Best Shipping Software (2026): Top 10 Compared
Shipping software buys and prints carrier labels, compares rates and imports orders from stores and marketplaces. The ten products below split by how they charge and where they run. Pirate Ship and Veeqo charge no subscription for shipping, and Shippo, Easyship, ShippingEasy and AfterShip Shipping offer free or near-free entry tiers before monthly plans priced by label volume. ShipStation prices three plans by monthly shipments and adds LTL freight to parcel. Descartes ShipRush charges a flat monthly fee with no shipment limit, and ShipWorks is Windows-installed software for high-volume warehouses. ShipHero is a warehouse management system with built-in rate shopping, sold by quote. Nine of the ten publish prices.
Order is not a ranking. How entries are ordered.
On this page
Compare at a glance
Select a vendor for details and sources. Scroll the table horizontally on smaller screens.
| Vendor | Consider for | Pricing notes | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShipStationmid-market | Ecommerce sellers shipping parcel and LTL freight from many stores in one web app | Starter from $14.99/month (50 shipments), Standard from $29.99, Premium from $349.99; prices rise with monthly shipment band; 20% off annual Checked Oct 2026 | Parcel and LTL freight quoting and booking in the same workflow |
| Shipposmb | Small and mid-size sellers that want a free start and low monthly entry price | Starter free up to 30 labels a month; Pro from $17/month (1–200 labels), banded to 10,000; Premier by quote Checked Oct 2026 | Free tier with discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL Express labels and unlimited stores |
| Easyshipsmb | Sellers shipping internationally who want to compare many courier services and show duties at checkout | US: Free (50 shipments), Plus $29/month (500), Premier $69 (2,500), Scale $99–$199 (5,000–10,000); about 20% less billed annually Checked Oct 2026 | 550+ courier services with tax and duty calculation and rates at checkout |
| Pirate Shipbudget | US sellers and individuals who want discounted USPS and UPS labels with no subscription | Free: no monthly fees, payment fees, markups or volume minimums; shippers pay only postage Checked Oct 2026 | Unlimited users free, with Simple Export Rate for low-cost international parcels |
| ShippingEasysmb | Small and brick-and-mortar businesses that want phone support and simple volume tiers | Starter free (25 shipments); Growth $19.99/month (26–200) rising to $189.99 (6,001–10,000) Checked Oct 2026 | Phone and chat support from an Austin, Texas team on paid plans |
| Veeqosmb | Multichannel sellers, especially on Amazon, who want free shipping software | Shipping plan free with unlimited shipments; Inventory from $19/month and High Volume from $350/month, by order volume Checked Oct 2026 | Free shipping with up to 5% back in Veeqo Credits and Amazon Shipping rates |
| AfterShip Shippingmid-market | Brands that want label creation and shipping APIs alongside AfterShip tracking and returns | Essentials from $9/month (1,200 labels a year); Pro from $69/month (24,000 labels a year); Enterprise custom; about 18% off annual Checked Oct 2026 | Labels, rates, carrier account and address validation APIs on the Pro plan |
| Descartes ShipRushmid-market | Growing sellers and warehouses that want a flat fee with no shipment cap | Express $9.95/month, Speedy $29.95, Warehouse $99.95; Enterprise/OEM custom; unlimited shipments on all plans Checked Oct 2026 | Flat monthly price with unlimited labels and 90+ sales channel connections |
| ShipWorksmid-market | High-volume warehouses that want Windows-installed shipping software with local data | Ecommerce Professional $189/month (5,000 shipments); Warehouse plans $389, $639 and $799 (12,000–50,000); custom above 50,000 Checked Oct 2026 | On-premise Windows install with ODBC access and unlimited users and computers |
| ShipHeromid-market | 3PLs and high-volume brands that need warehouse management with built-in rate shopping | Quote-based; custom pricing by order volume, with no published figures Checked Oct 2026 | Rate Shop Plus picks the cheapest carrier by rule, with per-client carrier preferences |
These comparisons draw on public product information, not hands-on testing of every tool. Source records identify available references and checks; missing evidence is marked. Buyer fit is an editorial assessment, not a measured performance score. How to use this research.
