Pirate Ship vs ShipStation
Pirate Ship and ShipStation are both inventory & shipping tools. Pirate Ship is aimed at small businesses and freelancers, while ShipStation is aimed at E-commerce and small businesses. Only Pirate Ship has a free plan.
Pirate Ship
Free access to the cheapest USPS and UPS rates
ShipStation
Multi-carrier shipping and order management
| Pricing | Free | Paid · $15 |
| Starting price | Not published | $14.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | — | 30 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Freelancers | E-commerce, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2014 | US · 2011 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Pirate Ship if
US small sellers.
- Completely free software
- Cheapest rates
- Friendly support
Look elsewhere if: International or complex fulfillment.
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).
Pirate Ship vs ShipStation pricing
Pirate Ship
- Free$0No monthly fees or markup; pay postage only
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
Pirate Ship · Key features
- Discounted USPS and UPS rates
- No fees or markups
- Batch label printing
- Order imports
- Tracking emails
- Simple pricing
Cons
- US only
- Limited carriers
- Fewer automations
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
Pirate Ship vs ShipStation: FAQ
Do Pirate Ship and ShipStation have a free plan?
Pirate Ship has a free plan. ShipStation has no free plan, a 30-day free trial.