AfterShip vs Square
AfterShip and Square are both E-commerce tools. AfterShip is aimed at E-commerce and small businesses, while Square is aimed at small businesses. AfterShip costs less, from $29/mo versus $49/mo for Square. Both have a free plan.
Shipment tracking, returns and post-purchase suite for online stores
Payments and POS for small businesses
| Pricing | Freemium · $29 | Freemium · $49 |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days | — |
| Built for | E-commerce, Small businesses, Enterprise | Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | — | US · 2009 |
| 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 Square if
Small brick-and-mortar businesses in supported countries.
- Free POS software
- Simple flat-rate pricing
- All-in-one for small businesses
Look elsewhere if: Online-only SaaS (Stripe).
AfterShip vs Square 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
Square
- Square Free$0In-person 2.6% + 15¢, online 3.3% + 30¢
- Square Plus$49/location/moIn-person 2.5% + 15¢, online 2.9% + 30¢
- Square Premium$149/location/moLowest fees: in-person 2.4% + 15¢, online 2.9% + 30¢
- Square ProCustomFor businesses processing over $250K/year
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
Square · Key features
- POS software and hardware
- Online store and invoices
- Appointments and loyalty
- Payroll and team management
- Banking and loans
- Restaurant and retail features
Cons
- Limited country availability
- Fees higher than interchange-plus at scale
- Account holds possible
AfterShip vs Square: FAQ
Which is cheaper, AfterShip or Square?
AfterShip starts at $29/mo and Square at $49/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do AfterShip and Square have a free plan?
Yes, both AfterShip and Square have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.