Shippo vs ShipStation: Which Shipping Tool Wins?

If you’re running a dropshipping store, choosing the right shipping software can save you time and money. In this 2025 comparison, I’ll break down Shippo vs ShipStation so you know exactly which tool works best for your current stage—whether you’re just starting or scaling fast.

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Shippo vs ShipStation Key Features & Pricing Comparison

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Shippo vs ShipStation for Dropshipping

1. Shippo

Shippo is a functional SaaS platform that makes it easier for businesses to manage their order fulfillment process.

Undoubtedly, more than 35,000 e-commerce businesses have used the service since its founding in 2013, and they have all benefited from its shipment management capabilities.

In addition, the results are clear today as well. This order fulfilment software has 4.2/5 stars, with 70% of customers voting for 5 stars, on Trustpilot. Also, most of the comments show great customer service.

However, I always prefer to take a look at trustworthy software review websites, like Software Advice. So, according to Software Advice, Shippo is an excellent platform rated 4.8/5 stars.

Along with this, Shippo assists businesses with managing inventory, and shipping costs, and even building connections with companies like DHL.

Besides, Shippo simplifies fulfillment by creating a solid connection between your business and your shipping operations.

The platform is integrated with their online businesses via its customizable API. From there, they connect with some of the most well-known international carriers, like DHL, USPS (priority mail, etc.), UPS, FedEx, and many more.

How Does Shippo Work?

Firstly, Shippo will sync with your inventory once you have connected it to your website, and then it will keep track of your client’s orders.

Next, all client purchases are subsequently collected by the system, where you may organize carriers, create pre-paid shipping labels, and keep track of the status of your deliveries.

When you’re finished, Shippo sends all that data about order fulfillment back to your eCommerce database.

The platform also succeeds in updating your clients about any changes. Thus, since customers are constantly interested in the status of their orders, these monitoring capabilities translate to excellent customer service.

👉 Check out the Top 8 White Label Dropshipping Suppliers In the USA [+Tips & Products].

Now, the more important part of the Shippo vs ShipStation Review – the features!

Shippo Key Features

Ease of Use

Shippo continues to stand out for its clean and beginner-friendly interface.

Even if you’re just starting your dropshipping business, you’ll find it easy to navigate through the dashboard, track shipments, and print labels without any steep learning curve.

Setting it up is just as smooth—after creating your Shippo account, you can connect your store with a single link.

Whether you’re using Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce, Amazon, Etsy or eBay, Shippo pulls in your orders and lets you manage fulfillment from one place. You won’t find a cluttered interface here—just clear sections for Orders, Shipments, Settings, and Carrier Rates.

Order details such as product info, delivery addresses, carrier, and service type are easily accessible. Bulk label printing (100+ at once) and real-time ETA adjustments add to the robust order management suite.

In 2025, Shippo has added smart shipping automation tools that let you create rules to automatically choose the cheapest or fastest carrier based on region, product type, or past history—saving you even more time on repetitive tasks.

Order Management

Shippo’s biggest edge lies in its multi-carrier shipping access. In 2025, it supports over 50+ global carriers, including USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Canada Post, Evri (UK), and GlobalPost.

New in 2025:

• Veho integration for last-mile delivery
• Real-time webhook support for tracking with 1,000+ carriers worldwide
• Updated FedEx discounts: up to 35% off multiple FedEx services
• Canada Post discounts up to 65%

You also get deep discounts:

• Up to 88% off UPS International
• 84% off USPS retail
• 78% off GlobalPost Economy

In 2025, Shippo upgraded its Tracking API and webhook support, meaning if you’re running a custom store or app, you can now push live delivery updates to customers automatically.

Shippo Order Fulfillment Process

1. Connect Stores – Link your eCommerce platforms; syncs every 15 mins
2. Configure Defaults – Define packaging, carriers, and automation rules
3. Import Orders – Pulls real-time orders from all sales channels
4. Print Labels – Choose carrier, batch print up to 100+ labels
5. Ship & Notify – Shipment tracking and branded notifications sent to customers

Managing Carriers

Although Shippo is based in the U.S., it now supports over 85 global carriers in 2025.

