ShipStation vs Shiptheory (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 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
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.
ShipStation
Shipping software for online sellers, priced by shipments a month
Shiptheory
Shipping automation connecting stores, ERPs and carriers
Which one is for you
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
Pick Shiptheory if
- Fits if you sell on several channels or run an ERP and want one place to send to carriers
- Works for a UK-based shop that wants rules deciding the carrier and service
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow: shipments are capped from 1,500 to 20,000 a month by plan, and Earth allows 1 channel and 2 carriers
- Pricey if you pay monthly: $62 against $50 billed annually
- Watch out: a per-shipment charge of 0.03 or 0.02 is listed with no currency
- Watch out: the trial length and limits are not stated
- Watch out: the pricing page shows dollars by default, with a switch to pounds
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAShipStationGood | 2.4GPAShiptheoryFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CEarth is $50 a month on annual billing, or $62 monthly, against a $50 dearer-quarter start for shipping tools. Higher plans run to $550, and a per-shipment charge sits on top. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CA free trial is offered but its length and limits are not stated on the pages we read. There is no free plan. |
| Features | 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. | BShipping rules, carrier and platform connections, labels, customs documents, an order dashboard, an API and returns. The listing names no gap in the core job, only caps by plan. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. You connect each channel and carrier and then set up rules. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb app with Shopify, NetSuite, Dynamics 365 Business Central and Magento connections, carriers such as Royal Mail, FedEx and DPD, and an API. |
| Best for | busy shops shipping from many sales channels | connecting stores, ERPs and carriers |
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 and Shiptheory. How we grade
Price against what you get
ShipStation starts at $14.99 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shiptheory starts at $50 a month and scores 2.7.
ShipStation scores higher and starts $35.01 a month lower. Of the other shipping software on the chart, none scores higher than ShipStation for less, and 3 score higher than Shiptheory 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 inventory and barcode scanning.
- Shiptheory also covers online store.
At a glance
| ShipStation | Shiptheory | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly | $50 per month, billed annually ($62 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | Free trial offered; its length is not stated on the pages read. |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Auctane | Shiptheory |
| Price read from | shipstation.com | shiptheory.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Shiptheory
- Each plan caps shipments per month (1,500 to 20,000), and Earth allows 1 channel and 2 carriers.
- A per-shipment charge of 0.03 or 0.02 is listed beside each plan, with no currency shown; check what it covers before buying.
- The pricing page shows dollars by default, with a switch to pounds; annual billing is listed as saving 20%.
- The free trial's length and limits are not stated on the pages read.
Key features
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.
Shiptheory
- Shipping rules
- No-code rules assign carriers and services automatically, including different rules per carrier, set up with a short form.
- Carrier and platform connections
- Connects to more than 100 domestic, international and pallet carriers and to 70+ ERP, ecommerce and WMS platforms, with every integration open to every plan.
- Labels and customs documents
- Prints shipping labels, customs documentation and tracking details, and can send labels straight to connected label printers.
- Order dashboard
- Pulls orders from every connected channel into one place and lets users build their own order dashboard.
- Shipping API and returns
- A shipping API lets software vendors build the service into their own platform, and a returns management feature handles return shipments.
Plans
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.
Shiptheory
Earth$50
per month, up to 1,500 shipments, billed annually ($62 monthly)
Ecommerce plan: 1 user, 1 channel, 2 carriers and email support.
Saturn$125
per month, up to 3,000 shipments, billed annually ($150 monthly)
Ecommerce plan: 3 users, 3 channels, 3 carriers and tailored onboarding.
Jupiter$275
per month, up to 8,000 shipments, billed annually ($325 monthly)
Ecommerce plan: 10 users, premium channels and carriers, tailored onboarding.
Cosmos$550
per month, up to 20,000 shipments, billed annually ($750 monthly)
ERP, API and WMS plan: unlimited channels and carriers, tailored onboarding and extended support.
EnterpriseCustom
For more than 20,000 shipments a month: a bespoke plan with tailored onboarding and white-glove service.
Ways to pay less
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.
Shiptheory
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The pricing page lists each plan cheaper when billed annually (for example $50 against $62 a month on Earth) and marks the saving as 20%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ShipStation or Shiptheory?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ShipStation is cheaper to start with: $14.99 a month, against $50 a month for Shiptheory. ShipStation starts at $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly, and Shiptheory starts at $50 per month, billed annually ($62 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ShipStation or Shiptheory?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither ShipStation nor Shiptheory has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do ShipStation and Shiptheory run on?
As of Nov 13, 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.