If you’re pricing out Shippo in 2026, here is the short version: the app is free for up to 30 labels a month, the Pro plan starts at $17 a month for up to 10,000 labels, and Premier is custom. Developers who connect through the API pay 7 cents per label after the first 30 free each month. Those figures come straight from Shippo’s own pricing pages as of October 2026, and where a page doesn’t give a number, I’ll say so instead of guessing.
Shippo is cheaper to start with than most shipping software, but the headline price hides a few details that change your real cost. I run ecommerce education and done-for-you services at Ecommerce Paradise, and shipping tools are one of the line items store owners most often misjudge, in both directions.
This guide breaks down the app plans, the API pricing, the per-label math at different volumes, what the pages leave out, and whether a high-ticket dropshipper needs Shippo at all. If you’re still learning the model, start with my guide to what high-ticket dropshipping is. Some links below are affiliate links, so I may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
Ship Your First 30 Labels a Month for Free
Shippo’s Starter plan costs nothing and includes discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL Express labels. Connect your store, ship a few real orders, and see the rates before you spend a dollar.
Shippo Pricing at a Glance (October 2026)
Shippo sells two separate products: an app for store owners who print labels themselves, and an API for developers who build shipping into their own software. Most readers of this site want the app, so that is the first table. The API pricing comes later in the article.
| Feature | Starter | Pro | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From $17 a month, or $205 a year | Contact sales |
| Labels per month | Up to 30 | Up to 10,000 | Unlimited |
| Users | 1 | Up to 5 | 15+ |
| Your own carrier account | 5 cents per label | Free | Free |
| Non-US address validation | 9 cents each | 8 cents each | 6 cents each |
| Support | Email, chat and phone | Plus a dedicated account manager |
All three plans include unlimited store integrations, US address validation, discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL Express labels, bulk label printing, return labels, customs forms, scheduled pickups, tracking and reporting. The difference is volume, users, support and a few advanced features.
Starter Plan: Free for Up to 30 Labels a Month
Starter is the entry point, and it is a genuinely free plan rather than a trial. You get one user, unlimited store connections, and the same discounted carrier labels the paid plans use. For a brand-new store shipping a handful of packages a month, it covers everything you need.
The catch is the 30-label ceiling. If you ship 31 packages in a month, Shippo’s page doesn’t say what happens, and I’m not going to guess. See the vendor page or ask support before you plan around the limit. Starter also charges 5 cents per label when you connect your own carrier account, which Pro and Premier waive.
Best for: new stores in their first few months, or sellers who ship only the occasional package themselves.
Pro Plan: From $17 a Month for Up to 10,000 Labels
Pro is the plan most growing stores end up on. It raises the ceiling to 10,000 labels a month, adds up to five user logins, includes chat and phone support, and waives the per-label fee for your own carrier accounts. It also unlocks pick and pack tools with pick lists and scan-to-print, AI-powered estimated delivery dates, and branded tracking pages, notification emails and packing slips.
Shippo lists six label volume bands for Pro: 1 to 200, 201 to 500, 501 to 1,000, 1,001 to 2,500, 2,501 to 5,000, and 5,001 to 10,000 labels a month. Only the $17 starting price is shown, though. The price for each higher band isn’t on the page, so I can’t tell you what a store shipping 2,000 labels a month will pay. See the vendor page for that number before you commit.
The page also lists $17 a month and $205 a year, with the annual option labeled as a 10% saving. Twelve months at $17 is $204, so those figures don’t line up neatly. Confirm the exact billing at checkout rather than trusting the headline.
Best for: stores shipping a few hundred to a few thousand packages a month that want branded tracking and a small team on the account.
Premier Plan: Custom Pricing
Premier is for high-volume shippers. It offers unlimited labels, 15 or more users, the lowest non-US address validation rate at 6 cents, and a dedicated account manager. There is no public price, so you’ll need to talk to sales.
If you are close to the 10,000 label ceiling on Pro, that conversation is worth having. Below that volume, Premier is almost certainly more than you need.
Best for: large operations shipping tens of thousands of packages a month.
Shippo API Pricing: Pay as You Go
Shippo’s API is a separate product built for developers and platforms that embed shipping into their own software. It has its own pricing page and its own rules, and it is the cheapest way to buy labels if you have the technical skill to use it.
| Item | API Starter | API Premier |
|---|---|---|
| Plan price | Free, pay as you go | Custom |
| Labels | First 30 a month free, then 7 cents each | Unlimited, custom rate |
| Tracking | 2 cents per track | Custom |
| Rating | 1 cent per rate generation | Custom |
| Delivery date estimate | 3 cents each | Custom |
| US address validation | 2 cents each | Custom |
| Non-US address validation | 8 cents each | Custom |
The API page also lists insurance at 1.25% of declared value plus the shipping cost for US shipments, and 1.5% for international ones. It doesn’t make clear whether those rates apply to Starter only or to both tiers, so check before you rely on them.
