Quick answer
Pirate Ship is completely free, with no monthly fees, hidden costs, minimum volumes or commitments of any kind, and Shippo's Starter plan is free (Up to 30 labels per month), so a maker shipping a few orders a week pays only postage on either. ShipStation lists only paid plans (Starter, Standard, and Premium), and Starter costs $14.99 /month for 50 per month shipments. Pick Pirate Ship or Shippo for low volume, and ShipStation only when you need its order tools.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the list or the fee example. See where Nation fits.
How we compared
Each tool was checked against the same four questions, for a US maker who ships a few dozen orders a month.
- Monthly cost What you pay in a month with no shipments, on the plan a small maker would start on.
- Fees on each label Anything the software adds to the postage, read from each company's own pricing page.
- Carrier discounts How far below retail the postage is, as each company states it.
- Shop integrations and limits Whether orders from Etsy, Shopify or eBay come in by themselves, and caps on labels or users.
Shippo vs Pirate Ship vs ShipStation at a glance
Each tool is shown at the plan a small maker would start on. Postage itself is paid on top in every case. The source and check date for every number are listed at the end of the page.
What each tool adds to one label on a $30 order
The example is one $30 order shipped with one label bought through the tool's own carrier rates. The chart shows only what the software adds on top of postage. Pirate Ship says you only be charged the exact amount of the postage.
- Pirate Ship baseline $0 no monthly plan Software fee $0
- Shippo $0 free Starter plan Software fee $0
- ShipStation $0 plus $14.99 /month Software fee $0
Assumes one domestic label bought at the tool's own discounted rates, no insurance and no address validation outside the US. Shippo is on its free Starter plan within Up to 30 labels per month. ShipStation is on Starter, the cheapest plan, with 50 per month shipments.
Each tool in detail
Every tool gets the same five lines: price, fees per label, what it is strong at, who it is best for and its main limit.
The baseline. Pirate Ship is completely free: it is paid by the carriers, not by you, and it only sells discounted UPS® & USPS® labels.
- Price
- No monthly fees, and no monthly fees, hidden costs, minimum volumes or commitments of any kind.
- Fees per sale
- No monthly fees, label costs, markup: you only be charged the exact amount of the postage.
- Strong at
- Discounted USPS and UPS labels with nothing added on top, plus free Etsy, eBay and Shopify connections. On Etsy you can import your orders, purchase shipping labels at the cheapest shipping rates available, and sync the tracking number back to Etsy.
- Best for
- Makers who ship USPS or UPS from one shop and want to pay only postage.
- Limit
- Pirate Ship only sells discounted UPS® & USPS® labels, so there are no FedEx or DHL Express labels.
Label software with a free Starter plan for Up to 30 labels per month and paid Pro plans priced by label volume. It has discounted labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL Express.
- Price
- Starter is Free. Pro starts at $19/mo on monthly billing, or $205/year billed yearly, and the price rises with label volume.
- Fees per sale
- Shippo charges the cost of postage, subscription plan fee if applicable, plus optional insurance. Labels bought with your own carrier account cost $0.05 each on Starter and are free on Pro.
- Strong at
- More carriers than Pirate Ship on a free plan, with Unlimited store connections: you can connect your Shopify, Etsy, eBay or WooCommerce store.
- Best for
- Makers who ship under the Starter cap and want FedEx or DHL Express rates next to USPS and UPS.
- Limit
- Starter is capped at Up to 30 labels per month with 1 user login. Above the cap you need Pro, from $19/mo on monthly billing.
Order and shipping software for stores that sell on several channels. Every plan is paid, after a 30-day free trial.
- Price
- Starter is $14.99 /month for 50 per month shipments, or $143.90 /year billed yearly. Standard starts at $29.99 /month.
- Fees per sale
- ShipStation says it won’t charge you any additional fees outside of the subscription cost. Postage and insurance are paid separately.
- Strong at
- Managing orders from several sales channels in one place: Starter has Unlimited store connections and 3 users. Its listed integrations include Shopify, eBay and Etsy.
- Best for
- Sellers who ship enough orders across channels to use its order tools.
- Limit
- ShipStation lists only paid plans (Starter, Standard, and Premium), so the plan fee is due in months with few or no shipments.
Which one fits you
You ship a few USPS or UPS parcels a week from Etsy, eBay or Shopify.
Pirate Ship
No monthly fees and No monthly fees, label costs, markup, and orders import from all three.
You ship under the Starter cap and want FedEx or DHL Express rates too.
Shippo Starter
Starter is Free for Up to 30 labels per month, with discounts from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL Express.
You ship more than the Shippo Starter cap and want to stay free.
Pirate Ship
Pirate Ship has no monthly fees, hidden costs, minimum volumes or commitments of any kind, while Shippo Pro starts at $19/mo.
You sell on several channels and need order tools and more users.
ShipStation
Starter is $14.99 /month with 3 users and Unlimited store connections, after a 30-day free trial.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not compared here.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not a shipping label tool and is not ranked or included in the fee example.
Describe what you makeDisclosure and method
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and is not part of the comparison.
The page covers three shipping label tools a US maker can use: Pirate Ship, Shippo and ShipStation. No company paid to be included, and none of the links are affiliate links.
Every fee was read on the company's own pricing or help page on 3 Oct 2026. The full list of sources is below.
Questions about Shippo, Pirate Ship and ShipStation
Is Shippo or Pirate Ship cheaper?
Shippo and Pirate Ship both cost nothing for a small maker: Pirate Ship is completely free with No monthly fees, and Shippo Starter is Free for Up to 30 labels per month. Above that cap Shippo Pro costs $19/mo, while Pirate Ship stays free at any volume.
ShipStation vs Shippo: which is better for a small shop?
ShipStation vs Shippo for a small shop comes down to the monthly fee. Shippo Starter is Free for Up to 30 labels per month, while ShipStation lists only paid plans and Starter costs $14.99 /month for 50 per month shipments. ShipStation's fee pays for order tools and 3 users.
ShipStation vs Pirate Ship: what do you pay?
ShipStation vs Pirate Ship is a paid plan against a free tool. Pirate Ship is completely free, and you only be charged the exact amount of the postage. ShipStation Starter costs $14.99 /month for 50 per month shipments, plus postage. ShipStation offers a 30-day free trial before the first charge.
Do Pirate Ship, Shippo and ShipStation work with Etsy, Shopify and eBay?
Pirate Ship, Shippo and ShipStation all connect to Etsy, Shopify and eBay. Pirate Ship's Shopify app automatically marks orders as "Fulfilled" & sends back tracking numbers, and its eBay connection automatically marks orders as Shipped & sends back tracking numbers. Shippo lets you connect your Shopify, Etsy, eBay or WooCommerce store on the free Starter plan. ShipStation lists Shopify, eBay and Etsy among its integrations, with Unlimited store connections on Starter.
Does Pirate Ship charge a fee per label?
Pirate Ship does not charge a fee per label. The company states No monthly fees, label costs, markup, and says you only be charged the exact amount of the postage. It also lists No monthly fees, payment fees, or hidden costs. Its rates are discounted from carrier retail prices, with savings of up to 88% off USPS® & UPS® rates.
Which carriers do Pirate Ship, Shippo and ShipStation discount?
Pirate Ship only sells discounted UPS® & USPS® labels, with savings of up to 88% off USPS® & UPS® rates. Shippo has discounted labels from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL Express, and says USPS labels are up to 90% off retail USPS rates. ShipStation states 80% – 90% discounts from major carriers. Each figure is the company's own maximum, so your saving depends on the service and parcel.