Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation: A Full Comparison

You may have the most amazing online store ever, with premium goods, exquisite design, an exquisite user experience, and more. However, insufficient shipping might spell the end for your business. Choosing a reliable shipping provider is essential to launching an online store.

Today, we introduce you to Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation, two well-known services. It might be challenging to choose between them even since they are both excellent.

In this post, we’ll compare Shipstation vs Shopify Shipping to review all the aspects you need to decide between the two services. 

Quick verdict: 

 

 

1. Key difference between Shopify Shipping and ShipStation

Shopify Shipping is Shopify’s integrated shipping solution. You can print shipping labels directly from the platform and take advantage of cheaper shipping costs.

 

ShipStation is a shipping software for ecommerce merchants. It offers a shipping cost calculator and many other time-saving features. With an app in the Shopify App Store, Shopify merchants can easily install it into your store and start shipping with many perks it offers.

 

The following are the key differences between Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation: 

• Shopify Shipping is exclusive to Shopify users, whereas ShipStation interfaces with several significant eCommerce platforms, including Shopify.
• While Shopify Shipping does not automate many procedures, ShipStation does.
• While Shopify Shipping computes taxes during checkout, ShipStation offers a separate tax calculator.
• While Shopify offers only three main price options, ShipStation offers six. Shopify’s Basic plan and the three cheapest plans from ShipStation are good for solopreneurs just starting out. Next, the Shopify plan and the following higher plans from ShipStation are suitable for growing stores. Finally, both options have the highest plans built for high-volume businesses.

2. Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation: A Deep Dive Comparison

Now that you have a gasp of Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation, let’s put them against each other to see how they differ and stand out in their unique aspects.

	Shopify Shipping	ShipStation	The verdict
Price	Shopify Shipping is included with every Shopify plan	ShipStation is a stand-alone platform with monthly plan pricing starting at $9.99	Shopify Shipping🏆
Key Shipping Features	Manage your items, inventory, and customers under one dashboard. Use the shipping label feature. Create USPS SCAN forms and customize your shipping configuration. Upgrade your insurance coverage when purchasing shipping labels.	Over 70 e-commerce channels integrations. Designate desired automation criteria.  Print up to 500 labels in bulk.	Shipstation 🏆
Shipping Couriers	UPS, USPS, DHL, Express, Post Canada.	USPS, UPS, FedEx, DPD, Stamps.com	Shipstation 🏆
Shipping Discounts	Discounts of up to 88% with USPS, 83% with UPS, and 80% with DHL Express.	86% on daily costs, 55% off with UPS Ground, 69% off next-day and second-day air services on qualified packages.	Tie 🤝
Taxes	Automatically calculate taxes	Automatically calculate taxes	Tie 🤝
Analytics & Reporting	Access Shopify’s analytics and run reports on a wide range of data.	Reports on various data	Shopify Shipping🏆
Customer Support	Comprehensive and fast responses and support are available	Comprehensive and fast responses and support are available	Tie 🤝

2.1. ShipStation vs Shopify Shipping price

One of the main advantages of Shopify Shipping is that it’s included with every Shopify pricing plan. Which means it doesn’t matter whether you’re on the $5/month Starter plan, the $29/month Basic plan, the $79/month Shopify plan, or the $299/month Advanced plan, you always get the full benefit of Shopify Shipping amazing features.

 

However, as ShipStation is a stand-alone platform (or available as ShipStation Shopify app for Shopify customers), you will have to pay for access to it. The following is the monthly plan pricing for ShipStation:

• ShippingEasy: Free with 25 shipments per month limit
• Starter: $9.99 per month with 50 shipments per month limit
• Bronze: $29.99 with a 500 shipment limit
• Silver: $59.99 with a 1,000 shipment limit
• Gold: $99.99 with a 2,000 shipment limit
• Platinum: $149.99 with a 5,000 shipment limit
• Enterprise: $229.99 with a 7,500 shipment limit
• High volume: Quoted with unlimited shipments per month

It’s also important to remember that the features you may access will vary based on your membership tier.

