Best Shipping Software for Small Businesses in 2022

Online shopping has grown exponentially in recent years, and it’s a trend that is continuing to grow. The influx of online purchases has made the shipping industry an integral part of business operations for many small businesses, but this quickly becomes problematic when your shipments are delayed or lost by carriers. With so much at stake, should you handle your own shipping?

The “best shipping platform for small business” is a software that can help with shipping. It will also make sure that your products are delivered to the right person in time.

Ecommerce firms may manage shipments using shipping software that organizes orders, compares up-to-date pricing from numerous carriers, automates processes, and provides insights. You may also avoid going to the post office by ordering and printing labels from your computer.

Shipping software, like many other ecommerce solutions, is often accessible as a SaaS subscription that is priced on a monthly basis. The price ranges from free to hundreds of dollars each month, and there is typically no need to sign a contract.

The finest shipping software works in tandem with your ecommerce platform and other essential technologies. It also has strong order administration capabilities, creates useful reports, and offers excellent customer service. Many shipping options also provide substantial reductions on regular shipping rates, making in-house fulfillment considerably more cost-effective.

According to our findings, the best delivery options are:

• ShippingEasy is the best shipping software for small companies in general.
• OrderCup is the best option for small-scale merchants and those looking for a basic package.
• ShipStation is ideal for businesses looking to expand their shipping capabilities.
• Ordoro is the best option for high-volume merchants looking for a versatile tool.

Comparison of the Best Shipping Software

How Did We Assess Shipping Software?

We analyzed a number of the most popular ecommerce shipping systems, searching for high-performance capabilities, an easy-to-use interface, responsive customer service, and extra services that go beyond shipping.

We considered affordable price and aspects that contribute to overall simplicity of use in order to discover the best solution for small enterprises. Our ecommerce specialists also provided their opinions on each supplier.

ShippingEasy is the finest shipping management software for small enterprises, according to our criteria, getting the highest overall grade in our grading system (4.10 out of 5). ShippingEasy is the greatest option for online merchants because of its affordable plan pricing, cheap delivery rates, powerful features, and exceptional simplicity of use.

Please see the tabs below for a complete list of our assessment criteria:

20% of the overall score

This criteria evaluates whether each supplier provides a free beginning plan and the variety of paid choices available.

The contestants were given a score based on how affordable their plans are. We assessed the features and advantages provided at each cost category, docking points for lower-level alternatives’ less capability.

We only included suggestions that support your own negotiated prices with UPS, FedEx, and DHL, as well as USPS Commercial Plus rates that are considerably reduced. Multicarrier discounts are available from the top-ranked providers on our list.

20% of the overall score

For firms of all sizes, we looked at the availability of important services that improve productivity and accessibility. Batch capabilities, label printing, CSV input, and peripheral device compatibility are all included.

The amount of pre-built connectors available, access to an open API, sales channel allowance, and automation capabilities were also considered.

20% of the overall score

This score evaluated the functionality of each shipping solution’s basic features, such as reporting/analytics, returns management, outbound email alerts, and user administration choices. The greatest points were given to shipping software with solid, well-developed functionality.

Because the finest shipping solutions are multitaskers that save you time and money by handling tasks other than shipment management, we compared each provider’s dropshipping, order management, inventory management, and marketing capabilities.

20% of the overall score

We assessed each company’s user interface by looking at how straightforward it is to use, claimed uptime, site performance, and the first learning curve.

This metric also included how many learning materials each organization offers, such as webinars, demo videos, blogs, FAQs, case studies, libraries, manuals, calculator tools, and forum participation.

Finally, in order to deliver the best advice, customer service accessibility was significantly weighted. We looked into availability hours, contact methods, support personnel location, and service quality.

20% of the overall score

Our ecommerce experts’ final judgments of value, simplicity of use, and stand-out features were blended with ratings from real-world users to get this score. We sifted through tens of thousands of reviews to find common complaints and high-performing features in each product.

*Percentages based on total score

Overall, ShippingEasy is the best shipping software.

ShippingEasy

4.10 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• Pricing that is competitive
• The UI is simple and straightforward to use.
• Marketing techniques that are useful
• Reporting and analytics that are robust

What Isn’t There

• There is There is There is no free plan available. available. available.
• Dropshipping is only available in limited quantities.
• On the ‘Starter’ plan, customer assistance is limited.