Shipping software turns orders into shipped parcels. It pulls orders from stores and marketplaces, compares carrier rates, buys and prints labels and customs documents, and sends tracking details to customers. Most products also resell discounted USPS, UPS and other carrier rates, so the software price and the postage price both matter.
This comparison covers ten products that buyers name most often when asking for shipping software, from free tools for occasional shippers to installed software and warehouse systems for high volume. Pricing and features come from each vendor’s own pages, checked in October 2026. Nine publish prices and one quotes on request. The useful differences are how each one charges as volume grows, which carriers it covers and whether it runs in a browser, on Windows or inside a warehouse system.
Related pages cover multi-carrier shipping software, shipping management software, shipping automation software, ecommerce shipping software platforms and shipment tracking software.
Vendor details and trade-offs
ShipStation is a web-based shipping platform for ecommerce sellers. It imports orders from stores and marketplaces, compares rates across carriers, applies automation rules and prints labels. The site states coverage of more than 200 parcel carriers and 50 LTL freight carriers, and the pricing page includes LTL rate comparison and quote-and-book from the entry plan.
Three plans are priced by monthly shipments. Starter runs from $14.99 for 50 shipments to $174.99 for 5,000 and includes three users and basic automations. Standard runs from $29.99 to $3,599.99 at 100,000 shipments and adds ten users, unlimited automations, order splitting, own carrier accounts, returns and exchanges and basic warehouse management. Premium starts at $349.99 and adds 15 users, advanced inventory, pick-to-tote and custom analytics.
The plan structure means a seller pays more as volume grows on every tier. Annual billing is advertised at 20% savings, and the 30-day trial needs no credit card. Fulfillment, 3PL and dropship managers are listed as paid add-ons.
Potential strengths
- Published price for every shipment band from 50 to 100,000 a month
- Unlimited store connections on every plan
- LTL freight quoting included from Starter
Trade-offs
- Connecting existing carrier accounts starts on Standard, not Starter
- Premium starts at $349.99 a month even at 50 shipments
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Monthly or annual billing, with annual advertised at 20% savings; 30-day free trial with no credit card; cancel anytime
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
Shippo sells a shipping app for merchants and a separate shipping API. The app compares rates across more than 40 carriers, imports orders from connected stores, buys and prints labels, tracks shipments and produces return labels. The pricing page states that more than 4.6 million businesses use Shippo.
Starter is free for up to 30 labels a month, with one user, unlimited store connections and email support. Own carrier accounts cost 5 cents per label on Starter. Pro starts at $17 per month for up to 200 labels, or $205 a year, and is banded up to 10,000 labels with $0.08 per label above that. Pro adds pick lists, scan-to-print, AI-estimated delivery dates, branded tracking pages and emails, chat and phone support and up to five users. Premier adds a dedicated account manager, 15 or more users and unlimited shipments by quote.
Non-US address validation is charged per call on every tier, and API calls not associated with Shippo labels are billed separately.
Potential strengths
- Free plan covers up to 30 labels a month
- Pro removes the fee for connecting own carrier accounts
- Separate API product for developers
Trade-offs
- Starter allows one user and email support only
- Tracking, rating and address calls not tied to Shippo labels are billed at API rates
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Monthly or annual; plan changes any time, upgrades billed from the next cycle and downgrades effective at the end of the cycle
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
Easyship is a cloud shipping platform and API with an emphasis on international shipments. The plans page lists more than 550 courier services, discounted rates of up to 91% off retail, tax and duty calculation, rates at checkout, branded tracking pages and emails, batch label printing and pre-paid returns. It also offers a global 3PL fulfillment network and crowdfunding integrations.
For the United States, the Free plan includes 50 shipments a month and one team member. Plus costs $29 per month for 500 shipments and three users, Premier $69 for 2,500 and five users, and three Scale tiers cost $99, $149 and $199 for 5,000, 7,500 and 10,000 shipments. Annual billing lowers each tier by about 20%. Paid plans can link one to three own courier accounts with a labelling fee of 3 to 5 cents.
