Pirate Ship
Free web app for discounted USPS and UPS labels, with no monthly fee
Pirate Ship report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for free USPS and UPS labels
Pirate Ship is the one to beat on price: the software is free, with unlimited users and no monthly fee or markup, and you pay only the postage. It imports orders from Shopify, Etsy, eBay and others and sends tracking emails you can customize. The catch is it's USPS and UPS only, with no FedEx or DHL, and it runs in a browser.
Who Pirate Ship is for
- Great if you sell on Etsy, eBay or Shopify and ship mostly with USPS
- Handy when you print a stack of identical labels from a spreadsheet, like a crowdfunding run
- Good for small sellers who'd rather not pay a monthly software fee at all
Who Pirate Ship is not for
- Skip it if you ship with FedEx or DHL, as only USPS and UPS are offered
- Not for you if you ship from outside the US, since UPS discounts apply only to US shipments
- Tight if you want phone support or an app, as it's chat and email in a browser only
Why Pirate Ship gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyThe software costs $0, with unlimited users and no monthly fee, markup or minimum volume, so 200 parcels a month costs only the postage. Free and this substantial is an A in any category.
- AFree plan and trialFree outright: every feature and unlimited users, with no paid plan to upgrade to. You pay each label's postage by card or PayPal, and return labels are charged only when used.
- CFeaturesRates for every USPS and UPS service, batch labels from a spreadsheet or store, presets, custom tracking emails, reports, insurance and pay-on-use returns. The gap is carriers: no FedEx or DHL, and UPS discounts only for shipments from the US.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You sign up free and can buy a label straight away, but for a shop the work is connecting the store and saving package presets, which is the ordinary setup here.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no mobile app listed, but orders come in from Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Square and Wix, or from CSV, Excel and ODS files. Web with integrations is a B.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Pirate Ship's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/pirate-ship#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/pirate-ship.svg" alt="Pirate Ship: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Pirate Ship stands among shipping software
Pirate Ship's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 9 of the 10 other shipping software we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 9 of 10) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Pirate Ship has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 11 shipping software we grade, cut by the letter each got. Pirate Ship’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 9 of 10, level with 1
- AFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 10, level with 1
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 10, level with 4
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 10, level with 9
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 10, level with 9
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 11 shipping software. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Pirate Ship, or make your own?
Keep it
Pirate Ship is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 9 of the 10 other shipping software we grade.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, Etsy and eBay among them.
What this rests on. Pirate Ship’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Pirate Ship?
Pirate Ship is free, browser-based shipping software for US shippers. It compares discounted USPS and UPS rates, prints labels one at a time or in batches from a spreadsheet or a connected store, and sends tracking emails you can customize. The software has no monthly fee; you pay only for the postage, and the company says the carriers pay it instead.
Pirate Ship is free to use. See every plan
Good for
- Small sellers and occasional shippers in the US who want no software fee
- Etsy, eBay and Shopify sellers shipping with USPS or UPS
- Subscription box and crowdfunding shippers printing labels from a spreadsheet
Worth knowing
- Only USPS and UPS are offered; there is no FedEx or DHL option.
- Postage is the only cost. The "up to 88%" savings figure is Pirate Ship's own comparison with retail rates.
- UPS discounts apply only to shipments that start in the US.
- It runs in a web browser only; the site lists no mobile app, and support is by chat and email.
Key features
- Discounted USPS and UPS rates
- Rate-shops every USPS and UPS service, including Priority Mail Cubic and Ground Saver. Pirate Ship says the discounts reach up to 88% off retail rates; that is its claim.
- Simple Export Rate
- An international service Pirate Ship says is exclusive to it, alongside USPS and UPS international services with electronic customs forms.
- Store and spreadsheet imports
- Imports orders from Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Square, Wix and others, or from CSV, Excel and ODS spreadsheets.
- Batch labels and presets
- Buy and print many identical labels at once from a spreadsheet or integration, and save presets for packages you ship often.
- Tracking emails and reports
- Customizable HTML tracking emails for recipients, plus tracking and accounting reports for your own records.
- Insurance and return labels
- Discounted shipping insurance is available, and return labels are pay-on-use, so you are charged only when one is used.
Pirate Ship pricing
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The software is free with unlimited users and no monthly fee, markup or minimum volume. You pay for each label's postage with a card or PayPal.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free account | $0 | Every feature and unlimited users at no charge; postage is paid per label at Pirate Ship's discounted rates. |
Read from pirateship.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Pirate Ship before you buy.
Works with
Pirate Ship alternatives
- Pirate Ship vs Shippo
Free plan · from $17/mo
- Pirate Ship vs Stamps.com
Free trial · from $14.99/mo
- Pirate Ship vs ShipStation
Free trial · from $14.99/mo
- Pirate Ship vs PitneyShip
Free plan · from $34.99/mo
- Pirate Ship vs Easyship
Free plan · from $23/mo
Common questions
Is Pirate Ship free?
Yes. Pirate Ship is free to use. The software is free with unlimited users and no monthly fee, markup or minimum volume. You pay for each label's postage with a card or PayPal.
How much does Pirate Ship cost?
Pirate Ship lists one plan. Free account: $0. Prices were read from pirateship.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Pirate Ship work on?
Pirate Ship is available on Web.
Does Pirate Ship have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Pirate Ship is listed for Web.
Does Pirate Ship have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Pirate Ship is listed for Web.
Is Pirate Ship open source?
Pirate Ship is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Pirate Ship integrate with?
Pirate Ship's listing names Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Square and PayPal. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Pirate Ship?
Pirate Ship is made by Pirate Ship. It dates from 2014.
What are the alternatives to Pirate Ship?
The closest alternatives to Pirate Ship in our directory are Shippo, Stamps.com, ShipStation, PitneyShip and Easyship. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Pirate Ship.
How does Pirate Ship compare with other shipping software?
Pirate Ship's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 9 of the 10 other shipping software we grade, and level with 1. It stands best on value for money (A, above 9 of 10) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Is Pirate Ship good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Pirate Ship A for value for money. Pirate Ship has no paid plan. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Pirate Ship?
Pirate Ship is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 9 of the 10 other shipping software we grade. What you could not make: Discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier. It plugs into other products, Shopify, Etsy and eBay among them. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026.