ShipStation Is Built Only For Shipping. Nexus Commerce Ships From The Same System That Took The Order.
ShipStation is a dedicated shipping tool: labels, automation rules and store connections, starting at $14.99 a month. Nexus Commerce isn’t a shipping specialist. Shipping labels, carrier accounts and tracking come with the Growth plan, next to the orders, inventory, purchasing and customers they belong to. The right pick depends on whether you need a shipping tool or a platform.
Public pricing and features checked October 31, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on ShipStation’s site before you decide.
Which One Fits Your Business?
Choose ShipStation if
You already sell on a store or marketplace you like, shipping is the problem to solve, and automation rules, branded tracking and carrier discounts move your numbers.
Choose Nexus Commerce if
You want counter, online and account orders in one place, with shipping labels, carrier accounts and tracking on the same plan as purchasing, commissions and reports.
Be honest about the mix
If labels are the only gap, ShipStation is the cheaper fix. If shipping is one of several tools you pay for, price out Growth against the whole stack.
What It Looks Like In Nexus Commerce
A real Nexus Commerce screen.
Orders That Are Ready To Ship, In One List
One order list for walk-ins, online checkouts and account orders, with what’s awaiting payment and ready to ship.
CoreWhere ShipStation Is Better Today.
We’re newer, and shipping is ShipStation’s whole business. If these matter most to you, ShipStation is probably the right call.
- A much lower entry price. Starter is from $14.99 a month for 50 shipments, and they list $0.000 per label.
- Shipping on every plan. In Nexus Commerce, shipping labels start on Growth at $449 a month.
- Carrier discounts and shipping automation rules. Nexus Commerce doesn’t list either today.
- Branded tracking and a returns portal on Standard and above.
- Unlimited store connections, so it works alongside the store you already have.
- An API on Standard and above, and a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.
Where Nexus Commerce Earns Its Place.
- No per-shipment pricingShipping labels, carrier accounts and tracking on Growth, priced by location, not by shipment volume. There is no per-order software fee. Postage and carrier charges are separate.
- Ship from where you sellCounter, online and account orders in one list, so the order your team ships is the same one they took.
- Purchasing on the same planPurchase orders, receiving, suppliers, supplier returns and transfers on Growth. ShipStation lists purchase orders on Premium, which starts at $349.99 a month.
- The whole team, no seat capsNo per-seat charges. ShipStation includes 3, 10 or 15 users depending on the plan.
- The store and register tooOnline store, Store Editor and point of sale with unlimited registers on every plan. ShipStation doesn’t list an online store or POS.
- Customers and reps attachedContacts, sales pipelines and dealer pricing levels on every plan. Commissions and reports from Growth.
What It Costs To Ship Your Orders.
| Setup | ShipStation Starter | ShipStation Standard | Nexus Commerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 shipments a month | $14.99/mo | $29.99/mo | $0 addedIncluded in Growth |
| 500 shipments a month | $39.99/mo | — | $0 addedIncluded in Growth |
| 5,000 shipments a month | $174.99/mo | — | $0 addedIncluded in Growth |
| Moving up from Nexus Core | — | — | $200/moCore to Growth |
- ShipStation Starter by monthly shipments: 50 = $14.99, 500 = $39.99, 5,000 = $174.99. Standard starts at $29.99 for 50 shipments and goes up to $3,599.99 for 100,000; we only show the Standard prices we verified.
- Nexus Commerce: shipping labels, carrier accounts and tracking are part of Growth ($449/mo, 2 locations), with no per-order software fee. Moving from Core: $449 − $249 = $200 a month.
As a shipping tool, ShipStation is cheaper, often by a lot. If you sell somewhere else and only need labels, $14.99 to $174.99 a month for 50 to 5,000 shipments beats a $449 platform plan easily. If you’re on Nexus Commerce Core and ship up to 5,000 orders a month, ShipStation Starter costs less than the $200 step up to Growth. Growth makes sense when you’d also use purchasing, transfers, commissions and reports, and shipping comes along with them.
Monthly list prices with monthly billing, software only. Excludes postage, carrier charges, insurance, duties and freight on both sides, and payment processing. ShipStation lists 20% savings on annual billing; the annual prices weren’t verified. Premium starts at $349.99 a month.
Feature By Feature.
| Capability | Nexus Commerce | ShipStation |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping labels | Growth and above, with carrier accounts. | Every plan. Carrier discounts listed. |
| Tracking | Growth and above. | Every plan; branded tracking on Standard and above. |
| Returns | Customer returns and warranty claims on every plan; supplier returns on Growth. | Return labels on Starter; returns portal on Standard and above. |
| Shipping automation rules | Not listed on our pricing page. | Listed. |
| Store connections | Its own online store and POS; Lightspeed and QuickBooks integrations on Growth. | Unlimited store connections. |
| Inventory and purchasing | Catalog and inventory on every plan; purchase orders, receiving, suppliers and transfers on Growth. | Product catalog; inventory sync on Standard and above; purchase orders and forecasting on Premium. |
| Online store and POS | Every plan, with unlimited registers. | Not listed on their site as of October 31, 2026. |
| Contacts and pipelines | Every plan. | Not listed on their site as of October 31, 2026. |
| API | Custom integrations and API work quoted separately. | Standard and above. |
| Users | No per-seat pricing. | 3, 10 or 15 users by plan. |
| Pricing model | Flat plan price by location. No per-order software fee; postage is separate. | Priced by monthly shipment volume; $0.000 per label. |
Sources: ShipStation pricing ↗. Checked October 31, 2026.
Ship A Real Week In Both.
Bring a week of real orders. Ship them in both: buy the labels, send tracking, handle one return and restock what sold from your supplier. Count the steps and the tools each one needs, then price the whole setup, postage included.
Switching over? We import your catalog, and onboarding help is optional: $300 on Core, $500 on Growth, $1,000 on Enterprise.
See Nexus Commerce With Your Own Products.
Tell us what you sell and how you sell it. We’ll show you the screens your team would use and the plan that fits.