Shopify vs ShipStation: Cost and Fees Calculator
Enter your volumes to compare estimated monthly costs and fees for Shopify and ShipStation across the selling types both offer, using published US pricing.
Selling online (eCommerce)
Estimates combine processing fees and monthly subscriptions on the plans noted above. One-time hardware, setup, and add-ons are excluded. Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and may have changed.
How the Shopify vs ShipStation calculator works, and how the two compare
Shopify is the leading dedicated eCommerce platform in the US, which also sells in person through Shopify POS. Shopify Basic is $39 per month at 2.9% + $0.30 online with Shopify Payments (Grow $105 at 2.7% + $0.30); in-person processing is 2.6% + $0.10 with POS Lite included in every plan, and POS Pro adds $89 per month per location. ShipStation is multi-carrier shipping software that prints labels and automates fulfillment for online orders. ShipStation plans start at $9.99 per month scaling with shipment volume; it charges no percentage of sales, and its value is discounted carrier rates and automation, not payment processing.
How they are similar: Where they overlap: both Shopify and ShipStation cover selling online, which is what this calculator compares. In both cases the bill is driven by a percentage of each sale plus any fixed per-transaction fee, which is why your average transaction size changes the effective rate as much as the headline percentage does.
How they differ: Only Shopify offers in-person card readers and a full POS system, so that side of the business is not part of this comparison. Shopify operates as a subscription platform where you pay a monthly plan plus payment processing, while ShipStation operates as a complementary service rather than a direct payments or storefront competitor. Shopify's strength is depth and ecosystem: the largest app store in commerce and true omnichannel selling, but third-party gateways trigger an extra 0.6% to 2% fee and app costs creep up at scale. ShipStation sits after the sale: it never touches checkout or card fees, so it complements a platform like Shopify rather than competing with it on payments.
Assumptions used in this calculator
- Shopify is modeled on: Basic $39 per month, 2.9% + $0.30 online with Shopify Payments.
- ShipStation is modeled on: From $9.99 per month for shipping software; no sales percentage, no payment processing.
- Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and change often; quote-based providers are modeled at representative rates. Always confirm current pricing with the provider.
- One-time hardware, setup, add-on apps, keyed-in transactions, international cards, and chargeback fees are excluded from the monthly figures.