✨ The verdict: Shopify Shipping won in this Shipstation vs Shopify Shipping cost comparison. You must subscribe to one of its pricing plans, the lowest being $5/ month. That’s a cheaper starting point than ShipStation can offer. 

2.2. Shipping Features

 

This is one of the most critical aspects you need to consider. Both offer basic features that will facilitate your shipping service. In addition, each option provides several unique and advanced features.

Shopify Shipping

ShipStation

Manage your items, inventory, and customers under one dashboard while managing daily order fulfillment. Use the shipping label feature, which allows you to purchase and print mailing labels within the platform, to prepare goods ahead of time and avoid post office lineups. Create USPS SCAN forms, arrange pickups from reputable carriers like UPS, USPS, and DHL Express, and customize your shipping configuration with options like these. With built-in customs forms and international shipping savings, you can ship your items to consumers worldwide from within your Shopify dashboard. Monitor the status of your cargo using the Shopify platform, regardless of the carrier. You can upgrade your insurance coverage when purchasing shipping labels for any item placed on the platform. Shopify Payments customers are entitled to free shipping insurance of $200 for each qualifying label. On Shopify, shipping labels may be purchased and printed in large quantities.

With over 70 e-commerce channels integrated, ShipStation offers you great flexibility and versatility when managing your multi-channel activities in one location. Designate desired automation criteria. You can also automatically establish specific carriers and shipping services based on an order’s weight. Divide orders with goods heading to separate places, combine numerous orders delivered to the same address, and mix and match different filters depending on stores, destinations, and tags. Print up to 500 labels in bulk at once and organize shipments into personalized groups according to your predetermined criteria.  Manage other users’ processes inside your account by designating particular batches to be processed by a specific user. View orders at any point during the process, edit and import them, sort them using various criteria, and set up personalized notifications.  When stock has to be refilled based on a predetermined threshold, whether or not to combine shipments and other scenarios that may require extra care, ShipStation provides proactive notifications.

✨ The verdict: ShipStation outshines Shopify Shipping here because it offers more advanced features, especially the automation feature that Shopify Shipping needs to improve.

2.3. Shipping Couriers

 

Both ShipStation and Shopify Shipping partners with trustworthy shipping couriers. Check the table below to see if the one you are looking for is available.

Shopify Shipping	ShipStation
A few couriers are used by Shopify Shipping, including: UPS  USPS DHL E Express Post Canada Depending on the courier you select, they may be able to negotiate a better deal.	ShipStation offers a variety of couriers, including several well-known international couriers. They provide reasonable discounts, sometimes as much as 78% off.  Among the well-known couriers are: USPS UPS FedEx DPD Stamps.com

✨ The verdict: Shopify Shipping has fewer couriers available than at ShipStation. That’s why ShipStation stands out in this aspect.

2.4. Shipping Discounts

 

Certain partners offer special discounts on both tools. Shopify, for instance, offers delivery discounts of up to 88% with USPS, 83% with UPS, and 80% with DHL Express. If you want to check all the information you need about Shopify carriers, this source would be helpful

 

ShipStation provides comparable discounts. According to the company’s website, customers who open a ShipStation UPS account can save up to 86% on daily costs.

Besides, you can get up to 77% off UPS Ground rates, up to 83% off UPS® International and up to 89% off USPS Retail Prices.

You can compute shipping prices with the resources available on both platforms.

✨ The verdict: It is a tie as both offer valuable discount rates to help you save more money.

2.5. Taxes

Taxes are one thing that will affect your shipping process smoothness. To facilitate that, ShipStation vs Shopify Shipping gives you the tool to automatically calculate taxes and give you free hassle when shipping abroad.

Shopify Shipping	ShipStation
The tax calculation happens automatically when you reach the label printing step. Costs will be calculated considering package size, weight, and carrier choice. If you wish to ship overseas, you must be on the Advanced Shopify plan to collect import taxes and duties at checkout.	Calculate expenses with ShipStation’s rate calculator. This is a lot simpler with the calculator, especially when you want to ship a package abroad. You can select a courier for every shipping, input the parcel’s size, and fill in the postal code.

