# Envia vs ShipStation API

> ShipStation scores 51 (D) to Envia's 36.5 (F) for shipping rates. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-shipstation
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-shipstation.md (~4,050 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

ShipStation API scores 51 (D) on agent readiness against Envia's 36.5 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do shipping rates.

- Envia: grade F, 36.5/100, rank #1384 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/envia.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/envia.json
- ShipStation API: grade D, 51/100, rank #1046 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shipstation.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shipstation.json
- Best shipping and fulfilment APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/shipping/index.md
- All 66 shipping comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shipping/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Envia (F)

Good for: Shops and platforms shipping in Mexico and Latin America that want rates and labels from many local carriers.

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine
- No incidents deducted, where ShipStation API loses 6 points for them

Watch for: No status page or rate limits found

### ShipStation API (D)

Good for: An agent working inside a merchant's existing ShipStation account (orders, batches, inventory, labels), or a developer who wants a free sandbox through the ShipStation API plans.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 70 against 20
- Agent ergonomics, 64 against 53
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 33 against 10
- Transparency & trust, 64 against 16

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: One API key with full account access. No scopes, read-only keys or approval step before a label is bought


## Why the edge

### Reliability: ShipStation API +50

- Envia (20): Graded as a hosted service on Envia's REST APIs, with the local MCP server noted. No status page is linked and status.envia.com did not connect (0). No readable incident history (5). No rate limits found in the docs index, FAQs, integration guide or production checklist (0). The production checklist asks for 5xx retry logic and webhook deduplication, with no 429 or idempotency guidance for label creation (5 of 15). No SLA found (0). Neither the APIs nor the MCP server is labelled beta (10). 0 + 5 + 0 + 5 + 0 + 10 = 20.
- ShipStation API (70): Graded on ShipStation API v2 at api.shipstation.com/v2, with the hosted lines. Statuspage at status.shipstation.com with components for Companion API V1 and V2, carriers and marketplaces (20). The history pages and feed, read on 4 November, list 13 incidents and one scheduled maintenance between 6 August and 4 November. The four labelled major each touch one or two carriers (DPD Local and DX on 11 September, Evri on 24 and 25 September, DPD on 20 October, Evri shipments to the EU on 29 and 30 October), and the rest are minor or notices, so all are partial and read as minor (20). 200 requests a minute by default, per the 7 October check, not re-read on 4 November (15). 429 responses carry `Retry-After` and the docs ask for retries handled globally, with no idempotency key or safe-retry guidance for label purchases, per the 7 October check, not re-read on 4 November (10). No SLA found (0). The getting-started page says v2 "is currently in an early release stage" while calling it tested and stable, per the 7 October check, not re-read on 4 November (5).

### Transparency & trust: ShipStation API +48

- Envia (16): Every terms URL tried answered 500 and the privacy policy is drawn by script, so no terms, entity or data-handling statement was read (0 of 30, 0 of 30). No deprecation policy or dated notices (0). No subprocessors or data locations found (0). 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 0, as unread rather than absent where the pages exist.
- ShipStation API (64): Closed service under terms of service effective 16 July 2026 that name Auctane LLC d/b/a ShipStation. The v2 OpenAPI file is marked MIT and the SDKs are Apache 2.0 (16). The privacy policy, effective 18 March 2026, is Auctane, Inc.'s for all its brands. It keeps data "as long as necessary" with no periods, and says third parties may not train AI models on personal information. No public DPA was found (12). The legacy V1 API is described as deprecated with removal "in the future" and no date, and the terms let ShipStation withdraw API access at its discretion (6). US persons' data stays in the United States and EEA and UK data may move there under the Data Privacy Framework. Service providers are named by type, with no subprocessor list (8). Docs, pricing and legal pages per the 7 October check, not re-read on 4 November.

