Shipping can make or break a WooCommerce store. Get it wrong, confusing rates, slow label printing, unexpected costs at checkout, and customers abandon their carts. Get it right, and shipping becomes invisible. Customers check out, orders ship, everyone’s happy.
The challenge is that WooCommerce’s built-in shipping options are basic. You get flat rate, free shipping, and local pickup. That works for stores selling one type of product to one region. For everything else, you need a shipping plugin.
This guide covers the best WooCommerce shipping plugins for both flat rate configurations and real-time carrier rates, along with practical advice on choosing the right approach for your store.
Flat Rate vs. Real-Time Rates: Which Do You Need?
Before diving into plugins, understand the two main shipping strategies:
Flat rate shipping charges a fixed amount based on rules you define, per order, per item, per weight range, or per shipping class. It’s predictable for customers and simple to manage. The downside is that you absorb the difference when actual shipping costs exceed your flat rate.
Real-time carrier rates pull live shipping quotes from carriers like USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL at checkout. Customers see exactly what shipping costs based on their address, package weight, and dimensions. You don’t lose money on shipping, but rates can vary and sometimes surprise customers.
Many stores use a hybrid approach, flat rates for domestic orders and real-time rates for international shipping. The plugins below support one or both strategies.
Best Plugins for Advanced Flat Rate Shipping
1. WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping
Table Rate Shipping is the go-to solution for stores that need granular control over flat rate pricing. Instead of one flat rate for everything, you create rules based on weight, item count, destination, price, or shipping classes.
Key features:
- Unlimited shipping zones and rates
- Rules based on weight, item count, order total, or shipping class
- Per-row calculation (charge per item, per line item, per order, or per class)
- Priority-based rate matching, first match wins or all matching rows apply
- Import/export rate tables via CSV
Best for: Stores shipping physical products with varying sizes and weights where you want predictable pricing without live carrier lookups.
Pricing: $99/year (official WooCommerce extension)
2. Flexible Shipping by Octolize
Flexible Shipping offers conditional shipping rules with an intuitive interface. It works particularly well for stores that need to combine multiple conditions, for example, free shipping over $75 but only for domestic orders under 10 kg.
Key features:
- Weight-based, cart total-based, and item count-based rules
- Conditional logic with AND/OR operators
- Free shipping thresholds with progress bar support
- Shipping cost calculation per order or per item
- Insurance and handling fee options
Best for: Stores that want flexible flat rate rules without the complexity of full table rate configuration. The free version covers basic scenarios.
Pricing: Free version available. Pro starts at $99/year.
3. WooCommerce Conditional Shipping and Payments
This official WooCommerce extension doesn’t create shipping rates, instead, it controls when shipping methods and payment options appear. Use it to hide or restrict shipping methods based on product categories, cart contents, customer roles, or order value.
Key features:
- Restrict shipping methods by product, category, or shipping class
- Hide payment gateways based on cart conditions
- Combine with any shipping plugin for advanced checkout control
- Useful for stores with products that can’t ship via certain methods (oversized items, hazardous goods)
Pricing: $79/year (official WooCommerce extension)
Best Plugins for Real-Time Carrier Rates
4. ShipStation for WooCommerce
ShipStation is the most popular shipping platform for WooCommerce stores processing more than a handful of orders per day. It connects to 100+ carriers worldwide and handles everything from rate comparison to label printing to tracking updates.
Key features:
- Real-time rates from USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, Canada Post, Royal Mail, and 100+ carriers
- Discounted USPS and UPS rates built in (up to 84% off USPS, up to 77% off UPS)
- Batch label printing and automated shipping rules
- Multi-channel support (Amazon, eBay, Etsy alongside WooCommerce)
- Branded tracking pages and notification emails
- Automatic order import and status sync with WooCommerce
Best for: Mid-to-high volume stores (50+ orders/month) that need carrier rate shopping and streamlined fulfillment workflows.
Pricing: Starts at $9.99/month (Starter, 50 shipments). Growth plan $29.99/month (500 shipments). Scale plan $99.99/month (2,000 shipments).
5. Shippo for WooCommerce
Shippo is a shipping API platform that offers both a WooCommerce plugin and developer-friendly APIs. It’s a strong choice for stores that want real-time rates at checkout without a monthly subscription, Shippo’s pay-per-label model means you only pay when you ship.
Key features:
- Real-time rates from USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL Express, and 40+ carriers
- Discounted USPS rates (up to 90% off) with no volume commitment
- Pay-per-label pricing, no monthly minimums
- Address validation to reduce failed deliveries
- International shipping with customs forms auto-generated
- Returns label generation
Best for: Small-to-mid volume stores that want carrier rates without monthly fees. Also excellent for stores with international shipping needs.
Pricing: Free to connect. Pay $0.05 per label (Starter) or $10/month for Professional with additional features.
6. EasyPost Shipping for WooCommerce
EasyPost is a developer-focused shipping API that supports 100+ carriers through a single integration. The WooCommerce plugin brings those rates directly to your checkout without requiring custom code.
Key features:
- 100+ carrier integrations including regional and freight carriers
- Real-time rate comparison across all connected carriers
- Address verification and standardization
- Carbon-neutral shipping options
- Shipping insurance up to $5,000 per package
- SmartRate feature predicts delivery dates based on historical data
Best for: Stores that need access to niche or regional carriers, or developer teams building custom shipping workflows.
Pricing: Free for up to 120,000 shipments/year. Pay-per-shipment after that ($0.01-0.003 per shipment depending on volume).
Best Plugins for Specific Carriers
7. USPS Shipping Method (Official WooCommerce Extension)
If USPS is your primary carrier, this official extension pulls live USPS rates directly into WooCommerce checkout. It supports all USPS services including Priority Mail, First Class, Media Mail, and flat rate boxes.
