Full disclosure: we build ShipExtension, so we're not a neutral review site. Shipping+ is a focused rate-shopping tool, and it's genuinely good at that. ShipExtension rate-shops too, but it starts by deciding which box a multi-item order needs and adds retailer packing slips, weather-based rules, and a per-order audit trail. Here's the honest side-by-side, as of July 2026.
| Feature | ShipExtension | Shipping+ |
|---|---|---|
|
Starting monthly price |
Self-serve subscription from $179/mo — as of September 2026. | Beta pricing tiers from about $25 to $1,000/mo, scaled by monthly action volume — as of July 2026. |
|
Free trial |
Free 14-day trial, no credit card required. | 14-day trial (as of July 2026). |
|
Rate shopping |
Package-first, cross-account rate shopping: decides the box first, then selects the lowest-cost eligible service across every carrier account you own and writes it back in bulk. | Rate shopping between carriers and services, with package-type conditions — its core focus (as of July 2026). |
|
Multi-item 3D cartonization |
Yes — true 3D bin-packing across a mixed cart, with a whole-order consolidation guard, to decide which box (or boxes) an order physically fits. | No multi-item 3D cartonization (as of July 2026). |
|
Multi-SKU rule conditions |
Yes — conditions that combine multiple SKUs (contains-all, only-contains, and item counts) that native ShipStation SKU rules skip on multi-item orders. | Focused on rate shopping and package-type conditions, not multi-item cartonization (as of July 2026). |
|
Retailer packing-slip templates |
Built-in Home Depot, Macy's, and Lowe's slip templates, with label-interleaved batch PDFs. | No retailer packing-slip templates (as of July 2026). |
|
Weather / outside-data rules |
Yes — weather-condition rules, such as heat-pack insertion based on the forecast at the destination. | No weather logic (as of July 2026). |
|
Dry-run and audit trail |
Forced-safe dry-run, read-back verification, and a per-order audit trail of every change before anything is written to ShipStation. | Rate shopping is the focus; box selection, slips, weather rules, and a full audit trail aren't part of the documented product (as of July 2026). |
Shipping+ is a solid, focused choice if rate shopping is the one thing you're missing. ShipExtension is the superset: it rate-shops too, but it starts by deciding the right box and layers on retailer slips, weather logic, and an audit trail — at comparable self-serve pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Last reviewed July 17, 2026. Shipping+ pricing and capabilities cited from shippingplus.co; ShipStation capabilities and pricing cited from ShipStation's help center and pricing page — all as of July 2026.
Start a free 14-day trial — no credit card, and your ShipStation setup stays untouched. Or ask for help with your first workflow and we'll review a representative order using application-enforced dry-run behavior.