Brand Founder AcademyThe Shipping App Guide.
The 3 shipping apps from the lesson, side by side. All 3 give you the commercial price on a shipping label. Pick one and connect it to your store.
The short answer. Start with Pirate Ship. It is free, it works with any store, and it takes about 10 minutes to set up. If your store is on Shopify and you want one less place to log in, use Shopify Shipping.
What all 3 do
The same 3 jobs
A cheaper labelYou pay the commercial price, not the price at the Post Office counter.
The address is filled inYour orders come in from your store. You do not type an address.
Tracking goes outYour customer gets the tracking number, and the order is marked as shipped.
App 1
Pirate ShipMy pick
Free shipping software. The one I would start with.
What it costs
$0. No monthly fee and no fee per label. You pay for the postage.
Carriers
USPS and UPS.
Works with
Shopify, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Square and more. You can also upload a spreadsheet of orders.
Printer
Any printer on plain paper, or a 4 x 6 thermal label printer.
Good when
You are starting out, on any store.
Know this
It does not have FedEx or DHL. A UPS pickup costs extra. A USPS pickup is free.
App 2
Shopify Shipping
Already inside your Shopify store.
What it costs
$0 extra. It comes with every Shopify plan. You pay for the postage.
Carriers
USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL, when you ship from the United States.
Works with
Orders in your Shopify store only.
Printer
Any printer on plain paper, or a 4 x 6 thermal label printer.
Good when
Your store is on Shopify and you want to buy the label on the order page.
Know this
It does not see orders from anywhere else, like Etsy, Amazon or a pop-up.
App 3
Shippo
More carriers, and more rules you can set.
What it costs
Free for up to 30 labels a month. After that, the Pro plan starts at about $19 a month. You pay for the postage.
Carriers
USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and more. Over 40 in total.
Works with
Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, TikTok Shop, Squarespace, Wix and more.
Printer
Any printer on plain paper, or a 4 x 6 thermal label printer.
Good when
You sell in more than one place, or you need a carrier the other 2 do not have.
Know this
The free plan stops at 30 labels a month.
Set it up
The same 7 steps in all 3
About 10 minutes.
- Make your account. In Shopify there is nothing to make. Open Settings, then Shipping and delivery.
- Connect your store. In Pirate Ship and Shippo, pick your store from the list and approve it. Your paid orders show up.
- Add the address you ship from. This is where the carrier picks up, and where a return comes back to.
- Save your package. Type in the size of your box or mailer and the weight of one packed order. You do this once.
- Open an order. Check the address. Pick the cheapest service that gets there in time.
- Buy the label and print it. On plain paper, cut it out and tape it on. On a label printer, peel it and stick it on.
- Hand it to the carrier. The tracking number goes to your customer without you typing anything.
Which service do I pick?
For a small package under 1 pound, USPS Ground Advantage is usually the cheapest.
For a heavier package, look at USPS and UPS Ground side by side. Your app shows both prices on the same screen.
USPS picks up packages for free when your mail is delivered. You ask for a pickup on usps.com.
Later
Other apps you will hear about
ShipStation
A paid monthly plan. Built for brands that ship a lot of orders from many places.
Easyship
Built for brands that ship to many countries.
Stamps.com
A paid monthly plan. Mostly USPS and UPS.
You do not need these to start.
The 3 apps above cover a new brand. Look at these when you ship hundreds of orders a month.
Prices and plans change. Everything here was checked in October 2026. Look at each site before you sign up.