ShipStation vs ShippingEasy: Quick Comparison

It takes more than a great product and some competitive prices to build a successful business. You also need a way to ensure that your products are going to reach your customers. That’s where solutions like ShipStation and ShippingEasy come in. Both of these solutions are designed to simplify order fulfilment and delight your customers.

These order fulfillment companies help you to keep track of your transactions and figure out when you need to ship products to customers. You can also use ShipStation and ShippingEasy for a variety of other activities that help your business to grow too.

Shipping solutions like ShipStation and ShippingEasy are perfect for strengthening your connection with customers. Plus, you can get much better prices on your shipping costs than you would if you went direct to companies like FedEx or USPS.

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at both ShipStation and ShippingEasy, covering things like:

• Overall review: ShipStation
• Pros and Cons of using ShipStation
• ShipStation: The verdict
• Overall review: ShippingEasy
• Pros and Cons of using ShippingEasy
• ShippingEasy: The verdict
• ShippingEasy vs ShipStation: Which is Right for You?

Overall Review: Your Guide to ShipStation

ShipStation is one of the most popular SaaS order fulfilment tools on the market today. Similar to other market leaders like Shippo, ShipStation is a web-based platform that can integrate with a host of shipping carrier options and ecommerce website builders.

Created in 2011, ShipStation now stands as one of the most valuable tools on the market for businesses hoping to provide their customers with the best possible online experiences. The multi-carrier solution streamlines your fulfilment process with features that help with processing and automating orders from the most popular sales channels and shopping carts.

For many companies, ShipStation is a compelling choice for shipping, because you can import information from your shopping solutions around the web. Syncing order fulfilment strategies for Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and your own website is simple.

As an all-in-one order fulfillment service, ShipStation also integrates with a host of warehouse management tools and inventory tracking services. You can access some amazing in-depth reports and learn everything you need to know to make your business as profitable as possible.

Some of the most attractive features of ShipStation include:

• Inventory and order management services
• Integrations with more than 70 platforms
• Delivery and shipping services overviews
• Label and packing support
• Complete branding tools
• Inventory alerts and updates
• Custom reports and tracking
• In-depth analytics
• Numerous connections with leading shipping providers

ShipStation has a variety of pricing options available, very similar to ShippingEasy. Your price varies according to the number of shipments you need.

The Pros and Cons of Using ShipStation

So, is ShipStation worth your time and investment?

This web-based solution makes it easier for companies of all sizes to simplify and streamline the shipping strategy. The software comes with access to a wide range of integrations that help with tracking your business and showing you where you need to make investments to get the most return.

Like with any business software, there are upsides and downsides to ShipStation. While this service makes it easy to access affordable shipping solutions, it also struggles to offer great customer support. While ShippingEasy gives you help at every price point, ShipStation only offers the best support at higher package levels.

Pros include:

• Plenty of integrations with carriers
• Convenient features that are easy to use
• Excellent reporting and analytics
• Lots of customization options

Cons include:

• Problems with customer service
• Issues with technical performance
• Some integration functionality problems

ShipStation Pros

So, let’s take a closer look at the things ShipStation does well. This popular order fulfillment solution is an excellent choice for companies in search of a quick and convenient way to grow online. ShipStation has a lot to offer in terms of cheap ways to ship solutions to customers worldwide. It also has a wide selection of amazing features to unlock.

1. Plenty of integrations with carriers

Although ShipStation and ShippingEasy have similar pricing plans, ShipStation may provide slightly more value in terms of the carriers available to ship with. The solution connects with more carrier services, some of them going far beyond the US to offer shipping in Australian, Canada and the UK. On top of that, ShipStation also integrates with a wide selection of inventory management and CRM tools as well. You can connect with Magento, Weebly, OpenCart, and Etsy.

2. Convenient features that are easy to use

Managing your fulfillment process couldn’t be easier with ShipStation. This all-in-one offering makes it easy to get excellent customer reviews, with a convenient backend that’s ton of great features. You can automate processes like asking clients for reviews or make it easier to analyze which sales journeys lead to the highest satisfaction. You can send automated emails, and even track everything on the go with iOS and Android smartphone apps.

3. Excellent reporting and analytics

Both ShippingEasy and ShipStation have reporting tools available to help you track the outcomes of your fulfillment strategies. However, ShipStation’s reporting solutions are a little more impressive. You can access comprehensive product and inventory reports, as well as shipping reports, order reports, and custom reports too. ShipStation also outdoes ShippingEasy with accounting solutions, raw data reports, and bar code scanning.

4. Lots of customization options

Similar to ShippingEasy and other leading solutions, ShipStation also offers a range of customization features., You can integrate with a wide selection of common sales channels, and you can handle things like branding for package labels, and more. There are also lots of other ways to make your customers feel special with ShipStation’s capabilities.