### Maintenance & community: ShipStation API +23

- Envia (10): The latest dated change found is the docs changelog for March 2026 and @envia/envia-mcp 0.1.0 on 4 March 2026, more than 180 days ago; doc pages show later `updatedAt` stamps (28 October for the FAQ) that record no change (0). No dated entries in the 90 days from 8 August (0). Support through the dashboard and docs, with no public tracker; the MCP repository named on npm could not be cloned (5 of 15). The MCP package is official, with no API SDK and no registry entry (5 of 15). No public CI to read (0). 0 + 0 + 5 + 5 + 0 = 10.
- ShipStation API (33): Release notes on docs.shipstation.com are dated by month only, with entries for August, September and October 2026 on the 7 October reading, so they don't set recency. The newest dated change from ShipStation's own sources is the shipengine-openapi repository commit of 11 June 2026, after .NET SDK v3.2.1 on 27 May and Python 2.1.1 on 6 May (146 days, 10). No dated release in the 90 days from 6 August. Month-dated entries counted at half come to fewer than three, and commits on 27 October in the JavaScript and .NET SDK repositories are in no release (0). Closed service with monthly release notes, an API support address (apisupport@shipstation.com) and a community forum. We couldn't measure reply times (10). Official SDKs exist in six languages, and all call the v1 ShipEngine host. JavaScript's newest tag is v1.0.7 of 31 January 2024 (8). SDK repositories have CI workflows, and the JavaScript SDK's CI was rebuilt on 27 October. The OpenAPI repository was last changed on 11 June 2026 (5).

### Payments & pricing: ShipStation API +20

- Envia (20): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). No public price list: each cost is shown when quoting, and volume plans go through sales (0). A free sandbox account creates test labels with no charges (20). A person signs up in a browser and tops up a balance for live labels (0). 0 + 0 + 20 + 0 = 20.
- ShipStation API (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). ShipStation API prices are public without a login. Free at $0, Advanced at $75 a month for 1,000 labels with $0.075 per label over, $325 for 5,000 and $600 for 10,000, Enterprise by quote. Platform plans are public too, with API access from Standard at $29.99 a month for 50 shipments (20). The Free plan and its sandbox need no card according to the pricing page (20). A person signs up in a browser to get a key (0). Docs, pricing and legal pages per the 7 October check, not re-read on 4 November.

### Agent ergonomics: ShipStation API +11

- Envia (53): Ten compact MCP tools (25). Rates take one carrier per request, and the Queries API filters carriers by country and shipment type; no paging or field selection was found (10 of 20). The FAQ maps common errors to fixes, but the changelog says the three APIs return different error formats that need a normalisation helper (10 of 20). No idempotency key for labels; an unscanned label can be cancelled for an automatic refund, and the MCP tools carry no annotations (3 of 20). The MCP server defaults to sandbox, with no official API SDK (5 of 15). 25 + 10 + 10 + 3 + 5 = 53.
- ShipStation API (64): No MCP server that performs shipping operations. The MCP server at docs.shipstation.com/mcp reads documentation only. List endpoints take `page_size`. No field selection was found (12). `page`, `page_size`, `sort_by`, `sort_dir` and filters by status, tag, dates, store and external id on list calls (20). Errors carry `error_source`, `error_type`, `error_code`, `message`, field names and a `request_id` (18). No idempotency keys. `external_shipment_id` is unique per shipment, labels can be voided and `test_label` exists, which we counted as partial safe-retry support (6). Official SDKs in six languages call api.shipengine.com/v1, not v2, and a label needs a `carrier_id` and `service_code` looked up first (8). Docs, pricing and legal pages per the 7 October check, not re-read on 4 November.

