AfterShip is one of the best-known shipment tracking and post-purchase platforms, offering package tracking, branded tracking pages, notifications, analytics, returns, and other ecommerce tools.

But not every business needs a complete post-purchase platform.

For developers, SaaS companies, ecommerce businesses, 3PLs, and logistics providers that primarily need package tracking data through an API, there are several AfterShip alternatives worth considering.

Some offer broader carrier coverage. Some combine shipping and tracking. Others focus more closely on providing tracking data at a competitive cost.

In this guide, we'll compare seven AfterShip alternatives for package tracking APIs in 2026 and look at which type of business each option may be best suited for.

Why Look for an AfterShip Alternative?

AfterShip offers much more than a tracking API.

Its tracking platform includes features such as branded tracking pages, shipment notifications, estimated delivery dates, analytics, carrier detection, and post-purchase tools.

For ecommerce brands that need those capabilities, having everything in one platform can be useful.

However, a business primarily looking for an API to retrieve shipment tracking data may have different priorities.

For example:

Another consideration is how API access is packaged.

AfterShip currently provides Tracking API and webhook access beginning with its Premium tracking plan. AfterShip does not currently offer a separate API-only plan.

For businesses that mainly need tracking data rather than a larger post-purchase platform, it can therefore make sense to compare alternatives.

1. Package Tracking API by C2W

Best for: Affordable and high-volume package tracking

Package Tracking API by C2W is designed for businesses and developers that need package tracking data without requiring a large post-purchase or shipping platform.

The API supports major carriers including:

One of the main reasons to consider Package Tracking API by C2W is cost, particularly for businesses processing higher tracking volumes.

Instead of bundling package tracking with a large collection of ecommerce and post-purchase features, C2W focuses on providing the tracking functionality businesses need through an API.

Why consider Package Tracking API by C2W?

This can make it a particularly good fit for SaaS platforms, ecommerce companies, 3PLs, logistics providers, marketplaces, and other businesses that need to integrate tracking information directly into their own applications.

Best choice if: Your priority is getting reliable tracking data for major carriers at a competitive cost, particularly at higher volumes.

Learn more about Package Tracking API by C2W

2. TrackingMore

Best for: Broad carrier coverage

TrackingMore is a multi-carrier shipment tracking platform offering API and webhook functionality along with shipment visibility and post-purchase tools.

One of its biggest advantages is carrier coverage. TrackingMore currently advertises integration with more than 1,600 carriers.

Its platform also includes features such as automatic carrier detection, tracking dashboards, bulk package import, tracking pages, notifications, and shipment analytics.

Why consider TrackingMore?

TrackingMore may be particularly attractive to businesses dealing with many regional or international carriers beyond the major global shipping companies.

Best choice if: Broad carrier coverage is one of your highest priorities.

3. EasyPost

Best for: Developers who need shipping and tracking APIs

EasyPost is more than a package tracking provider. It offers a broader collection of shipping APIs covering labels, rates, address verification, insurance, and tracking.

Its basic Tracking API supports multi-carrier package tracking.

Unlike some platforms where tracking API access is bundled into a larger subscription, EasyPost publishes separate pricing for its tracking solution. Its current basic Tracking API pricing ranges from $0.01 to $0.03 per shipment.

Why consider EasyPost?

EasyPost makes particular sense if tracking is only one part of the shipping infrastructure you're trying to build.

Best choice if: You need both shipping and tracking capabilities from the same API provider.

4. Shippo

Best for: Businesses that need shipping labels plus tracking

Shippo is another shipping platform that combines carrier connectivity, label creation, rates, address validation, and tracking.

Its API pricing currently lists tracking at $0.02 per track on its API Starter offering, with custom pricing available for larger API customers.

Because Shippo provides broader shipping functionality, it can be useful for companies that want to purchase shipping labels and subsequently monitor those shipments through the same platform.

Why consider Shippo?

For a company that only needs tracking information, some of these shipping capabilities may not be necessary. But for companies building a broader shipping workflow, having them together can be convenient.

Best choice if: You want shipping label creation and tracking through the same provider.