ShipStation Cons

ShipStation handles a lot of complicated business needs with ease. However, it still won’t be the right tool for every ecommerce business. Despite ease of use and a range of great features, ShipStation still has a selection of problems with things like poor customer service and integration concerns.

1. Poor customer service

As we mentioned above, ShippingEasy gives you the same quality of support no matter which package you choose for your service. Unfortunately, the same doesn’t apply to ShipStation. You can only access phone support if you’re paying extra for a top tier plan. Additionally, the technical support isn’t as convenient or effective as it should be. You might struggle to get answers to your questions that you can use.

2. Technical issues

Shippers using ShipStation are frequently posting screenshots online to highlight the technical issues that this company has. All fulfillment providers, from Stamps.com to Shippo can have technical issues at times, but ShipStation does seem to cause a lot of headaches. Negative reviews address things like bugs in the software, slow support, and downtime. Technical issues on ShipStation are even worse when you consider that you can’t get the right help when you’re struggling with a problem.

3. Integration Issues

ShipStation offers plenty of integration options with tools like Shopify, eBay, and beyond. However, there’s a risk that some of these connections won’t work as well as they should. Some teams complain that the links aren’t as intuitive as they should be. You may have trouble keeping the information transferred to your ShipStation account accurate, which is a major issue for any business.

ShipStation Review: The Verdict

ShipStation is a brilliant order fulfillment tool in a lot of ways. It gives you tons of connections with shipping carriers around the world. Plus, you get excellent pricing for features like inventory and order management, reporting, and analytics.

With the various integrations available from ShipStation, it’s extremely easy to connect the features and functionality you need from your existing tools too.

ShipStation gives you a complete back-end environment where you can track everything you need to know about your business operations – at least when it comes to shipping and inventory. Many people love this service because it’s so easy to use, with lots of automation options, and access to smartphone apps so you can handle your company on the move too.

However, because ShipStation is so feature rich, it also comes with a bit of a learning curve for beginners to get used to before they can take full advantage of the software. At the same time, the fact that you can’t access phone support and guidance when you need it if you’re not paying for a more expensive plan is a serious problem for a lot of companies.

Combine lack of technical support with issues like poor integration connections and bugs, and it’s easy to see how people can get frustrated with ShipStation.

Overall Review: Your Guide to ShippingEasy

ShippingEasy is an all-in-one solution for online order management. If you run an ecommerce store and you need to make sure that your products get to your customers on time, ShippingEasy promises to make the process as simple as possible. ShippingEasy integrates with leading shopping carts, marketplaces, ecommerce platforms, and more, to help you keep track of everything you need to delight your customers.

With ShippingEasy, you can automate shipping tracking, print labels, and save money on your postal efforts. ShippingEasy also makes it affordable and straightforward for online sellers to sell products by lowering their rates – particularly for shipping. The order sync feature ensures that you can see all of your orders in one location for easier control. You can also download orders in real-time as sales appear in your system.

ShippingEasy is a software-as-a-service solution, which means that it’s easy to scale your services up and down according to your needs. You can integrate your system with the most popular ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, and shopping carts, and track everything in real-time.

Features of ShippingEasy include:

• User profile management
• Shipping mapping and rules
• Confirmation emails for shipped products
• Product image support
• Reporting
• User management
• Customizable packing slips
• Rate and carrier management
• Customer management (beta)

ShippingEasy also comes with a free basic version that you don’t get from ShipStation. However, on the other hand, ShipStation provides an Android and iOS mobile app for tracking, a range of package carrier integrations, and access to raw data experts, hotkeys, and reports.

The Pros and Cons of Using ShippingEasy

ShippingEasy is all about making order fulfillment as simple and straightforward as possible. You can achieve lower rates with carriers like USPS, and real-time tracking information is always available so you can make sure that you’re not falling behind on your promises to customers. Users can also set shipping rules that allow them to customize categories, and carriers too. Some pros and cons to consider include:

Pros include:

• Save money on the orders you ship
• Simplify and accelerate the time it takes to ship orders
• Great customer service
• Access to inventory and customer management tools
• Lots of integration and addons

Cons include:

• The interface doesn’t adapt to all browser windows
• Limited security information
• Fewer carrier services
• Limited reporting and data

ShippingEasy Order Fulfilment: Pros

Many of the biggest benefits of ShippingEasy focus on how easy it is to set up and use for order fulfilment purposes – which makes sense given the name. It doesn’t take a masterclass to get everything up and running. You can see how everything works straight away. There’s also tons of extra benefits to consider too. Some of the top pros include:

1. Save money on the orders you ship

ShippingEasy can save you a lot of cash on order fulfillment. All paid packages get access to Commercial Plus pricing, which is a negotiated rate that’s usually reserved for more larger companies. You also get flat rate shipping rates which are easy to use for predictable costs. You can negotiate personally with some of the shipping providers in your area, and there are tons of integrations and APIs available on the ShippingEasy site that can help you to save money by using your favorite business software and shopping carts too.