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Envia | ShipStation API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 20 | 70 | ShipStation API +50 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 83 | ShipStation API +3 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 53 | 64 | ShipStation API +11 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 35 | 32 | Envia +3 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 40 | ShipStation API +20 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 10 | 33 | ShipStation API +23 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 16 | 64 | ShipStation API +48 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -6 | |
| **Total** | | **36.5 · F** | **51 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Envia | ShipStation API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Envia Shipping | Auctane LLC d/b/a ShipStation |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.shipstation.com/v2` |
| Transports | stdio | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | Proprietary service under ShipStation's terms of service. The v2 OpenAPI file is marked MIT and the SDKs on GitHub are Apache 2.0 |
| Tools exposed | 10 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-03-06 | 2026-10-01 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2026-03-18 |
| Customer content may train models | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | yes |
| Popularity | none | 6.8k npm/wk |

## How the scores have moved

### Envia

No score change since it was listed.

### ShipStation API

- -8.3 on 4 November 2026 (C to D): correction, negative event

## Verdicts

**Envia.** Envia's shipping APIs are documented for agents, with llms.txt, OpenAPI definitions on every reference page, a free sandbox and a compact ten-tool MCP server that defaults to test mode. No status page, rate limits, public price list or readable terms were found, and the MCP package has had one release.

**ShipStation API.** A public OpenAPI 3.1 contract with 173 operations, Markdown docs for agents and a free ShipStation API plan with a sandbox make a first rate quote or test label reachable without a contract. One API key carries full account access, with no scopes or idempotency keys on label purchases, and API release notes carry month-only dates.

## Before you call either

### Envia

1. Leave `ENVIA_ENVIRONMENT` unset until the user confirms live shipping; the default is sandbox
2. Ask the user before `envia_create_label` in production, since it spends the account balance
3. Validate the postal code at geocodes.envia.com before quoting to avoid no-coverage errors
4. Cancel an unwanted label before the carrier scans it to get the automatic refund
5. Use a sandbox token with sandbox hosts and a production token with production hosts; they are not interchangeable

### ShipStation API

1. Send the key in an `API-Key` header to https://api.shipstation.com/v2. A key that starts `TEST_` runs in the sandbox on the same host
2. Call GET /v2/carriers first. Rate and label calls need `carrier_ids` or a `carrier_id` and a `service_code` from that account
3. Don't blindly retry POST /v2/labels after a timeout. List labels first, then void a duplicate with PUT /v2/labels/{label_id}/void
4. Check the `errors` array on 2XX responses too, and read `error_source` to tell a carrier fault from a ShipStation one
5. On a platform (Standard or Premium) key every label is real and charged. Ask the owner before buying, and void test labels at once

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Envia or ShipStation API?

ShipStation API scores 51 (D) on agent readiness against Envia's 36.5 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

### Do Envia and ShipStation API need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call Envia and ShipStation API without installing anything?

Envia runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. ShipStation API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.shipstation.com/v2.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-shipstation.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-shipstation.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "envia", "b": "shipstation"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare envia shipstation`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/envia.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shipstation.json

## Other comparisons with Envia or ShipStation API

- [atoship vs Envia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/atoship-vs-envia.md)
- [atoship vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/atoship-vs-shipstation.md)
- [EasyPost vs Envia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/easypost-vs-envia.md)
- [EasyPost vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/easypost-vs-shipstation.md)
- [Easyship vs Envia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/easyship-vs-envia.md)
- [Easyship vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/easyship-vs-shipstation.md)
- [Envia vs Karrio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-karrio.md)
- [Envia vs Sendcloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-sendcloud.md)
- [Envia vs ShipBob](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-shipbob.md)
- [Envia vs Shippo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-shippo.md)
- [Envia vs ShippyPro](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-shippypro.md)
- [Karrio vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/karrio-vs-shipstation.md)
- [Sendcloud vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sendcloud-vs-shipstation.md)
- [ShipBob vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shipbob-vs-shipstation.md)
- [Shippo vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shippo-vs-shipstation.md)
- [ShippyPro vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shippypro-vs-shipstation.md)
- [Envia vs Ship24](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-ship24.md)
- [Envia vs TrackingMore](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/envia-vs-trackingmore.md)
- [Ship24 vs ShipStation API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ship24-vs-shipstation.md)
- [ShipStation API vs TrackingMore](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shipstation-vs-trackingmore.md)

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp