Perhaps the most nerve-wracking, nail-biting time in the
order fulfillment process is shipping. So much can happen between the moment
when the package leaves storage and the moment it lands on your customer’s
doorstep. That is why eCommerce store owners rely on shipping management
software, which helps them stay on top of every order at every point
in the process.
There are quite a few apps you can choose from when looking
for your store’s go-to shipping solution. Two of the most popular are ShippingEasy
and ShipStation,
which are both SaaS solutions that strive to provide customers with a variety
of ways to handle the fulfillment process. To help settle the question of which
one best suits your business’s needs, here is a comparison of the two shipping
management apps.
ShippingEasy vs. ShipStation Features
To be fair, both ShippingEasy and ShipStation can accomplish
many of the important tasks that eCommerce entrepreneurs need from their
shipping management apps. If you need shipping labels and want them to bear
your own logo and branding, you can do just that with either of them. Both apps
provide helpful tools for inventory management and allow for dropshipping
capabilities.
To be comprehensive, there are a few differences that just
might tip the scales for you, one way or another. For example, ShippingEasy
provides real-time inventory updates
across all sales channels, while ShipStation requires you to manually input
those updates yourself. On a related note, ShipStation can connect with over 50 marketplaces and online shopping carts, a
slight step up from ShippingEasy’s 35+. It is also worth mentioning that ShipStation has its own mobile app, for
entrepreneurs on the go.
ShippingEasy vs. ShipStation Pricing
ShippingEasy offers six
different payment tiers, including a free plan:
·
Starter — Free
o
50 shipments/mo
o
No personalized labels
o
No set-up assistance
o
24/7 Knowledgebase
·
Bronze — $29/mo
o
500 shipments/mo
o
Personalized labels
o
Exclusive set-up and training
o
24/7 Knowledgebase, email support, phone
support, and live in-app chat
·
Silver — $49/mo
o
1500 shipments/mo
o
Personalized labels
o
Exclusive set-up and advanced dedicated training
o
24/7 Knowledgebase, email support, phone
support, and live in-app chat
·
Gold — $69/mo
o
3000 shipments/mo
o
Personalized labels
o
Exclusive set-up and advanced dedicated training
o
24/7 Knowledgebase, email support, phone
support, live in-app chat, and dedicated customer success advisor
·
Platinum — $99/mo
o
6000 shipments/mo
o
Personalized labels
o
Exclusive set-up and advanced dedicated training
o
24/7 Knowledgebase, email support, phone
support, live in-app chat, and dedicated customer success advisor
·
Enterprise — $149/mo
o
Unlimited monthly shipments
o
Personalized labels
o
Exclusive set-up and advanced dedicated training
o
24/7 Knowledgebase, email support, phone
support, live in-app chat, and dedicated customer success advisor
Interestingly, ShipStation also offers six different payment tiers that mostly corresponds in price and
even shares some names with those of ReadyShipper:
·
Starter — $9/mo
o
50 shipments/mo
o
1 user
o
Branded labels and packing slips
o
Email support and community forum support
·
Bronze — $29/mo
o
500 shipments/mo
o
1 user
o
Branded labels and packing slips
o
Email support and community forum support
·
Silver — $49/mo
o
1500 shipments/mo
o
2 users
o
Customized packing slips and branded labels
o
Email support, community forum support, and live
chat support
·
Gold — $69/mo
o
3000 shipments/mo
o
3 users
o
Customized packing slips and branded labels
o
Email support, community forum support, and live
chat support
·
Platinum — $99/mo
o
6000 shipments/mo
o
5 users
o
Customized packing slips and branded labels
o
Email support, community forum support, and live
chat support
·
Enterprise — $159/mo
o
Unlimited monthly shipments
o
10 users
o
Customized packing slips and branded labels
o
Email support, community forum support, live
chat support, and phone support
Despite appearing identical, there are some notable
differences between ReadyShipper and ShipStation’s pricing plans. The former
offers a free plan, while the latter does not. ReadyShipper’s Enterprise plan
costs $149/mo, while ShippingStation’s Enterprise plan costs an extra $10/mo —
or, seen another way, an extra $120/yr.
