TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    ShipStation

    Score7.7 out of 10
    N/AShipStation is an order fulfillment and inventory management web-based shipping software designed for eCommerce businesses. It allows users to import, manage, and ship orders from multiple online selling channels while providing discounted rates and integrations with carriers like USPS, UPS, DHL Express, Canada Post, FedEx, Royal Mail, AUSPost, and more. ShipStation also offers workflow automation to speed up fulfillment, and branded package tracking, vital for enterprise and small businesses…

    $9.99

    per month

    Shopify

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AShopify is a commerce platform designed for both online stores and retail locations. Shopify offers a professional online storefront, a payment solution to accept credit cards, and the Shopify POS application to power retail sales.

    $39

    per month

    Pricing
    ShipStationShopify
    Editions & Modules
    Starter
    $9.99
    per month
    Bronze
    $29.99
    per month
    Silver
    $59.99
    per month
    Gold
    $99.99
    per month
    Platinum
    $149.99
    per month
    Enterprise
    $229.99
    per month
    Basic Shopify
    $39
    per month
    Grow
    $105
    per month
    Advanced
    $399
    per month
    Shopify Plus
    2,000
    per month
    Shopify Plus
    2,300
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ShipStationShopify
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—A 25% discount is offered for annual billing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    ShipStationShopify
    Considered Both Products
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    Chose ShipStation
    In my experience, they both are bad. I believe ShipStation was the better option when we moved over, but I do not believe it has not kept up with changes on Shopify.
    Incentivized
    Chose ShipStation
    We select ShipStation for our store and for clients' stores as an easy way to get accurate shipping rates for national orders. ShipStation is easy to integrate into the Shopify and Big Commerce store platforms, free app, 1 click install, easy set-up and clients like the easy to …
    Incentivized
    Chose ShipStation
    I find that the reporting you get out of ShipStation is far better and customizable than what you get from ShippingEasy. I also like the ShipStation app better, and I find it much easier to manage and add users with ShipStation. ShippingEasy wasn't bad and had good support, I …
    Incentivized
    Chose ShipStation
    ShipStation does one thing, shipping, and it does that one thing really well. You can definitely go out there and try to find software that handles both shipping and inventory, and that may work for certain businesses, but for mine, I've found it incredibly necessary to use the …
    Incentivized
    Chose ShipStation
    I honestly think ShipStation is best of bread in this area, hands down.
    Incentivized
    Shopify
    Chose Shopify
    It’s better than WooCommerce, in my opinion, and the best opinion overall for e-commerce
    Incentivized
    Chose Shopify
    Shopify was an easy selection for my recommendation as I have been using it for personal business for over 4 years, to really test and experience many of the piloting opportunities we were looking to test and learn with.
    Incentivized
    Chose Shopify
    I started with WooCommerce because I had used it previously at my old job. It gets the job done but because of constant updates and themes with poor coding, your site can have issues that you don't always know about. I easily missed out on thousands of dollars of sales in just …
    Incentivized
    Chose Shopify
    One other product I have used is BigCommerce. They are very similar to Shopify, only my problem with them is there is too much clicking and window opening to operate with. Shopify keeps it simple and doesn't have too much clicking to get from one thing to another. If there is …
    Incentivized
    Chose Shopify
    My #1 issue with small business and ecommerce is that there's this belief that you can plug a few pictures into any old website, and the orders will start pouring in. This is simply not true, and if you try and build your online business that way you'll save yourself some time …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    75%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    98%
    Would buy again
    80 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    77 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    81%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    76 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    67%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    68 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    13 Answers
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    69 Answers
    Features
    ShipStationShopify
    Online Storefront
    Comparison of Online Storefront features of ShipStation and Shopify
    Feature
    ShipStation
    -
    Ratings
    Shopify
    8.4
    149 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Product catalog & listings00 Ratings8.7149 Ratings
    Product management00 Ratings8.2147 Ratings
    Bulk product upload00 Ratings8.3125 Ratings
    Branding00 Ratings8.6146 Ratings
    Mobile storefront00 Ratings9.1142 Ratings
    Product variations00 Ratings7.9139 Ratings
    Website integration00 Ratings8.7140 Ratings
    Visual customization00 Ratings8.7146 Ratings
    CMS00 Ratings7.6118 Ratings
    Online Shopping Cart
    Comparison of Online Shopping Cart features of ShipStation and Shopify
    Feature
    ShipStation
    -
    Ratings
    Shopify
    8.5
    141 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Abandoned cart recovery00 Ratings8.2131 Ratings
    Checkout user experience00 Ratings8.8139 Ratings
