You might have an incredible online store with top-notch products, beautiful design, and a masterful user experience. But if your shipping falls short, it could undermine your entire business.
Shipping is the culmination of your customers’ interaction with your brand—the “final mile” that delivers your company into their hands. This makes your shipping tools and processes crucial to running a successful company.
The challenge? Knowing which option is best for your business. In this article, we’ll compare Shopify Shipping vs. ShipStation, breaking down everything you need to know to choose between these platforms. You’ll discover key pros and cons and tips on selecting the right one based on your unique business needs.
Shopify Shipping vs. ShipStation: overview
Both Shopify Shipping and ShipStation offer excellent benefits for store owners, with many similar features and offerings. Your choice ultimately depends on your specific needs.
ShipStation excels for larger businesses selling through multiple channels, like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart, in addition to the online storefront. However, many users report a steep learning curve, which might not justify the extra cost and labor resources if you’re unsure if they best suit your needs.
Shopify comes pre-configured with tons of features to make shipping and selling easier. Shopify’s vast app ecosystem, with more than 7,000 apps, helps businesses of all sizes—from new startups to international brands—configure the right tech stack for their needs.
For some ecommerce business owners, choosing between Shopify Shipping and ShipStation can be a close call.
Shopify’s native shipping tools
Shopify Shipping, included in every Shopify account, regardless of subscription level, offers several key benefits:
- All-in-one platform: Manage daily order fulfillment in the same place where you handle products, inventory, marketing campaigns, and customer data.
- Faster order fulfillment: Buy and print shipping labels within the platform, allowing you to prepare packages in advance and avoid post office lines.
- Streamlined tasks: Customize your shipping setup with features like bulk order fulfillment, USPS SCAN form creation, and pickup scheduling through top carriers like UPS, USPS, and DHL Express.
- In-app tracking: Check shipment status inside Shopify, eliminating the need to log into third-party sites or sort through multiple information sources.
- International carrier options: Ship globally with international shipping discounts and built-in customs forms, all accessible from your Shopify dashboard.
- Optional insurance coverage: When buying shipping labels, add extra insurance for higher-risk or higher-value packages. Shopify Payments customers automatically receive $200 shipping insurance on each eligible label at no cost.
ShipStation’s key features
ShipStation’s main appeal lies in its standalone shipping platform, which integrates multiple sales channels, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and accounting platforms, and inventory management systems (IMS).
- Multichannel support: Integrate with more than 70 ecommerce channels to consolidate and manage your multichannel activity in one place.
- Advanced automation: Set preferred criteria for automatic actions. For example, assign specific carriers and shipping services based on order weight, choose default settings for international shipments, insure specific orders, and adjust live carrier rates for customers at checkout.
- Order management: Combine multiple orders sent to the same address, split orders with items going to different locations, and apply filters based on criteria like tags, destinations, and stores.
- Batch shipping: Sort shipments into customized groups based on preset criteria and bulk print up to 500 labels. Organize workflows for other users, such as assigning specific batches to a particular user for processing.
- Proactive alerts: Receive notifications for situations that require extra attention, such as order combinations, stock replenishment based on preset thresholds, and more.
Pricing
Shopify Shipping is included with any Shopify plan, from the $5 per month Starter plan to the $299 per month Advanced plan. This cost stays constant, and you don’t need to upgrade to access any of Shopify Shipping’s native functionality, making it a cost-effective way to reduce shipping expenses.
ShipStation, as a standalone platform (or available as a Shopify app), requires a separate subscription. ShipStation’s monthly plans are:
- ShippingEasy: Free for up to 25 shipments per month
- Starter: $9.99 for up to 50 shipments per month
- Bronze: $29.99 for up to 500 shipments
- Silver: $59.99 for up to 1,000 shipments
- Gold: $99.99 for up to 2,000 shipments
- Platinum: $149.99 for up to 5,000 shipments
- Enterprise: $229.99 for up to 7,500 shipments
Like most paid apps, your access to features depends on your subscription tier. Check ShipStation’s pricing page for details on which plan includes the features you need.
Shipping discounts
Both tools offer special discounted rates with specific partners. Shopify provides up to 88% off shipping rates with USPS, UPS, and DHL Express.
ShipStation offers similar discounts. Customers with a ShipStation UPS account can receive up to:
- 83% discounts on daily rates
- 77% discounts on UPS Ground
- 72% discounts on next-day and second-day air services for eligible packages
Both platforms offer resources to help calculate shipping rates. For more information, check out the Shopify Shipping Rate Calculator and shipping rates resources.
