The best Shopify shipping app depends on which of three jobs you need done: showing the right rates at checkout, buying cheaper labels, or handling what happens after the sale. Pick by job first, then compare price.
Shopify evaluates shipping rules per shipment rather than evaluating the whole cart as a whole, so a cart-wide free shipping threshold is a checkout-rate decision, not a label discount.
Hear what AI support calls sound like for your store. Just paste your Shopify URL and get sample calls in under 20 seconds, no email required. Listen to demo calls for my store.
What a Shopify shipping app does (and when Shopify Shipping is enough)
A shipping app changes one of three things: the rates your customer sees at checkout, the price and workflow of the labels you buy, or the tracking, returns and notifications after the parcel leaves.
So do you need one? You start needing an app when one of these happens:
- You want a rule Shopify can't express, like a free shipping threshold applied to the whole order.
- You ship from several locations and orders split into multiple shipments.
- You sell abroad and want duties and taxes shown before payment.
- You buy labels in volume and want to compare carriers on price.
If none of those describe you, adding an app adds cost and one more thing to maintain. Start with what you have and add an app when a specific problem shows up in your orders.
Three jobs, three kinds of app: checkout rates, labels, post-purchase
- Checkout rates: the options and prices the customer sees, and the rules behind them.
- Labels: which carrier you buy from and at what price.
- Post-purchase: tracking pages, notifications and returns.
Decide which of the three problems is costing you more. If checkout rules are the pain, start with ShipperHQ. If label margin is the pain, start with Easyship or Bespoke Shipping. If returns and tracking are the pain, look at Outvio, Sendcloud or Easyship's Scale tier.
Best Shopify shipping apps at a glance
The table below lists the main job and the key facts recorded for each app.
| App | Main job | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| ShipperHQ | Checkout rates and rules | Cart-wide rules, split shipping and multi-location support, needs Carrier Calculated Shipping |
| Intuitive Shipping | Shipping app | 489 reviews, rated 5 |
| Bespoke Shipping | Multi-carrier shipping | More than 80 live carriers |
| Easyship | Discounted labels, plus duties and returns on the Scale tier | Premier $69/month for 500 shipments; Scale $99/month for 2,500 shipments |
| Outvio | Returns and post-purchase tooling bundled with shipping | Entry tier $35 to $50 a month (shared with Sendcloud) |
| Sendcloud | Returns and post-purchase tooling bundled with shipping | Entry tier $35 to $50 a month (shared with Outvio) |
| ShipBob Fulfillment | Outsourced fulfillment (3PL), not a shipping app | Integrates through the Shopify Fulfillment Network |
For a wider view of tools beyond Shopify's own app store, see this roundup of eCommerce shipping software.
Best apps for checkout rates and shipping rules
If your problem is what customers see at checkout, you want a rates app. This is where the per-shipment behavior matters most.
ShipperHQ
ShipperHQ is built for the cart-wide threshold question. It lets you apply rules to the entire cart, so you can set a $100 free shipping threshold to the entire order rather than to each separate shipment.
That matters if you stock more than one location. Cart-wide logic is what lets one threshold cover an order that ships in more than one piece.
ShipperHQ also states it works with Shopify split shipping and multi-location inventory out of the box. It also has a requirement: your store must have access to Carrier Calculated Shipping (CCS). Check that first.
Take ShipperHQ if your checkout rules are complicated or your inventory sits in several places. Skip it if you ship one flat rate from one warehouse and have no rules to manage.
Intuitive Shipping
Intuitive Shipping's Shopify listing shows 489 reviews, an overall rating of 5, and 98% of ratings at five stars.
Confirm the cart-wide threshold behavior with the developer before you commit.
What a rates app does not fix
A rates app decides what the customer is quoted. It does not decide how fast the parcel arrives or what the customer is told after purchase.
If your checkout promises a delivery window your carrier misses, the app did its job and the customer still calls. We cover that in the last section.
Best apps for discounted labels and multi-carrier shipping
If your problem is margin, you want a label app that lets you shop carriers.
Easyship
Easyship's listing offers up to 91% off shipping rates on both tiers shown, and lets you link your own courier accounts. Its two plans:
- Premier at $69 a month (or $660 a year): 500 shipments a month, live rates at checkout, auto sync and batch label printing, branded tracking, and shipping automation rules.
- Scale at $99 a month (or $948 a year): 2,500 shipments a month, live tax and duties at checkout, a shipping API, merge, split and multi-box shipments, and returns management.
On the Shopify App Store, Easyship shows 408 reviews with a 4.2 overall rating, and 73% of ratings are five stars. Read the recent reviews for the problems that matter to you.
Take Easyship if you want labels, duties and returns in one place and you ship in the hundreds a month. Skip it if your volume is small and a cheaper plan covers your labels.
Bespoke Shipping
Shopify's own guide says that with Bespoke Shipping, retailers can work with more than 80 live carriers to ship orders.
Take Bespoke Shipping over Easyship if carrier count is your first filter. Take Easyship over Bespoke Shipping if you want a priced plan with returns and duties in the same tool. Check the listing for Bespoke pricing before you buy.
