Spaceship: Shipping Automation vs Thrive Inventory Managementfor Shopify (2026)
Spaceship: Shipping Automation and Thrive Inventory Management are both 5-star rated Shopify apps, but they cater to drastically different aspects of e-commerce operations. Spaceship focuses on streamlining the shipping and fulfillment process, offering rate comparison, label generation, and automated tracking updates. Its core strength lies in optimizing shipping costs and reducing the manual effort associated with order fulfillment. Thrive Inventory Management, conversely, is a comprehensive inventory management solution designed to help merchants move away from manual spreadsheets and gain better control over their stock, forecasting, and multi-channel sales. Its strength lies in its robust features for tracking inventory levels, managing purchase orders, and generating insightful reports.
At a Glance
Spaceship: Shipping Automation
5 reviews
Thrive Inventory Management
99 reviews
Detailed Overview
Spaceship: Shipping Automation
Spaceship powers e-commerce fulfillment automation with exclusive discounts on global carriers.
Key Features
- Compare shipping rates from worldwide carriers instantly
- Auto sync with Shopify stores, bulk shipments creation in a sec
- Fast-track EU shipments with one-time IOSS setup
- Share real-time tracking links with your customers
Thrive Inventory Management
Power up your store with the inventory, catalog, and reporting tools to run a healthy business.
Key Features
- Unlock tons of prebuilt reports for real-time insights
- Custom alerts, reorder levels, and automated purchase orders
- Connect multiple Shopify accounts and leading point of sale platforms
- Utilize a barcode scanner to quickly count, order and receive product
- AI assistant tools for importing purchase orders and invoices for quick logging
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Spaceship: Shipping Automation5/5 Thrive Inventory Management5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 5 | 99 |
Reviews Spaceship: Shipping Automation5 Thrive Inventory Management99 | ||
| Focus | Shipping Automation | Inventory Management |
Focus Spaceship: Shipping AutomationShipping Automation Thrive Inventory ManagementInventory Management | ||
| Key Benefit | Cheaper & Faster Shipping | Robust Inventory Control |
Key Benefit Spaceship: Shipping AutomationCheaper & Faster Shipping Thrive Inventory ManagementRobust Inventory Control | ||
| Target Merchant | Merchants prioritizing efficient shipping | Merchants with complex inventory needs |
Target Merchant Spaceship: Shipping AutomationMerchants prioritizing efficient shipping Thrive Inventory ManagementMerchants with complex inventory needs | ||
| Complexity | Likely simpler setup | Potentially steeper learning curve due to features |
Complexity Spaceship: Shipping AutomationLikely simpler setup Thrive Inventory ManagementPotentially steeper learning curve due to features | ||
| Pricing | Not Provided | Not Provided |
Pricing Spaceship: Shipping AutomationNot Provided Thrive Inventory ManagementNot Provided | ||
| Automations | Shipping Label Generation, Order Syncing | Automated Purchase Orders, Reorder Alerts |
Automations Spaceship: Shipping AutomationShipping Label Generation, Order Syncing Thrive Inventory ManagementAutomated Purchase Orders, Reorder Alerts | ||
| Integrations | Carrier Integrations | Shopify, POS, and potentially other platform integrations |
Integrations Spaceship: Shipping AutomationCarrier Integrations Thrive Inventory ManagementShopify, POS, and potentially other platform integrations | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants primarily concerned with optimizing their shipping process, reducing shipping costs, and simplifying label generation, Spaceship: Shipping Automation is the more suitable choice. Its focus on automated shipping label creation, real-time rate comparisons, and seamless Shopify integration offers significant time and cost savings. However, merchants facing challenges with managing complex inventory, demand forecasting, multi-channel sales, and requiring robust reporting capabilities should opt for Thrive Inventory Management. Thrive provides the necessary tools to gain control over stock levels, streamline purchase orders, and make data-driven decisions about inventory management. The very different review counts, while both positive, suggest Thrive is the more mature and widely used platform.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up?
Based on the app descriptions, Spaceship is likely easier to set up due to its singular focus on shipping automation. Thrive Inventory Management, with its broader feature set, might require more configuration and training.
Can both apps be used together?
Yes, they can be used in conjunction. Spaceship would handle the outbound shipping, while Thrive would manage the inventory levels that are being shipped. However, careful integration consideration is needed to prevent conflicts.
Which app is better for drop shipping?
Neither app directly mentions drop shipping. Spaceship might be useful for comparing rates from different drop shippers, but Thrive Inventory Management's robust features are likely unnecessary for a pure drop-shipping business model.
Which app provides better reporting?
Thrive Inventory Management specifically highlights prebuilt reports for real-time insights, making it the better choice for merchants needing detailed inventory and sales analysis.
Which app helps with IOSS for EU shipments?
Spaceship highlights fast-track EU shipments with one-time IOSS setup, making it specifically useful for merchants shipping to the EU.
Get More From Your Shopify Store
Run audits for SEO, CRO, PageSpeed, and AI visibility. Get a clear report and actionable fixes.
Try Fix My Store