Simple PricingEasy Shipping

• $5/month for 50 shipments and 1 user
• Basic: $29 per month for 500 shipments and two users.
• Plus, for $49 per month, you get 1,500 shipments and three users.
• Choose from $69/month for 3,000 shipments and 5 users.
• Premium: $99/month, unlimited users, 6,000 shipments
• $159/month for 10,000 shipments and unlimited users.

All subscriptions include a 30-day free trial and unlimited store/channel allowance.

• Additional users may be added to any plan for $5 per month.
• Customer Marketing is an add-on that costs $14 per month. Customer marketing tools, email marketing, campaign management, feedback requests, and interactive analytics are some of the features available.

On our evaluation, ShippingEasy received a 4.10 out of 5 rating. It’s a cloud-based software that offers the finest discounts, integrations, features, and functionality, earning it our top rating.

ShippingEasy is a shipment management solution that lets users functionally arrange orders and compare prices side by side in an easy-to-use interface, as illustrated below.

It also comes with an excellent range of extra capabilities to assist you with inventory management, customer relationship management, and marketing.

Although ShippingEasy’s platform is geared at small companies, the company’s top-tier plan (dubbed the Enterprise package) includes features such as unlimited users and bespoke setups from a shipping specialist that are beneficial to high-volume enterprises. Custom pricing may be offered for those that ship over 10,000 orders per month.

Features of ShippingEasy

• Shipping charges are substantially decreased for all plans, including UPS and USPS Commercial Plus. You may also use your own negotiated pricing with ShippingEasy.
• Special Priority Mail service rates: ShippingEasy’s exclusive lower dimensional pricing for USPS Priority Mail services is known as “Flat Rate Green.” It offers lower prices for deliveries weighing less than 20 pounds and greater dimensional flexibility than normal Flat Rate packaging.
• ShippingEasy works with 65 additional tools directly, including 60 leading ecommerce platforms and solutions including Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Magento, WooCommerce, Etsy, BigCommerce, Walmart, PayPal, and more. To simplify shipping, connect your USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL accounts.
• Automate shipment choices, tracking updates, confirmation emails, purchase and print operations, label generation, order splitting, FBA routing, and more by effortlessly programming rules into your shipping process.
• Split/combine/recombine features, batch processing, CSV input, customisable grouping, manual entry/editing, gift choices, returns management, and more are all available in ShippingEasy. Picking and packing locations are supported, as well as customisable packing slips, barcode generation, and location support.
• Real-time inventory monitoring, product catalog support, product picture support, customisable categories, and barcode compatibility are all features that help you manage your stock.
• Customer Marketing add-on from ShippingEasy provides completely configurable plug-and-play templates as well as contact/data management capabilities to help you supercharge your email marketing. Campaign management, feedback requests, and interactive stats are also included.
• Use ConnectEasy, the company’s proprietary connection program, to connect thermal/laser printers, scales, and barcode scanners.
• Customer service: Basic-level and above customers have access to highly rated help through live chat, phone, and email. Customers on the Starter plan may only communicate with support employees via the forum.
• ShippingEasy’s marketing resource center, case study reports, shipping instructions, blogs, checklists, forums, and calculation tools are all available online.
• ShippingEasy is well regarded, with a 4.8/5 rating on Capterra and a 4.6/5 rating on G2 based on over 1,000 customer reviews.

What ShippingEasy Isn’t Doing Right

Because ShippingEasy doesn’t support direct links to dropshipping suppliers, it’s not a good solution for merchants that perform a lot of dropshipping. Although the application allows users to label an order as “shipped” at any point throughout the process—a workaround employed by infrequent dropshippers—Ordoro is a significantly superior option for sellers who need vendor connection.

ShipStation interacts with a wider choice of carriers than ShippingEasy if you transport both packages and LTL truck freight.

Another area of compromise is ShippingEasy’s lowest-level plan’s limits. International delivery, FedEx integration, and customer assistance are not available to starter plan customers (except through a public forum).

As a result, we suggest signing up for the $29/month Basic plan to have access to all of ShippingEasy’s services, which are well worth the money. Otherwise, forgo ShippingEasy’s Starter package and instead look into OrderCup’s free program, which offers the same monthly shipping quota (50) but with less restrictions.