Price points for entry-level label apps
Shopify's guide lists two entry plans, without naming the apps here. One starts at $15 per month and includes three users, unlimited store connections, automated rate shopping and a reporting dashboard. Another starts at $9 per month for businesses shipping 1,200 or fewer orders a year, rising with annual shipments.
So how much do Shopify shipping apps cost? Shopify's guide lists entry plans at $9 and $15 a month. Outvio and Sendcloud start at $35 to $50 a month, and Easyship's tiers are $69 and $99 a month.
If you want help weighing label software by workflow, our shipping software comparison goes deeper. And if your volume is high enough that you're thinking about outsourcing fulfillment instead, read the 3PL options for Shopify.
Best apps for international shipping, duties and returns
International orders bring duties and returns into the picture.
Duties and taxes at checkout
Easyship's Scale tier lists live tax and duties at checkout (DDP/DDU), and that tier is $99 a month.
Ask each other vendor directly about duties support.
Returns and tracking notifications
Outvio and Sendcloud sit at the higher end at $35 to $50 a month at the entry tier, because they bundle returns and post-purchase tooling alongside shipping.
Easyship's Scale tier includes returns management, and its Premier tier includes branded tracking. If returns are your biggest cost, a dedicated tool may serve you better than a shipping app's add-on. Compare the best Shopify returns apps before you choose.
For a tracking-focused view, see our list of order tracking software.
Fulfillment outsourcing
ShipBob Fulfillment is a 3PL with Shopify integration through the Shopify Fulfillment Network. That's a different category from a shipping app.
How to choose: order volume, carriers, locations and budget
Work through these four questions in order.
- Order volume: Shopify's guide lists entry plans at $9 or $15 a month. Easyship's Premier tier covers 500 shipments a month, and its Scale tier covers 2,500.
- Carriers: If you need many carriers, check carrier count first. Bespoke Shipping lists more than 80 live carriers.
- Locations: Multiple warehouses or split shipments favor a rules-aware checkout app like ShipperHQ, which states it handles split shipping and multi-location inventory.
- Budget: Add up the app fee plus the label savings it creates. If the plan costs more than the labels save, it's a cost.
Two more checks before you pay:
- Carrier Calculated Shipping: Do you need it to use a shipping rates app? For ShipperHQ, yes, your store must have access to it. Confirm that for any rates app before you sign up.
- Plan level: Growing stores on higher Shopify plans may want to look at the Shopify Plus apps list, since some tools only make sense at that scale.
Which is the best shipping software for Shopify overall? There isn't one winner. ShipperHQ states it handles cart-wide rules, Easyship's Scale tier lists duties at checkout, and Outvio and Sendcloud bundle returns and post-purchase tooling.
What shipping apps do not handle: the customer calls that still reach your support team
A shipping app doesn't answer the phone. If calls stay on your team, you can look at AI order support options for Shopify as a next step.
How Ringly.io handles shipping questions on the phone
Shipping apps decide the rate and the label. Ringly.io is AI phone support for Shopify brands, and its agent Seth takes the calls from callers asking where the parcel is, so a caller who asks about an order gets an answer on the phone.
Seth matches the caller's number to a Shopify customer and reads the order. He gives the carrier, delivery status, latest scan and estimated delivery date, using TrackingMore across 1,633+ carriers. He reads every shipment on an order, so a partly shipped order isn't reported as unshipped.
Seth can also cancel unfulfilled orders in Cancel and refund mode, and request returns in Shopify as drafts your team approves. Calls that need a person arrive as tickets in Gorgias or Zendesk, with a summary and the full transcript.
AI Coach is a chat assistant in the Seth dashboard that reads your settings and real calls, including recent call transcripts and what Seth looked up mid-call. It says what to fix first and proposes changes as cards you apply or dismiss. Coach is in beta and can be wrong, so test each change. Ringly.io charges per phone conversation, and the details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best shipping app for Shopify?
It depends on the job. Checkout rules, discounted labels and post-purchase tooling are different problems with different apps. Match the app to your biggest problem before comparing prices.
Do I need a shipping app or is Shopify Shipping enough?
Add an app when you need cart-wide rules, multiple locations, duties at checkout, or carrier shopping.
Can a shipping app apply a free shipping threshold to the whole cart?
Yes. ShipperHQ states you can apply rules to the entire cart, such as a $100 free shipping threshold on the whole order instead of each shipment. This matters because Shopify evaluates shipping rules per shipment.
Which shipping apps work with split shipping and multi-location inventory?
ShipperHQ states it is compatible with Shopify split shipping and multi-location inventory out of the box. Easyship's Scale tier also lists merge, split and multi-box shipments. Confirm checkout behavior with any other app you consider.
Which shipping apps include returns and tracking notifications?
Outvio and Sendcloud bundle returns and post-purchase tooling, with entry tiers at $35 to $50 a month. Easyship's Scale tier lists returns management, and its Premier tier lists branded tracking. Our guide to Shopify returns apps compares dedicated options.
Where do I put the calls that still come in?
For calls that still reach your team, consider tools built for phone support, such as those in our list of AI tools for Shopify.
