How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Most small businesses should start with USPS commercial pricing through free software, since USPS charges no residential surcharge while UPS and FedEx charge about $6.45 to $6.95 per residential package.
- ShipStation suits multichannel sellers shipping 50 or more orders per month, while Shippo and Pirate Ship suit lean sellers under 1,000 orders.
- Pirate Ship is completely free and covers USPS and UPS only, while Shippo covers 40 or more carriers with a free starter plan.
- Postage is billed on top of every subscription, so compare the platform fee plus the label rate, not the platform fee alone.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 ShipStation | Multichannel sellers, 3 plus channels | $14.99 per month | No |
 Shippo | Lean DTC under 1,000 orders | Free | Yes |
 Pirate Ship | Bootstrapped sellers, USPS and UPS | Free | Yes |
 Easyship | Cross-border DTC | Free | Yes |
 Veeqo | Amazon and multichannel sellers | Free | Yes |
 ShippingEasy | Discounted USPS and UPS rates | Free | Yes |
 EasyPost | Developer-led, high volume | Free | Yes |
 AfterShip | Post-purchase tracking | Free | Yes |
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The best shipping companies for small business
#1ShipStation
Best for: Multichannel sellers, 3 plus channels4.3/5 on
G2 (588 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit shipstation.com
Starting price$14.99 per month
Free planNo
ShipStation suits multichannel sellers with three or more sales channels who want orders, shipping, and inventory in one tool. Guides checked in October 2026 list Starter from $14.99 per month for 50 shipments, Standard from $29.99, and Premium from $349.99, with automation rules, automated rate shopping, branded tracking pages, and a branded returns portal on Standard and up. It compares rates across 200 plus parcel carriers and 50 plus freight carriers.
The price rises quickly with shipment volume, and there is no free plan beyond a 30-day trial, so very small sellers may overpay at the start. For growing multichannel sellers who need automation and carrier breadth, ShipStation is the most complete platform here.
What we like- 200 plus carriers
- Automation rules and rate shopping
- Branded tracking and returns portal
Watch out for- Price rises quickly with shipment volume
- 30-day trial only
- No free plan
#2Shippo
Best for: Lean DTC under 1,000 orders4.2/5 on
G2 (77 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit goshippo.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Shippo combines a simple web app for printing labels with a developer-friendly shipping API, offering discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL Express rates across 40 plus carriers. Guides list Starter free for up to 30 labels per month, Pro from $19 per month, or $17 billed annually, and Premier on request. It includes full API access on all plans, including free tiers, which sets it apart from rivals that restrict APIs to expensive plans.
Returns are labels only, with no customer portal, and API calls such as tracking and address validation are billed separately on some plans. For lean direct-to-consumer sellers under 1,000 orders who want real capabilities without premium pricing, Shippo offers the best balanced value here.
What we like- Free starter plan up to 30 labels per month
- 40 plus carriers
- Full API access on all plans
Watch out for- Returns are labels only, no customer portal
- API calls like tracking billed separately on some plans
#3Pirate Ship
Best for: Bootstrapped sellers, USPS and UPS4.5/5 on
G2 (24 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit pirateship.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Pirate Ship is completely free, with no subscription and postage as the only cost, which makes it the obvious pick for bootstrapped sellers shipping under 500 orders per month. It covers USPS and UPS only, which works for basic domestic shipping but limits options for optimization and specialty needs, and it has no API capabilities, so business system integration is essentially impossible.
The free price comes with feature limits that may cost efficiency as volume grows, and there is no multi-carrier rate shopping beyond its two carriers. For small sellers who ship domestically with USPS or UPS and want zero platform cost, Pirate Ship is unbeatable on price.
What we like- Completely free, postage only
- Simple label tool
- Strong USPS discounts
Watch out for- USPS and UPS only, two carriers
- No API capabilities
- Limited automation
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Easyship suits cross-border direct-to-consumer sellers, with 550 plus courier services worldwide and customs documentation support that domestic-only tools lack. Guides list a free plan up to 50 shipments per month, with Plus from $29 per month and a 14-day trial. It handles international paperwork, duties estimates, and multi-currency shipping in one place.
Returns support is partial rather than a full portal, and the interface is built cross-border first, so purely domestic sellers may find simpler tools faster. For sellers shipping internationally from the start, Easyship offers the broadest courier coverage here.
What we like- 550 plus courier services worldwide
- Customs paperwork support
- Free plan up to 50 shipments
Watch out for- Returns are partial
- Plus at $29 per month for fuller features
- Interface suits cross-border first
#5Veeqo
Best for: Amazon and multichannel sellers4.5/5 on
G2 (47 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit veeqo.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Veeqo suits Amazon and multichannel sellers, with a free platform covering UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, Amazon Shipping, and OnTrac, plus bulk labels up to 100 per click and unlimited users. Its free price and multichannel support make it a strong alternative to paid platforms for sellers who already sell on Amazon and other channels.
Returns support is partial, and its 21 plus carrier list is narrower than ShipStation or Easyship, while Amazon ownership may raise marketplace-bias questions for some sellers. For Amazon-heavy sellers who want a free multichannel tool, Veeqo is the best fit here.
What we like- Free platform
- Amazon and multichannel support
- Bulk labels up to 100 per click
Watch out for- Returns are partial
- 21 plus carriers is narrower than ShipStation
- Owned by Amazon, so marketplace bias is possible
#6ShippingEasy
Best for: Discounted USPS and UPS rates4.6/5 on
G2 (114 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit shippingeasy.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
ShippingEasy offers discounted USPS and UPS rates with simple automation, and a free plan up to 25 shipments per month suits very small sellers testing a shipping workflow. Paid plans start from $19.99 per month, with bulk labels, customs documents, and returns support that is partial rather than a full portal.
Its carrier range is narrower than ShipStation or Shippo, since it focuses on USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL, and the free tier caps at 25 shipments. For small sellers who mainly ship USPS and UPS and want simple automation, ShippingEasy is a solid low-cost pick.
What we like- Free plan up to 25 shipments per month
- Discounted USPS and UPS rates
- Simple automation
Watch out for- Paid plans from $19.99 per month
- Narrower carrier range than ShipStation
- Returns are partial
#7EasyPost
Best for: Developer-led, high volume4.2/5 on
G2 (122 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit easypost.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
EasyPost suits developer-led, high-volume sellers, with an API-first design covering 100 plus carriers and a free tier to 3,000 labels, then $0.08 per label. It is the right choice for teams building shipping into their own platform rather than using a web app, since its API handles rating, labeling, tracking, and address validation at scale.
Its API-first nature means non-developers will find app-first tools like Shippo friendlier, and its support and interface trail those rivals. For high-volume sellers with developer resources, EasyPost offers the most scalable pricing here.
What we like- 100 plus carriers
- Free tier to 3,000 labels, then $0.08 per label
- API-first design
Watch out for- API-first means less friendly for non-developers
- Support and UI trail app-first rivals
#8AfterShip
Best for: Post-purchase tracking4.7/5 on
G2 (311 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit aftership.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
AfterShip suits sellers who care most about the post-purchase experience, with tracking pages, delivery notifications, and a returns and exchanges portal that reduce "where is my order" messages. Guides list a free plan, with paid tiers repriced in 2026, and 130 plus label carriers via AfterShip Shipping. Its tracking strength complements a label tool rather than replacing one.
Label features are secondary to tracking, so sellers who need heavy automation may pair AfterShip with Shippo or ShipStation. For sellers whose support load comes from tracking questions, AfterShip offers the strongest post-purchase tools here.
What we like- Post-purchase tracking and notifications
- 130 plus label carriers
- Returns and exchanges portal
Watch out for- Paid tiers repriced in 2026, confirm current prices
- Label features are secondary to tracking
How we chose
We compared October 2026 guide pricing for eight platforms, checking starting prices, free tiers, carrier coverage, label limits, and returns support. We favored tools with free entry points for small sellers and clear volume pricing, and we flagged where paid tiers were repriced in 2026. We did not claim hands-on testing, and postage is billed on top of every subscription, so confirm current rates on each vendor site before committing.
Choosing by order volume
Under 50 orders per month, start free with Pirate Ship for USPS and UPS or Shippo for broader carrier choice, since platform fees would eat margins at that volume. From 50 to 1,000 orders, compare ShipStation Starter and Shippo Pro on automation and carrier breadth, and from 1,000 orders up, compare EasyPost API pricing and ShipStation higher tiers on total label cost. Cross-border sellers should shortlist Easyship first, while Amazon-heavy sellers should shortlist Veeqo.
Carrier strategy for small sellers
Default to USPS for light packages, since it charges no residential surcharge, offers free package pickup, and reaches every address including PO boxes and rural areas where UPS and FedEx add surcharges or cannot deliver. Use UPS or FedEx for heavy or time-sensitive shipments, and use rate shopping in your platform to compare carriers per shipment rather than defaulting to one carrier for everything. Negotiated carrier rates through shipping software open up discounts of 20 to 90 percent off retail USPS prices without volume requirements.
Returns and tracking as retention tools
Returns handling and tracking pages affect repeat purchase rates more than most sellers expect, since a clear returns portal and proactive delivery notifications reduce support tickets and build trust. ShipStation Standard and up and AfterShip offer the strongest returns portals here, while Shippo and Pirate Ship cover return labels only. Budget for returns tooling early if your category has high return rates, such as apparel or electronics.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest shipping option for a small business?
Pirate Ship is cheapest on platform cost, since it is completely free with postage only, while Shippo and Veeqo also offer free plans. USPS commercial pricing through any of these tools beats retail post office prices, especially for light packages.
Should I use ShipStation or Shippo as a small seller?
Shippo suits lean sellers under 1,000 orders who want free entry and broad carrier choice, while ShipStation suits multichannel sellers shipping 50 or more orders who need automation and inventory tools. Compare total label cost at your volume, not just the subscription fee.
Does shipping software really save money on postage?
Yes, since shipping platforms negotiate discounted USPS rates on behalf of their aggregated user base and pass savings to individual sellers, with discounts of 20 to 90 percent off retail prices in guides. USPS commercial pricing is available without volume requirements through these platforms.
Do I need a paid shipping plan to start?
No. Free plans from Shippo, Pirate Ship, Veeqo, ShippingEasy, Easyship, EasyPost, and AfterShip cover small volumes, and a 30-day ShipStation trial covers testing. Upgrade when shipment volume or automation needs exceed the free tier limits.
How do I handle international shipping as a small business?
Use Easyship or a multi-carrier platform with customs documentation support, since international shipping needs duties estimates, customs forms, and courier choice by destination. Start with one or two destination countries, confirm duties rules, and expand only once delivery and returns work smoothly.
Sources we checked (10)
- https://www.shipstation.com
- https://goshippo.com
- https://www.pirateship.com
- https://www.easyship.com
- https://www.veeqo.com
- https://www.shippingeasy.com
- https://www.easypost.com
- https://www.aftership.com
- https://www.clickpost.ai/en-us/blog/best-multi-carrier-shipping-software-in-usa
- https://outvio.com/blog/best-ecommerce-shipping-software-us/
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 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.