This includes trusted names like USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Canada Post, Evri (UK), Australia Post, Aramex, and even Correios Brazil.

You’ll always be able to compare real-time shipping rates from all available carriers, so you can choose what’s best based on cost or delivery time. Some of the standout savings include:

• Up to 88% off UPS International
• Up to 84% off USPS retail prices
• Up to 78% off GlobalPost Economy
• Up to 29% off FedEx rates

With Shippo, you’ll always have options—even if you’re shipping globally or fulfilling niche orders from remote regions.

Integrations & Add-ons

Integrations & Add-ons

Shippo’s strength lies in how easily it integrates with other tools. It works seamlessly with Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, BigCommerce, Magento, Square, Squarespace, and major marketplaces like Walmart, Etsy, eBay, and Amazon.

In 2025, Shippo added even more integrations—including Squarespace Commerce, Square Online, Ecwid, and QuickBooks Commerce—making it even more accessible across various business models.

If you’re building a custom store or SaaS platform, Shippo offers a powerful Shipping API and Orders Endpoint so you can create your own tailored shipping workflows and automations.

Also, it integrates with:

• 40+ shipping carriers
• Zapier (for custom workflows)
• Veho, ShipBob, and GlobalPost for advanced shipping

The Orders Endpoint API allows developers to fully integrate Shippo into their own tech stack.

Automation Rules

Only available on Pro/Premier plans, Shippo’s automation features let you:

• Auto-assign carriers based on weight or location
• Pre-set default package types
• Tag orders as high priority
• Assign specific team members to handle certain types of orders

These rules are easy to set up using a simple IF/THEN logic builder, and Shippo claims automation reduces manual work by up to 50%.

Branded Customer Notifications

Paid plans allow you to customize the look and feel of tracking emails and shipment pages.

You can add your brand colors, logo, and custom messaging to enhance customer trust and communication.

Shippo Pricing

Maybe the most important advantage of Shippo vs Shipstation is the pricing. This platform has more flexible pricing plans.

Shippo offers three pricing plans: Free, Starter, and Premium.👇

1. Starter Plan – Free

Ideal for beginners and low-volume sellers, the Free Plan lets you ship up to 30 labels per month at no monthly cost.

You get:

• Best USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL Express discounts
• Unlimited store connections
• International shipping support
• Automations and return labels
• Shipment tracking and reporting
• Email support
• 1 user login
• Ability to connect your own carrier account for 5¢ per label

This plan is perfect for testing Shippo or running a small, growing store with modest fulfillment needs.

2. Pro Plan – Starts at $17/month (billed annually)

Designed for growing businesses, the Pro Plan supports up to 10,000 shipments per month and offers significantly more flexibility.

You’ll get:

• Everything in the Starter Plan, plus:
• Branded tracking emails, labels, and packing slips
• Chat and phone support
• Up to 5 user logins
• Free connection to your own carrier account

This plan is best for medium-scale operations that want professional branding and faster support.

3. Premier Plan – Custom Pricing

Built for enterprise-level merchants or fulfillment services, the Premier Plan unlocks maximum scale and dedicated support.

It includes:

• Everything in the Pro Plan, plus:
• Dedicated account manager
• 15+ user logins
• Unlimited monthly shipments
• Custom onboarding and priority support

You’ll need to contact the Shippo sales team for a tailored quote based on your shipping volume and business requirements.

Shippo Pros And Cons

2. ShipStation

ShipStation is a cloud-based shipping software that helps eCommerce sellers streamline order fulfillment. It integrates with over 180 platforms like Shopify, Amazon, and eBay, and supports major carriers like USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL.

Users can import orders, print shipping labels, track shipments, and automate tasks like notifications and returns—all from one dashboard.

It also offers branded tracking pages and mobile access. Ideal for businesses of any size, ShipStation saves time, cuts costs with discounted shipping rates, and simplifies multi-channel shipping operations.

Moreover, according to Software Advice, ShipStation is rated 4.6/5 with the aim of great ease of use, customer support, functionality, and integration options.

On Trustpilot, the platform is rated with 3/5 stars. So, most of the users complain about customer support. However, shipping the product and the managing process is excellent.

How Does ShipStation work?

First, ShipStation imports orders from an integrated order source, such as an eCommerce website.

By selecting “Update All Stores” from the menu on the account site, you can add any orders that customers make through one of your shipping channels to ShipStation. What’s more, you can also choose to only import orders from a specific store.

Then, after importing the order into the software, you may choose the shipping service and carrier for the package, generate postage estimates, and print a shipping label.

Following that, ShipStation notifies your customer and the selling channel of the shipping details and offers tools for tracking shipments and handling returns.

ShipStation Features

Ease Of Use

ShipStation is unquestionably more sophisticated than Shippo, but more complicated as well.

However, the same factor that makes it more complicated due to its steep learning curve also makes it more advanced.

However, ShipStation provides an automatic onboarding assistant that helps with system training at some level.

What’s more, it should not be surprising that ShipStation smoothly interacts with the majority of online businesses and selling channels given its sophisticated features.

Furthermore, ShipStation is also a very adaptable platform that offers a wide range of connections with different selling channels.

ShipStation’s newly updated UI (mandatory from 2025) is more powerful but comes with a steeper learning curve. It’s ideal for teams who are already familiar with shipping logistics.

The platform now includes:

• Onboarding assistant
• Pinable columns in the order grid
• Toggleable multi-line order previews
• Scan-to-Verify & Scan-to-Print features

Order Management

ShipStation’s automation is where it shines:

• Service Mapping: Applies the correct shipping method based on checkout selection
• Automation Rules: Auto-apply actions (like choosing carrier) based on defined order criteria
• Product Automation: Bulk assign shipping preferences by SKU
• Auto-Split Orders: Ship different parts of an order from different warehouses

The platform supports creating manual orders, uploading CSVs, and pulling from 100+ channels. Orders can be filtered by tags, store, location, and more.

Additionally, you may manually make orders, upload a CSV, utilize an API, or connect a selling channel to sync as many orders as you like across as many sources as you require.

ShipStation Order Fulfillment

1. Import Orders – Supports 100+ integrations and manual CSV import
2. Automation & Rules – Applies auto-routing, service mapping, product-based presets
3. Scan, Weigh, Pack – Use barcode scan tools to verify and pack
4. Label Creation – Create batch labels (up to 500+ at once)
5. Tracking & Returns – Syncs tracking with stores, manages returns through portal

Carrier Management

ShipStation integrates with 70+ carriers, including:

• USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL
• Hermes, Royal Mail, Canada Post
• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

You also get access to Automated Rate Shopper (on High-Volume plans), which compares rates and chooses the cheapest shipping method for each order.

Discounts include:

• 40%+ USPS
• 77% UPS Ground
• 88% UPS International
• 29% off FedEx
• 72–78% off GlobalPost services

As a result, significant carriers including Hermes, DHL, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Canada Post, Royal Mail, UPS, and FedEx have teamed up with ShipStation. Basically, you’ll have access to a wide range of domestic and foreign options.

Furthermore, ShipStation has a tool for comparing the real-time rates of the carriers.

Nevertheless, sending your package through USPS entitles you to get low prices due to a partnership between the two businesses. DHL Express, FedEx Advantage Program, Hermes, and GlobalPost are additional alternatives for discounts.

Inventory Management

New in 2025, ShipStation now syncs real-time inventory across Shopify, eBay, Amazon, and more. You can:

• Avoid overselling
• Set alerts for low stock
• Push real-time quantity updates to sales channels

Bundling & Custom Products

ShipStation lets you create product bundles, which are treated as one SKU in the system. Great for stores selling combo kits or subscription boxes.

Integrations & Add-ons

ShipStation supports:

• 300+ integrations
• Over 100 eCommerce platforms and marketplaces
• 270+ apps (CRM, ERP, analytics)

You can also:

• Push custom shipping rates to your checkout
• Create branded tracking pages and confirmation emails
• Connect with fulfillment solutions like ShipBob

Besides, payment services, inventory control, eCommerce systems, marketplaces, marketing, CRM, shopping carts, and other integrations are included.

Ultimately, you can search for integration apps in almost every field, and filter them by field or by country.

Also, when reviewing Shipstation vs Shippo, we can certainly say that ShipStation is better here as well.

ShipStation Pricing

ShipStation now offers four structured pricing plans that scale with your business volume, from solo sellers just getting started to high-volume operations with advanced fulfillment needs.

1. Starter – $9.99/month

Perfect for beginners or hobby sellers, the Starter plan gives you up to 50 shipments per month.

What you get:

• 1 user
• Email support
• Best shipping discounts (USPS, UPS, DHL, FedEx, GlobalPost)
• Access to 300+ integrations
• Purchase labels via credit card or bank transfer

This is ideal if you’re in the early stages of your store and want a reliable system without high overhead.

2. Growth – $29.99/month

For sellers scaling up a bit, the Growth plan handles up to 500 shipments/month and adds key features.

Includes all Starter features, plus:

• Live chat + 24/7 email support
• Branded tracking, packing slips, and labels

Choose this if your store has consistent monthly orders and you want better branding and faster support.

3. Scale – $99.99/month (Recommended)

If you’re moving serious volume, the Scale plan supports up to 2,000 shipments/month and introduces business-grade tools.

Includes all Growth features, plus:

• 3 users
• Product bundles
• Customizable packing slips
• Companion API access

This plan is best for growing Shopify stores, mid-size brands, or businesses using multiple sales channels and tools.

4. High-Volume – $399.99/month

Tailored for enterprise-level sellers, this plan offers unlimited shipments and full backend control.

Includes all Scale features, plus:

• Up to 15 users
• Automated Rate Shopper (finds cheapest shipping option)
• Auto-Split orders across multiple warehouses
• ODBC data access
• Cubiscan support (for dimensional scanning)
• Inventory Sync

You’ll need to schedule a demo for setup. This plan is perfect for 3PLs, large fulfillment teams, or international brands with complex logistics.

ShipStation Pros & Cons

📦 ShipStation Pros & Cons (2025)

✅ Pros

Powerful Automation: Auto-routing, bulk upload, product presets, and split-shipping features built for complex workflows.

Broad eCommerce Support: Integrates with 100+ marketplaces and carts, offering advanced tracking and rate comparison.

Customer Communication: Branded tracking pages, email notifications, and domain-authenticated messaging for better post-purchase experience.

Support & Documentation: Active user community and detailed knowledge base, with reliable support noted by many users.

❌ Cons

Expensive for High Volume: Price jump to unlimited shipments at $399/month may be too steep for growing stores.

Reliability Issues: Some users report glitches in label printing and packing slip formatting.

Legacy UI Transition: Transitioning from the old interface may disrupt workflows and require team retraining.

What Real Users Say About Shippo vs ShipStation (2025 Insights)

After digging deep into Reddit discussions and G2 reviews, here’s what real users are actually saying about Shippo vs ShipStation, especially from a dropshipping perspective.

While both platforms have their strengths, the decision often comes down to usability, stability, pricing, and support — and the community doesn’t hold back.

Usability & Simplicity: Shippo Wins for Ease of Use

Users on Reddit and G2 consistently describe Shippo as “easier to use”. Beginners appreciate the clean UI, straightforward label creation, and fewer steps to complete shipments.

One G2 reviewer in legal services said Shippo is “the easiest shipping platform to use. Others were cumbersome.” For small business owners or solo dropshippers, Shippo’s interface seems to win over those who don’t want to spend time configuring automation rules.

By contrast, ShipStation is seen as powerful but clunky. One user complained about taking “30–40 clicks every single time just to log in.” That’s a dealbreaker for time-sensitive operations.

However, advanced users still stick with ShipStation for its bulk processing and automation capabilities.

