How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- ShipStation, Shippo, and Easyship cover most small businesses, with entry prices from $14.99 to $29/month and real free plans.
- Pirate Ship and Veeqo charge no subscription at all, which beats every paid plan under a few hundred shipments a month.
- Cin7 Core ($349/month) and ShipHero are the step up when fulfillment means inventory, warehouses, and purchase orders, not just labels.
- Shipment and label caps decide your tier on every plan, so count your actual monthly volume before comparing prices.
- Ordoro's free shipping plan and AfterShip's $9/month entry make the low end more competitive than it looks.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 ShipStation | multi-channel sellers needing automation | $14.99/month | Free trial (30 days) |
 Shippo | low-volume sellers wanting a free start | $19/month | Yes |
 Easyship | cross-border shipping with duties handled | $29/month | Yes |
 Veeqo | Amazon sellers wanting free shipping tools | $19/month | Yes |
 Ordoro | sellers outgrowing basic label tools | $59/month | Yes |
 AfterShip Shipping | simple shipping plus post-purchase tools | $9/month (billed annually) | Yes |
 Pirate Ship | cheapest USPS and UPS rates with no subscription | $0 (postage only) | Yes |
 ShippingEasy | small stores wanting guided setup | $19.99/month | Yes |
 Cin7 Core | inventory plus fulfillment in one system | $349/month | Free trial (14 days) |
 ShipHero | brands running their own warehouse | See website | No |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best order fulfillment software
Order fulfillment software is really two different products wearing one name. The first kind prints shipping labels, compares carrier rates, and pushes tracking numbers back to your store. The second kind runs the warehouse: inventory across locations, pick and pack workflows, purchase orders, and returns. Most small businesses need the first kind and buy the second kind by mistake, because the marketing all sounds the same.
So here is the honest split. If you ship from a spare room or a small stockroom, you want a label tool: ShipStation, Shippo, Easyship, Pirate Ship, or Veeqo. If you hold real inventory across warehouses, manage purchase orders, and need picking workflows, you want Cin7 Core, ShipHero, or Ordoro's inventory plans. The price jump between those two worlds is roughly 10x, which is why getting the category right matters more than picking the brand.
We checked every price against what the vendors publish now, counted the free plans honestly, and flagged the shipment caps that actually determine what you pay.
Starting price$14.99/month
Free planFree trial (30 days)
ShipStation is the default shipping tool for sellers on multiple channels, and its integration list is the reason: Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, WooCommerce, Walmart, and hundreds more feed orders into one dashboard. Automation rules pick carriers by weight and destination, split orders across warehouses, and generate branded packing slips without manual work.
Pricing starts at $14.99 a month for 50 shipments on the Starter plan and scales with volume from there, with Standard at $29.99 adding unlimited automations, order combining, and API access. The catch is that the per-tier shipment caps force upgrades as you grow, and there is no free-forever plan. For a growing multi-channel seller, the automation usually pays for itself. For a shop shipping 40 packages a month, a free tool does the same job.
What we like- 300+ integrations with every major sales channel
- Automation rules for carrier selection and workflows
- Discounted carrier rates with batch label printing
Watch out for- No permanent free plan, only a 30-day trial
- Price climbs steeply with shipment volume
- API access sits on higher tiers
Starting price$19/month
Free planYes
Shippo's free Starter plan is genuinely usable: 30 labels a month, unlimited store connections, discounted carrier rates, tracking, and returns, all for nothing. That makes it the best first shipping tool for a side business or a store testing the waters. Pro starts at $19 a month (or $17 billed annually) for up to 200 labels, with higher volume bands priced up to 10,000 labels.
The pricing logic is simple: the label allowance sets your tier, not the feature list. Count your monthly shipments first, then read the row that matches. High-volume shippers eventually beat Shippo's reseller rates with direct carrier contracts, but below that threshold, the discounts usually exceed the subscription cost. The API is a quiet strength if you ever need shipping inside your own product.
What we like- Free Starter plan covers 30 labels a month
- Discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL rates with no minimums
- A real API for platforms building shipping in
Watch out for- Label allowances are the binding limit on every tier
- Bringing your own carrier account costs 5 cents a label on the free plan
- Branded tracking needs Pro
Starting price$29/month
Free planYes
If you ship internationally, Easyship earns its place fast. It compares rates across 550+ couriers, calculates import taxes and duties at checkout (on the $69 Premier plan and up), and generates customs documents automatically. The free plan covers 50 shipments a month, and paid plans run $29, $69, and $99 with rising shipment allowances.