OrderCup: Best for Small-Scale Sellers & Those Seeking a Starter Plan

OrderCup

3.94 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• Starter plan is completely free.
• Customer service that is second to none seven days a week
• In reviews, the user’s favorite
• Getting started is simple.

What Isn’t There

• Scalability is limited.
• Features that are rudimentary
• Reporting capabilities are limited

Pricing for OrderCup

• 50 shipments for free, 1 user
• Short version: $25/month for 500 shipments and 1 user
• Tall: $45 per month for 1,500 shipments and two users
• Grande: $65 per month for 3,000 shipments and three users
• Venti: $95 per month for 6,000 shipments and five users.
• Trenta costs $180 per month for 12,000 shipments and 12 users.

All subscriptions include a 30-day free trial and unlimited store/channel allowance.

• Additional users may be added to any plan for $5-$10 per month.
• The Premium Support add-on is $50 per month or $500 per year. Customer care is now available seven days a week, including toll-free phone help and priority response.

OrderCup scored 3.94 out of 5 on our assessment, largely thanks to its capable Starter plan is completely free. and excellent ease of use. The software is great for accomplishing the basics—like managing shipments, comparing rates, and organizing multichannel orders.

OrderCup provides real-time shipping progress information in an easy-to-understand icon-coded manner. (Image courtesy of OrderCup)

OrderCup is the most economical choice on our list, while lacking the attachments and other features of its rivals. It’s an excellent option for small-business owners and those who want to see how shipping software fits into their business model.

OrderCup received high marks in our review for its excellent customer service, user-friendly interface, and extensive international shipping capabilities. Because to its lack of integration possibilities and underdeveloped resource library, it received a penalty.

Features of OrderCup

• Discounted shipping rates: All plans include USPS Commercial Plus rates and shipment insurance at a reduced cost. OrderCup may also function with your own negotiated pricing.
• Free pickups, free shipping materials, and free worldwide address verification are all included with every account.
• OrderCup provides 36 direct integrations, including Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Magento, WooCommerce, Etsy, BigCommerce, Walmart, PayPal, and other prominent ecommerce platforms and solutions. For efficient delivery, connect your USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, Amazon, Canada Post, Purolator, and UK Mail accounts. There is currently no API accessible.
• Automate your shipping procedures by creating automatic defaults, pre-defined package kinds, and profiles. OrderCup uses advanced filtering to classify orders and shipping criteria to automate processing, as well as automated insurance rules to determine which orders to cover for how much.
• Basic order management tools like as batch processing, CSV input, manual entry/editing, returns management, and more are included on all OrderCupplans.
• Inventory management: OrderCup’s product catalog support, which includes warehouse assignment choices and automated synchronization across different channels, allows you to keep track of your stock.
• Marketing: Send branded departing emails, packing slips, and tracking alerts, all of which may be automated.
• OrderCup also includes zero-configuration scale and scanner support for PCs and Macs, as well as web-based direct printing of labels, customs forms, and packing slips to most thermal, laser, and inkjet printers.
• Customer care is accessible seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time, for all plans, as well as a separate Europe-based support center that operates from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Greenwich mean time. Email, phone, live chat, and live screen sharing are all options for contacting personnel.
• OrderCup’s video collection and blog are useful online tools.
• OrderCup has a 4.9/5 rating on the Shopify App Store and a 5/5 rating on the BigCommerce App Store, based on over 300 user reviews.

What is the OrderCup that is missing?

Many rival shipping systems include features that might possibly replace other tools in your toolbox, however OrderCup is much more basic. Additionally, it is unable to function with dropshippers. We prefer Ordoro for extensive dropshipping and inventory management tools.

OrderCup isn’t as scalable as some of the other solutions. The highest-level plan’s 12,000-shipment maximum may necessitate a migration to a different solution in the future. Furthermore, its lack of integrations may be a concern for high-volume vendors.

OrderCup provides the most restricted reporting and analytical capabilities among the vendors on our list, according to our research. Although it provides useful information on sales, shipments, orders, and expenses, ShippingEasy’s configurable reporting features are more sophisticated.

ShipStation is ideal for businesses looking to expand their shipping capabilities.

