ShipWave vs USPS Click-N-Ship: Full Comparison (2025)

USPS Click-N-Ship is the free official USPS tool for printing labels online—but you pay full retail rates. ShipWave offers USPS Commercial Plus rates with up to 54% off, plus access to UPS, FedEx, and DHL.

For casual personal shipping (1-2 packages a year), Click-N-Ship works fine. For regular shipping or any business use, ShipWave's discounts save significant money on every single package.

The savings are significant and apply to every label you print. Same USPS service, same delivery times—just lower prices.

How Savings Compound

These are real savings that go straight to your bottom line—shipping the exact same packages with the exact same delivery times.

Both platforms are completely free to use. The critical difference: Click-N-Ship charges retail postage rates while ShipWave provides commercial discounts. Same USPS service, significantly different prices.

Click-N-Ship only shows you USPS rates. ShipWave shows you all carriers so you can find the cheapest option for each package.

Why this matters: Sometimes UPS or FedEx beats USPS—especially for heavy packages (5+ lbs) or business addresses. Click-N-Ship can't show you these options, so you might overpay without knowing it.

Common frustrations that Click-N-Ship users experience:

• Retail rates: You're paying the same price as standing in line at the Post Office—there are no volume discounts
• USPS-only: Can't compare to UPS or FedEx to find cheaper options for heavier packages
• Dated interface: Multiple screens, slow page loads, clunky USPS.gov design
• No integrations: Have to manually copy/paste every order from Etsy, eBay, or your website
• No batch printing: One label at a time, even if you have 50 orders
• Limited tracking: Basic USPS notifications only—no branded emails to your customers
• No automation: Can't set rules to auto-select services based on package type

Click-N-Ship is designed for consumers sending occasional personal packages. It's not built for efficient business shipping.

You might wonder: "Why does ShipWave get better USPS rates than Click-N-Ship?"

USPS offers two pricing tiers:

• Retail rates: What you pay at the Post Office or on Click-N-Ship. Full price.
• Commercial Plus rates: Volume discounts that USPS offers to high-volume shippers and approved shipping platforms.

ShipWave is an approved USPS Commercial Partner, which means all ShipWave users—regardless of volume—get Commercial Plus pricing. Whether you ship 5 packages or 5,000 packages per month, you get the same discounted rates that big retailers pay.

Click-N-Ship doesn't offer commercial rates because it's designed for individual consumers, not businesses or regular shippers.

Time savings example: If you get 20 orders per day and spend 2 minutes per order copying addresses into Click-N-Ship, that's 40 minutes per day (3+ hours per week) of data entry. ShipWave imports orders automatically—one click to print labels.

Click-N-Ship is fine if you:

• Ship 1-2 personal packages per year (birthday gifts, returns)
• Don't mind paying retail rates
• Only need USPS
• Want the simplest possible option with no account setup
• Already have a USPS.com account

For very occasional personal shipping where convenience matters more than cost, Click-N-Ship is adequate.

Use ShipWave if any of these apply:

• Ship more than 5 packages per month (business or personal)
• Want to save 30-54% on USPS rates
• Sell on Shopify, Etsy, eBay, or Amazon
• Want to compare USPS vs UPS vs FedEx rates
• Need batch printing or automation
• Care about reducing shipping costs

Even personal shippers save money with ShipWave. If you ship a few packages per month to friends or family, the commercial discounts add up. Anyone shipping regularly should use commercial rates—it's free money left on the table otherwise.

Upgrading from Click-N-Ship to ShipWave takes about 5 minutes:

1. Create a free ShipWave account at shipwave.app (no credit card required to start)
2. Enter your return address during onboarding
3. Start shipping at commercial rates immediately
4. Connect e-commerce stores if applicable (optional)

You can still use Click-N-Ship occasionally if needed—there's no conflict. But most users never go back once they see the savings. Even just switching your first package will show you the price difference.