    Online Payment System
    Comparison of Online Payment System features of ShipStation and Shopify
    Feature
    ShipStation
    -
    Ratings
    Shopify
    9.4
    143 Ratings
    12% above category average
    eCommerce security00 Ratings9.4143 Ratings
    eCommerce Marketing
    Comparison of eCommerce Marketing features of ShipStation and Shopify
    Feature
    ShipStation
    -
    Ratings
    Shopify
    8.3
    146 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Promotions & discounts00 Ratings8.4140 Ratings
    Personalized recommendations00 Ratings8.432 Ratings
    SEO00 Ratings8.1135 Ratings
    eCommerce Business Management
    Comparison of eCommerce Business Management features of ShipStation and Shopify
    Feature
    ShipStation
    -
    Ratings
    Shopify
    8.1
    147 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Multi-site management00 Ratings6.719 Ratings
    Order processing00 Ratings9.0144 Ratings
    Inventory management00 Ratings7.6143 Ratings
    Shipping00 Ratings8.4135 Ratings
    Custom functionality00 Ratings8.7136 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    ShipStationShopify
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Ecwid by Lightspeed
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    Shopify Plus
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    IBM Digital Commerce
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    ShipStationShopify
    Likelihood to Recommend
    5.6
    (25 ratings)
    8.4
    (162 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (16 ratings)
    Usability
    6.0
    (4 ratings)
    8.3
    (16 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.7
    (10 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ShipStationShopify
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    I do - and have - recommended them to other businesses. If they had taken care of the USPS pickup option and started supporting Rollo printers again I would have given them a 10. But a year with no resolution is unacceptable. Everything else about them is excellent. When I do have issues I'm usually able to contact someone via live chat and get it resolved. They are glitchy on occasion, but what piece of modern technology isn't.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shopify
    Shopify allowed us to handle matrix items and combined listings. Both of which we could not do on our previous platform. There was some customization involved but overall, it did what we needed it to. The one downside was that if we want to change anything we would have to reload the entire set of matrix items manually.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    • Integration: It works so well I forget that it is a 3rd party solution sometimes.
    • Automation: You can set nested rules based on order details, really cutting down on the little things that slow down your fulfillment process.
    • Management: We almost never log into the admin side of BigCommerce thanks to ShipStation. ShipStation handles all of our day-to-day needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shopify
    • It's base security and integration with trusted security partners (such as NoFraud) is a game-changer when it comes to reliability and a "hands off approach" for our IT department. The up-time is also very good.
    • It offers a wide range of verified plugins that are (for the most part) easy to install and use for any specific scenario you're looking for.
    • It's Analytics area in the admin is actually nice and offers a wide variety of reports that you can run.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    • For years users have requested UPS End of Day Report for Driver to Scan. Shipstation Refuses to offer this and it means that Claims with the carrier are next to impossible to process as there is no PROOF the carrier received your package.
    • Customer Service is Seriously Lacking within the last 6-12 months. Repeated outages, problems, and their front-tier support has no insight as to how long the system will be down. Poor Response times for even the most basic of issues such as error logs so our cart can troubleshoot from their end.
    • The Status Page is inaccurate. 5 of the last 6 times when we had major issues their status page shows as 100%. Not a reliable gauge of up-time.
    Read full review
    Shopify
    • I would love it if Shopify built an in house app which helped us post UGCs and social proof from platforms such as Instagram, Youtube etc. more seamlessly on our website. Right now, we are able to do it through third party apps but the look and feel is just okay.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Shopify
    Nothing we have used in the past or have seen thus far even comes close to offering what we get with Shopify Plus, especially for the price. You cannot even come close to getting what we are getting at the price we pay. We are beyond thrilled and Shopify Plus meets and exceeds all of our needs and expectations. We love it!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    Its a very quick platform and being web based it does not require install for say viewing order's shipping status. For the shipping itself, there is a app that grabs data in near real time. Its an easy install and I have had next to no issues with the shipping aspect of the app.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shopify
    It is fairly easy to use Shopify regardless of what task you are attempting to perform. Most things are customizable to a degree without requiring coding ability. I have very limited coding experience and have still been able to navigate my way around changing features of the website that require edits to the code with the use of AI and trial-and-error. This previously wasn't possible with the WooCommerce platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Shopify