Paid plans include quotas of rates, address validation and tax and duty API calls; usage beyond the quotas is billed per call. Easyship notes that plan inclusions and prices vary by country.
Potential strengths
- Free plan with 50 shipments a month
- Published country-specific pricing
- Crowdfunding integrations and a 3PL fulfillment network option
Trade-offs
- Free plan cannot link an own courier account
- API calls beyond plan quotas are billed per call
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Monthly, or billed annually at about 20% savings; 14-day free trial on paid plans; linked courier accounts carry a per-label fee from $0.03 to $0.05
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
Pirate Ship is free browser-based shipping software for USPS and UPS in the United States. It gives users pre-negotiated discounts, which the rates page puts at up to 89% off standard rates, and earns its revenue from the carriers rather than from subscriptions. The site states that it has saved shippers more than $700 million since 2014.
The features page lists carrier rate comparison, Commercial shipping services, order imports from ecommerce platforms, spreadsheet uploads, saved package presets, address correction, discounted shipping insurance, pay-on-use return labels, customizable tracking emails and tracking and accounting reports. Users are unlimited. Pirate Ship is a licensed USPS Connect eCommerce platform.
The limit is carrier scope. FedEx and DHL are not part of the offer, and UPS discounts apply only to US-origin shipments. For international parcels, the rates page lists Simple Export Rate as an exclusive service. Support runs by live chat and email every day.
Potential strengths
- No subscription at any volume
- Unlimited users at no cost
- Spreadsheet upload and copy-paste address entry for batch shipping
Trade-offs
- Carriers limited to USPS and UPS
- UPS discounts apply only to shipments originating in the United States
- Product reference
- Product documentation
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Pay as you go for postage with any card or PayPal; no subscription
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
ShippingEasy is a web shipping app for small sellers. It imports orders from stores and marketplaces, applies automation rules, compares USPS and UPS rates and prints labels. The pricing page advertises discounted USPS rates, cubic pricing through its Flat Rate Green program and up to 82% off UPS Daily Rates.
Starter is free for up to 25 shipments a month and three connected stores. Paid plans are priced by shipments: Growth at $19.99 for up to 200, Basic at $29.99 for up to 500, Plus at $49.99 for up to 1,500, Select at $69.99 for up to 3,000, Premium at $119.99 for up to 6,000 and Enterprise at $189.99 for up to 10,000. Paid plans add unlimited stores, CSV uploads, branded tracking tools, label logos and reporting.
Support is the point of difference. The site states that phone and chat support is answered by staff in Austin, Texas. Buyers using their own carrier contracts should price the monthly connection fee.
Potential strengths
- Low published price for every shipment tier up to 10,000
- Unlimited stores and marketplaces from Growth
- Free trial for 30 days
Trade-offs
- Starter limits imports to three stores and 25 shipments
- Own carrier accounts cost an extra monthly fee
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Monthly subscription by shipment tier; 30-day free trial; own carrier accounts carry a monthly fee based on plan
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
Veeqo is a multichannel shipping and inventory product that Amazon acquired in 2021. Its shipping features are free; the FAQ explains that Veeqo earns a commission on labels purchased through it. Pre-negotiated rates are listed for Amazon Shipping, UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL and OnTrac, and labels earn up to 5% back in Veeqo Credits.
The free Shipping plan includes unlimited shipments, users, SKUs and warehouses, customisable print templates, bulk shipping of up to 100 orders at once, a rate shopping API and shipping and sales reports. Channels listed include Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Walmart, WooCommerce, TikTok Shop and Rithum. The Inventory plan starts at $19 per month and adds inventory sync, demand forecasting, digital picking and unlimited listings. High Volume starts at $350 per month and adds ERP integrations such as NetSuite and an account manager.
Paid plans are priced by imported order volume, and orders fulfilled by Amazon FBA do not count toward it. Veeqo states the product is not limited to Amazon sellers.
