Free Shipping Software and Shipping APIs
Which shipping software a startup can compare carrier rates, buy labels and track orders with for free today, how many labels the free plan covers, the per-label fee, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Shipping apps change their free plans and carrier rates often: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you ship with it.
Shipping software a startup can use for free today includes Shippo (Free Starter plan), EasyPost (Free for up to 3,000 labels), Pirate Ship (Free account, no monthly fees), ShipEngine (Free plan, discounted carrier rates), and Veeqo (Shipping features free for everyone). Each of the 9 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its per-label fee, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
An online store needs shipping labels, carrier rates and tracking for every order. Shipping platforms connect your store to carriers at discounted rates, and several charge no monthly fee to start; shipping APIs do the same inside your own app.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap labels or parcels a month, add a fee per label, or cover only some carriers or countries, and you still pay for postage. Each app below shows what is free, its main limit, its per-label fee, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which apps we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which apps are listed or where.
Shipping software with a free plan
Compare carrier rates, buy labels and track orders, with no monthly fee to start.
- 1
Shippo
Small stores buying up to 30 labels a month
Shippo's Starter plan is free for up to 30 labels a month, a quick and easy shipping solution. Connecting your own carrier account costs 5 cents a label on Starter, and the paid Pro plan starts at $17 a month.
- What's free
- Free Starter plan (source: goshippo.com)
- First paid plan
- Pro: from $17 a month (source: goshippo.com)
Start free at ShippoReferral linkTerms read on goshippo.com on Shippo: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Pirate Ship
US sellers shipping only with USPS and UPS
Pirate Ship is free shipping software with no monthly fees, and no credit card is required. Its free software gives access to the cheapest UPS and USPS shipping rates, so it covers USPS and UPS labels only.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: pirateship.com)
Start free at Pirate ShipTerms read on pirateship.com on Pirate Ship: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Veeqo
Multichannel sellers who want unlimited shipments free
Veeqo's shipping features are free to use for everyone, with unlimited shipments. Veeqo makes a small commission on labels bought through it, and its Inventory plan starts at $19 a month.
- First paid plan
- Inventory: from $19 a month (source: veeqo.com)
- 4
Easyship
Stores shipping up to 50 orders a month
Easyship's Free plan is free forever with core shipping features for up to 50 shipments a month, and no credit card is needed. The Plus plan costs $29 a month billed monthly.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: easyship.com)
- First paid plan
- Plus: $29 a month, billed monthly (source: easyship.com)
- 5
Sendcloud
European sellers shipping up to 20 parcels a month
Sendcloud's free plan has no courier contract and no subscription fee, for up to 20 parcels a month.
Start free at SendcloudTerms read on sendcloud.com on Sendcloud: the free allowance and how to start - 6
Ordoro
Sellers shipping up to 100 labels a month
Ordoro's free Shipping plan has core tools for managing and shipping orders. Surpassing 100 labels a month results in a temporary account lock, and the Advanced plan is $59 a month for 3,000 orders.
- First paid plan
- Advanced: $59 a month, 3,000 orders (source: ordoro.com)
Shipping APIs with a free tier
Rates, labels and tracking in your own app, with a free allowance.
- 1
EasyPost
Developers adding labels and tracking to an app
EasyPost's Wallet Carriers access is free for up to 3,000 labels. Labels beyond that carry a per-label fee, and the first paid plan, Bring Your Own Carrier Accounts, costs $20 a month plus a per-label fee.
- First paid plan
- BYOCA: $20 a month plus per-label fee (source: easypost.com)
- 2
ShipEngine
Developers who want discounted carrier rates
ShipEngine's Free plan has discounted carrier rates with essential API access, and there are no API usage charges. Bringing your own carrier accounts and unrestricted API access need the Advanced plan at $75.00 a month.
- Per-label fee
- No API usage charges (source: shipengine.com)
- First paid plan
- Advanced: $75.00 a month (source: shipengine.com)
Start free at ShipEngineTerms read on shipengine.com on ShipEngine: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Karrio
Engineers who want an open-source shipping API
Karrio is free to get started. You add your own carrier accounts to start processing shipping transactions, and its sponsorship tier for shipping at scale is listed without a price.
- First paid plan
- Sponsorship tier, price not listed (source: karrio.io)
Also useful for founders
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
ScraperAPIScraping API that handles proxies, browsers and CAPTCHAs for you1,000 API creditsReferral link
Parallel AIAutonomous AI agents for sales, marketing and support50 free credits, no cardReferral link
ColdIQOne API and MCP server for B2B sales data from 40+ providers300 free creditsReferral linkCompare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers shipping platforms and shipping APIs a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each app's terms. Every term comes from the app's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on labels, a per-label fee or a free plan for one country can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these apps pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a app appears, and no app pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free shipping software?
It depends on your volume. By the terms each provider states, Shippo's free Starter plan covers up to 30 labels a month, Easyship's up to 50 shipments a month and Ordoro's 100 labels a month, while Pirate Ship charges no monthly fees for USPS and UPS labels.
Is Shippo free?
Shippo's Starter plan is free for up to 30 labels a month, with a 5 cent fee per label on your own carrier account; its Pro plan starts at $17 a month.
Is there a free shipping API?
Yes. EasyPost is free for up to 3,000 labels through its Wallet Carriers, ShipEngine has a free plan with no API usage charges, and Karrio is open source and free to start.
Is Pirate Ship really free?
Pirate Ship charges no monthly fees and says it is paid by the carriers, not by its users; it covers USPS and UPS labels, and you pay the postage.
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