrier accounts, so it is a C. | 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 Shopify, Amazon, eBay, BigCommerce, Walmart, WooCommerce, NetSuite and QuickBooks. | 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 labels with rate shopping | 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: ShipRush and ShipStation. How we grade
Price against what you get
ShipRush starts at $9.95 a month and scores 2.3 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 $5.04 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other shipping software on the chart, none scores higher than ShipRush 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
- ShipStation also covers reports and inventory.
At a glance
| ShipRush | ShipStation | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9.95 per month | $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Descartes Systems Group | Auctane |
| Price read from | shiprush.com | shipstation.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ShipRush
- Own negotiated carrier rates need the Speedy plan or higher.
- Extra users are sold in bundles of three at the plan's monthly price.
- ShipRush does not show customer-facing shipping rates at checkout.
- A service fee may apply when buying labels with a credit card on some discounted-rate programs.
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
ShipRush
- Rate shopping
- Compares carrier rates for a shipment and can pick a service automatically from rules the seller sets.
- Sales channel connections
- Imports orders from over 90 channels, including Shopify, Amazon, eBay, BigCommerce, Walmart and WooCommerce.
- Discounted carrier rates
- Offers discounted rates from carriers such as USPS, UPS and FedEx, and lets Speedy and higher plans use negotiated carrier accounts.
- LTL freight
- The Warehouse plan ships less-than-truckload freight through FedEx Freight and Worldwide Express services, with bills of lading.
- Automation rules
- Rules route orders and choose shipping options to cut manual steps.
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
ShipRush
Express$9.95
per month, includes 3 users
Unlimited labels, discounted carrier rates, rate shopping, 90+ sales channels and cross-border shipping.
Speedy$29.95
per month, includes 3 users
Adds your own negotiated carrier rates, Amazon Seller Central and QuickBooks.
Warehouse$99.95
per month, includes 3 users
Adds LTL freight, bill of lading, NetSuite rating, ODBC/MySQL connectivity and setup help.
Enterprise/OEMCustom
Unlimited users plus rating, shipping and tracking APIs and high-speed label printing.
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
ShipRush
No public discounts listed.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ShipRush or ShipStation?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ShipRush is cheaper to start with: $9.95 a month, against $14.99 a month for ShipStation. ShipRush starts at $9.95 per month, and ShipStation starts at $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, ShipRush or ShipStation?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither ShipRush nor ShipStation has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do ShipRush and ShipStation run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only ShipStation lists an iOS 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.