AfterShip vs ShipStation
AfterShip and ShipStation are both inventory & shipping tools aimed at E-commerce and small businesses. ShipStation costs less, from $14.99/mo versus $29/mo for AfterShip. Only AfterShip has a free plan.
Shipment tracking, returns and post-purchase suite for online stores
Multi-carrier shipping and order management
| Pricing | Freemium · $29 | Paid · $15 |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $14.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 7 days | 30 days |
| Built for | E-commerce, Small businesses, Enterprise | E-commerce, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web |
| Country | — | US · 2011 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose AfterShip if
Shopify and multi-channel ecommerce brands shipping thousands of orders a year that want branded tracking and fewer support tickets.
- Very wide carrier coverage for cross-border sellers
- Measurably cuts where-is-my-order support tickets
- Deep Shopify integration with a free starter app plan
Look elsewhere if: Merchants mainly looking for discounted shipping labels (Shippo, ShipStation) or an all-in-one EU shipping tool (Sendcloud).
Choose ShipStation if
SMB and mid-size e-commerce sellers shipping hundreds to thousands of orders a month.
- Broadest marketplace and carrier integrations
- Powerful automation for high volume
- Discounted rates included
Look elsewhere if: Occasional shippers (Pirate Ship) or EU-centric stores (Sendcloud).
AfterShip vs ShipStation pricing
AfterShip
- Free (Shopify app)$0Shopify App Store plan with 50 shipments a month
- Tracking Essentials$35/mo$29/mo billed yearly; 6,000 shipments/yr, $0.08 overage
- Tracking Premium$70/mo$59/mo billed yearly; 6,000 shipments/yr, API and webhooks
- EnterpriseCustomCustom volumes, SLAs and support
ShipStation
- Starterfrom $14.99/mo50 shipments/mo, 3 users; 20% off annually
- Standardfrom $29.99/mo50 shipments/mo, 10 users, unlimited automations
- Premiumfrom $349.99/mo50 shipments/mo, 15 users, advanced inventory
AfterShip · Key features
- Branded tracking pages with product recommendations
- Email and SMS delivery notifications across 1,300+ carriers
- AI-predicted estimated delivery dates on product and checkout pages
- Self-serve returns and exchanges portal (AfterShip Returns)
- Shipping labels and rate comparison (AfterShip Shipping)
- Shipping protection priced per declared order value
Cons
- Pricing differs between direct site and Shopify App Store
- API access requires Premium, not Essentials
- Overage fees per shipment add up during peak season
ShipStation · Key features
- Multi-channel order import and automation rules
- Rate comparison with discounted carrier rates
- Batch label printing and packing slips
- Branded tracking pages, emails and returns portal
- Inventory and multi-warehouse management
- Reporting and ShipStation API
Cons
- User limits per tier
- Interface feels dated
- Overkill for very low volume
AfterShip vs ShipStation: FAQ
Which is cheaper, AfterShip or ShipStation?
ShipStation starts at $14.99/mo and AfterShip at $29/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do AfterShip and ShipStation have a free plan?
AfterShip has a free plan. ShipStation has no free plan, a 30-day free trial.