Roadcase guide
Roadcase vs AfterShip Order Tracking: an AfterShip alternative for problem packages
Looking for an AfterShip alternative? Roadcase catches late, stuck and lost packages, emails shoppers first and tracks claims. Checked November 3, 2026.
Short answer: Roadcase catches late, stuck and lost packages and emails the shopper from your store before they ask, then adds three things we didn't find on AfterShip's official pages: a claims tracker with money recovered, a shipping cost leak finder and holiday deadlines. It's priced by orders a month, with a free plan and no per-shipment fees. For stores whose inbox fills with "where is my order?" emails, we recommend Roadcase; AfterShip's strongest case is email and texts at every tracking step.
Disclosure: we make Roadcase, launching soon: it's in Shopify App Store review now, so you can't install it yet. AfterShip details come only from its Shopify App Store listing, pricing page and help center, checked November 3, 2026, and "Not stated" means we couldn't find it on an official AfterShip page, not that AfterShip can't do it.
At a glance
| Feature | Roadcase | AfterShip Order Tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Lost package claims | Yes, filled in and tracked to paid, with money recovered totals (Starter and up) | Not stated |
| Label cost against shipping charged | Yes, for Shopify Shipping labels (Free sees the top two leaks) | Not stated |
| Holiday shipping deadlines | Yes, worked back from your slowest delivery | Not stated |
| Delivery estimate on product pages | Yes, on every plan, with an order-within countdown | Yes, AI-predicted, on product and checkout pages (Premium and Enterprise) |
| Emails about delays and problems | Yes, seven problem emails, approve first or automatic (Free sends Running late only) | Yes, exception workflows that email shoppers when a shipment enters or stays in exception |
| Emails from your own address | Your domain or any SMTP mail server (Starter and up) | Sender name and reply-to can be changed (legacy help page) |
| Carrier performance | Carrier scorecard: on-time rate, transit, problem rate, missed and lost | On-time performance analytics |
| How usage is priced | Flat price by orders a month, no per-shipment fees | Paid plans add $0.08 to $0.12 per shipment past the plan's volume (App Store listing) |
| Free plan | 50 orders a month | 50 shipments a month |
| Branded tracking page | Yes, inside your theme at yourstore.com/apps/track | Yes, on your own domain on Premium |
| Shipped and delivered status emails | No. Shopify's own notifications cover these; Roadcase adds problem emails alongside | Yes, email and SMS notifications (Essentials and up) |
| SMS to shoppers | No | Yes, SMS charges billed separately |
| Returns | No | Separate app: AfterShip Returns & Exchanges |
| Buys shipping labels | No | Not stated on the tracking listing |
Why stores choose Roadcase
- Fewer "where is my order?" emails. Roadcase rechecks every package every 30 minutes, flags seven problems from not shipped to probably lost, and emails the shopper from your store, approved first or automatically.
- Money back on lost packages. On Starter and up, lost packages are ready to claim, the USPS, UPS, FedEx or DHL claim page opens, and each claim is tracked to paid with money recovered totals.
- Find where shipping loses money. The leak finder compares label cost with what shoppers paid, by carrier and service, and lists products with no weight set.
- Know which carrier to trust. A carrier scorecard and a shipping score from 0 to 100, from your own orders.
- Orders out the door right. A Ship today list, a pick list with photos, and address checks for ZIPs that don't match the state, PO boxes going by UPS or FedEx and missing unit numbers.
- More holiday sales. Delivery estimates and holiday deadlines are on every plan, including Free; AfterShip's product page estimates are on Premium.
- A sorry that brings them back. On Starter and up, late package emails can carry a single-use apology code.
