ShipStation vs Stamps.com Comparison

Figuring out how to manage and ship ecommerce orders at scale can be a huge headache for a growing business.

Alongside the excitement of increased sales, you’ll need to think about order management, inventory control, and automation tools that can help streamline your workflows and let you ship faster.

Thankfully there are now cloud-based shipping management solutions that can take care of the heavy lifting for online sellers.

In this article we’re looking at the pros and cons of using ShipStation vs Stamps.com, and how Veeqo’s all-in-one shipping management software could be an even better option for business shipping.

Table of contents

• ShipStation overview

• ShipStation Pricing

• Pros & Cons of Shipstation

• Stamps.com overview

• Stamps.com Pricing

• Pros & Cons of Stamps.com

• Why choose Veeqo instead of ShipStation or Stamps.com?

ShipStation overview

ShipStation is a cloud software solution that allows users to import and ship ecommerce orders from one central place. They offer discounted shipping rates and integrate with many leading sales channels, marketplaces, and ERPs.

Sellers can connect their existing stores to pull in orders as sales are made, price the shipping cost of each parcel, print shipping labels, and automatically send shipment and tracking details to each customer.

Key features

• Order and delivery management

• Inventory management

• Branded package tracking

• Mobile app for iPhone and Android

• Bulk label printing

• API available with all plans

Carriers

Users can access discounted shipping rates with leading carriers like FedEx and UPS, promising their customers located in the continental USA instant savings of up to 88% from UPS, DHL Worldwide, GlobalPost, ParcelGuard and USPS. 

Integrations

This software integrates with 70+ ERP, marketplace, and inventory platforms, letting you import orders from all your stores into the ShipStation dashboard and ship everything from one place.

You can sync natively with Etsy, Amazon, Shopify, eBay, and BigCommerce, and use the developer API if you need to connect with other third party apps.

ShipStation plans & pricing

Depending on the country your business is in, ShipStation offers different monthly payment plans*. In the USA, ShipStation offers four pricing tiers: Startup, Accelerate, Scale, and Enterprise. 

There’s no free plan available, but you can take an initial 30-day free trial to see if a specific plan is right for you.

• Starter - at $9.99 USD per month, this plan lets you ship up to 50 parcels a month and gives you access for one user.

• Bronze - for $29.99 USD per month, this plan allows you to ship up to 500 parcels a month, but still only permits access for one user.

• Silver - for $59.99 USD per month, you can add 2 users and your shipping allowance increases to 1,000 parcels a month.

• Gold - at $99.99 USD per month, this plan lets you set up 3 users and ship up to 2,000 parcels every month.

• Platinum - for $149.99 USD per month, you can ship up to 5,000 parcels and add up to 5 users on your account.

• Enterprise - for $229.99 USD per month, you can ship up to 7,500 packages and add up to 10 users on your account.

• High-Volume - if your shipping needs exceed the limits of all the other plans, ShipStation offers a custom plan, with monthly pricing based on your specific business requirements. 

If you use ShipStation’s default carriers, you won’t be charged extra for shipping, but it’s important to note that if you connect your own carrier accounts, you'll be charged additional fees. 

As of June 2023 the carrier connection costs for United States users, depending on their base monthly plan, are*:

• Starter Plan - $5

• Bronze Plan - $20

• Silver Plan - $30

• Gold Plan - $40

• Platinum Plan - $60

• Enterprise Plan - $95

This extra monthly fee is charged in addition to other ShipStation fees.

If a merchant identifies themselves as having their own direct carrier account and decides to use the rates available in their own direct carrier account instead of the ones offered by ShipStation, they will pay the additional charges mentioned above.

ShipStation also requires you to keep a minimum account balance of $10 USD. When you print a label, you’ll be charged for this, and the amount will be deducted from your account balance. So for example, if your label costs $5 to print, but you have a $0 balance, ShipStation will charge you $10 to top up. The unused balance will be kept in your account for future label purchases.

You’ll also incur extra costs if you want to connect premium third-party integrations.

As you can see, ShipStation’s pricing structures and fees are more costly and complicated than comparable shipping management tools. So if you’re looking for software with a straightforward pricing system (or completely free shipping management tools) - read on!

Pros of ShipStation

Overall, ShipStation reviewers say they enjoy using this software for its ability to manage “multiple stores and/or sell on multiple channels”, that “if an integration isn't available, their API is easy to setup to create manual stores” and that you can “move pricing tiers depending on your busy season”.

Users also mention they appreciate ShipStation’s:

• Shipping calculator for cost estimates

• Compatibility with many platforms

• Ease of clicking and printing shipping labels from home

• Mobile app for shipping 

Cons of ShipStation

A few drawbacks of this software mentioned by users include that they “wish some of the analytics and reporting features were better developed”, the fact that “ShipStation has a steep learning curve, especially when it comes to setting up shipping rules and automation” and that the costs to use the software are “relatively high, particularly for smaller businesses”.

User reviews also talk about downsides like:

• No free plan

• Not the best customer service

• Doesn’t automatically choose the best shipping option

• Occasionally goes offline during busy times

• Software bugs and glitches

• Mobile app could use more development

Stamps.com overview

Stamps.com is part of the Auctane brand, and was the first software-only postage service to be approved by the United States Postal Service. It offers a simple, straightforward solution to help customers quickly buy and print postage online, saving them hours of time standing at the post office. 

This software is targeted at small businesses and online retailers, but can also help larger companies ship their packages with their custom Enterprise solution.