Potential strengths
- No subscription for shipping features
- Unlimited users, products and warehouses on every plan
- Bulk ship up to 100 orders in one click
Trade-offs
- Inventory, digital picking and unlimited listings require a paid plan
- Free model relies on label commission, so carrier-account pricing should be compared
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Shipping plan free; Veeqo earns a commission on labels purchased; paid plans priced monthly by imported order volume, with FBA orders excluded
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
AfterShip is best known for shipment tracking, and AfterShip Shipping is its label product. It supports more than 100 carriers, imports orders from ecommerce platforms, calculates rates, creates and cancels labels, produces end-of-day forms and offers discounted USPS rates. The FAQ states USPS savings of up to 90% with no minimum volume.
Plans are priced by labels per year. Essentials starts at $9 per month for 1,200 labels a year and covers the order dashboard, bulk label creation and bulk order updates, with one own carrier account. Pro starts at $69 per month for 24,000 labels a year and adds automated shipping rules, the labels, rates, carrier accounts and end-of-day form APIs, US address validation, webhooks and five own carrier accounts. Enterprise adds unlimited carrier accounts, custom carrier integrations and SSO.
Teams using several AfterShip products can buy a Team plan from $10 per member per month billed annually. The FAQ refers to both a free plan with 10 labels and a 7-day trial.
Potential strengths
- Low entry price for low annual label volume
- More than 100 carriers supported
- Shares an account with AfterShip tracking and returns
Trade-offs
- Essentials connects one own carrier account; Pro five
- Pricing page and FAQ describe free access differently, so trial terms should be confirmed
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Monthly or annual; priced by labels per year; Silver and Gold support plans at additional fee
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
ShipRush is a multi-carrier shipping product sold under the Descartes name. It connects to more than 90 sales channels, rate shops across carriers such as USPS, UPS and FedEx, and supports domestic and cross-border shipments. Its pricing model differs from most products on this page: every plan allows unlimited shipments.
Express costs $9.95 per month with discounted rates, rate shopping and three users. Speedy costs $29.95 and adds own negotiated carrier rates, Amazon Seller Central and QuickBooks Online and Desktop. Warehouse costs $99.95 and adds LTL freight, pallet labels with bills of lading, NetSuite rating at order entry, ODBC and MySQL connectivity and assisted automation setup. Enterprise and OEM plans add rating, shipping and tracking APIs and high-speed automated printing by quote.
Extra users are sold in bundles of three at the plan's monthly price. The FAQ notes that some discounted label programs carry a card service fee that other payment methods avoid.
Potential strengths
- Unlimited shipping on every plan
- Warehouse plan adds LTL, bill of lading and ODBC/MySQL connectivity
- Rating, shipping and tracking APIs on Enterprise/OEM
Trade-offs
- Own negotiated carrier rates start on Speedy
- Credit card purchase of some discounted labels can add a service fee
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Monthly; 15-day free trial; cancel any time with refund of unused postage; card payment for some discounted label programs may carry a service fee
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
ShipWorks is Windows-installed shipping software with a local database and web components for online visibility. It targets warehouses and high-volume merchants and lists intelligent order routing, batch processing, scan-to-ship, custom automations and a Best Rate Tool. The site cites more than 70 built-in integrations, plus file import, a native API and ODBC.
The Ecommerce Professional plan costs $189 per month for 5,000 shipments from one ship-from location. Warehouse plans cover two or more locations and add order routing and pick-pack verification: Essential at $389 for 12,000 shipments, Professional at $639 for 25,000 and Elite at $799 for 50,000. Above 50,000 shipments a month, custom enterprise plans are available. All plans include unlimited users and computers, guided onboarding and phone and email support.
The pricing page states that ShipWorks and ShipStation are both part of Auctane, and presents web-based ShipStation plans as the option for merchants under 5,000 shipments a month.
Potential strengths
- Unlimited users and computers on every plan
- Warehouse plans add intelligent order routing and pick-pack verification
- 70+ integrations plus file import, API and ODBC
Trade-offs
- Windows-only installed software
- Entry plan starts at $189 a month
- Product reference
- Pricing source
- Billing terms: Monthly by shipment allowance; free trial; enterprise plans by sales call
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
ShipHero is a warehouse management system for ecommerce brands and third-party logistics providers. Shipping is one module within it: real-time carrier rate shopping compares live rates across carriers and selects the cheapest on-time option automatically. Its Rate Shop Plus feature applies custom automation rules, allows carrier preferences per client and works with the buyer's own carrier accounts without label fees or with ShipHero's negotiated rates.
