As an ecom entrepreneur, it's easy to spend most of your time focusing on the digital aspects of your business: building and maintaining a website, listing your products, running effective advertisements, etc.
But at the end of the day, being able to deliver your items to the doorsteps of your customers matters just as much as anything.
The good news is, there's a variety of shipping apps designed for Shopify DTC brands that enable you to fulfill your orders smoothly, setting you up to scale your business and expand your operations.
If you're short on time, here's a quick breakdown of our top picks for the best shipping apps for Shopify for different use cases (we recommend reading the full article to learn how we came to these recommendations):
- 🛒 Best for Multi-Channel Support - 🥇 ShipStation
- 📈 Best for Marketing and Branding -🥇 ShippingEasy
- 📦 Best for Warehouse Management - 🥇 ShipHero
- 🚚 Best for Store Integration - 🥇 Shippo
- 🌎 Best for International Shipping - 🥇EasyShip
- ⚖️ Best for Real-Time Rates - 🥇 DesktopShipper
What're the best Shipping apps for Shopify? 🚀
From a logistical perspective, shipping can be one of the most complicated aspects of running an online business. Whether it's dealing with different carriers, calculating rates and costs, or estimating delivery times, there's no shortage of issues to think through.
This is why having an app to assist you is so important. It puts you firmly in control of this crucial component of your business, and gives you the confidence needed to make strategic decisions.
Here below, we'll walk through a number of our favorite tools that are available to download from the Shopify App Store now, and show you how you might best put them to use to satisfy your customers.
Let's get right to it.
1. ShipStation
Coming in at the top of our list is ShipStation. This software puts everything you need for order fulfillment in the palm of your hand. Through one easy-to-use, intuitive piece of software, it helps you expedite your shipping workflows and keep track of all the products you have in transit. Few tools do it better.
ShipStation Key Features 🧰
- Automatic shipping label creation
- Multi-channel support beyond Shopify (including Amazon, eBay, and Etsy)
- Real-time shipping queue to determine what needs to be sent out
- Dashboard for assessing which orders are awaiting payment
- Low rates from UPS, USPS, and DHL
- Branded tracking info to match look and feel of your company
ShipStation Pros ✅
- Ability to tag, split, and batch orders to segment and manage more effectively
- Precise analytics around sales volume, average order value, and top-selling products
- The savings you receive from carriers pad your profit margins
- Platform is easy to navigate and switch between different store channels, functionalities, and use cases (e.g. canceled orders vs. already shipped)
ShipStation Cons ❌
- Difficulty adding and removing users on account level
- Update to address in Shopify might not transfer over to ShipStation
- Have to manually add product information like weight, dimensions, and price value
- Having more than one user logged in at a time can cause label printing glitches
ShipStation Pricing 💰
ShipStation has four plans available: Starter, Bronze, Gold, and Enterprise. They range from $9.99/month to $229.99/month. There is a 30-day free trial available.
2. ShippingEasy
ShippingEasy, as the name makes clear, takes the hassle and headache out of shipping online. Unlike some of the other tools on our list, it doesn't just focus on shipping. With inventory management and marketing capabilities, it's an all-in-one solution that has the potential to pour fuel on the fire of your business.
ShippingEasy Key Features 🧰
- Over 60 integrations for multi-channel fulfillment
- Automatic order downloads and store synchronization
- Inventory management for entire product catalog
- Built-in marketing tools to target customers based on order history
- Email campaign templates and drag-and-drop editor
- Color categorization for easy segmentation
- Generates pick lists and packing slips on the fly
- Real-time order alerts to keep you in the loop on status changes
ShippingEasy Pros ✅
- Can browse rates from different carriers (e.g. USPS, UPS, FedEx) to ensure you are always maximizing savings
- Able to set pre-defined rules and shipping settings that apply by default
- Automatically tracks stock levels across all sales channels
- Can create purchase orders with suppliers based on forecasted unit amounts
ShippingEasy Cons ❌
- Doesn't support additional fulfillment locations
- Difficulty recognizing international addresses
- Has potential to print blank labels
- Irregular package sizes like poly bags not as easy to add
ShippingEasy Pricing 💰
ShippingEasy has a free Starter Plan available, and three paid tiers: Growth, Basic, and Plus. They range from $19.99/month to $49.99/month.
Sign up for ShippingEasy here 👈
3. ShipHero
When it comes to juggling inventory and order fulfillment, ShipHero is another app you can count on. It helps you get your products in the hands of your customers without a hitch, and gain control over your operations for good.