✨ The verdict: As they offer the reliable and necessary tools you need to fulfill this task effectively, they are tied in this battle.

2.6. Analytics and Reporting

 

Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation focus on offering you comprehensive and detailed reports. Thus, you can be assured to collect all the necessary data to improve your service down the road with each of them.

Shopify Shipping	ShipStation
Since Shopify accounts are required to utilize Shopify Shipping, you can access Shopify’s analytics and run reports on a wide range of data. You can generate shipping data and display a real-time globe-shaped user view on your website to determine the number of clients making overseas purchases.	Reports on various data may be generated to verify worldwide sales, such as low-stock reports and country-by-country comparisons.  To determine how many consumers interact with your messages (such as opening shipment notice emails), you can measure customer engagement.

✨ The verdict: Shopify has excellent reporting, which is a strength of the platform. Its level of detail makes managing accounting for your business much easier than with ShipStation. So, Shopify Shipping wins!

2.7. Customer Support

 

If you ever need help when using Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation, no need to worry as they are always there to support you in various ways, from live support to tutorials.

Shopify Shipping	ShipStation
You can reach customer service at Shopify by email, live chat, or by asking for a callback.  There is fantastic community support where members are kind and reasonably responsive. The knowledge base is also excellent, with many articles for novice users covering shipping, taxes, and other related issues.	ShipStation offers excellent customer service. You can reach them by email or live chat, depending on your plan.  The customer service representatives are helpful and kind. A valuable knowledge base includes a section dedicated to integrations with your eCommerce platform and a Help Guide for new users.  The workflow recommendations are helpful if you wish to maximize the platform’s potential.

✨ The verdict: In this last aspect, it is a tie for both of them. Comprehensive and fast responses and support are available to help you solve any type of issue.

3. Key takeaways

Now that we have gone through the side-by-side comparison, you may find your favorite one. But if you are still unsure, let’s check out both pros and cons to answer:  “Is Shopify Shipping better than ShipStation?”

	Pros	Cons
Shopify Shipping	✅ Easy to set up shipping rates ✅ Good analytics and reporting ✅ Great branding options ✅ All in one platform if you already use Shopify ✅ Some discounts available with certain couriersy	❌ Limited couriers to choose from ❌ Only works for Shopify users ❌ Shopify POS’s offline functionality may be restricted during internet outages.
ShipStation	✅ A decent range of couriers to choose from, with discounted rates ✅ Easy-to-use platform with good guides on how to get started ✅ Integrates with a range of popular eCommerce platforms ✅ Good analytics and reporting ✅ Easy to set up branding	❌ Interfaces need improvement

Have you made up your mind yet? We know it is hard to pick one over the other as each is filled with many benefits and some minor flaws, too. Depend on your needs, each shipping service might be the better option compared to the other. See below to find out:

✨ Choose Shopify Shipping if: 

• You are a Shopify user, consider Shopify Shipping. It’s integrated within the site, and depending on the couriers you choose, you can get some decent savings. 
• A small business with a moderate staff might find it more straightforward to stay on one platform, which Shopify Shipping enables.

 

✨ Choose ShipStation if:

• Larger companies will benefit from looking at ShipStation because of how much time it may save. You’re not restricted to Shopify, which offers you a lot more platform freedom when it comes to eCommerce, and they provide a more comprehensive selection of couriers.

💡 Tip: If you are consider using Shopify as a unitfied solution to both online storefront & shipping services, consider reading our guide on Shopify vs other platforms to decide whether Shopify is the right choice!

4. Conclusion

If you sift through the specifics, you will likely discover many useful aspects of each tool. Ultimately, it boils down to whether ShipStation or Shopify Shipping offers the capabilities you want and whether they are worth the money and effort.

Finding the right tech stack may require trial and error, study, and critical thought to balance the costs and rewards. But one thing is sure: after identifying your sweet spot, your business will be better and more efficient in achieving all your objectives.

Visit ecomstart.io regularly as we update new articles every week about ecommerce insights & helpful information to kickstart your online business!

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