Pirate Ship vs AscendTMS

ShipTime

Easyship

Freightview

ShipTime is a shipment tracking software that helps businesses in the eCommerce sector compare and select freight carriers based on offered rates. The platform enables managers to automatically enter the ship-to location using the address lookup tool.

Easyship is a cloud-based, all-in-one shipping platform which allows eCommerce businesses to manage domestic & international shipping through 250+ courier solutions

Built in-house. Backed by an amazing support & technical team. Trusted by 99% of our customers year after year.

Business Owner

I like Pirate Ship and if there is ever a problem customer support is very fast in helping to resolve the issue.

Head of Marketing

It's fantastically simple to use, sources incredible rates, and the customer service is phenomenal.

Pirate Ship is a cloud-based solution, which helps small businesses buy postage and print shipping labels fordomestic and international packages with USPS postage. It lets users purchase and print shipping labels in ZPL or PDF file format and share them with customers by generating a private link.

Air Shipping

Alerts/Notifications

Batch Printing

Customer Database

Data Import/Export

Delivery Tracking

Dispatch Management

Ground Shipping

Import/Export Management

Label Printing

Order Management

Order Tracking

Package Tracking

Parcel Shipping

Quotes/Estimates

Reporting/Analytics

Shipment Price Calculation

Shipment Tracking

Shipping Labels

Shipping Management

Status Tracking

By industry, Pirate Ship reviewers are most commonly professionals in retail (26%). The most frequent use case for Pirate Ship cited by reviewers is shipping (89% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Most reviewers indicate Pirate Ship delivers excellent value for money, praising its free-to-use model, lack of hidden fees, and broad access to discounted shipping rates. Some users report certain rates could be more competitive.

Value for money

Pirate Ship is a shipping solution with key features that include parcel shipping, shipment price calculation, shipment tracking, label printing, and more.

Pirate Ship

Web-based

Stamps.com

Shippo

ShipStation

ShippingEasy

Descartes XPS Ship

Basic

Founder

In practice, Pirate Ship acts as a middle layer that gives you cheaper labels but zero real protection. When a shipment disappears, you are left alone between the carrier and Pirate Ship, with neither side taking responsibility.

WMS Administrator

The label printing works like any web browser printing, where you can simply direct it to a locally or network installed label printer.

So far, they have yet to allow us to set up ACH deposit with our bank. Though they do offer some bank integrations, we are still waiting for our specific bank.

head of core experiences

With the rates given, it provides great value for money on a streamlined, platfrom free from bugs and issues.

Owner

When I started my business, I expected the shipping/label purchasing process to be complex and overwhelming, but Pirate Ship somehow ended up making it fun.

Author

Some of the shipping options are hidden or less intuitive to find.

Easily able to get my orders from etsy on their site.

The interface is simple and the rates look attractive at first.

There is no real protection for the sender.

Personal Assistant

Did not like that I had to print and buy multiple labels separately (but that may have been user error).

What I absolutely love about Pirate ship is that is so affordable even more so then your local post office.

Great rates and communication, if you have to contact customer service.

I can copy and paste the address in the provided field and it inputs all the information in the corresponding fields for you.

The shipping rates are great and it doesn't have any complicated interface.

Service Analyst

I love that i can see a shipment calculation before i actually purchase the label, and i cant print the label and ship it without ever leaving my house!

Pre-Fabrication Technician

My experience with Pirate Ship has been the least hassle that I have encountered with any shipping service and it is my go-to.

Doesn't integrate with web hosting platforms.

Programs Coordinator

The only thing that is slightly annoying about Pirate Ship is that sometimes you can accidentally auto-populate the wrong shipping information, but that is easily handled with their efficient label refund process!

Whatever problems I have had any issues were solved fast and easy.  

Accessibility, price and functionality are top tier.

Account Manager

One thing would be if you enter any package dims wrong and it ships, it can be surprising on your bill when it comes through that it was adjusted and Pirateship ends up charging you extra.

Co-Owner

One time I used it, most of the intransit tracking was provided by the carrier, and seemed to lag actual progress sometimes.

I love most of all how much money I save every month, as compared to having to go to usps, ups or whatever, and pay full price with them, its a waste of time, gas and money! With pirate ship I can do it all at home!

This service is everything it needs to be and at the highest quality.

Director

It can be a little time consuming setting up bulk orders for labels because of Pirate Ship's formatting requirements

Manager

They help is a lot with my business i have great service of my products

Previously, I was going to the post office to ship out different items individually - Pirate Ship made it insanely easy to ship individual items at a significant discount

Student

This website will provide you A to Z and have an option for you to pick which shipping company you want to use. When you fill out all information on the website, measure your package and weight it, then fill out the information in the requested area.

Designer

I can integrate my Etsy shop so I can actually process the shipping labels for each order form Pirate Ship, which is no questions one of the most convenient  features they have.

Sales

When shipping parts and pieces to various customers, Pirate Ship is super handy because it finds the best deals.

English Teacher

We wanted to ship a package to China and I wanted to use Pirate Ship, however there were many steps and we were concerned that we might make a mistake, so we took it to USPS instead.

Surprisingly, I used UPS for my first shipping package using Pirate Ship, which I always think UPS will be the most expensive due to the quality of this carrier. After you pick and pay the shipping fees for your package, print out the label and drop out your package.

Overall, Pirate Ship saves me countless hours and the convenience is absolutely worth it.

I do wish I was able to import all of my marketplace sources into Pirate ship as I can with Veeqo.

Admin

It is easy to ship several packages at once.

Partner

The application from pirate ship is actually easier than creating a label directly with USPS or UPS directly.

The thing I like least about this software is that you have to wait at least 30 days to prove that a shipping label was not used, as opposed to being refunded right away or being able to amend and reprint labels.