Notice that tracking, rating and address validation are billed on top of labels. A shop that generates several rate quotes per order and tracks every shipment will pay more than the 7 cent label fee suggests. Count those calls before you decide the API is the cheap option.
What the Pricing Pages Don’t Tell You
This is where I’d slow down before signing up. Shippo’s pages leave several numbers out, and each one affects your real cost.
First, no free trial is mentioned. Starter is a free plan, which works as a trial in practice, but it caps at 30 labels, so you can’t test a realistic month of orders without paying. Second, the Pro price for each volume band above the first isn’t shown. Third, carrier discount percentages aren’t listed anywhere on the page. Shippo advertises the best USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL Express discounts and 40+ carriers, but it gives no figures, so you can’t verify the savings without running real shipments.
Fourth, the $0.08 per label overage beyond 10,000 labels appears as a single table row without saying which plans it applies to. Fifth, insurance rates for the app aren’t listed. The page promises no hidden fees beyond postage, the plan fee, optional insurance and optional global address validation, which is a useful commitment to hold them to.
What You’ll Pay per Label at Different Volumes
Because the pricing mixes a flat plan fee with per-label fees, the cost per label changes with volume. This table shows the software fee only. Postage is always extra, and it is usually the bigger number.
| Scenario | Monthly software fee | Per label |
|---|---|---|
| App Starter, 30 labels, Shippo rates | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| App Starter, 30 labels, your own carrier | $1.50 | $0.05 |
| App Pro, 200 labels (if $17 is the entry band) | $17.00 | $0.085 |
| API Starter, 100 labels | $4.90 | $0.049 |
| API Starter, 500 labels | $32.90 | $0.066 |
| API Starter, 1,000 labels | $67.90 | $0.068 |
| API Starter, 5,000 labels | $347.90 | $0.070 |
The API figures come from 7 cents on every label after the first 30, so 100 labels cost 70 times $0.07, or $4.90. The Pro row assumes the $17 entry price covers the 1 to 200 band, which is how the page reads, but the vendor page is the final word. Pro volumes above 200 labels a month aren’t priced publicly, so I left them out rather than invent a number.
Do High-Ticket Dropshippers Actually Need Shippo?
Here is the honest answer. In classic high-ticket dropshipping, your supplier ships the order, so you aren’t buying labels at all. My guide to finding dropshipping suppliers explains how that arrangement works and why label software sits low on the priority list.
Shippo starts to matter in three situations. First, when you hold a small amount of inventory yourself, such as fast-moving accessories sold next to your big-ticket items. Second, when you handle returns or replacement parts from your own address. Third, when a supplier gives you a drop-ship option but you’d rather ship small orders yourself to control the customer experience.
If your suppliers ship most of your orders, your first priority is tracking and customer communication rather than label printing. AfterShip is built for that job.
I covered how it works in my AfterShip review for dropshipping.
To automate the flow of orders between your store and your suppliers, Inventory Source is worth a look. It solves a different problem than a label tool, so compare what each one automates before you pay for both.
Freight is the other high-ticket wrinkle. Furniture, fitness equipment and appliances often ship LTL, and Shippo’s pricing pages focus on parcel carriers. If most of your catalog moves on a pallet, confirm freight support with Shippo before you build your workflow around it.
Compare Multi-Carrier Rates Before You Commit
Easyship is a multi-carrier shipping platform built for stores that ship across borders. Run the same sample orders through it and through Shippo, then compare the totals.
How Shippo Pricing Compares With the Alternatives
I haven’t verified current list prices for every competitor, so I won’t put numbers beside them here. Instead, here is where each one fits and where to find the full comparison.
Shippo vs ShipStation
ShipStation prices by shipment volume across three plans, starting at $14.99 a month. I broke down every tier in my ShipStation pricing guide, which is the best place to see the numbers side by side.
For a head-to-head view of features and workflow, read Shippo vs ShipStation.
Shippo vs Pirate Ship, EasyPost and Stamps.com
Pirate Ship is the popular free option for simple label printing, and I compare it directly in Shippo vs Pirate Ship. EasyPost is the developer-focused comparison, covered in Shippo vs EasyPost.
Stamps.com is the long-running postage name. See Shippo vs Stamps.com for that matchup.
For what its plan costs, read my Stamps.com pricing guide.
Shippo vs Easyship and Sendcloud
Easyship leans toward international shipping. My Easyship pricing guide has the plan details.
Sendcloud is a European platform, and my Sendcloud vs Shippo comparison shows how it stacks up.
If you want the whole field in one place, see my roundup of the best shipping software for ecommerce.
My guide to Shippo alternatives goes deeper on the other options.
