ShipStation vs Pirate Ship: which one should a small seller use?

The short answer

Pick Pirate Ship if you ship with USPS and UPS, one or two people print the labels, and you want to pay nothing beyond postage. Pick ShipStation if you need FedEx or other carriers, want rules that choose the service and package for you, sell on channels Pirate Ship does not import from, or need returns, inventory or more users.

Both were checked on their own websites on November 10, 2026. Tallyvane earns a commission if you buy ShipStation through our link; it does not change this comparison, and for many small sellers we think the free option is the right one.

Side by side

The table compares Pirate Ship with ShipStation’s two lower plans, which are the ones a small business would look at.

Price: what you really pay each month

Pirate Ship’s price is the postage and nothing else. It says it is paid by the carriers, not by you. ShipStation’s fee depends on the plan and the number of shipments a month: Starter is $14.99 for 50, $29.99 for 100 and $39.99 for 500. Standard is $29.99 for 50, $59.99 for 100 and $89.99 for 500. Annual billing is advertised at 20% off.

Both advertise large discounts off retail postage (Pirate Ship up to 89%, ShipStation up to 90%). Those are best-case figures. For ordinary USPS parcels, both give you commercial prices, the same prices USPS offers anyone buying online, so on postage alone the two come out close. The fee is what separates them.

• At 50 orders a month, ShipStation Starter adds about 30¢ an order ($14.99 ÷ 50).
• At 500 orders a month, it adds about 8¢ an order ($39.99 ÷ 500).

Carriers: the FedEx question

Pirate Ship covers USPS and UPS, plus its own export service for international parcels. For most parcels under about 20 lb going to homes, USPS Ground Advantage is usually the cheapest carrier anyway, and UPS covers heavier boxes, so many sellers never miss FedEx.

If your products are heavy, you ship to businesses, or a buyer asks for FedEx, Pirate Ship cannot print the label. ShipStation can, and from the Standard plan you can connect a FedEx or UPS account with rates you negotiated yourself. If you want FedEx without a monthly fee, Veeqo’s shipping tools are another free option.

Workflow: where ShipStation saves time

Pirate Ship imports your orders, lets you save package presets and prints labels in batches, which covers a one-person shop well. ShipStation goes further once the volume grows.

• Automation rules apply the service, package, weight and insurance to orders that match, so most labels need no clicks.
• Several users can pack and print at the same time, with 3 included on Starter and 10 on Standard.
• Standard adds combining and splitting orders, a returns and exchanges portal and basic warehouse management.
• Branded tracking pages and custom packing slips keep the post-purchase emails in your store’s look.

Which one fits your shop

Most sellers can start with Pirate Ship and move later; there is no contract to break. ShipStation’s 30-day trial is a fair way to test whether its automation saves you enough time.

Frequently asked questions