Alternatives
ShipEngine is a shipping and tracking API from Auctane (the company behind ShipStation). It offers label creation, carrier rate-shopping, and tracking.
ShipEngine is aimed at developers who need full shipping workflows across many carriers.
ShipEngine's tracking is one part of a larger shipping API, and onboarding can involve carrier accounts and contracts. If you only need tracking, that's more setup than necessary.
Trace is a single-purpose tracking API: sign up, generate a key, and track in minutes, with a free tier and normalized events.
| Dimension | Trace | ShipEngine |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Tracking only | Shipping + tracking (labels, rates, multi-carrier) |
| Onboarding | Instant API key | Account + carrier setup for shipping |
| Pricing | 1,000 free lookups + flat plans | Usage/plan based (verify current pricing) |
| Webhooks | HMAC-signed tracking webhooks | Tracking webhooks available (verify) |
| Best for | Teams that only need tracking data | Teams that need shipping + tracking together |
Choose Trace when tracking is your only requirement.
Choose ShipEngine when you need a full multi-carrier shipping API (labels, rates, manifests) alongside tracking.
Trace has a free tier and flat tracking plans; ShipEngine pricing is structured around shipping usage. The cheaper option depends on whether you need labels or only tracking.
They serve different layers. You can use ShipEngine for labels and Trace for the tracking and status layer, or use one for both.
Trace is focused purely on normalized tracking data with signed webhooks and a simple free tier, without the shipping-label surface.
Create an account, generate an API key, and track your first package in under two minutes — no credit card required.