5. 17TRACK

Best for: International and cross-border carrier coverage

17TRACK is well known for its extensive global carrier network.

The company currently advertises support for more than 3,500 carriers and 190 airlines, making it particularly interesting for businesses dealing with international shipments, postal operators, and regional carriers.

17TRACK also provides a tracking API with webhook functionality, allowing applications to register tracking numbers and receive subsequent shipment updates.

Why consider 17TRACK?

Its large carrier network can be useful for marketplaces and international ecommerce businesses where shipments may originate from many different logistics providers.

Best choice if: You need to track a very broad range of international and regional carriers.

6. Parcel Perform

Best for: Enterprise shipment visibility

Parcel Perform is a logistics data and delivery experience platform aimed at businesses that need more extensive shipment visibility and analytics.

Its developer platform provides APIs for working with shipments and tracking events, while the broader platform focuses on standardized logistics data and delivery performance.

Compared with a simple tracking API, Parcel Perform is more oriented toward organizations that want tracking data to support broader logistics intelligence and operational analysis.

Why consider Parcel Perform?

For smaller developers that simply need to retrieve package status, an enterprise visibility platform may provide more functionality than necessary.

For larger logistics organizations, however, those capabilities may be valuable.

Best choice if: You need enterprise-level shipment visibility and logistics intelligence in addition to tracking data.

7. AfterShip Direct Carrier APIs

Best for: Businesses with a very small number of carriers

There is another alternative that doesn't require choosing a competing tracking platform at all: integrate directly with the carriers.

For example, a business that exclusively ships with FedEx could integrate directly with FedEx's tracking API.

Likewise, separate integrations can be developed for UPS, USPS, DHL, and other carriers.

The advantage is that your application communicates directly with each carrier.

The disadvantage is that your development team becomes responsible for multiple integrations.

For example, supporting:

FedEx + UPS + USPS + DHL

could mean maintaining:

FedEx API + UPS API + USPS API + DHL API

Each carrier can have different authentication requirements, data formats, rate limits, access policies, error handling, and API changes.

This is one of the main reasons multi-carrier tracking APIs exist.

Best choice if: You only use one or a very small number of carriers and are comfortable maintaining the integrations yourself.

AfterShip Alternatives Comparison

SolutionBest ForTracking APIBroader Platform
Package Tracking API by C2WAffordable, high-volume trackingYesTracking-focused
TrackingMoreBroad carrier coverageYesYes
EasyPostShipping + tracking APIsYesYes
ShippoLabels + trackingYesYes
17TRACKInternational carrier coverageYesYes
Parcel PerformEnterprise shipment visibilityYesYes
Direct Carrier APIsOne or few carriersYesNo

Which AfterShip Alternative Is Best?

There isn't one tracking API that is best for every business.

The right choice depends on why you're looking for an AfterShip alternative in the first place.

Choose Package Tracking API by C2W if...

Your main requirement is affordable API-based package tracking, particularly if you need to track a large number of FedEx, UPS, USPS, or DHL shipments.

C2W is particularly worth considering if you don't need to purchase a larger post-purchase platform simply to access tracking data.

Choose TrackingMore if...

You need a very large carrier network, particularly regional and international carriers.

Choose EasyPost if...

You want a developer-oriented API platform that can handle shipping labels, rates, address verification, and tracking.

Choose Shippo if...

Your application needs to buy shipping labels and track packages as part of the same shipping workflow.

Choose 17TRACK if...

Your business handles a large number of international or cross-border shipments and broad carrier coverage is important.

Choose Parcel Perform if...

You are an enterprise organization looking for broader shipment visibility, standardized logistics data, and delivery analytics.

Use Direct Carrier APIs if...

You only need one or two carriers and have the development resources to build and maintain those integrations yourself.

What Should You Compare When Choosing a Package Tracking API?

Looking only at the number of supported carriers can be misleading.

A provider supporting thousands of carriers isn't necessarily a better choice if your business primarily needs FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL.

Instead, evaluate the features that affect your actual tracking operation.

Carrier Coverage

Start with the carriers you actually use.

