The ShipStation Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about ShipStation in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
ShipStation
The Insider’s Guide
Shipping software for online sellers, priced by shipments a month
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among shipping software, read from ShipStation’s own pages.
Made by Auctane · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from ShipStation’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on ShipStation’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 8 of the 10 other shipping software we grade
ShipStation is web-based shipping software that gathers orders from stores and marketplaces, compares discounted parcel and LTL freight rates, and prints labels in batches using automation rules. Higher plans add returns and exchanges, warehouse and inventory tools and custom analytics, and every plan is priced by how many shipments you send each month. An iPhone and iPad app handles orders, labels and tracking on the go.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about ShipStation, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The web app still needs stores connected and automation rules set up before batch shipping pays off.
- 1
Best for busy shops shipping from many sales channels
There's no free plan, though, and the price steps up with every band of shipments, so a small shop pays more here than with Shippo.
- 2
Paid plans start at $14.99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly.
- 3
You can try it first
30-day free trial, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
Web and iOS.
- 5
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.
- 6
Store and marketplace imports
Unlimited store connections pull in orders from Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Walmart and TikTok Shop.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 8 of 10
That is against the other shipping software we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace ShipStation you would be making discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
ShipStation at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, iOS
- Made by
- Auctane
- Category
- Shipping Software
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.6 on the App Store, 6,198 ratings
The report card
Best for busy shops shipping from many sales channels
ShipStation is the long-standing pick for shops selling on several channels: one queue for Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart and TikTok Shop orders, rate shopping and batch labels. There's no free plan, though, and the price steps up with every band of shipments, so a small shop pays more here than with Shippo.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | 200 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 | C | No 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 | B | Orders 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 | B | Its 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 | B | Web 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who ShipStation is for
- Great if you sell on several marketplaces and want every order in one shipping queue
- Handy when you batch print hundreds of labels a day with rules doing the sorting
- Good for growing shops that want LTL freight quotes beside parcel rates
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$14.99
A month to start
ShipStation is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly.
Long enough to ship a month of real orders before you pay.
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.
Trying it first
30-day free trial, no credit card required
Read from shipstation.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on shipstation.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and iOS
Shipping software for online sellers, priced by shipments a month. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, workflow automation, reports, inventory, barcode scanning, shipping labels.
The whole job, though returns and exchanges, and your own carrier accounts, start on Standard.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
What it works with
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
- Etsy
- Amazon
- eBay
- Walmart
- TikTok Shop
ShipStation is made by Auctane.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
8/10
Other shipping software it is graded above
ShipStation's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 8 of the 10 other shipping software we grade.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 10 of 10) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $14.99 a month, against a middle price of $19.49 for the category: 1 of the 9 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 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. ShipStation’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 10
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 10
- BFeaturesAbove 5 of 10
- BEase of useAbove 10 of 10
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 10
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 11 shipping software. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. ShipStation is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace ShipStation you would be making discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 8 of the 10 other shipping software we grade. It costs $179.88 a year.
What you could make
- Inventory and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Scanning barcodes with a phone camera or a scanner.
- A real app for iOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. ShipStation’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Shippo, ShippingEasy, Veeqo, Easyship and ShipWorks
The 5 tools ShipStation is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Shippo
Free plan · from $17/mo
Multi-carrier shipping app and API, priced by labels a month.
- Shippo has a free plan. ShipStation does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- ShipStation also covers inventory and barcode scanning.
- 2.4GPA
ShippingEasy
Free plan · from $19.99/mo
Shipping software for small sellers, priced by shipments a month.
- ShippingEasy has a free plan. ShipStation does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- ShipStation also covers inventory and barcode scanning.
- 3.0GPA
Veeqo
Free plan · from $19/mo
Amazon's free multichannel shipping app, with paid inventory tools.
- Veeqo has a free plan. ShipStation does not, though it has a free trial.
- ShipStation also covers workflow automation.
- Veeqo also covers amazon selling.
- 2.4GPA
Easyship
Free plan · from $23/mo
Shipping software with 550+ courier services and duty estimates.
- Easyship has a free plan. ShipStation does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- ShipStation also covers inventory and barcode scanning.
- 1.6GPA
ShipWorks
Free trial · from $189/mo
Windows shipping software for warehouses and high-volume sellers.
- Only ShipStation lists a web app.
- Only ShipStation lists an iOS app.
- Only ShipWorks lists a Windows app.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is ShipStation free?
No, ShipStation is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does ShipStation cost?
ShipStation lists 3 plans. Starter: $14.99 per month for up to 50 shipments, billed monthly.
What platforms does ShipStation work on?
ShipStation is available on Web and iOS.
Does ShipStation offer any discounts?
ShipStation publicly lists the following: 20% off with annual billing.
How is ShipStation rated?
ShipStation's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6,198 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does ShipStation have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. ShipStation is listed for Web and iOS.
Does ShipStation have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. ShipStation is listed for Web and iOS.
Is ShipStation open source?
ShipStation is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does ShipStation have an API?
Yes. ShipStation offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does ShipStation integrate with?
ShipStation's listing names Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Walmart and TikTok Shop.
Who makes ShipStation?
ShipStation is made by Auctane.
What are the alternatives to ShipStation?
The closest alternatives to ShipStation in our directory are Shippo, ShippingEasy, Veeqo, Easyship and ShipWorks.
How does ShipStation compare with other shipping software?
ShipStation's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 8 of the 10 other shipping software we grade.
Is ShipStation good value for money?
ToolGPA grades ShipStation C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $14.99 a month, against a middle price of $19.49 for the category: 1 of the 9 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of ShipStation?
To replace ShipStation you would be making discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from ShipStation’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from ShipStation's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Auctane. Prices change, so check shipstation.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- ShipStation, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/shipstation
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "ShipStation: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/shipstation
Know someone choosing between shipping software?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/shipstation/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded shipping software after ShipStation, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Shipping Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 11 shipping software we grade, compared
- Pirate Ship Insider's GuideFree web app for discounted USPS and UPS labels, with no monthly fee3.0 GPA
- Veeqo Insider's GuideAmazon's free multichannel shipping app, with paid inventory tools3.0 GPA
- Easyship Insider's GuideShipping software with 550+ courier services and duty estimates2.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what ShipStation’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. ShipStation is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Auctane. Prices and plans change: check shipstation.com before you buy.