ShipHero Key Features 🧰
- Dashboard for tracking how much inventory has been received by your warehouse
- Single and multi-item batch picking supported for SKUs
- Automated rules for determining box sizes, marketing inserts, and shipping options
- HeroBoard for ranking top-performing pickers and packers in your warehouse to reward hard work and boost morale
- Analytics to track average dispatch and delivery time
ShipHero Pros ✅
- Easily connects to Shopify store and integrates with tech setup in just a few clicks
- Pictures with ParcelView ensures correct item has been picked, and is not damaged, minimizing returns
- PostHero gives visibility into delivery status across state lines and between carriers
ShipHero Cons ❌
- Updating product information like cost, inventory value, and SKU information is time-consuming
- Billing setup bugs possible
- Additional costs for each additional user and store connection
ShipHero Pricing 💰
ShipHero has two plans available, one tailored for brands, and one tailored for third-party logistics providers (3PLS). The former costs $1,995/month, while the latter costs $2,145/month.
4. Shippo
Shippo provides an end-to-end solution for shipping and order management. It has a much cleaner user interface than many of the other options on the market, emphasizing simplicity instead of over-doing features.
Shippo Key Features 🧰
- No-code integration with store website
- Automatic import of orders across all sales channels
- Label printing and creation
- Order dashboard for viewing customer info and package details
- CSV uploading for bulk import
- Insurance options for protecting shipments
Shippo Pros ✅
- Can compare shipping rates across all carriers, with access to exclusive discounts and savings
- Can print up to 100 labels at once, saving you time on a large influx of orders
- Ability to customize packing slips and customer emails to make your mark and establish brand identity
Shippo Cons ❌
- ID verification required for use
- The app can set some products to a negative inventory amount
- Syncing of orders can experience interruptions and freeze
Shippo Pricing 💰
Shippo has two options available: the Starter Plan and the Professional Plan. The Starter Plan is free to install, and the Professional Plan is $10/month.
5. EasyShip
EasyShip puts efficiency front and center, helping you navigate the shipping landscape with ease. Built specifically with Shopify sellers in mind, this tool takes the worry of shipping fulfillment off your plate so you can do what you do best: grow your business.
EasyShip Key Features 🧰
- Access to hundreds of global couriers
- Exclusive rates and discounts for maximum savings
- Shipping method options offered to customers at checkout
- Shipping protection to cover damage, loss, and theft
- Customizable, branded order tracking
- Mobile app for shipping support on-the-go
EasyShip Pros ✅
- On product checkout page, can label shipping options as “cheapest,” “fastest,” or “best value” to explicitly describe selections for customers
- Can view tax and duty costs upfront
- Customs documents are generated automatically, making the international shipping process smoother
EasyShip Cons ❌
- Declaration statement sent to carrier can cause confusion about billing charges
- Free plan doesn't include pre-set shipping rules
- Settings frequently have to be re-applied
EasyShip Pricing 💰
EasyShip is free to install, with three paid plans: Plus, Premier, and Scale. Plus is $29/month, Premier is $69/month, and Scale is $99/month. There is a 14-day free trial for each of the paid subscriptions.
6. DesktopShipper
DesktopShipper is a powerful way to find the best shipping rates in the least amount of time. No matter the platform you sell on – Shopify, Amazon, or others – this tool helps you stay organized and get your products delivered to customers precisely when they expect to receive them.
DesktopShipper Key Features 🧰
- Real-time rates generated between different carriers to suggest best option
- Ability to create tags and shipping batches
- Branded packing slips and shipment notifications
- Can establish shipping rules for particular products, or based on weight and dimensions
DesktopShipper Pros ✅
- Discounted USPS priority mail rates are cheaper than commercial rates
- Automated electronic customs for international shipments
- Built-in address validation cuts down on number of missed/incorrect shipments
DesktopShipper Cons ❌
- Additional users cost $20/month
- Carrier restrictions may apply depending on type of item shipped
- Limited integrations with third-party accounting systems
DesktopShipper Pricing 💰
The tool is free to install, with six paid plans available. They scale depending on shipment volume, and range from $25/month for the Starter Plan to $500/month for the Elite Plan.
What are Shipping Apps for Shopify? 🤔
As demonstrated, shipping apps help turn something that would otherwise be a logistical nightmare into a manageable experience.
They seamlessly sync with your existing storefront and sales channels, consolidating your orders and helping you track your shipments. It's far and away the ideal way to go about fulfilling customer orders, so you can not just meet the expectations of your buyers, but exceed them.
If you're processing a large amount of purchases every month, it's a must-have to keep your business humming along.
Benefits of Shipping Apps for Shopify? 📈
The complexity of shipping goods and managing your warehouse or fulfillment center shouldn't scare you away from ecommerce. The abundance of apps available on the market make it possible to navigate the shipping process, and build a rock-solid relationship with your customers.
Brands that are looking to scale their business and minimize complications around shipping would be well-served to give them a try. Being inundated with orders is ultimately a good problem to have, and a shipping solution like any of the ones on our list are more than able to help you keep up with demand.
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