I don't always use PS, but recently, Etsy's shipping has had some glitches, so I've jumped over to PS, imported my orders into the platform, and shipped from there. And they automatically update Etsy letting my shop know the order has been fulfilled.

Owner- Agent

Now in one place I can easily enter the package details and see pricing for all of them and I'm able to buy a label immediately so I can scratch this off my to-do list.

Easy to get shipping labels for services like USPS or UPS for shipping items for my business.

My package arrived to my buyer damaged (that is on UPS), however I had purchased insurance from PirateShip

Hold on, if the package was already at the destination, then why would I have paid $120 to ship it, to and from THE SAME PLACE.

Operations and Marketing 

It has options reflecting USPS discounts that aren't provided anywhere else (i.e. Priority Mail by cubic feet, which is a price decrease not found elsewhere.

The only thing I did not like is the process for creating an international shipping label.

The website is clear and easily navigable, and it takes only a couple of minutes to set up a shipment.

I can get an exact quote for a customer without the paying upfront, and the savings alone has saved me hundreds, if not thousands, on shipping over the last two years.

Quality Manager

Not PayPal, EBay, or any other 3rd party that has "discounted" shipping.  

Shipping

Users report that Pirate Ship makes creating and printing shipping labels extremely easy, whether for individual or batch shipments. Reviewers indicate Pirate Ship’s interface is intuitive, supports thermal printers, and offers direct printing or PDF downloads. They find it valuable that Pirate Ship auto-saves addresses, integrates with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and eBay, and provides clear instructions for beginners. Users say labels are accurate, professional, and compatible with major carriers, making the shipping process efficient and cost-effective. Of the 81 Pirate Ship users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Shipping Labels, 98% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Reviewers indicate Pirate Ship’s label printing is fast, flexible, and supports various printers including thermal, inkjet, and standard desktop models. Users report Pirate Ship allows them to print single or multiple labels, reprint lost labels, and choose from different label sizes. They find the process straightforward, with instant access to labels after purchase and options to print or download as PDF. Users appreciate that Pirate Ship works well with Dymo and Brother printers, and say the labels are clear, professional, and easy to apply. Of the 48 Pirate Ship users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Label Printing, 98% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Integrations

Rates

Customer Support

Security and Access Control

Package Information

Sending Packages

Post Office

Small Business

Freelancers

Large Enterprises

Mid-size Business

Most reviewers indicate that Pirate Ship offers significant value for money, frequently highlighting its free-to-use model and the absence of hidden fees or pressure to upgrade. They appreciate that the platform consistently provides the lowest or most competitive USPS and UPS shipping rates, often mentioning commercial discounts that beat both direct carrier pricing and other shipping software. Users think the ability to access discounted rates without a subscription or upfront cost is a major benefit, especially for small businesses and individual sellers. Many reviewers say they save money compared to using services like Stamps.com or shipping directly through carriers, and they value that all core functionalities are included at no extra charge. Some users report that the software’s ease of use and transparent pricing structure add to its overall cost-effectiveness. A few reviewers feel that pricing for certain services, like lightweight packages or FedEx/UPS options, could be more competitive, and some note that discounts may not always surpass those offered by platforms like eBay. However, most users consider Pirate Ship’s combination of affordability, included features, and broad access to discounted shipping rates as its strongest value proposition.

PCS TMS

PCS TMS allows shippers and carriers to manage their entire transportation network from the cloud. It enhances operations, efficiency, and profitability of the business.

Motive

Motive is a cloud-based fleet management solution that helps fleets of all types track vehicles with real-time GPS, automate operations, simplify compliance, and more, using a centralized platform.

Elite EXTRA

Deliver faster, smarter, and more efficiently with Elite EXTRA. Our platform optimizes routing and dispatch, connects you to nationwide 3PL fleets, and automates returns for a seamless customer experience. Cut costs, boost speed, and delight customers with every delivery.

That the customer support team is speedy in response, and extremely patient in teaching users how to use the product.

Freight Broker Agent 

Support is amazing and they offer various options for training so that you can become a power user of the software in no time.

AscendTMS is a logistics and shipping management software that helps businesses streamline operations related to dispatching, accounting, commissions, asset management, and more on a centralized platform. The automated workflow engine uses an IFTTT algorithm to update load details and statuses.

3PL Management

Accounting

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Billing & Invoicing

Bills of Lading

Carrier Management

Communication Management

Contact Database

Container Shipping

Cross Docking

Customer Management

Customer Portal

Demand Forecasting

Discount Management

Document Management

Driver Management

Driver Settlements

Fleet Management

For Freight Operations

Freight Shipping

Fuel Management

International Forwarders

Invoice Management

Live Driver Tracking

Load Optimization

Local Forwarders

Location Tracking

LTL/Shared Truckload

Maintenance Management

Mileage Tracking

Monitoring

Ocean Shipping

Order Fulfillment

Procurement Management

Rate Management

Reporting & Statistics

Route Optimization

Routing

Safety Management

Sales & Operations Planning

Scheduling

Search/Filter

Strategic Planning

Supply Chain Management

Third-Party Integrations

Transportation Management

Trip Logs

Truckload Management

User Management

Vehicle Management

Waybills

Most reviewers indicate that AscendTMS delivers strong value for money, citing its affordability and feature-rich offering. They appreciate the free option and cost-effectiveness for startups. Some reviewers feel add-ons can become expensive.

By industry, AscendTMS reviewers are most commonly professionals in transportation/trucking/railroad (70%). The most frequent use case for AscendTMS cited by reviewers is transportation management (66% of reviewers).

Pirate Ship vs AscendTMS Comparison (2026)

Pirate Ship

AscendTMS

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives