ReadyToShip vs Pack to the Future: AU multi-carrier labels

ReadyToShip is a Victorian multi-carrier label staple on Shopify — 4.9 stars from 93 reviews, free to install, with a variable fee from about 5¢ per label (App Store, checked 21 Sep 2026). That's serious trust density: long tenure (launched Feb 2017), merchants still praising value and support years later.

Pack to the Future is newer (based on the Gold Coast, Australia), 5.0 from 7 reviews on the same date. Free Forever is the full product to 100 bookings per Shopify billing cycle (multi-parcel = 1). Starter is $49/mo (or $580/yr) for volume. Enterprise $3,990/yr for API / retail fulfilment / SLA / white-label / 3PL. Listing notes a $0.75 platform label fee per booking.

Fair compare up front: ReadyToShip wins on review volume and longevity. Pack should not claim to be "more trusted." Pack's wedge is modern AI parcel sizing / multi-parcel, a full-product Free trial, and a cleaner post-Sendle story — not a scoreboard flex.

Snapshot

| | ReadyToShip | Pack to the Future | |---|-------------|-------------------| | HQ (listing) | Wonga Park, VIC (Web Publications Pty Ltd) | Gold Coast, Australia | | Launched | Feb 2017 | ~Aug 2025 | | Rating | 4.9 / 93 | 5.0 / 7 | | Software model | Free install · from ~5¢/label | Free ≤100 bookings · Starter $49/mo · Enterprise $3,990/yr | | Extra fees | External charges may apply (listing) | Platform label fee $0.75/booking (listing) | | Carriers (listing) | AusPost, CouriersPlease, Aramex (+ DHL, eParcel, Fastway, Sendle in Works with) | AusPost, Aramex, Couriers Please |

Carriers and scope

ReadyToShip is built around AU multi-carrier labels: print labels, invoices, picklists; compare carriers; push tracking into Shopify. Reviews often mention multi-channel tenure (eBay + Shopify, etc.).

Sendle caution: Works with still lists Sendle. After Sendle ceased AU bookings around January 2026 (Shopify Help; ABC), treat that tile as stale until you confirm live bookings. See the Sendle replacement landscape.

Pack overlaps on AusPost + Aramex + Couriers Please labels and rate shopping, with AI parcel sizing and multi-parcel as the product lead. Not a full WMS; not a TMS.

Pricing: per-label vs Free→$49

ReadyToShip: Free to install; "variable fee per label printed, from only 5c" on the listing. At low–mid volume, that can undercut a flat $49/mo SaaS — until label count and any external charges add up. There's no fixed monthly SaaS on the App Store tile.

Pack:

Free Forever — full product, 100 bookings/cycle
Starter $49/mo ($580/yr) — volume unlock
$0.75 platform label fee per booking (plus postage)
Enterprise $3,990/yr if you need API / 3PL / SLA / white-label / retail fulfilment

Apples-to-oranges: a merchant printing 80 labels/month on ReadyToShip at ~5¢ is in a different cost shape than Pack Free (100 bookings with a $0.75 platform fee) or Pack Starter at $49 + $0.75/booking. Do your napkin maths. We won't invent a "Pack is cheaper" headline.

Where ReadyToShip wins

Review volume and longevity — 93 reviews vs Pack's 7; decade-scale users in listing themes
Per-label economics can be attractive if you stay low volume and the ~5¢ floor holds for your account
Multi-channel familiarity for merchants who already live in RTS across Shopify + marketplaces
Incumbent default — many AU stores already know the name

Where ReadyToShip is weaker (attributed)

Legacy UI / policy friction appears in some reviews (e.g. listing complaints around 2FA / data retention — attribute to Shopify reviews; don't invent quotes)
Stale Sendle Works-with mention post–Jan 2026
Less of a public AI sizing / multi-parcel product narrative than newer apps

Where Pack wins

Modern AI parcel sizing + multi-parcel story for AU Shopify catalogues that need dims right
Full-product Free trial (100 bookings) before paying Starter
Sendle-replacement clarity — live AU app without dangling Sendle Works-with as a live carrier claim
Founder-led AU SMB tone (Gold Coast, Australia); Australian merchants only

Where Pack loses

Tiny review sample — do not claim Pack is more trusted than ReadyToShip
Less public multi-channel / longevity proof
Flat Starter $49 + $0.75/booking may cost more than RTS per-label at some volumes
Not trying to be a decade-old multi-channel fulfilment desk

When to pick which

| Situation | Lean | |-----------|------| | Already happy on ReadyToShip; labels just work | Stay — switching cost is real | | Want to trial a modern AI sizing / multi-parcel AU app on Free | Pack Free | | Need cheapest possible per-label at modest volume | Model RTS ~5¢ vs Pack Free/Starter + $0.75 fee | | Need bulky/freight specialist narrative | Also compare Smart Send | | Need TMS / $499 enterprise orchestration | Shippit | | Need automation/WMS depth | Starshipit | | AusPost + Aramex on a cheap SaaS ladder | Ricemill |

Cluster context: five ecommerce shipping trends AU 2026.

Try Pack Free (honest CTA)

Install Pack to the Future — Free Forever, full product, 100 bookings per Shopify billing cycle. Need more? Starter $49/mo (or $580/yr). Platform label fee $0.75 per booking. Australian merchants only.

/pricing · /kb/billing · /kb/getting-started · /features

If ReadyToShip already fits, keep shipping. This page exists so the compare is honest — not so we pretend 7 reviews beat 93.