Stability & Reliability: Shippo is More Stable, ShipStation Frustrates

From the Reddit thread in r/bigcommerce, one comment stood out:

“I’m switching to Shippo from ShipStation. ShipStation updates break things often — we have a task list just for fixing things that stop working.”

G2 reviews echoed this. ShipStation used to be the industry darling, but now users report bugs and inconsistent features post-updates. If you’re running a dropshipping business where you can’t afford system downtime, this is a real concern.

Features & Integration: ShipStation is More Robust

Despite its interface drawbacks, ShipStation shines in feature depth. It integrates with over 100 platforms and excels in automation workflows — ideal for high-volume dropshippers or businesses managing multiple channels. G2 reviewers gave ShipStation high marks for order tracking and automation rules.

Shippo, however, scores better on rate comparison (9.5 vs ShipStation’s 8.5) and platform integration (10.0 vs 8.8) — which suggests it works more seamlessly with marketplaces like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Wix. For sellers looking for smoother integrations without headaches, that’s a plus.

Pricing & Value: Shippo Has a Free Option, ShipStation Gets Expensive

Dropshippers on a budget appreciate that Shippo offers a truly free plan — no monthly fee if you use their default carriers.

Meanwhile, ShipStation’s entry-level plan starts at $9.99/month, and jumps significantly if you exceed the 50-shipment threshold. One Reddit user warned that for high-volume operations, ShipStation becomes costly fast, especially if you’re scaling.

Customer Support: Mixed for Both, But ShipStation Slightly Edges Ahead

G2 users gave ShipStation a higher rating for support (8.0 vs Shippo’s 7.9), but Reddit paints a murkier picture.

Some dropshippers praised Shippo’s refund process (despite slow turnaround), while others complained about Shippo’s lack of responsiveness. A few posts slammed EasyShip’s support entirely, calling it “non-responsive.”

Shippo vs ShipStation: What’s Better for Dropshipping? (My Take)

After comparing both platforms hands-on and digging through real user feedback, here’s my honest opinion on which one is better for dropshipping: Shippo wins for most small to mid-sized dropshippers, while ShipStation is better for scale — but only if you’re ready to handle complexity.

If you’re just starting out or running a low to moderate number of orders, Shippo is simply easier. The interface is cleaner, setup takes minutes, and you’re not paying a monthly fee if you use their default carriers.

That’s a big deal when you’re testing products or still building momentum. Their rate comparison tool is faster, integrations are smooth with Shopify, Wix, and BigCommerce, and it just… works.

Now, if you’re running high-volume dropshipping with multiple stores and SKUs, ShipStation does give you more control. It has stronger automation, better packing logic, and robust order routing — but here’s the truth: it’s also more frustrating.

From my experience, their frequent updates break things way too often, and the UI hasn’t aged well. Logging in, managing batches, or even fixing minor bugs becomes a time-eating chore.

So here’s my advice:

• If your focus is speed, affordability, and simplicity — go with Shippo.
• If you’re running multiple warehouses, need deep rules and automations, and can afford a learning curve (plus some bugs) — ShipStation still delivers.

Personally? I’d recommend Shippo to 90% of dropshippers today. It’s faster to launch, cheaper to maintain, and saves you hours — which you’ll need when you’re busy scaling.

Shippo vs ShipStation FAQs

Final Thoughts on Shippo vs ShipStation in 2025

After testing both tools, reading dozens of reviews, and hearing from real dropshippers—I can confidently say this:

Shippo is the better choice for most beginners and growing stores. It’s affordable, easy to set up, and does exactly what you need without overwhelming you. If you’re just getting started with dropshipping or handling under 1,000 orders a month, Shippo will save you time, money, and headaches.

On the other hand, ShipStation is built for scale. If you’re running a high-volume store, need advanced automation rules, or managing orders from multiple warehouses, then ShipStation gives you that control—but be ready for a steeper learning curve and higher costs.

At the end of the day, the right tool depends on where you are in your journey. For most dropshippers I know, Shippo is the smarter, leaner, and faster way to ship in 2025.

My recommendation? Start with Shippo. Upgrade to ShipStation only when you truly outgrow it.