What a Year of Shippo Costs in Four Realistic Scenarios
Monthly prices are easy to wave off, so here are the yearly software totals for a few realistic stores. These figures exclude postage and any insurance, and they use only the prices Shippo lists publicly.
| Scenario | Yearly software cost |
|---|---|
| App Starter, 30 labels a month, Shippo rates | $0 |
| App Starter, 30 labels a month, your own carrier | $18.00 |
| App Pro, 200 labels a month (entry band) | $204 monthly or $205 annual, as listed |
| API Starter, 100 labels a month | $58.80 |
| API Starter, 500 labels a month | $394.80 |
| API Starter, 1,000 labels a month | $814.80 |
The API looks cheapest on paper at low volume, but you pay with development time, and tracking and rating calls add to the bill. For a store owner without a developer, the app plans are the practical choice.
Common Mistakes When Choosing a Shippo Plan
The first mistake is judging Shippo by the $17 headline. That is the entry price for the smallest Pro band, and higher bands cost more, so price your actual monthly volume with Shippo before you plan around the number.
The second is ignoring the per-label fee on Starter. If you connect your own carrier account, Starter adds 5 cents per label, while Pro waives it. At 30 labels that is $1.50 a month, but it adds up if you hover near the limit.
The third is treating the software fee as your shipping cost. Postage is the larger expense for almost every store, and a cheaper tool with worse rates can cost you more overall. Compare total cost per package, software plus postage, on a sample of your real orders.
The fourth is paying for features you won’t use. If your supplier handles fulfillment, you may need nothing beyond the free plan, and a paid shipping tool can wait until you hold inventory.
How to Pick the Right Shippo Plan
Start with your real monthly label count, not your hoped-for one. Look at your last three months of orders, take the highest, and add 20% for growth. If that number is under 30, start on the free plan.
Next, decide whether you need a team and branded tracking. If several people handle orders, or you want branded tracking pages and notification emails, Pro is the plan that adds them. If you ship from an in-house warehouse at high volume, ask Premier sales for a quote.
Finally, ship real orders before you commit. Use the free plan to compare Shippo’s rates against your current carrier rates on the same packages. Postage savings are the real value of a tool like this, and only your own parcels will tell you how big they are.
Building the Rest of Your Store Before You Spend on Shipping Software
Shipping software is an operations decision, and operations only matter once you have products and orders. Pick a profitable category first with my high-ticket niches list. Then make sure the business side is covered with my business formation guide.
For the store itself, Shopify connects to every shipping tool in this article. Shopify’s own guide to retail shipping options is a good primer on shipping strategy.
The USPS shipping page shows domestic options straight from the carrier, which makes it a useful reality check on any software quote.
E-commerce keeps taking a bigger share of retail, which is why fulfillment decisions matter. The US Census Bureau reports e-commerce at 17.1% of total retail sales in the second quarter of 2026, in its quarterly e-commerce report.
If you’re brand new, start with my free mini course. When you’re ready to go deeper, the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass covers the full model.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Shippo cost in 2026?
As of October 2026, the Shippo app is free on the Starter plan for up to 30 labels a month, $17 a month or $205 a year for the entry level of Pro, and custom for Premier. The API is pay as you go, with the first 30 labels free each month and 7 cents per label after that.
Is Shippo free?
Yes, up to a point. The Starter plan is free and includes up to 30 labels a month with discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL Express rates. You still pay carriers for postage, and Starter charges 5 cents per label if you connect your own carrier account.
Does Shippo have a free trial?
The pricing pages don’t mention a free trial. The free Starter plan works as a low-risk way to test the platform, but the 30-label cap means you can’t run a full month of busy orders on it.
What is the difference between Shippo Starter and Pro?
Starter is free, limited to 30 labels and one user, with email support. Pro starts at $17 a month, covers up to 10,000 labels, allows up to five users, adds chat and phone support, and waives the own-carrier label fee. It also adds pick and pack tools and branded tracking.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Shippo?
It depends on your volume and where you ship. Easyship is a strong option for international shipping. My Pirate Ship comparison covers the free alternative. Run the same sample orders through two tools and compare the totals.
Test the Rates on Your Own Parcels
Start on the free plan, run a few real orders, and compare the labels to what you pay today. Upgrade to Pro only when your volume or your team calls for it.
Want me to build the whole store for you? Check out my done-for-you store service → and skip the platform setup work entirely. Prefer to build it yourself with a guide? Join my coaching program →.
Related Articles
If you found this useful, these guides go deeper on related topics:
- Shippo Review 2026: Is This Multi-Carrier Shipping Platform Right for Your Ecommerce Store?
- ShipStation Pricing in 2026: Plans, Shipment Tiers and What You Actually Pay
- Easyship Pricing 2026: Plans, Fees, and What You’ll Actually Pay
- Sendcloud Pricing Explained 2026: Every Plan and Hidden Cost
- Best Shipping Software for Ecommerce in 2026: Top Platforms Compared
Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.