Around shipping, the WMS covers receiving and putaway, lot and expiration tracking, mobile cycle counts, picking and packing, returns, a 3PL client portal and labour dashboards, with optional pack-to-light hardware. ShipHero states it supports more than 70 integrations, a public API and webhooks, and gives an average go-live of six to eight weeks; these are the vendor's own figures.
Pricing is custom by order volume and requires a quote. The fit is narrower than a label app: ShipHero suits operations that want shipping decisions made inside warehouse workflows.
Potential strengths
- Shipping, picking, packing and inventory in one system
- 3PL client portal and per-client carrier preferences
- Public API and webhooks
Trade-offs
- No published pricing
- A full WMS is more than a seller needing only labels requires
- Product reference
- Product documentation
- Billing terms: Custom pricing by order volume; ShipHero states no long-term lock-in
- Source review: checked Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor confirmation: not confirmed
Frequently asked questions
What is shipping software?
Shipping software imports orders from online stores and marketplaces, compares carrier rates, buys and prints labels and customs forms, and sends tracking details to customers. Most products also sell discounted carrier rates and add automation rules, batch printing and return labels. Larger products add inventory, warehouse or freight features.
How much does shipping software cost?
As of October 2026, Pirate Ship and Veeqo charge no subscription for shipping. Shippo, Easyship and ShippingEasy have free tiers capped at 30, 50 and 25 shipments a month. Paid entry plans include AfterShip Shipping from $9, Descartes ShipRush from $9.95, ShipStation from $14.99, Shippo Pro from $17, ShippingEasy from $19.99 and Easyship Plus at $29 a month. ShipWorks starts at $189, and ShipHero quotes on request.
Is there free shipping software?
Yes. Pirate Ship is free for USPS and UPS with no volume limit, and Veeqo's Shipping plan is free with unlimited shipments; both earn revenue from carriers or label commissions. Shippo, Easyship and ShippingEasy offer free tiers with monthly shipment caps. Free products still charge postage, and features such as own-carrier connections may cost extra.
How is shipping software different from multi-carrier shipping software?
Multi-carrier shipping software is a subset focused on rate shopping across several carriers. This page covers the wider category, including single-network tools such as Pirate Ship, warehouse systems with shipping such as ShipHero and installed software such as ShipWorks. Dedicated rate-shopping tools are compared on the multi-carrier shipping software page.
Which shipping software supports LTL freight?
ShipStation includes LTL rate comparison and quote-and-book from its Starter plan. Descartes ShipRush adds LTL freight and bills of lading on its Warehouse plan at $99.95 a month. The other products on this page focus on parcel shipping, according to their pricing pages.
Can a seller use its own carrier account?
Most products allow it, with conditions. Shippo charges 5 cents a label on its free tier and nothing on Pro. Easyship charges 3 to 5 cents a label on paid plans. ShippingEasy charges a monthly fee by plan. ShipStation requires Standard, ShipRush requires Speedy, and AfterShip limits the number of accounts by plan. ShipHero charges no label fee on own accounts.
Which products suit international shipping?
Easyship is built around cross-border shipping, with more than 550 courier services, tax and duty calculation and HS code tools. ShipStation lists customs forms and guaranteed prepaid duties and taxes. Pirate Ship offers Simple Export Rate for international parcels. Buyers should confirm carrier coverage for their origin country, since several products are US-focused.
How were these shipping software products selected and checked?
The ten products are live shipping tools that buyers commonly name when asking for shipping software. Features and pricing come from each vendor's own pricing, product and feature pages, checked on 28 October 2026. StatWharf did not test the products hands-on, and no vendor confirmed its entry. Order on the page follows source readiness and content sequence, not quality or preference.
Suggest a vendor or correction
Send factual corrections to editorial@statwharf.com. Corrections are free. For inclusion or placement enquiries, contact partnerships.
First published October 2026. Page update dates reflect editorial changes, not a fresh check of every vendor.