- Shopify shipping apps compared
- Ten apps for delivery options, rules and labels
- Which shipping app for which job
- What Shopify's own shipping set-up covers
- Free plan labels on shipping listings
- Rules app or carrier platform?
- Setting up delivery rules without upsetting customers
- How the shipping apps were chosen
- Plain advice for choosing a shipping app
- Frequently asked questions
A Shopify shipping app changes how delivery is worked out or shown at checkout, or handles labels and carriers for you. Ten apps follow, alphabetically. Start with what Shopify already does: flat rates, free shipping, carrier-calculated rates, backup rates and shipping zones. Most of these apps fill one gap in that set-up, such as rules by postcode.
Shipping apps on Shopify do one of two jobs. Rules apps change which delivery options a customer sees and what they're charged, often by postcode, product or order. Carrier and label platforms book the delivery, print labels and track parcels. Knowing which job you've got saves you installing the wrong kind of app.
The ten apps are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, each described from its own Shopify App Store listing. If you're comparing shipping tools outside Shopify too, see shipping software for small businesses.
Shopify shipping apps compared
The free plan column comes from each app's own Shopify App Store listing, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the listing says Free or Free plan available. Trial only means it offers a free trial and nothing more. Not stated covers any other label, including Free to install, which tells you the install is free, not that a free plan exists, so check the listing before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Shipping Rules | Shipping rules app | Merchandising your shipping options precisely | Trial only |
| CBB Shipping Rates Calculator | Rates calculator | Showing shipping rates before checkout | Trial only |
| Easyship: All in One Shipping | Carrier and label platform | Labels, tracking and duties in one place | Yes |
| Intuitive Shipping | Checkout rate control | Controlling how shipping is worked out and shown | Yes |
| Sendcloud | Shipping Platform | Shipping automation | Automating shipping as the business grows | Yes |
| Shipping calculator: ShipMagic | Custom rate logic | Accurate rates from your own logic | Yes |
| Shipping Rate Power Toy | Rate sorting | Reordering and hiding shipping options | Yes |
| ShipX: Shipping Rates & Rules | Postcode rules | Custom shipping rules by postcode | Yes |
| ShipZip Shipping Rates & Rules | Zip code rules | Custom rates and local delivery dates by zip code | Yes |
| SMART Shipping Rates & Rules | Product and postcode rules | Setting rates by product and postcode | Not stated |
Ten apps for delivery options, rules and labels
Advanced Shipping Rules
Best for: Merchants who want to merchandise their shipping options with precision at checkout, rated 4.8 from 321 reviews as of Oct 2026.
CBB Shipping Rates Calculator
Best for: Showing customers their shipping options before checkout to cut cart abandonment, rated 4.7 from 238 reviews as of Oct 2026.
Easyship: All in One Shipping
Best for: Stores that ship across borders and want labels, tracking and duties automated, rated 4.2 from 416 reviews as of Oct 2026.
Intuitive Shipping
Best for: Controlling how shipping is calculated and displayed at checkout, rated 5.0 from 495 reviews as of Oct 2026.
Sendcloud | Shipping Platform
Best for: Growing businesses that want their shipping automated on one platform, rated 4.5 from 520 reviews as of Oct 2026.
Shipping calculator: ShipMagic
Best for: Showing accurate shipping rates built on your own custom logic, rated 4.8 from 122 reviews as of Oct 2026.
Shipping Rate Power Toy
Best for: Reordering or hiding the shipping options customers see, from a small listing rated 5.0 by 31 reviewers as of Oct 2026.
ShipX: Shipping Rates & Rules
Best for: Stores setting custom shipping rules by postcode with a built-in calculator, with 1,257 reviews and a 5.0 rating as of Oct 2026.
ShipZip Shipping Rates & Rules
Best for: Offering local delivery dates and custom shipping rates by zip code, rated 5.0 from 449 reviews as of Oct 2026.
SMART Shipping Rates & Rules
Best for: Setting shipping rates by product with postcode rules, listed as Free to install and rated 5.0 from 494 reviews as of Oct 2026.
Which shipping app for which job
- You want delivery rules by postcode and product: SMART Shipping Rates & Rules.
- You need local delivery dates by zip code: ShipZip Shipping Rates & Rules.
- You only want to reorder or hide the options at checkout: Shipping Rate Power Toy.
- You want to show delivery options before checkout: CBB Shipping Rates Calculator.
- You want labels, tracking and duties from one platform: Easyship: All in One Shipping.
What Shopify's own shipping set-up covers
The Shopify Help Center page on shipping rates says you can charge flat rates that you set, offer free shipping, or use carrier-calculated rates from carriers such as UPS or FedEx. Backup shipping rates keep checkout working if carrier-calculated rates fail, and shipping zones group countries that share the same rates.
That covers a lot of stores. An app is worth adding when you need something the native set-up can't express neatly: different options by postcode, rules by product, delivery dates, or a different order for the options at checkout.
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Free plan labels on shipping listings
The Shopify App Store showed 6,718 apps for 'shipping rates' as of Oct 2026, and 4 of the top results were labelled Ad. Of the ten here, seven show Free or Free plan available, two show a free trial only, and one shows Free to install, which isn't a free plan.
Review counts run from 31 to 1,257, and one app has fewer than 100. The only app rated below 4.5 is a carrier and label platform rather than a rules app, so read its newest reviews before you hand it your labels.
Rules app or carrier platform?
If customers see the wrong delivery options, or you can't offer different options to different areas, you want a rules app. If the pain is booking couriers, printing labels and answering customers who ask where their parcel is, you want a carrier and label platform. Some stores need one of each.
A third-party warehouse changes the picture again, and how a 3PL can take shipping off your hands explains when that makes sense.
Setting up delivery rules without upsetting customers
- Write your rules down in plain words before you build them, by area, product and order size.
- Keep a backup rate in place so checkout never shows a customer no options at all.
- Place a test order to each zone you sell to, including the far-flung postcodes.
- Check the delivery options on a phone at checkout, not only on a laptop.
- Show your delivery options on the product page, so checkout holds no surprises.
How the shipping apps were chosen
The ten apps are the first relevant, non-ad results the Shopify App Store itself returned for 'shipping rates', one app per vendor, each with a rating and at least 20 reviews shown. They're listed alphabetically and in no particular order, so the order isn't a ranking. Ratings, review counts and plan labels are copied from the store as of Oct 2026 and will have moved since.
Do you make a Shopify shipping app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Plain advice for choosing a shipping app
Set up Shopify's native rates and zones first, with a backup rate. Then name the one thing that set-up can't do for you. If it's rules or dates by area, pick a rules app. If it's labels and couriers, pick a carrier platform. Start on a free plan or trial, and test real orders before you switch it on for everyone.
Still choosing where to sell? See how to pick an ecommerce platform for a small business.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a shipping app on Shopify?
Not always. The Shopify Help Center says you can set flat rates, free shipping or carrier-calculated rates, with backup rates and shipping zones, without an app.
What does a shipping rules app do?
It changes which delivery options a customer sees and what they're charged, often by postcode, product or order, beyond the native set-up.
Can I show delivery options before checkout?
Yes. One app here says on its listing that it shows shipping rates before checkout, and that it does this to reduce cart abandonment.
Is there a free shipping app for Shopify?
Seven of the ten apps here show Free or Free plan available on the Shopify App Store as of Oct 2026, and two offer a free trial only.
What are backup shipping rates on Shopify?
The Shopify Help Center says backup shipping rates keep checkout working when carrier-calculated rates fail, so customers can still finish their order.