    Shopify support is always available when you need them.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Shopify
    Shopify website speed is quite impressive. Even if we integrate couple apps, it does not hamper the site speed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    I have quarterly calls with my account rep to discuss metrics and performance to ensure we are remaining consistent without fulfillment and transit times. He is super friendly and knowledgable. Whenever I have questions, if he can't answer them himself, he gets me in contact with the appropriate person almost immediately.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shopify
    In terms of support I give Shopify a 9 out of 10 because they're always very friendly and thorough, and they personally can't solve my problem for me they always point me in the proper direction with the proper information I need to move forward
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Shopify
    Shopify offered us several trainings to setup a Shopify store, how to build a brand, SEO, product photography etc. All this content have been super helpful in our journey.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Shopify
    Just start now and make the switch, the sooner the better. You will love it and it is really a simple process
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    ShipStation is mainly used for automating and streamlining our shipping process. It doesn't track inventory or deal with fulfillment. ShipBob, on the other hand, is a fulfillment and shipping provider. (in addition to automation) Because our e-commerce business is still small and we're operating from our brick-n-mortar store, we don't have a need for ShipBob at the moment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shopify
    Big Commerce and SAP Hybris are two other platforms we've investigated and Shopify is by far easiest to use and customize. While it doesn't do everything out of the box, the apps do fill in many gaps. The cost however, is probably the biggest selling point against these other two options.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    No answers on this topic
    Shopify
    Shopify has basic to high-end plans. The plans grow with the brand`s growth and I love that about Shopify.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Auctane (Stamps.com, Inc)
    • It saves a lot of time being able to import the customer data.
    • It saves us money by finding us the best rate (e.g. when we offer free shipping on orders).
    • It can save data such as your most common box sizes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shopify
    • It got the store up quickly so the client could start selling. She was previously selling products on Etsy and Facebook and wanted to consolidate everything onto one website, so the main thing Shopify solved was to reduce the store owner's time in managing all her products on multiple sites. Also, we had previously built a website on Wix with all the custom functionality and branding she needed - a truly great, high-end website - but it performed so slowly that it was unusable. So the speed at which Shopify can be set up and then works on the page is appreciable.
    • The website was manageable by the client - she could figure the system out herself after a while so she saved money on costs for hiring developers. She did have to hire developers to customize some of the plug-ins but costs are all relative; it wasn't a high investment compared to building a full e-commerce website. With the complexity and size of her product base and the functionality and branding she wanted to have in a website, and the potential of her business, she would have needed to invest well over $10,000 to get to where she really needs to be. In the end she kept the budget under $5000.00.
    • Costs kept climbing with plug-ins having to be added with everything. My client became more involved in building the website and began to try multiple plugins, and she did not have the skill base to evaluate the plugins functionalities so she chose plugins that did not do everything she needed, and then ended up paying the plugin developers to customize the plugins. So on one hand, it's pretty amazing to be able to bring up an e-commerce website as quickly as a week or so, but on the other hand if you need anything customized or deeper functionality in regards to product searching and filtering on the web page, and management on the backend, it quickly goes beyond the skills of the average person to manage, and above their expected budget as well. In the end my client really did not get anything close to the functionality for the website we had originally envisioned.
    • Shopify was the easiest way we could find to bring the client's products to a global market. We evaluated several other platforms and the functionality simple did not seem to be adequate, so Shopify seemed like the only solution that could do enough of what we needed and still stay within this client's budget. Really the problem in this project was not platform per se but that the budget wasn't large enough. Shopify managed to provide a solution for an ecommerce store with thousands of products on a tiny budget, so in the sense of pure functionality it provided the best value of all the platforms we evaluated. The solution still isn't big enough for this client's business though so, without having insights into this client's post-build sales results, my guess is that because her new website did not make her products easier to sort through, and she likely didn't have much more budget left to invest in SEO and other marketing of the website, her sales probably didn't increase substantially as a result of having built the website. So I think this project all in all did not likely have a high ROI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots