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AfterShip vs Zoho Inventory

AfterShip and Zoho Inventory are both inventory & shipping tools. AfterShip is aimed at E-commerce and small businesses, while Zoho Inventory is aimed at small businesses and E-commerce. AfterShip costs less, from $29/mo versus $39/mo for Zoho Inventory. Both have a free plan.

AfterShip

Shipment tracking, returns and post-purchase suite for online stores

Zoho Inventory

Multichannel inventory and order management for small businesses

PricingFreemium · $29Freemium · $39
Starting price$29/mo$39/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial7 days14 days
Built forE-commerce, Small businesses, EnterpriseSmall businesses, E-commerce
Platformsweb, ios, androidweb, ios, android, windows
Country—IN
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 Zoho Inventory if

Small ecommerce sellers and wholesalers on up to a few thousand orders a month who want stock synced across marketplaces, ideally alongside Zoho Books.

  • Free plan is usable for very small sellers
  • Per-organization pricing instead of per-seat billing
  • Wide marketplace and carrier integrations out of the box

Look elsewhere if: Manufacturers needing bills of materials and production planning, or larger multi-brand retailers (Katana or Cin7).

AfterShip vs Zoho Inventory 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

Zoho Inventory

  • Free$050 orders/mo, 1 user, 1 location
  • Standard$39/mo$29 billed annually; 500 orders/mo, 3 users, 2 locations
  • Premium$99/mo$79 billed annually; 3,000 orders/mo, 5 users, 4 locations
  • Plus$159/mo$129 billed annually; 7,500 orders/mo, 10 users, 6 locations
  • Enterprise$299/mo$249 billed annually; 15,000 orders/mo, 10 locations

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

Zoho Inventory · Key features

  • Stock tracking across multiple warehouses with transfer orders
  • Serial number and batch tracking with expiry dates
  • Sync with Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart and WooCommerce
  • Shipping labels and rates via UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL and Easyship
  • Composite items and assemblies for kits and bundles
  • Reorder points, low-stock alerts and purchase orders to vendors

Cons

  • Monthly order caps force upgrades for growing stores
  • No real manufacturing features like MRP or production scheduling
  • Advanced warehousing is a paid add-on at higher cost

AfterShip vs Zoho Inventory: FAQ

Which is cheaper, AfterShip or Zoho Inventory?

AfterShip starts at $29/mo and Zoho Inventory at $39/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do AfterShip and Zoho Inventory have a free plan?

Yes, both AfterShip and Zoho Inventory have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?