For many U.S. businesses, support for FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL may be more important than the total number of carrier integrations advertised by the provider.

International marketplaces may have very different requirements.

Pricing at Your Actual Volume

Don't compare providers using only the lowest advertised monthly price.

Calculate what the service would cost at your expected shipment volume.

The difference may be relatively small at 1,000 shipments but much more significant at 100,000 or 1 million shipments.

API Access

Check whether API access is included in the plan you're considering.

Some platforms bundle tracking APIs with higher subscription tiers or broader feature packages.

If tracking data is all you need, consider whether you're paying for functionality your application won't use.

Batch Tracking

If you're processing large numbers of tracking numbers, check whether the API supports an efficient batch tracking workflow.

Sending thousands of individual API requests may not be the most efficient architecture for a high-volume application.

Tracking Frequency

How frequently does your application need updated shipment information?

A customer-facing tracking page, internal exception-monitoring system, and historical reporting application may each have different requirements.

Webhooks vs. API Requests

Some tracking services use webhooks to push new shipment events to your application.

Others allow your system to request the current tracking information when needed.

Depending on your architecture, you may prefer one method or use a combination of both.

Do You Need a Full Post-Purchase Platform?

This may be the most important question when comparing AfterShip alternatives.

AfterShip isn't simply a tracking API.

It offers a broader post-purchase ecosystem with tracking pages, customer notifications, analytics, returns, shipping functionality, and other ecommerce capabilities.

Those features can be valuable.

But they also solve a different problem from simply:

“I have a tracking number and need my application to retrieve its current shipment status.”

If that's your primary requirement, a more tracking-focused API may make more sense.

On the other hand, if you want branded customer experiences, sophisticated post-purchase marketing, returns management, and shipment analytics in one platform, a broader solution may be worth the additional functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best alternative to AfterShip?

It depends on your requirements. Package Tracking API by C2W is an option for businesses focused on affordable API-based tracking. TrackingMore and 17TRACK offer extensive carrier coverage, while EasyPost and Shippo combine tracking with broader shipping functionality.

Is there an AfterShip alternative just for API tracking?

Yes. Businesses that primarily need package tracking data can use tracking-focused APIs rather than adopting a complete post-purchase platform.

Package Tracking API by C2W is designed around this use case, providing multi-carrier tracking for businesses and developers that need to integrate tracking information into their own systems.

Does AfterShip offer a tracking API?

Yes. AfterShip offers a Tracking API and webhooks. As of 2026, API access begins with its Premium Tracking plan rather than Essentials.

Does AfterShip have an API-only plan?

According to AfterShip's current documentation, there is no dedicated API-only plan. Tracking API access is bundled with its Premium and higher-tier tracking plans.

What is the cheapest AfterShip alternative?

Pricing depends heavily on shipment volume and required features, so businesses should calculate costs using their actual tracking requirements.

For businesses focused primarily on tracking major carriers, Package Tracking API by C2W is designed to provide competitive pricing, particularly for higher-volume use cases.

Can one API track FedEx, UPS, USPS and DHL?

Yes. Multi-carrier tracking APIs allow developers to retrieve tracking information from several carriers through one integration.

Package Tracking API by C2W supports major carriers including FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL Express, and DHL eCommerce.

Is it better to use a tracking API or integrate directly with carriers?

Direct carrier integrations can make sense when you only use one carrier.

If your application needs several carriers, a multi-carrier API can reduce development and maintenance work by providing those carrier connections through one integration.

Final Thoughts

AfterShip is a strong option for businesses that want a comprehensive post-purchase platform. But that doesn't automatically make it the right tracking solution for every developer or business.

If your primary requirement is accessing package tracking data through an API, compare providers based on the carriers you actually need, API access, tracking volume, integration requirements, and total cost.

For businesses that primarily need tracking for major carriers and want to keep API costs under control, Package Tracking API by C2W provides a focused alternative.

Instead of maintaining separate integrations for FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL—or paying for a larger platform when tracking is your primary requirement—you can access multiple carriers through one package tracking API.

Explore Package Tracking API by C2W to learn more about multi-carrier and high-volume package tracking.