With all that said, a more solid comparison would be
qualitative in addition to quantitative. Those numbers seem to speak for
themselves, but what features are included with these prices? The answers may
be surprising and complex, and it would be worth taking a moment to compare
which tools and resources can be used in each tier.
ShippingEasy vs. ShipStation Customer Support Availability
One interesting example of the need for quantitative
comparison is customer support. ShippingEasy’s free plan does not include a
live chat feature, nor phone support, nor even email support. Only a collection of articles on Knowledgebase
is available. ShipStation’s cheapest plan ($9/mo) at least includes email and community forum support.
On the other hand, live
chat only becomes available to ShipStation customers at the Silver tier,
while phone support is for Enterprise-level accounts only. ShippingEasy provides all these forms of customer support at the lowest
paid plan. Any business owner will want as much access to professional help
as possible in case of emergencies, and ShippingEasy provides that for less.
Just as we said earlier: this can be more complex than meets the eye.
ShippingEasy vs. ShipStation Order Volume
On that note, both apps include different caps on how many
monthly shipments a business can make based on their plan. We noted that their
tiers are almost identical in terms of price, and they are also highly similar
in terms of monthly caps. Both their Enterprise plans allow unlimited monthly
shipments, their $99/mo plans allow 6000 shipments each month, their $69/mo
plans allow 3000 each month, and so on.
One notable deviation is with the Starter ones: you can ship
50 orders each month under ShipStation’s $9/mo plan. Alternatively, you can
ship the same number without paying anything for ShippingEasy’s free plan. In
this sense, at least, ShippingEasy may be preferable for businesses with low
volumes of shipments.
ShippingEasy vs. ShipStation Carrier Integrations
As you should expect, ShippingEasy and ShipStation both
connect to some of the most important and wide-reaching shipping carrier
services in the world. These integrations also come with plenty of options for
parcel delivery, with varying times, fees, and discounts from special
partnerships and programs. This means that eCommerce businesses of any size and
sales volume will do well with either of these apps.
To be more specific, however, we should clarify that
ShippingEasy integrates with one dozen
different carriers, namely:
·
UPS
·
USPS
·
FedEx
·
DHL (including DHL Express and DHL eCommerce)
·
Globegistics
·
APC Postal Logistics
·
Asendia USA
·
RR Donnelley
·
OnTrac
·
International Mail Service
·
International Bonded Couriers
That selection is good, but businesses with a global reach
and a lot of shipments may want as many options as they can get. This is where
ShipStation shines: they provide customers with access to three dozen, including national carriers and more private services.
That number includes, but is not limited to:
·
UPS (including UPS UK, UPS Australia, and UPS
Canada)
·
USPS
·
FedEx (including FedEx Canada and FedEx UK)
·
Royal Mail
·
Canada Post
·
Globegistics
·
APC Postal Logistics
·
Parcelforce Worldwide
·
Australia Post
·
Amazon (including Fulfillment by Amazon and
Seller Fulfilled Prime)
·
DHL (including DHL Express and DHL eCommerce)
·
RR Donnelley
·
Landmark Global
·
OnTrac
·
Asendia USA
ShippingEasy vs. ShipStation Summary
ShippingEasy offers both a free plan and a slightly less expensive Enterprise plan. Even their most
economical plans come bundled with abundant features, as well as extensive
customer support.
ShipStation has its own advantages, including a mobile app
and extensive marketplace and shopping cart integrations. On that note, its
many integrations with a variety of carriers and sales channels are excellent
for stores with a high volume of orders.
There are more than a few differences between the apps. How
much these differences matter really depends on your business’s size, reach,
and number of shipments each day and month. With that said, both apps are among
the best shipping
software out there, and either one can provide the most essential
features you need at reasonable prices. If you still have any doubts about
which to pick, they both offer 30-day free trials that let you fulfill orders
and try out their interface. Whichever you pick, your customers’ orders are in
good hands.
