Were you ever on a manually invented shipping rate calculation night, or were you forced to manually enter tracking numbers into emails individually, or did you ever wonder why a customer in a different province was billed the wrong amount on checkout - you already know the issue that this article is addressing.
Shipping is among those aspects of the operation of an online store that appears easy on the surface and becomes a very complicated process as soon as your volume of orders exceeds a few a week. And the silver lining is that the WooCommerce ecosystem has an extensive array of shipping extensions that have been created to relieve that burden. The bad news is that there are quite a number of them, and not everything is worth your time and money.
This guide cuts through the commotion. The following are the top ten WooCommerce shipping plugins that you might want to consider - their strengths, their target audience, and what you need to remember before you leap.
The reason Why Your Default WooCommerce Shipping Settings Will Only Go So Far.
By default WooCommerce provides a minimum of shipping features: flat rate, free shipping, local pickup.
Plugins come in at this point. An effective shipping module links your store to actual carrier API, automates the rate calculation procedure, generates labels, and automatically dispatches tracking updates to consumers.
WooCommerce Shipping
WooCommerce Shipping is a shipping service provided by WooCommerce.
This is what makes it worth considering, at least in the case of smaller stores, which is the simplicity.
Best when: you have small to medium US-based stores and want to start with the USPS with a simple, low-friction approach.
2. ShipStation
ShipStation is, most likely the most well known brand in shipping software in ecommerce and this is justified.
The integration will sync your WooCommerce orders to the ShipStation dashboard where you can batch-process labels, configure automation rules, maintain numerous carrier accounts and automatically push tracking information back to your customers.
Best use with: The growing and established stores with high volumes.
3. WooCommerce Shipment Tracking
This plugin will allow you to add tracking information - carrier and tracking number - to any order.
Best where shipping is done outside of the store and you require a clean and simple manner to surface tracking information.
4. Table Rate WooCommerce Shipping
The plugin allows creating extensive shipping rate tables, depending on combinations like weight, total price, destination zone, quantity, and more.
Best: Stores with complex rate structures.
6. WooCommerce Shopmate Shipping Plugin
The FedEx shipping WooCommerce official extension integrates with the FedEx live API and provides real-time rates.
Best: Stores using FedEx.
WooCommerce UPS Shipping Plugin
Supports real-time rates, labeling, tracking integration and various UPS services.
Best when: Stores rely heavily on UPS.
7. Flexible Shipping
Allows custom shipping policies based on cart weight, order value, number of items and shipping class.
Best when: Stores need flexible logic same eCommerce shopping store theme we have designed.
8. AfterShip
AfterShip focuses on shipment tracking and notifications across 900+ carriers.
Best fits: Stores reducing support queries.
9. WooCommerce Canada Post Shipping Plugin
Integrates with Canada Post API and provides accurate real-time rates.
Best: Canadian stores.
10. Easyship
Provides access to 250+ couriers and real-time comparisons of rates and delivery time.
Best when: Stores ship internationally.
The Secret to Choosing The Right One.
The simplest place to start would be the official WooCommerce Shipping plugin or Flexible Shipping.
If you have high order volume, ShipStation is valuable.
If using specific carriers, use their dedicated plugins.
If international shipping, Easyship is strong.
If tracking issues, AfterShip or Shipment Tracking helps.
Some Things to Do Before You Install anything.
- Be aware of your true shipping expenses.
- Enter weights and dimensions of your products.
- Make a choice regarding your shipping plan.
The Bottom Line
Shipping does not need to be the aspect of your WooCommerce store that is keeping you up late.
The appropriate plug-in can transform fulfillment into something automated.
The idea is to deliver orders correctly, cheaply and with minimal manual work.
