ShipStation vs Stamps.com
We give ShipStation a 2.6 GPA and Stamps.com a 2.2, out of 4.0. ShipStation grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan 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
Stamps.com
Print postage, stamps and discounted shipping labels from the office
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAShipStationGood | 2.2GPAStamps.comFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CBasic's 10 labels a month won't cover 200 parcels, so the figure is Professional at $29.99 a month, with unlimited labels and no label fee listed. That's above the dearer quarter of this category, short of its dearest, and no yearly price is on record. |
| 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. There's a 30-day trial with no charge until it ends, and then it bills monthly. 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. | CStamps and postage at your desk, labels for USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and GlobalPost, Certified Mail, pickups and address checks. But tracking emails need Professional, and the listing shows no store or marketplace connections for online orders. |
| 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. | C4.11 from 625 App Store ratings for its mobile app, which is the middle band. Basic users get a chatbot and the help centre only; phone support starts on Professional. |
| 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, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, so it's on everything. But QuickBooks Online is the one integration listed and no API is on record, so it can't reach an A. |
| Best for | busy shops shipping from many sales channels | offices printing postage and Certified Mail |
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 Stamps.com. 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. Stamps.com starts at $14.99 a month and scores 2.3.
ShipStation scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other shipping software on the chart, none scores higher than ShipStation for less, and none scores higher than Stamps.com 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. Stamps.com starts at $14.99 per month (Basic).
- Only Stamps.com lists Windows, macOS and Android apps.
- ShipStation also covers workflow automation, inventory and barcode scanning.
At a glance
| ShipStation | Stamps.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly | $14.99 per month (Basic) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day risk-free trial; no charge until it ends, then billed monthly |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Auctane | Auctane |
| Price read from | shipstation.com | stamps.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
Stamps.com
- Law, accounting and insurance offices that send Certified Mail
- Small businesses that mail letters as well as ship parcels
- Organizations replacing a postage meter across several offices
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.
Stamps.com
- Basic allows only 25 stamps and 10 labels a month and has no live support; Professional removes the caps.
- Postage, insurance and special services are charged on top of the monthly fee.
- The advertised discounts (up to 90% off on the pricing page) apply only to shipments from the continental US.
- Multi-Location has a listed starting price but is bought by contacting sales.
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.
Stamps.com
- Stamps and postage at your desk
- Print USPS stamps and postage for letters and envelopes on an office printer, with custom envelopes and labels.
- Discounted multi-carrier labels
- Compares USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and GlobalPost rates. Stamps.com advertises up to 90% off carrier rates; that is its own claim.
- Certified and Registered Mail
- Professional and higher send Certified Mail and Registered Mail, with tracking and proof of delivery built in.
- Pickups and address checks
- Schedule free pickups with UPS, USPS and FedEx and verify addresses before printing, on every plan.
- Tracking, history and reports
- Track shipments across carriers in one place; Professional adds recipient notification emails, print history, reports and analytics.
- Desktop and mobile apps
- Apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus a classic PC program for XML import and export and packing slips.
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.
Stamps.com
Basic$14.99
per month
1 user, up to 25 stamps and 10 shipping labels a month, free pickups, address verification. Chatbot and help center support only.
Professional$29.99
per month and up
3 users, unlimited stamps and labels, Certified and Registered Mail, batch printing, tracking emails, reports, international shipping, phone support.
Multi-Location$49.99
per month and up
2 office locations with 10 users each, role and location permissions, reports by location, an account team. Sold 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.
Stamps.com
No public discounts listed.
