AfterShip and Track123 both automate order tracking for a Shopify store: they import orders, follow the carrier's scans, show the customer a branded tracking page and send notifications. The comparison is about price per order, notification channels, how each fits Shopify, and who each is built for. Every vendor statement on this page is quoted from that vendor's own website or its own Shopify App Store listing, read on 2026-11-03; each vendor's claims about the other are not used. The wider list of Shopify tracking apps is in best order tracking apps for Shopify, and the Track123-specific view is in Track123 alternative.
Short answer: On their Shopify listings, both start free for 50 a month: AfterShip at "50 shipments/month", Track123 at "50 orders/month". Above that, Track123 is priced lower per order: "$9 / month" for "300 orders/month" and "$49 / month" for "2000 orders/month", with "$0.05 per extra order"; AfterShip charges "$11 / month" for 100 shipments a month and "$70 / month" for 500, with $0.08 and $0.12 per extra shipment. AfterShip carries the "Built for Shopify" badge on its listing, claims "1,100+ carriers" there, and sends "Email & SMS notifications for every shipment milestone" from its Essentials plan; Track123 offers "Branded & multilingual tracking pages" on its free plan and Shopify native email notifications. Pick Track123 if price per order is the deciding factor; pick AfterShip if you want the badge, SMS on the entry plan and a returns app from the same vendor. Pango is the alternative when tracking should run on the same system as carrier routing, the warehouse and returns.
Free for DTC brands: Pango runs the shipping and returns audit on your own order and carrier data as part of a demo: fifteen numbers across checkout, carriers, warehouse handover, tracking and returns, the three that matter most for your operation, and the same orders shown running on one system. Book the free audit.
AfterShip vs Track123 side by side
| AfterShip | Track123 | |
|---|---|---|
| Branded tracking page | "Branded tracking page" on the free plan (Shopify listing); custom domain on Premium | "Branded & multilingual tracking pages" on the free plan (Shopify listing); "interactive map-based tracking pages" |
| Notifications | "Email & SMS notifications for every shipment milestone" from Essentials (website) | "Shopify native email notification" on the free plan; "Custom shipping notifications" on GROWTH (Shopify listing) |
| Automatic order sync | "AfterShip automatically imports and syncs your shipment data"; "Free first import: up to 500 shipments" | "Automatically sync store orders and update order tracking information in real-time" |
| Delivery date estimate | "Carrier estimated delivery date" on the free plan (Shopify listing) | "Estimated delivery time" on ADVANCED (Shopify listing) |
| Carrier coverage (vendor's claim) | "1,100+ carriers" on the Shopify listing; "2,000+ carriers" on its website | "1700+ carriers" on its website; "1400+ carriers" on its Shopify page |
| Shopify fit | Listing carries the "Built for Shopify" badge; "Free to install" | "Free plan available. Free trial available." The listing read on 2026-11-03 shows no "Built for Shopify" badge, although Track123's website says it is certified |
| Free tier | "50 shipments/month" | "50 orders/month" |
| Paid plans (Shopify listing) | Essentials "$11 / month", 100 shipments a month, "$0.08 per extrashipment"; Premium "$70 / month", 500 shipments a month, "$0.12 per extrashipment" | GROWTH "$9 / month", "300 orders/month"; ADVANCED "$49 / month", "2000 orders/month"; "$0.05 per extra order" |
Notes on the table. Both vendors give different carrier counts on different pages of their own sites, so the figures are shown as each page states them. AfterShip's website shows its plans on annual billing by default ("Starting at $29 /month" for 6,000 shipments a year); its listing and website prices match at the same volumes. Track123's website plan names differ from its listing's; the listing's are in the table.
Which fits which Shopify store
- A small or growing store where price per order decides: Track123. Its listing price per order is lower at every paid step, and its free plan already includes a branded, multilingual tracking page.
- A store that wants SMS notifications and the Built for Shopify badge: AfterShip. Its Essentials plan includes email and SMS notifications, and its listing carries the badge.
- A store that also wants returns from the same vendor: AfterShip, whose Returns Center app has its own free plan. Track123's pages read describe tracking, not returns.
- A store that ships from China and wants that hidden: Track123's listing offers a "dropshipping mode to hide all China info".
The verdict
For automating order tracking on a Shopify store, the two cover the same core: order sync, carrier tracking, a branded page and notifications. Track123 is the cheaper option per order on its own listing; AfterShip is the more established Shopify app with the badge, SMS on the entry plan and a returns app alongside. Choose on your monthly order volume and whether you need SMS and returns.
Pango as the alternative
AfterShip and Track123 both sit on top of the logistics: they read the carrier's scans and present them. Pango runs the logistics: checkout delivery options and ETAs, multi-carrier routing and labels across more than 100 carriers through prebuilt connectors, warehouse pick and pack, branded tracking pages on the merchant's domain with statuses normalised across carriers and proactive notifications, and returns and exchanges on the same order record. A delay is an operational trigger for a message or a workflow, not only a line on a page. Pango is not an order management system; it sits on top of the store's OMS. Pricing: see pango.ai/pricing.
The bottom line
AfterShip and Track123 do the same job for a Shopify store, and the difference is price, notification channels and ecosystem: Track123 is cheaper per order on its own listing, AfterShip has the badge, SMS on its entry plan and a returns app. If the tickets start before the tracking page, compare them with a system that runs the carriers and the warehouse too.
