Starshipit vs Pack to the Future: AU Shopify shipping compared

Starshipit is one of the big multi-carrier automation apps Australian Shopify merchants actually know — a legacy incumbent with deep rules, returns, and optional WMS. On the Shopify App Store it's 3.8 stars from 209 reviews, priced from $35/mo with label-volume tiers up to $385/mo (checked 21 Sep 2026). The company site prices in AUD from A$35/mo, with a 30-day trial.

That's a serious sample — not a toy listing. Mixed review themes matter: plenty of automation praise, and a visible cluster of support / wrong-rate / upsell friction complaints on the listing. Attribute those to Shopify reviews; don't invent quotes.

Pack to the Future is the AI shipping app built by merchants who knew what was missing from legacy shipping apps — fewer clicks to ship an order, fewer packing and rate errors, and more money staying on the store's bottom line. That's founder intent and product positioning, not a measured ROI study. HQ: Gold Coast, Australia. Same check date: 5.0 from 7 reviews. Free Forever = full product to 100 bookings per Shopify billing cycle (multi-parcel counts as one). Starter $49/mo (or $580/yr) unlocks volume only. Enterprise $3,990/yr covers API, retail fulfilment, SLA, white-label, and 3PL. Listing notes a $0.75 platform label fee per booking.

This compare is for AU Shopify stores choosing between a mature automation platform and a merchant-built AI shipping app on a simpler Free → $49 path — not a "Starshipit is dead" hit piece. They're still shipping product in 2026.

Who each is for

| | Lean this way if… | |---|---| | Starshipit | You want warehouse rules, returns portals, optional WMS / Cin7 depth, and a broad multi-carrier catalogue — and you're fine climbing label/carrier tiers as volume grows. | | Pack to the Future | You want an AU Shopify shipping app built by merchants for speed and accuracy at the packing bench: fewer clicks, fewer errors, clearer rates (including Product AI / bulky-pallet / cubic sizing where it helps) — try the full product Free, then unlock volume at $49. |

Snapshot

| | Starshipit | Pack to the Future | |---|------------|-------------------| | HQ (listing) | Auckland, NZ | Gold Coast, Australia | | Shopify rating | 3.8 / 209 | 5.0 / 7 | | From price | $35/mo (≤100 labels, ≤2 carriers) | Free Forever ≤100 bookings/cycle | | Mid / high SaaS | $100 / $140 / $385/mo | Starter $49/mo; Enterprise $3,990/yr | | Trial | 30-day free trial (site FAQ) | Free Forever plan (volume-capped) | | Scope | Labels + rates + rules + returns + optional WMS | AU Shopify rate shop + labels + AI parcel sizing |

What Starshipit does well

Starshipit has been on Shopify since 2013. Public product surface includes:

Multi-carrier labels and live checkout rates
Automation rules and returns
Optional WMS / inventory depth — September 2026 support changelog shows Cin7 Core webhook imports, WMS packing speedups, bulk hold release, Shopify tag sync, stock reports, eBay import, and more
IncaPost AU domestic rates/labels/tracking added 3 Sep 2026 (Standard S / Priority P; merchant API key required; service area per IncaPost docs)
Mid-2026 feedback changelog: Landed Cost payer options, Shopify dimension metafields, pack-each-item-separately

Positive listing themes include smooth onboarding and named CSM help (e.g. AU reviews in 2026 praising onboarding — attribute to listing).

Site FAQ positioning: technology fee, not freight markup ("not here to make money on shipping rates"). That's their claim — fine to attribute, not Pack proof.

Bottom line: if you need warehouse/WMS-adjacent automation and a broad carrier catalogue, Starshipit is still a real contender. Don't write them off because a competitor blog wants you to. Pack is not claiming to be a deeper TMS or WMS than Starshipit.

Pricing mechanics (sourced)

Starshipit Shopify App Store ladder (2026-09-21)

| Tier | Price | Caps (listing) | |------|-------|----------------| | 1 | $35/mo (or $372/yr) | ≤100 labels/mo · ≤2 carriers · 30-day trial | | 2 | $100/mo | ≤500 labels/mo · ≤2 carriers | | 3 | $140/mo (or $1,512/yr) | ≤1,000 labels/mo · ≤4 carriers | | 4 | $385/mo (or $4,152/yr) | ≤10,000 labels/mo · unlimited carriers |

Site FAQ (AUD): overages cited as Starter A$0.15/extra label, Professional A$0.10, Enterprise contact sales; ~10% annual discount; 30-day trial, no card up front per FAQ.

Site marketing also says "trusted by 30,000+ retailers globally." That's their marketing claim — not a Pack-verified fact. Don't use it as a comparison "truth."

Pack

Free Forever — full product, 100 bookings / Shopify billing cycle (multi-parcel = 1)
Starter — $49/mo or $580/yr — volume unlock only
Enterprise — $3,990/yr — API / retail / SLA / white-label / 3PL
$0.75 platform label fee per booking (listing); postage separate

TCO note: Starshipit's cheapest paid tier is $35 but capped at 100 labels and 2 carriers. Pack's Free tier is also ~100 bookings — but framed as full product, then a flat $49 unlock rather than climbing $100 → $140 → $385 as label volume grows. Your maths will depend on carriers needed and overages.

Review / trust angle (honest)

3.8 from 209 is meaningful volume. Distribution on the listing (~11% 1★, 23 of 209) shows a real minority having a bad time — clusters around wrong rates, support, and plan-upsell friction (listing body examples from AU merchants in 2026; attribute, don't fabricate).

That does not mean "everyone hates Starshipit." Most of the board is still 5★. It does mean merchants burned by support or rate incidents sometimes go looking for a simpler AU-native alternative. Pack is one option among many — including Shippit, ReadyToShip, OrderOps, and AusPost specialists.

Pack's 5.0/7 is directionally strong and early. Do not claim Pack is "more trusted" in absolute terms — Starshipit has ~30× the review count.

AI and sizing (different approaches)

Starshipit (2026): dimension metafields, pack-each-item-separately, ongoing WMS packing work.
Pack: Product AI parcel sizing + multi-parcel booking (one booking toward Free 100) — part of the "fewer errors / accurate rates" story (including bulky / pallet / cubically larger shipments where the SKU database helps). No invented accuracy %. Pack also runs a live residential vs commercial address checker at cart (theme blocks; forklift/tailgate path; AI likelihood + customer confirm when not 100% sure) so rates before checkout reflect address type — without inventing accuracy % or deep model internals.

Neither side gets an invented accuracy percentage. If checkout rates have been wrong for you, start with process and dims — see /kb/troubleshooting/checkout-rates-wrong — then compare how each app models packages. Address-type surprises are another checkout-rate failure mode; Pack's checker is built for that lane (five trends).

Where Pack loses

Fewer public reviews and less brand recognition
Less mature WMS / returns / multi-channel depth — Starshipit's Cin7/WMS wave is not something Pack claims to match today
Carrier breadth on listing — Starshipit names a wider international + regional set (DHL, FedEx, NZ Post, Royal Mail, etc.) alongside AU carriers
Automation rules depth — Starshipit still wins on mature rule engines and warehouse-adjacent workflows
Enterprise needs on Pack go through $3,990/yr talk-to-us, not a self-serve mid-tier feature ladder

Where Pack wins

Merchant-built AI shipping app — designed by people who lived the packing bench, against legacy incumbent complexity: ship in fewer clicks, with fewer errors, so more value stays on the store's bottom line (positioning / founder intent — not a published ROI study)
Product AI parcel sizing / multi-parcel — reinforces accurate rates and fewer dim/rate mistakes, including a lead story for bulky / pallet / cubically larger shipments (SKU database growing; no invented accuracy %)
Full-product Free to try everything within the 100-booking gate — not a feature-stripped teaser
Simple volume unlock at Starter $49 instead of climbing the $100 / $140 / $385 label ladder for higher volume
AU-only, Gold Coast, Australia HQ for merchants who want a local SMB shipping tool, not a global automation suite

Decision checklist

Before you switch — or stay — ask:

Do I need WMS / Cin7 / deep automation rules / returns portal? → Starshipit often fits.
Do I want a merchant-built AI app aimed at fewer clicks, fewer errors, and clearer rates on AU Shopify — try full product first? → Pack Free → Starter.
Do I need pallet / B2B TMS orchestration? → Look at Shippit (and TMS peers) — Shippit vs Pack.
AusPost-only, lowest SaaS? → Native MyPost + cheap AusPost apps — see five trends 2026.
Displaced by Sendle exit? → Sendle replacement landscape.

| Your situation | Lean toward | |----------------|-------------| | Warehouse rules, WMS, Cin7, returns portal, high label volume across many carriers | Starshipit | | AU Shopify SMB wanting merchant-built AI shipping: fewer clicks, fewer errors, bottom-line clarity — try full product first | Pack Free → Starter | | Need pallet/B2B TMS orchestration | Look at Shippit (and TMS peers) — Shippit vs Pack | | AusPost-only, lowest SaaS | Native MyPost + cheap AusPost apps — see five trends 2026 | | Displaced by Sendle exit | Sendle replacement landscape |

Also useful: Starshipit published their own Sendle alternatives 2026 post — read it, then compare primary sources yourself.

Try Pack Free (honest CTA)

Built by merchants who wanted fewer clicks, fewer errors, and more value left on the bottom line — against legacy shipping-app complexity. Install on the Shopify App Store: Free Forever, full product, 100 bookings / Shopify billing cycle. Over that? Starter $49/mo (or $580/yr). Platform label fee $0.75 per booking. Australian merchants only.

Plain numbers: /pricing · billing detail: /kb/billing · first label: /kb/getting-started · feature overview: /features.

No fake urgency. No "#1 app" claim. If Starshipit's automation stack fits your warehouse, keep it — Pack isn't trying to be a WMS.