Key features:
- Live USPS rates at checkout
- All domestic and international USPS services
- Flat rate box detection
- Configurable handling fees and rate adjustments
Pricing: $79/year
8. FedEx Shipping Method (Official WooCommerce Extension)
Live FedEx rates at checkout including Ground, Express, Freight, and International services. Requires a FedEx developer account for API credentials.
Key features:
- Real-time FedEx rate quotes
- Support for FedEx SmartPost, Freight, and International
- Residential vs. commercial address detection
- Package weight and dimension-based calculations
Pricing: $79/year
9. DHL Express for WooCommerce
Essential for stores shipping internationally. The DHL Express plugin provides real-time international shipping quotes, generates customs documentation, and handles duty and tax calculations for cross-border shipments.
Key features:
- Live DHL Express rates for international shipping
- Automatic customs forms and commercial invoices
- DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) support for prepaid customs
- Label printing directly from WooCommerce
Pricing: Free plugin (shipping costs billed through DHL account)
Comparison Table
| Plugin | Type | Carriers | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table Rate Shipping | Flat Rate | N/A (custom rules) | $99/year | Complex flat rate rules |
| Flexible Shipping | Flat Rate | N/A (custom rules) | Free / $99/year Pro | Conditional flat rates |
| Conditional Shipping | Restriction | Works with any | $79/year | Checkout control |
| ShipStation | Real-Time | 100+ | $9.99/month | High-volume fulfillment |
| Shippo | Real-Time | 40+ | Free + $0.05/label | Pay-per-label model |
| EasyPost | Real-Time | 100+ | Free (120K/year) | Developer-friendly API |
| USPS Extension | Real-Time | USPS only | $79/year | USPS-only stores |
| FedEx Extension | Real-Time | FedEx only | $79/year | FedEx-only stores |
| DHL Express | Real-Time | DHL only | Free plugin | International shipping |
How to Set Up Free Shipping (The Right Way)
Free shipping remains the single most effective way to reduce cart abandonment. According to the Baymard Institute, unexpected shipping costs are the top reason shoppers abandon carts. Here’s how to implement free shipping without destroying your margins.
Option 1: Free Shipping Over a Minimum Order Amount
This is the most common approach. Set a threshold (typically 1.5x to 2x your average order value) and offer free shipping above it. WooCommerce handles this natively, go to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping, add a Free Shipping method to your zone, and set the minimum order amount. For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide on setting up free shipping after a minimum amount.
Option 2: Free Shipping for Specific Products or Categories
Use shipping classes to mark products that qualify for free shipping. Lightweight, high-margin items are good candidates. Combine this with WooCommerce Conditional Shipping to hide paid shipping options when only free-shipping products are in the cart.
Option 3: Free Shipping with a Progress Bar
Add a visual progress bar showing customers how close they are to the free shipping threshold. This increases average order value by 15-25% in most stores. Flexible Shipping Pro includes this feature, and there are also dedicated free shipping bar plugins available.
Choosing the Right Plugin for Your Store
The right shipping plugin depends on three factors: your order volume, where you ship, and how predictable your products are.
Low volume, domestic only (under 50 orders/month): Start with WooCommerce’s built-in flat rate shipping. Add Table Rate Shipping when you need weight-based or category-based pricing. Use a single carrier extension (USPS or FedEx) if you need live rates.
Medium volume, multi-carrier (50-500 orders/month): Shippo or ShipStation gives you rate comparison and discounted labels. Both integrate directly with WooCommerce and handle the fulfillment workflow from label creation to tracking updates.
High volume or complex needs (500+ orders/month): ShipStation or EasyPost becomes essential. At this volume, the time saved on automated shipping rules, batch processing, and multi-channel syncing pays for itself many times over.
International shipping focus: DHL Express for carrier rates plus EasyPost or Shippo for customs documentation. If you ship to multiple countries regularly, consider a platform that handles duty and tax calculations to avoid delivery delays.
For stores with multi-address shipping needs, where customers want to ship parts of a single order to different locations, you’ll need a dedicated multi-address plugin alongside your rate calculation solution.
Common Shipping Mistakes to Avoid
- Not setting product weights and dimensions, Real-time rates require accurate product data. Missing weights default to zero, giving customers unrealistically low shipping quotes.
- Ignoring shipping classes, If you sell products that vary significantly in size (a keychain vs. a sofa), use shipping classes to group products and apply different rate calculations.
- Hiding shipping costs until checkout, Display shipping estimates on the cart page. Surprises at checkout drive abandonment.
- Using too many shipping options, Three to four choices is optimal. More than that creates decision paralysis. Offer standard, express, and free (if applicable).
- Forgetting to test international checkout, If you ship internationally, test the checkout flow with addresses from your target countries. Rate API errors for unsupported destinations break the entire checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use flat rate and real-time rates together?
Yes. WooCommerce shipping zones let you assign different methods to different regions. You might use flat rate shipping for domestic orders and real-time carrier rates for international zones. This hybrid approach is common and works well.
Do I need a separate plugin for shipping labels?
It depends. Platforms like ShipStation and Shippo include label printing. Single-carrier extensions (USPS, FedEx) typically don’t, you’d print labels through the carrier’s website or a separate fulfillment tool.
Which carrier offers the cheapest rates for small packages?
For packages under 1 lb in the US, USPS First Class is usually cheapest. For 1-5 lb packages, USPS Priority Mail competes well. Above 5 lbs, UPS and FedEx Ground often win on price. Use a multi-carrier platform to compare rates automatically.
How do I handle shipping for WooCommerce variable products?
Set individual weights and dimensions on each variation. If variations have drastically different shipping needs (a digital download vs. a physical item), use separate shipping classes per variation. Learn more about applying multiple shipping classes to variable products.
