ShipStation vs ShipWorks
We give ShipStation a 2.6 GPA and ShipWorks a 1.6, out of 4.0. ShipStation grades higher on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
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
ShipWorks
Windows shipping software for warehouses and high-volume sellers
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAShipStationGood | 1.6GPAShipWorksWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | DThe cheapest plan is $189 a month for up to 5,000 shipments, so a 200-parcel shop pays $189, which is this category's dearest tenth. Unlimited users and phone support come with it, but the pricing page itself sends smaller shippers to ShipStation. |
| 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. | CNo free plan, but there's a 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| 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. | CBuilt for volume: 70+ integrations, ODBC links to an ERP or WMS, a Best Rate Tool, batch printing, scan to ship and, on Warehouse plans, order routing. But the listing shows no tracking emails to buyers, which is part of this category's job. |
| 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. It's installed on Windows with a local database, which is more to set up than a website you sign in to, though every plan comes with guided onboarding and unlimited support. |
| 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. | DWindows only, which is one operating system, however well it connects: 70+ carts and marketplaces, an API and ODBC. The web components only add online visibility. |
| Best for | busy shops shipping from many sales channels | high-volume warehouses on Windows |
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 ShipWorks. 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. ShipWorks starts at $189 a month and scores 1.7.
ShipStation scores higher and starts $174.01 a month lower. Of the other shipping software on the chart, none scores higher than ShipStation for less, and 10 score higher than ShipWorks 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 starts at $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly. ShipWorks starts at $189 per month for up to 5,000 shipments.
- Only ShipStation lists a web app.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- Only ShipWorks lists a Windows app.
- ShipStation also covers reports and inventory.
At a glance
| ShipStation | ShipWorks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly | $189 per month for up to 5,000 shipments |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Auctane | ShipWorks |
| Price read from | shipstation.com | shipworks.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
ShipWorks
- Warehouses and sellers shipping several thousand orders a month
- Businesses that want shipping tied to an ERP or WMS through ODBC
- Operations with more than one ship-from location
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.
ShipWorks
- It is installed Windows software with a local database; its web components only add online visibility.
- Plans start at $189 a month for high volumes; the pricing page sends shippers under 5,000 a month to ShipStation.
- Intelligent order routing and pick-pack verification need a Warehouse plan at $389 a month or more.
- Postage is paid on top of the subscription.
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.
ShipWorks
- 70+ integrations, API and ODBC
- Imports orders from Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, ChannelAdvisor and more, or from files, its API or an ODBC data source linked to an ERP or WMS.
- Best Rate Tool
- Picks the cheapest carrier rate for each shipment. ShipWorks says its carrier discounts reach up to 84% off; that is the vendor's claim.
- Batch printing and automation
- Custom automations and batch processing print labels in bulk; ShipWorks says it prints up to 16,000 labels an hour.
- Scan to ship
- Scan-to-ship speeds up labeling at the packing station, and Warehouse plans add item pick-pack verification.
- Intelligent order routing
- Warehouse plans send each order to the right ship-from location when stock sits in two or more warehouses.
- US-based support
- Unlimited phone, email and chat support from a US team, plus a free community forum.
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.
ShipWorks
Ecommerce Professional$189
per month for up to 5,000 shipments
1 ship-from location, unlimited users and computers, Best Rate Tool, guided onboarding and unlimited phone and email support.
Warehouse Essential$389
per month for up to 12,000 shipments
2 or more ship-from locations, intelligent order routing and item pick-pack verification.
Warehouse Professional$639
per month for up to 25,000 shipments
The warehouse features with a higher monthly shipment allowance.
Warehouse Elite$799
per month for up to 50,000 shipments
The warehouse features for up to 50,000 shipments a month.
Enterprise CustomCustom
Custom plans for warehouses shipping more than 50,000 parcels a month, through sales.
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.
ShipWorks
No public discounts listed.