- Fits what you already use. It works with Shopify Shipping, ShipStation, Pirate Ship or a 3PL, with no label uploads or carrier accounts, and Starter adds a Shopify Flow trigger, order tags and a Klaviyo event.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Volume | What matters here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadcase Free | $0 | 50 orders a month | Tracking page, delivery estimate, holiday deadlines, scorecard, ship today list, delivery updates on the order status page, one late-order email from Roadcase's address |
| Roadcase Starter | $19 a month or $190 a year | 300 orders a month | All seven problem emails, your own sending address, claims, full leak finder, apology codes, Flow, order tags, Klaviyo, Slack |
| Roadcase Pro | $49 a month or $490 a year | 1,500 orders a month | Everything in Starter, same-day priority support |
| Roadcase Growth | $99 a month or $990 a year | 5,000 orders a month | Everything in Pro |
| AfterShip Free | $0 | 50 shipments a month, plus a first import of up to 500 | Branded tracking page, dashboard, carrier delivery estimates |
| AfterShip Essentials | $11 a month or $108 a year, first month $1 | 100 shipments, then $0.08 each | Logo on the tracking page, email and SMS notifications, reports; 7-day trial |
| AfterShip Premium | $70 a month or $708 a year, first month $1 | 500 shipments, then $0.12 each | Tracking page on your domain, AI delivery estimates, full analytics, API and webhooks |
Roadcase's $19 Starter plan includes every problem email, claims, the full leak finder and the automations, with no per-shipment charges in December. Past its monthly limit, Roadcase keeps watching every order and pauses shopper emails for the extra orders until next month or an upgrade. Paid plans have a 14-day trial and yearly plans cost 10 months. AfterShip's own pricing page shows different numbers from its App Store listing: Essentials starting at $29 a month with 6,000 shipments a year, and a custom-priced Enterprise plan for businesses over $10M GMV, so check both.
When AfterShip might fit better
- You need an app installed this week. AfterShip launched on the App Store May 9, 2012, is rated 4.6 from 1,515 reviews (November 3, 2026), carries the Built for Shopify badge and lists 1,100+ carriers. Roadcase has no reviews yet.
- You want a message at every tracking step, or texts. AfterShip sends email and SMS notifications, and Essentials is $11 for 100 shipments against $19 for Roadcase Starter. Roadcase doesn't send routine shipped or delivered updates or SMS: it works alongside Shopify's own shipping notifications, which cover those, and adds the problem emails they don't send.
- You want returns or checkout estimates from one company. AfterShip Returns & Exchanges is a separate app, and Premium shows AI-predicted dates at checkout, with an API and webhooks. Roadcase doesn't buy labels or run returns.
Which to choose
- Your inbox fills with late and stuck package questions: Roadcase, with Shopify's notifications left on.
- You file carrier claims or suspect shipping is losing money: Roadcase Starter.
- You ship under 50 orders a month and want a tracking page, delivery estimates and holiday deadlines free: Roadcase Free.
- You want texts at every tracking step, or returns from the same company: AfterShip.
Questions
What's the best alternative to AfterShip?
If late, stuck and lost packages drive your support emails, we recommend Roadcase (we make it, and it's still in review): it emails shoppers about problems before they ask, tracks claims and finds shipping cost leaks. For every-step notifications, CWILL Order Tracking and Track by Loop are close matches. Our order tracking apps comparison covers more options.
Is AfterShip worth it for a small Shopify store?
Free covers 50 shipments a month and Essentials starts at $11 for 100, but price it at your December volume: extra shipments cost $0.08 to $0.12 each. Roadcase's plans are flat, from free to $99 for 5,000 orders.
Does AfterShip send delay emails?
Yes. Its help center describes workflows that email shoppers when a shipment's status moves to or stays in exception, plus manual sends by email or SMS.
Can Roadcase send shipped and delivered emails?
No, and you don't need it to: keep Shopify's shipping confirmation on and paste Roadcase's tracking button into it. Roadcase writes to shoppers only when something goes wrong.
See every Roadcase feature, and get notified when Roadcase is live.
Sources
- AfterShip Order Tracking on the Shopify App Store (checked November 3, 2026)
- AfterShip pricing (checked November 3, 2026)
- AfterShip help: exception shipments (checked November 3, 2026)
- AfterShip help: pre-purchase AI-predicted delivery dates (checked November 3, 2026)
- AfterShip help: set up tracking email notifications (legacy) (checked November 3, 2026)
- AfterShip Returns & Exchanges on the Shopify App Store (checked November 3, 2026)
- Roadcase and Roadcase docs