Key features

• Discounted shipping rates

• Phone, email, and chat support

• Warehouse, shipping, and multi-location solutions (for enterprise sellers)

• Label printing

• Delivery tracking

• Create presets for best-selling items

Carriers

Stamps.com is an independent vendor for USPS and UPS carriers, and you’re limited to shipping with only these two providers.

So if you need more shipping options or more flexibility to send your packages locally, or around the world, Stamps.com might not be the best fit for you.

Stamps.com pricing 

Like ShipStation, you’ll be charged to use the Stamps.com software. If you’re a new customer, you can access a generous four-week trial to see if it’s right for you, and you’ll get $5 of free credit to use during this trial period.

Once your trial ends, you’ll be automatically charged the paid plan amount of  $19.99 (plus any applicable tax) unless you cancel before this date. You can cancel your paid plan at any time if you decide to stay.

To access the enterprise features, your flat-rate monthly plan payment will depend on your specific business needs, and you’ll need to contact Stamps.com directly for a quote.

For the monthly flat fee, there are many comparable cloud shipping alternatives out there that offer a ton more features, carriers, and integrations than Stamps.com does, and at much lower costs. For example, Veeqo—which does all of these things, and is completely free to use.

Pros of using Stamps.com

Stamps.com is a trusted brand that has been around a long time. Reviewers mention that it “makes correspondence that is sent out look professional and clean” and that it’s “very easy to use and quick for a large organization”. 

Users also enjoy:

• The simple desktop interface

• Good cost savings

• A smoother mailing process

• Being able to order free mailing supplies from the app

Cons of using Stamps.com

Some users comment that they “dislike that you need to have special paper which the stamps will be printed on and also a certain printer which you need to have a feed situation in order for the paper to not get stuck”. 

Reviewers also mention that the software feels “antiquated” and “won't sync with our other office programs”.

Other Stamps.com issues users mention are:

• No free plan

• Software and label printing glitches

• The need to buy credits before you can print labels

• Monthly charges even if you don’t ship anything

Further reading: Veeqo vs ShipStation Comparison Guide

Why choose Veeqo instead of ShipStation or Stamps.com?

If you feel that ShipStation’s monthly plans and fees are too high, or that Stamps.com isn’t the comprehensive shipping management solution that you’re looking for, Veeqo is a fantastic alternative.

It’s an all-in-one suite of shipping tools that includes warehouse and order management features, inventory control, and discounted shipping rates from leading carriers. Our goal is to provide enterprise-level shipping management software to anyone that needs it. For free!

Partnerships and integrations

As part of the Amazon family, Veeqo integrates with Amazon’s FBA and Buy Shipping, giving you extra features and peace of mind for every customer order.

We’re also a certified Shopify Plus partner due to our ability to solve complex ecommerce shipping challenges and offer advanced features, data security, and support for high-volume sellers.

Veeqo integrates directly with the world’s most popular retail apps, including shipping carriers, marketplaces, 3PL, POS and accounting programs. 

You can easily sync and import orders from:

• eBay

• Amazon

• Walmart

• Etsy

• Shopify

• BigCommerce

• Magento

Carriers

If you’re a Veeqo user, you’ll get immediate access to discounted shipping rates with USPS, UPS, DHL, and FedEx—no negotiations or minimum order volumes required.

Automations

The automated rate shopping feature instantly finds you the lowest shipping cost available for each package based on size and weight.

This saves you hours of time hunting through rate charts or punching details into a shipping calculator. You can also bulk ship up to 100 orders at once, while still getting the best deal on each label.

Veeqo even lets you create presets for weight, value, delivery, and other specs so you can save even more time when you go to ship.

Inventory management

Although ShipStation offers some inventory control features, and Stamps.com offers inventory and warehouse management solutions on its custom enterprise plan, Veeqo has a much more comprehensive suite of inventory tools that you can use for free - including mobile scanning so you can ship on the go.

This enables you to:

• Boost warehouse fulfillment speeds

• Increase customer satisfaction

• Forecast customer demand

• Automate tasks

• Prevent sell-outs

• Pick, pack, and ship faster

Veeqo will also sync your available inventory across all sales channels and update stock levels in real time, so your customers will never be disappointed by ordering something that’s not in your store.

Veeqo Pricing

Did we mention Veeqo is free to use? This is because we benefit from the shipping volume passed on to our partner shipping carriers, so we can offer our shipping management software free of charge.

It’s all part of our promise to help ecommerce sellers reduce costs and stay one step ahead of the competition as they scale.

When you join Veeqo, you’ll get unlimited users, unlimited orders, and no shipping label limits. Best of all, there’s no recurring monthly fee or hidden costs to worry about.

Reporting and forecasting

Veeqo also has the advantage of built-in reporting, analytics, and forecasting tools to help you gather deeper insights that can grow your business.

You can keep track of all transactions across multiple sales channels, see your top selling items, forecast future demand for your products, and a whole lot more—all from the comfort of the intuitive, user-friendly Veeqo dashboard.

Wrapping up

We hope this article has helped you make a more informed decision about which shipping management solution is right for your unique business. If you’re just looking for basic label printing solutions, Stamps.com is a reliable go-to provider.

And if you need a little more functionality, ShipStation is a popular option for companies who don’t mind the ongoing costs.

But if you’re looking for a shipping management solution that does it all, and can scale seamlessly alongside your business as it grows at zero cost to your business, you don’t need to look any further than Veeqo.

Create your free Veeqo account today and transform your shipping and inventory management process.

Pricing Sources:

*The latest ShipStation pricing and features can be found at shipstation.com/pricing. Last updated July 2023.