These discounts provide an ongoing benefit for your business, allowing you to offer competitive shipping options like flat-rate or free shipping. This can help you stay competitive in your niche and satisfy customers, encouraging repeat business.
Affordable shipping is crucial in today’s ecommerce landscape. A recent report found that 62% of customers won’t purchase from retailers without free shipping, and almost half would spend more to reach the minimum amount required for free shipping.
Shipping carriers
While both Shopify Shipping and ShipStation offer high discounts, they differ in the number of shipping carriers available.
Shopify Shipping works with popular global shipping carriers, including:
- UPS
- USPS
- DHL Express
- DPD
- Canada Post
- Evri (formerly Hermes)
- Sendle
- Chronopost
- Colissimo
- Correos
- Mondial Relay
- Poste Italiane
- FedEx by Shippo
If you need additional carriers, consider using another tool or an app from the Shopify ecosystem. ShipStation, for example, partners with more than 50 carriers worldwide, including Parcelforce Worldwide, Purolator, GlobalPost, Canpar Express, and Loomis Express.
Automation and efficiency: Which service saves more time?
Both Shopify Shipping and ShipStation offer order-importing features and automation rules. However, ShipStation’s automation is more limited and relies on integrations with other tools.
Shopify Shipping integrates directly with Shopify Flow within your Shopify admin, allowing you to use shipping-related activities as triggers and customize actions. For example:
- When a customer pays for expedited shipping, email your warehouse team to prioritize the order.
- When a loyal customer makes their third purchase, use the Scribeless app to send them a handwritten thank you note.
User experience and interface comparison
Both Shopify and ShipStation offer user-friendly interfaces designed for easy shipping management. Instructions are clear and easy to locate, making either option suitable for those who aren’t tech-savvy or plan to train employees on shipping software.
Shopify Shipping’s main advantage is its integration with the Shopify admin. You can print shipping labels, generate packing slips, and track items without leaving the familiar Shopify dashboard.
Integration with ecommerce platforms
Shopify Shipping is part of the broader Shopify ecommerce platform. It serves as your central dashboard for all ecommerce activities, housing your inventory and product data that syncs across various sales channels—from social media storefronts to online marketplaces and in-person sales with Shopify POS.
With Shopify, you can create your own ecommerce website, process payments through Shopify Payments, and choose from thousands of apps in the Shopify App Store to customize your online selling experience. This means you don’t need to look for an ecommerce platform integration with Shopify Shipping—it’s already built-in.
ShipStation, conversely, is a specialized shipping platform. While it doesn’t offer its ecommerce functionality to create online storefronts and process payments, it integrates with popular platforms, including:
- Shopify and Shopify
- Amazon
- eBay
- Squarespace
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
Most of these integrations are straightforward to set up, with documentation guiding you through the process. Remember that integrating two separate platforms typically means paying a monthly subscription fee.
Customer ratings
On G2, a leading software review and comparison site, Shopify and ShipStation receive similar scores. More than 4,500 customers have given Shopify a 4.4 rating, while just over 500 reviewers have given ShipStation a score of 4.3 out of 5 stars.
The final verdict on ShipStation vs. Shopify Shipping
Both shipping options offer features that can benefit your business. Your choice depends on whether ShipStation’s specific features outweigh the costs—both the financial cost of an additional app and the time investment in learning a new system.
Careful research and critical thinking are necessary to weigh the benefits and costs. You may need some trial and error to find your ideal tech stack. However, once you perfect your shipping strategy, your business will be better positioned to achieve your goals.
Read more
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Shopify vs. ShipStation FAQ
Which is better, Shopify or ShipStation?
Both are excellent shipping systems. Shopify Shipping is typically cheaper and easier to set up for Shopify merchants, while ShipStation integrates with other platforms like BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Squarespace.
Is shipping cheaper through Shopify or ShipStation?
Shopify offers up to 88% discounts on shipping labels with USPS, UPS, and DHL. ShipStation offers savings of up to 83% on UPS daily rates.
Should I use UPS or USPS on Shopify?
Generally, it’s cheaper to ship large items with UPS and smaller packages with USPS. For international shipments, USPS is usually more affordable, but takes longer. You can use Shopify Shipping’s discounted labels to ship internationally faster with UPS.