2. Simplify and accelerate the time it takes to ship orders

Shipping orders quickly and easily is one of the main selling points of ShippingEasy. The whole environment is easy to use, with a convenient backend where you can sync and print shipping labels for orders anywhere you might sell online. You can also automatically update the status of your orders on your chosen marketplace too. There’s support for auto-populating custom forms, and batch-printing labels to save more time too.

3. Great Customer Service

Customer support is one of the biggest selling points for ShippingEasy. Although the level of support you get depends on the plan you sign up for, you do get a lot of excellent customer service through most packages. Online documentation is also available and easy to navigate if you have any issues and you want to solve your own problems. For help from a professional, you can choose between email, phone, and live chat. There’s also a community forum to help you, whitepapers, videos, training, and a blog. You could even reach out to ShippingEasy on social media.

4. Access to inventory and customer management tools

ShippingEasy provides a complete platform for your business shipping needs. Alongside shipping solutions, there’s also support for customer management and inventory management tools too. This means that you can keep track of all aspects of running a successful business in the same combined space. Having all of the information you need combined into one environment really saves you a lot of time switching back and forth between applications.

ShippingEasy Order Fulfilment: The Cons

As great as ShippingEasy is in the right circumstances, it has its downsides too. There are a lot of areas where ShippingEasy really knocks it out of the park with access to great tools and customer service. However, there are problems with a lack of smartphone access, and problems with ongoing billing issues. Here are some of the major cons of this software.

1. The interface doesn’t adapt to all browser windows

A convenient user interface is a must-have for any order fulfillment solution. You need to be able to manage your backend easily in a matter of minutes, not hours. Unfortunately, ShippingEasy struggles in this regard. Although it works well on some browser windows, it doesn’t adapt as well on others. There aren’t even any Android or iOS apps, like you get with ShipStation, so you can’t track what’s going on in your business on the move.

2. Limited Security Information

When you’re dealing with business and customer information, it’s important to ensure that your shipping software is secure. Unfortunately, unlike other fulfilment tools like Amazon and ShipStation, ShippingEasy doesn’t provide a lot of insight into its security protocols. There’s some mention of PCI DSS, and EU-US privacy shields, but that’s it.

3. Fewer carrier services

ShippingEasy does integrate with a number of carrier services, so you can send your small business products through companies like DHL and USPS. However, for the monthly fee you pay, you get more shipping options from ShipStation for almost the same price. Some of the shipping options from ShipStation also provide extra support in countries like Canada, Australia, the UK, and beyond.

4. Limited reporting and data

To ensure that you’re using the best shipping methods for your online business, and making the most out of your sales channels, you need reports. While ShippingEasy does offer some basic reporting, ShipStation offers more raw data exports, hotkey and barcode scanning features, accounting reports, and other pieces of useful information.

ShippingEasy: The Verdict

ShippingEasy offers a free plan for easy access and excellent low-cost solutions for businesses of all sizes. Even the most economical options for today’s business owners come with access to various great features, including all kinds of customer support, so you don’t have to figure out everything on your own. There are tons of integrations with great carriers and figuring out how to fulfil your orders is simple and straightforward – even for beginners.

ShippingEasy can save you money on your shipping and make it easier to track things like accounting and inventory too. Additionally, you benefit from quite a lot of customer support from ShippingEasy too. There’s phone and chat support, as well as email and knowledgebase guidance. You don’t get the same quality of support from ShipStation unless you’re willing to pay for a more expensive plan.

However, ShippingEasy has its limitations too. There are no android and iOS apps to help you track your store’s performance on the move. The reporting and analytics features aren’t as in depth as the ones that you get from ShipStation, and there are limitations to browser accessibility too.

While ShippingEasy is user-friendly, it falls behind ShipStation on things like security support and access to various carriers overseas, like Canada Post and shipments in the UK.

ShipStation vs ShippingEasy: The Best Value for Money

ShippingEasy and ShipStation both have a lot of benefits to offer in the right circumstances. Each tool can give you all the support you need to connect with customers, send their products in the mail, and reduce your shipping costs. While ShipStation has access to more shipping carriers and integrations, it suffers when it comes to things like user friendliness and customer support.

On the other hand, ShippingEasy provides a great back-end with easy to use features, but these solutions don’t always work on every browser and platform. You may also find that you don’t get the in-depth analytics and insights that you need to make intelligent decisions about the growth of your company from ShippingEasy either.

We believe that ShipStation is likely to be the best choice for you if you have technical expertise on-site that can help you to make the most out of your fulfillment service. This tool is also the better choice if you have more of an international presence.

On the other hand, if you’re just getting started with order fulfillment and management, then ShippingEasy can simplify the process for you, and offer plenty of support along the way.