For purely domestic US sellers, the international machinery is overhead you do not need, and Pirate Ship or Shippo will be cheaper. But for a brand selling into the EU, UK, or Australia, the landed-cost engine prevents the surprise duty bills that kill repeat purchases. That is a revenue feature, not a shipping feature, and it is why cross-border sellers stay.
What we like- 550+ courier services with strong international coverage
- Tax and duty calculation at checkout on paid plans
- Free plan covers 50 shipments a month
Watch out for- International focus means domestic-only sellers pay for features they skip
- Team seats and own-courier accounts are capped by plan
- Self-serve plans stop at 5,000 shipments
#4
Veeqo
Best for: Amazon sellers wanting free shipping tools
Visit veeqo.com
Starting price$19/month
Free planYes
Veeqo's pitch is hard to argue with: the shipping software is free, with no label cap, unlimited users and warehouses, discounted carrier rates, and up to 5% back in credits. It is owned by Amazon, which funds the rates and the roadmap, and it handles multi-channel orders across Amazon, Shopify, eBay, and Walmart from one dashboard.
The free tier covers labels, rates, and order management. Inventory sync, demand forecasting, and digital picking start at $19 a month on the Inventory plan, priced by order volume, with an ERP tier from $350. Sellers who distrust Amazon with their fulfillment data should look elsewhere. Everyone else gets the most generous free shipping tool in the category, and the paid inventory tier is still cheap for what it does.
What we like- Shipping tier is free with unlimited users, warehouses, and shipments
- Discounted rates plus up to 5% back in credits
- Strong multi-channel order handling
Watch out for- Amazon owns it, which some merchants will not accept for fulfillment data
- Inventory management is the paid tier from $19/month
- Bulk shipping capped at 100 orders per click
Starting price$59/month
Free planYes
Ordoro sits in the gap between label printers and full inventory systems. The shipping plans start with a free tier and run $59 and $149 a month, and the inventory plans at $349 and $499 add kitting, allocation, purchase orders, bills of materials, and multi-warehouse tracking. Dropshipping automation is its own $299 plan, which tells you how seriously it takes that workflow.
The pricing is transparent, which is refreshing, but the jumps between modules are steep: a seller that needs shipping plus inventory plus dropshipping is suddenly paying for three products. For multichannel sellers that have outgrown ShipStation's inventory features but are not ready for Cin7's $349 floor, Ordoro's shipping plans are the natural next step. Just price the whole stack before you commit.
What we like- Free shipping plan to start
- Inventory plans add kitting, BOMs, and purchase orders
- US-based support with a strong reputation
Watch out for- Inventory plans start at $349/month, a big jump
- Dropshipping module is a separate $299 plan
- No mobile app and hourly (not real-time) sync on some connections
Starting price$9/month (billed annually)
Free planYes
AfterShip made its name in post-purchase tracking, and AfterShip Shipping extends that into labels. Essentials starts at $9 a month billed annually ($11 monthly) with a yearly shipment allowance, and Pro runs $69 a month for up to 2,000 labels. The free plan gets you started, and annual billing saves roughly 18%.
The strategic case is the platform: tracking, shipping, and returns from one account and one dataset, which beats bolting together three point tools as you scale. The catch is that each product bills separately, so a brand using all three pays three subscriptions. For a small store that wants shipping plus branded tracking without complexity, it is the cheapest coherent option. For pure label volume, Shippo's free tier goes further.
What we like- Cheapest paid entry at $9/month billed annually
- Free plan available
- Pairs with AfterShip Tracking and Returns on one platform
Watch out for- Each AfterShip product is billed separately, so costs stack
- Shipping feature depth trails ShipStation
- Newer product with a smaller user base
Starting price$0 (postage only)
Free planYes
Pirate Ship is the simplest deal in shipping software: no subscription, no tiers, no caps. You pay postage at commercial rates, with discounts up to 87% off USPS and UPS retail, and the company says it is paid by the carriers. Unlimited users, unlimited shipments, free forever.
