ShipStation vs Shippo: Which Shipping App Should Your Shopify Store Use?

For most Shopify stores that pack and ship their own orders, ShippoShippoShipping and returnsShippo lets stores buy discounted shipping labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and other carriers, sync orders from their sales channels and print labels in bulk. Free plan, paid from $19/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis is the better value: it has a free plan for up to 30 labels a month, and its paid Pro plan costs less than ShipStationShipStationShipping and returnsShipStation is shipping software that pulls orders from your stores and marketplaces into one place so you can compare carrier rates and print labels in bulk. Paid from $14.99/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis at every published volume we compared. ShipStation is the better pick if you sell across several channels, need more carriers or user seats, or want inventory and warehouse tools in the same app.

Quick comparison

*Ratings as listed on the Shopify App Store in November 2026.

Pricing compared

Both apps charge a monthly subscription that rises with how much you ship. Postage is separate.

ShippoShippoShipping and returnsShippo lets stores buy discounted shipping labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and other carriers, sync orders from their sales channels and print labels in bulk. Free plan, paid from $19/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis (from its pricing page and help center):

• Starter: free, up to 30 labels a month, 1 user. Using your own carrier account costs 5¢ per label.
• Pro, billed monthly, by expected labels a month: $19 (31–200), $29 (201–500), $54 (501–1,000), $79 (1,001–2,500), $139 (2,501–5,000), $199 (5,001–10,000). Above 10,000, the help center says to contact Shippo, and the pricing page lists $0.08 per label beyond 10,000 a month. Annual billing is 10% off; for the $19 tier that is $205 a year, about $17 a month.
• Premier: contact sales; unlimited labels, an account manager and an uptime SLA.

ShipStationShipStationShipping and returnsShipStation is shipping software that pulls orders from your stores and marketplaces into one place so you can compare carrier rates and print labels in bulk. Paid from $14.99/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis (from its pricing page), monthly prices by shipments a month:

Standard and Premium have more tiers in between. ShipStation's help center says a shipment counts any label you create, any fulfillment, or any order marked as shipped. The pricing page shows 20% savings on annual billing but does not say whether the listed prices are monthly or annual rates, so check the toggle.

What it costs at three volumes

Monthly billing, published prices only:

At 25 labels a month, Shippo Starter is $0. ShipStation's smallest tier is $14.99 for 50 shipments.

The comparison that matters is often Shippo Pro against ShipStation Standard, because using your own negotiated carrier accounts needs Standard or higher on ShipStation, while it is free on Shippo Pro. On that basis Shippo costs less than half as much at 150 and 1,000 labels a month.

Features compared

What both do: import orders from Shopify and other channels, give discounted labels from the major carriers, print labels in bulk, run shipping automations, create return labels and track shipments.

Where ShipStationShipStationShipping and returnsShipStation is shipping software that pulls orders from your stores and marketplaces into one place so you can compare carrier rates and print labels in bulk. Paid from $14.99/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis is stronger:

• More channels and carriers. Unlimited store connections, including Shopify, Amazon, Walmart and TikTok Shop, and discounted rates from 200+ carriers with automated rate shopping.
• Automation rules to tag, batch and route orders.
• Returns portal. Branded tracking pages and a returns and exchanges portal from Standard up.
• Inventory and warehouse tools. Premium adds inventory, purchase orders and warehouse picking.
• High volume. Published tiers go to 100,000 shipments a month.

Where ShippoShippoShipping and returnsShippo lets stores buy discounted shipping labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and other carriers, sync orders from their sales channels and print labels in bulk. Free plan, paid from $19/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis is stronger:

• Free starting plan with discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL Express labels, unlimited store connections, international shipping, automations, return labels, tracking and reporting.
• Pro features at a low price: pick lists and scan-to-print, AI-powered delivery estimates, branded tracking pages, notification emails and packing slips, free use of your own carrier accounts, and chat and phone support.
• More users on Pro as you grow: 5 users at the $19 tier, rising to 300 at the $139 tier and above.

Who should choose Shippo

ShippoShippoShipping and returnsShippo lets stores buy discounted shipping labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and other carriers, sync orders from their sales channels and print labels in bulk. Free plan, paid from $19/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis fits:

• New and small stores shipping under 30 labels a month, which can stay on the free plan.
• Single-channel or simple multichannel stores that want branded tracking, packing slips and pick lists without paying ShipStation Standard prices.
• Stores with their own carrier accounts, since Pro includes them at no extra cost.

Watch out: Shippo moves you up a tier automatically once you buy a label beyond your allowance; the change takes effect next billing cycle. Fees are prepaid, and Shippo gives no refunds for downgrades or cancellations before the cycle ends, including on annual plans. Non-US address validation costs extra (9¢ on Starter, 8¢ on Pro).

Who should choose ShipStation

ShipStationShipStationShipping and returnsShipStation is shipping software that pulls orders from your stores and marketplaces into one place so you can compare carrier rates and print labels in bulk. Paid from $14.99/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis fits:

• Multichannel sellers shipping from Shopify plus marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart and TikTok Shop.
• Teams that need more seats at low volume: Standard includes 10 users even at 50 shipments a month.
• Stores that want a returns portal and inventory tools in their shipping software, rather than separate apps.
• High-volume shippers above 10,000 shipments a month who want published prices instead of a sales quote.

Watch out: the Starter plan is $14.99 for only 50 shipments and does not let you use your own carrier accounts beyond a couple of freight options. ShipStation's help center also notes possible add-on or per-shipment fees by region. Because a shipment includes orders marked as shipped, check how your workflow will be counted.

Which one should you choose?

• Choose ShippoShippoShipping and returnsShippo lets stores buy discounted shipping labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and other carriers, sync orders from their sales channels and print labels in bulk. Free plan, paid from $19/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis if you ship under 10,000 labels a month, mostly from Shopify, and want the lowest price with branded tracking and your own carrier accounts.
• Choose ShipStationShipStationShipping and returnsShipStation is shipping software that pulls orders from your stores and marketplaces into one place so you can compare carrier rates and print labels in bulk. Paid from $14.99/mo, 30-day trial.Click for Scout's full analysis if you sell on several marketplaces, need 200+ carriers, a returns portal or inventory and warehouse tools, or ship at very high volume.
• Start with a trial either way. Both offer 30 days.

For tracking pages and returns software that sit on top of either app, see our roundup of the best order tracking and returns apps for Shopify.

Common questions

Is Shippo cheaper than ShipStation? At the volumes we compared, yes. At 1,000 labels a month, Shippo Pro is $54 against $79.99 for ShipStation Starter and $149.99 for Standard, billed monthly. Postage is extra with both.

Does ShipStation have a free plan? The ShipStation pricing page we read lists no free plan, only a 30-day free trial with no credit card. A ShipStation help article does describe a Free plan in some regions, so check what is offered where you are.

Can I use my own UPS or FedEx account? On Shippo, yes on every plan: 5¢ per label on Starter and free on Pro. On ShipStation, bringing your own carrier accounts requires Standard or Premium.

What counts as a shipment on ShipStation? ShipStation's help center says any label created, any fulfillment, or any order marked as shipped counts toward your monthly shipment limit.

How we put this together

We did not test ShipStation or Shippo hands-on. All prices and features come from the companies' own pages, read in November 2026: ShipStation's pricing page and help center articles on plans and shipment fees, Shippo's pricing page and its subscription plan overview in the help center, and both apps' Shopify App Store listings. Ratings are as listed on the Shopify App Store in November 2026. The cost tables are our arithmetic on published monthly prices. Prices and tiers change, so confirm them for your volume before you sign up.