Best Shipping Software for Small Business (2026)

Packing orders is a nice problem to have until it eats your evenings. Copying addresses into courier websites, printing labels one by one and answering where-is-my-order emails is slow work. Shipping software pulls in your orders, prints labels in batches and sends tracking to customers automatically.

The tools below are well known and widely used by small online sellers. I've focused on what each one is known for, not a ranking, so treat this as a shortlist and run a week of real orders through two of them.

What should you look for in shipping software?

• Store integrations. Orders should flow in from Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Amazon or wherever you sell.
• Couriers. Check it supports the carriers you use, and the ones your customers expect.
• Batch labels. Printing all of today's labels in one go saves the most time.
• Tracking emails. Automatic tracking updates cut down on customer service emails.
• Returns. A simple returns process keeps customers happy and coming back.
• International shipping. Customs forms and duties matter if you ship abroad.

Shipping software compared

Tool	Best for	Stand-out feature
ShipStation	Multichannel online sellers	Wide store and carrier integrations
Shippo	Growing online stores	Multi-carrier labels and tracking
Easyship	International shipping	Many couriers and customs help
Sendcloud	UK and European stores	European carriers and returns portal
Pirate Ship	Small US sellers	Simple USPS and UPS labels
Veeqo	Amazon and multichannel sellers	Shipping plus inventory
ShippingEasy	US small businesses	Shipping plus customer emails
Royal Mail Click and Drop	UK sellers using Royal Mail	Royal Mail labels online
ShipBob	Brands outsourcing fulfilment	Fulfilment centres and software

Plans, carriers and features change often, so check each vendor's current details before you commit.

The best shipping software for small business

1. ShipStation

ShipStation is one of the best-known shipping platforms for online sellers. It pulls in orders from many marketplaces and store platforms, prints labels across carriers and sends tracking updates.

Who it suits: sellers on several channels who want all their orders in one shipping screen.

What stands out: integrations. It connects with a long list of stores, marketplaces and carriers.

Watch out for: there are a lot of settings, so take time to set up automation rules at the start.

2. Shippo

Shippo is multi-carrier shipping software that lets online stores compare carriers, print labels, track parcels and manage returns.

Who it suits: growing online stores that want to compare carriers and keep shipping simple.

What stands out: ease of use. Getting from order to label is quick.

Watch out for: check carrier coverage in your country before you switch.

3. Easyship

Easyship focuses on cross-border shipping, with access to many couriers, customs paperwork and options to show duties and taxes at checkout.

Who it suits: stores selling to customers in other countries.

What stands out: international help. Customs forms and duty calculations are handled for you.

Watch out for: if you only ship domestically, a simpler tool may do the job.

4. Sendcloud

Sendcloud, founded in the Netherlands, is a shipping platform for European and UK online stores. It supports many European carriers, branded tracking, and a returns portal.

Who it suits: UK and European online stores shipping with several couriers.

What stands out: European coverage and an easy returns portal for customers.

Watch out for: check which carriers are available in your country and plan.

5. Pirate Ship

Pirate Ship is a US shipping tool for printing USPS and UPS labels. It's known for its simple interface and friendly tone.

Who it suits: small US sellers who mainly ship with USPS or UPS.

What stands out: simplicity. It's easy to learn and does the core job well.

Watch out for: it's US-focused, so it's not the right fit if you ship from another country.

6. Veeqo

Veeqo, owned by Amazon, combines shipping with inventory and order management for sellers on Amazon and other channels.

Who it suits: Amazon sellers and multichannel stores who want shipping and stock in one place.

What stands out: inventory and shipping together, which helps avoid overselling.

Watch out for: it's strongest for Amazon sellers, so check the channels you use most.

7. ShippingEasy

ShippingEasy is US shipping software with order importing, label printing, tracking and customer email features.

Who it suits: US small businesses that want shipping and customer updates in one tool.

What stands out: the customer communication, including branded shipping emails.

Watch out for: it's focused on the US, so international sellers should compare coverage.

8. Royal Mail Click and Drop

Click and Drop is Royal Mail's online tool for creating labels, importing orders from marketplaces and stores, and booking collections.

Who it suits: UK sellers who ship mainly with Royal Mail.

What stands out: it's direct from Royal Mail, so it fits neatly with Royal Mail services.

Watch out for: it's built around Royal Mail, so you'll need another tool if you use lots of couriers.

9. ShipBob

ShipBob is a fulfilment company with its own software. You send stock to its fulfilment centres and it picks, packs and ships your orders.

Who it suits: brands whose order volumes have outgrown packing at home or in a small unit.

What stands out: you hand over the whole job, from storage to delivery.

Watch out for: it's a fulfilment service rather than just software, so it's a bigger change to how you run.

How to choose the right shipping software

Start with where you ship from and to. UK sellers should look closely at Sendcloud and Royal Mail Click and Drop. US sellers have more choice, from Pirate Ship for simplicity to ShipStation for lots of channels. If a big share of your orders go abroad, Easyship deserves a place on your shortlist.

Then count your orders. A handful a day can be handled by a simple label tool. Once you're packing every evening, batch labels, automation rules and tracking emails save hours. And if you're running out of space, it may be time to look at fulfilment.

Don't forget the customer's side. Clear tracking emails, a simple returns page and honest delivery times on your checkout do more for repeat orders than almost anything else. Whichever tool you choose, send a test order to yourself and see what your customer sees.

For more on speed, read my guide to speeding up ecommerce deliveries. My roundup of the best inventory management software covers the stock side, and how 3PL logistics helps with shipping explains when outsourcing makes sense.

Building a tool in this space? Here's how tools get considered for my roundups.

This guide is part of my AI for Small Business: 25 Plain-English Guides to Automation, Marketing, Sales and Admin.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best shipping software for small business?

ShipStation and Shippo are popular starting points. Sendcloud and Royal Mail Click and Drop suit UK sellers, Pirate Ship suits small US sellers and Easyship suits international shipping.

Do I need shipping software for a small online store?

Not on day one. Once you're shipping regularly, software that imports orders, prints labels in batches and sends tracking saves a lot of time.

Does shipping software work with Shopify?

Yes. Most of the tools here integrate with Shopify, and many also work with WooCommerce, Etsy, eBay and Amazon.

What's the difference between shipping software and fulfilment?

Shipping software helps you create labels and send parcels yourself. A fulfilment company stores your stock and ships orders for you.

Primary sources

• the UK government's business support pages