What you give up is everything beyond labels: no inventory management, no order automation depth, no multi-carrier rate shopping beyond its partners, and limited international support. For a US domestic seller shipping under a few hundred packages a month, the math is unbeatable, because every paid plan has to earn back its subscription before it saves you a cent. When you need automation and warehouse features, graduate to ShipStation. Until then, this is free money.
What we like- No monthly fee at any volume
- Commercial USPS and UPS rates up to 87% off retail
- Unlimited users and shipments
Watch out for- US-focused, weak for international
- No inventory or order management features
- Fewer automation features than paid competitors
Starting price$19.99/month
Free planYes
ShippingEasy targets the seller who wants shipping software without a learning curve. The free plan covers 25 shipments a month, and paid plans start at $19.99 with rising shipment allowances up to 6,000+. Setup is guided, support is US-based, and the basics (batch labels, rate comparison, tracking) all work as expected.
It lives in ShipStation's shadow, and at similar price points ShipStation usually offers more automation and integrations. ShippingEasy's case is simplicity and hand-holding for sellers who find ShipStation's rule builder intimidating. If that describes you, the free plan is a fine place to start. If you outgrow it, you already know where the category leader lives.
What we like- Free plan covers 25 shipments a month
- Guided onboarding suits non-technical sellers
- Discounted rates with major carriers
Watch out for- Feature depth trails ShipStation at similar prices
- Owned by Stamps.com, so the roadmap follows that ecosystem
- Higher tiers get expensive for the features
#9
Cin7 Core
Best for: inventory plus fulfillment in one system
Visit cin7.com
Starting price$349/month
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Cin7 Core is where fulfillment software becomes an operations platform. Standard at $349 a month covers 5 users, 6,000 orders a year, multi-location inventory, purchasing, warehouse management, and 700+ integrations. Pro at $599 adds manufacturing, capacity planning, and 24,000 orders; Advanced at $1,199 covers 120,000 orders with POS and B2B. A 14-day free trial lets you test it.
This is the right tool when your problem is not labels but stock: knowing what you have, where it is, what to reorder, and what it costs. The order-volume-based plans fit businesses shipping every day and punish businesses measured on anything else. For a multichannel seller doing real volume across several warehouses, it earns its price. For everyone else, it is ten times the software you need.
What we like- Real inventory management with purchasing, warehousing, and manufacturing
- 700+ integrations including EDI
- AI demand forecasting included
Watch out for- $349/month floor prices out small sellers
- Plans are measured in annual order volume
- Sales-led buying with onboarding costs
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
ShipHero is a warehouse management system that happens to do fulfillment, not the other way around. Mobile-first picking and packing, barcode scanning, batch order processing, dynamic slotting, and automation rules make it built for e-commerce fulfillment centers moving thousands of SKUs. Brands and 3PLs run their entire warehouse operation on it.
The buying process is enterprise: the current site lists no prices, and past published plans sat around $1,995 a month for brands and $2,145 for 3PLs, so budget accordingly and get a quote. If you do not operate a warehouse with staff picking orders, this is the wrong category entirely. If you do, ShipHero's speed and accuracy at volume are exactly what the premium buys.
What we like- Full warehouse management with mobile pick and pack
- Unlimited SKUs and orders on brand plans
- Real-time rate shopping and automation rules
Watch out for- No published pricing on the current site, quote only
- Premium pricing around $2,000/month based on past published plans
- Overkill without a real warehouse
How we built this fulfillment shortlist
We worked from each vendor's own pricing page and plan documentation, checked in October 2026, because this category reprices constantly: ShipStation restructured its plans, Shippo and Easyship adjusted volume bands, and Veeqo split shipping from inventory pricing. Where vendors publish prices, we used them; where they do not (ShipHero), we say so rather than guessing. We cross-checked plan limits, trial terms, and feature gates against G2, Capterra, and seller community discussions to catch what pricing pages downplay, like per-label fees and API access tiers. We weighted pricing transparency, free plan usefulness, shipment cap fairness, and fit for small-to-mid-size sellers, since that is who this list serves. We did not run hands-on trials, so treat this as a research-backed shortlist for your own testing.
What to check before you buy
Count your shipments first. Every plan in this category is priced by monthly shipment or label volume, and the tier boundaries are where the money is. A store shipping 250 packages a month pays a different price than one shipping 300 on every platform here. Pull your last three months of order counts, add a growth buffer, and read the pricing row that matches. The headline "from" price is almost never the price at your volume.
Then separate labels from operations. If your pain is printing labels and getting tracking numbers to customers, a free or $20 tool solves it completely. If your pain is stockouts, mis-picks, purchase orders, and returns, you need inventory and warehouse features, and the $349+ tier is where those live. Buying Cin7 to print labels is like buying a forklift to carry groceries. Be honest about which problem you have.
The hidden costs behind the subscription
The monthly fee is the smallest part of fulfillment cost. Carrier surcharges (fuel, residential delivery, dimensional weight adjustments) routinely add 20 to 30% to label costs, and they show up weeks after you ship. Bringing your own carrier account can add per-label fees on free plans. Shipping insurance, address correction fees, and returns labels all stack on top. When comparing tools, compare the all-in cost per parcel at your volume, not the subscription price. Pirate Ship's postage-only model looks different once you do that math, and usually still wins at low volume.
Order management for small business, explained
The "other keyword" for this article deserves a straight answer. Order management software for small business usually means the layer above shipping: syncing orders from every channel, updating inventory as items sell, routing orders to the right warehouse or dropshipper, and keeping customers informed. ShipStation, Veeqo, and Ordoro all do this at the small-business level. True order management at enterprise scale (distributed order routing, store fulfillment, complex sourcing rules) is a different product category with different prices. Most small businesses need the first kind, and the tools at the top of this list deliver it.
When to graduate to a warehouse system
There is a predictable moment when label software stops being enough. It usually arrives with one of these: you lease warehouse space, you hire pickers, you manage purchase orders with suppliers, or your SKU count passes what spreadsheets can track. That is when Cin7 Core, ShipHero, or Ordoro's inventory plans enter the picture. The tell is not order volume alone; a dropshipper doing 5,000 orders a month needs none of it, while a brand with 2,000 SKUs across two warehouses needs all of it. Buy the warehouse system when the warehouse exists, not before.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest order fulfillment software?
Pirate Ship and Veeqo's shipping tier cost $0 in subscription fees; you pay only postage. Shippo's free plan covers 30 labels a month and Easyship's covers 50 shipments. For most sellers under a few hundred shipments a month, one of the free options beats every paid plan on total cost.
How much does ShipStation cost?
ShipStation starts at $14.99 a month for 50 shipments on the Starter plan, with Standard at $29.99 adding automation and API access. Pricing scales with monthly shipment volume up to high-volume tiers. There is a 30-day free trial but no permanent free plan.
Do I need fulfillment software if I use Amazon FBA?
FBA handles storage, packing, and shipping for your Amazon orders, but it does not manage your Shopify, Walmart, or eBay orders. Tools like Veeqo, ShipStation, or Shippo unify all channels in one dashboard, which matters the moment you sell anywhere besides Amazon. Many sellers use FBA for Amazon and a shipping tool for everything else.
What is the difference between a 3PL and fulfillment software?
Fulfillment software helps you ship orders yourself, from your own stock. A 3PL (third-party logistics provider) is a company that stores your inventory and ships orders for you. Software like ShipHero can run a 3PL's warehouse, while services like ShipBob are 3PLs you hire. Some sellers start with software and graduate to a 3PL when volume justifies it.
Can fulfillment software handle international shipping?
Yes, but pick the right one. Easyship is built for cross-border with duty calculation and customs documents. ShipStation, Shippo, and Veeqo all support international labels with customs forms. Pirate Ship is US-focused and weaker here. If duties and taxes at checkout matter to your conversion rate, Easyship's Premier plan is worth the premium.
When should I switch from a label tool to an inventory system?
When stock problems cost you more than the software. The signals are stockouts you discover too late, overselling across channels, purchase orders tracked in spreadsheets, and returns handled manually. Cin7 Core at $349/month and Ordoro's inventory plans are the usual next steps. Until those pains are real, a label tool plus good habits is enough.
Sources we checked (12)
- https://www.shipstation.com/pricing
- https://goshippo.com/shipping/shipping-label-pricing
- https://www.easyship.com/pricing
- https://www.veeqo.com/pricing
- https://www.ordoro.com/pricing
- https://www.aftership.com/pricing
- https://www.pirateship.com
- https://www.shippingeasy.com/pricing
- https://www.cin7.com/pricing
- https://www.shiphero.com/pricing
- https://www.g2.com/products/easyship/pricing
- https://www.g2.com/products/cin7-core/pricing
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.