ShipStation

Overall Score: 3.81 OUT OF 5 iOur score is based on our experts’ weighted analysis of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• There are 53 shipping carriers supported, as well as 288 additional interfaces.
• Apps for iOS and Android are available.
• Interface that is easy to use
• Features for effective returns management

What Isn’t There

• There is There is There is no free plan available. available. available.
• Users gave it a poor rating.
• Customer service that is inaccessible

Pricing at ShipStation

• $9/month for 50 shipments and 1 user
• Bronze: $29 per month for 500 shipments and one user
• Silver: $49 per month for 1,500 shipments and two users.
• Gold: $69 per month for 3,000 shipments and three users
• Platinum: $99 per month for 6,000 shipments and five users.
• $159/month for 10,000 shipments and 10 users.

All subscriptions include a 30-day free trial and unlimited store/channel allowance.

• High-volume shippers may get special rates.
• Additional users may be added to any plan for $5 per month.

In terms of the number of carriers supported by its shipping software, ShipStation outperforms our other suggestions. It has a far larger number of ready-to-use integrations with fulfillment facilities, freight businesses, and foreign carriers.

This remarkable feature isn’t as important for small company requirements since these sorts of shipping services are often employed by mid- to high-volume ecommerce retailers. It’s comforting to know, though, that you can swiftly expand to meet freight and international shipping needs as they arise.

ShipStation, like our other selections, has a superb user interface for order processing and multicarrier shipping pricing comparison panels. You can quickly view and print order invoices, packing slips, and shipping labels, either individually or in batches, as well as transmit shipment tracking data back to your sales channels.

The extensive tagging function in ShipStation makes it easier to manage orders and shipments. (Image courtesy of ShipStation)

ShipStation gained important marks in our study for its sophisticated returns management tools and mobile app offering, which set it apart from the competition. The program received a minus for its difficult learning curve and poor internet ratings. In the end, it received a 3.81 out of 5 rating.

Features of ShipStation

• Reduced shipping prices: USPS Commercial Plus rates, discounted UPS rates, DHL Express Worldwide Shipping Discounts, and more are included in all plans.
• ShipStation works with 53 shipping companies, including USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL, as well as 70 of the most popular sales channels and 215+ additional ecommerce platforms and solutions. There is also an open API accessible.
• Set product defaults and preset groups, service mappings, and automation rules that apply preset actions to selected orders are all supported by ShipStation.
• Order management: Standard order management tools are included in all ShipStation subscriptions, as well as a complete returns management platform with a customized returns page for your customers. To reduce packaging mistakes, choose and pack features are also incorporated.
• Basic inventory management services, such as catalog support, stock allocation, inventory notifications, and synchronizing, are available via ShipStation’s online or mobile app.
• Marketing tools: Customize labels, packing slips, outgoing emails, and tracking pages to create a branded experience.
• Use ShipStation Connect, the company’s proprietary connection program, to connect thermal/laser printers, scales, and barcode scanners.
• Customer assistance is accessible from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday. Users on the top-tier Enterprise subscription get access to phone assistance. Bronze and above subscriptions have access to chat help. It’s possible that email responses may take longer than one business day.
• ShipStation’s extensive integrations help guide, workflow guidelines, troubleshooting guide, mobile help guide, FAQ, forum, YouTube videos, and webinar collection are all available online.

What is missing from ShipStation?

While its overall rating isn’t awful, we discovered that the vast majority of ShipStation evaluations submitted in the last 12 months were vehemently unfavorable. Users routinely complain about problems and known concerns that go unaddressed by the development team, as well as bad customer support.

Many small firms don’t need customer support through their shipping software, particularly if they’re simply utilizing pre-built connectors and selling quantities that aren’t at the corporate level. However, if you want immediate assistance, ShippingEasy is a much better option than ShipStation.

ShipStation does not provide a free plan, and its cost is somewhat more than OrderCup’s.

ShipStation isn’t the most functional option for dropshipping management, however. You may provide your suppliers a ShipStation user account with limited access to particular orders using the granular user rights settings. Dropshipping is doable with this solution, although it’s a little complicated. If dropship providers account for a chunk of your revenue, we suggest Ordoro instead.

Ordoro is the best option for high-volume merchants looking for a versatile tool.

Ordoro

3.62 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• Dropshipping feature that is robust
• Features for inventory and order management that are second to none
• Capabilities in supplier and vendor management
• All options include unlimited users and warehouses.

What Isn’t There

• There is There is There is no free plan available. available. available.
• The most expensive option
• Many important features are only accessible on the Pro ($499/month) subscription.

Pricing for Ordoro

• $59/month for 1,000 orders and two sales channels.
• $499/month for 3,000 orders and six sales channels.
• Enterprise: 999 dollars per month, 4,000 orders, and eight sales channels

15-day free trial All options include unlimited users and warehouses.

• Flex Pricing accounts for seasonal changes by charging for real platform utilization, beginning at $20 per 1,000 orders per month beyond the baseline.
• For $10-$50 per month, you may add extra sales channels to any plan.

Ordoro, like our other selections, has excellent shipping capabilities, but it truly shines when it comes to extensive inventory management and automatic buying tools that work in tandem with its shipping system.

These capabilities garnered it high marks in our review, but the program was penalized for its exorbitant cost and lack of plan alternatives. Ordoro received a 3.62 out of 5 rating at the end.

Ordoro’s rate-shopping tool isn’t as user-friendly as our other recommendations, but it will still let you get the greatest deal on any bundle. (Image courtesy of Ordoro)

Ordoro is a must-have for devoted dropshippers and merchants that augment their products with dropshipped items because to its comprehensive interfaces with the leading dropshipping marketplaces.

While its extensive capabilities are useful, they come at a high price. Ordoro is by far the most costly plan on our list, with several critical features accessible only on the Pro plan, which costs $499 per month.

As a result, we suggest Ordoro to high-volume and/or high-margin vendors who want to utilize the program for more than simply shipping.

Features of Ordoro

• Discounted shipping rates: All plans include USPS Commercial Plus rates and shipment insurance at a reduced cost.
• Ordoro connects to eight shipping companies, including USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL, as well as 34 additional ecommerce platforms and solutions. The Pro and Enterprise subscriptions have access to the Open API.
• Ordoro has powerful automation tools that allow you to program rules and maps into your shipping procedure. Manual, semi-automatic, and fully-automated dropshipping are all options for dropshippers.
• Assign suppliers to items, monitor individual expenses, create procedures, and provide access to a vendor portal with supplier management. Users using the Enterprise subscription have access to direct integration with suppliers and third-party warehouses.
• Order management: From your dashboard, you can manage returns, receive and replenish items, issue RMAs (return merchandise authorizations), and see orders from all sales channels. You may also use the built-in address checking and barcode scanning features.
• Advanced inventory management capabilities, such as multichannel inventory sync, real-time inventory monitoring, stock alerts, allocation, and one-click P.O. generation, are available to Pro plan customers. Product listings on numerous channels may be linked to a “master product” in your Ordoro inventory catalogue for multichannel retailers.
• Marketing tools: Customize labels, packing slips, outgoing emails, and tracking pages to create a branded experience.
• USB scales, as well as scanner and printer connections, are all supported by Ordoro.
• Customer assistance is accessible by phone or email Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time, from Austin, Texas. On weekends, only limited email help is available.
• Ordoro is developing an online resource library that will include issues such as shipping, fulfillment, and inventory management.

What Is Ordoro Missing?

The price model of Ordoro is its major flaw. Some of the most crucial services, such as inventory management, API access, and returns processing, are only accessible on the second-tier subscription, which many small firms may not be able to pay.

Ordoro’s three plan choices are all lacking a few useful features that rivals provide. The program does not work with scan-based return labels and does not provide real-time shipping prices during checkout. We suggest ShippingEasy for these features.

Ordoro, unlike ShipStation, does not have a mobile app.

Conclusion

The only way to verify you’re receiving the best shipping price on every box you send is to compare prices from various carriers. The most effective method to do that—as well as manage your shipments, arrange orders, monitor inventory, and more—is to use shipping software.

ShippingEasy is our overall recommendation for the finest shipping software for ecommerce retailers, taking all factors into consideration. Its modest subscription plans provide excellent capabilities across a variety of useful features, including shipping and order administration tools that multichannel merchants need to develop at the lowest possible cost.

Go to ShippingEasy.com.

You Might Also Enjoy…

The “best shipping software for fedex” is a software that allows users to track their packages and shipments. The software can be used by small businesses in 2022.

Related Tags

• best shipping software for ecommerce
• best multi carrier shipping software
• best shipping software for shopify
• best online shipping service for small business
• shipping platforms for small businesses