Best Order Tracking Software for Online Stores 2026
Which order tracking software or app cuts where-is-my-order emails? Compare branded tracking pages, delivery alerts and carrier coverage.
AfterShip is our top order tracking software pick for Australian stores that need carrier updates across several ecommerce platforms. It combines branded tracking pages with delivery notifications and shipment data for support systems. ParcelPanel suits Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want a tracking page with a simpler volume-based entry point.
A tracking app earns its subscription when customers can find the next useful update without asking your team. Carrier coverage comes first. A beautiful page can’t explain a parcel that its tracking service doesn’t recognise.
What Order Tracking Software Does
Order tracking software gathers carrier events and turns them into a customer-facing shipment timeline. A branded tracking page keeps that timeline in your store’s colours and gives customers one place to return. Delivery notifications tell them when a parcel changes status, so they don’t have to keep checking.
Combined carrier data also helps staff. Instead of opening a different courier website for each email, your team sees a consistent status across shipments. An exception flag helps staff find parcels that need action before another customer asks for an update.
Ecommerce order fulfilment tracking starts inside your store or warehouse. It records picking, packing and the handover to the carrier. Carrier tracking describes the parcel’s journey after dispatch. Creating a label can produce a tracking number before the carrier has collected the parcel.
For example, a packed order waiting for collection needs a warehouse update. A parcel with a failed delivery attempt needs the carrier’s event and the next delivery step. Calling both cases “in transit” leaves the customer with the same unanswered question.
For the customer-facing layout, read the guide to a branded order tracking page.
Features That Matter for Australian Deliveries
Australian stores need coverage for the carriers they actually use, including Australia Post, StarTrack, Aramex Australia and CouriersPlease. Carrier totals alone don’t tell you whether your local services are covered. AfterShip publishes tracking integrations for all four, while ParcelPanel publishes Australia Post and StarTrack tracking pages.
Email updates handle routine progress. SMS alerts are useful for time-sensitive events, such as an unsuccessful delivery attempt or a parcel ready for collection. AfterShip’s paid tracking plans include email and SMS notification features. Message usage and destination charges belong in the budget alongside the tracking subscription.
An estimated delivery date tells the customer when to expect the parcel. Delay prediction goes further by using shipment history to estimate whether the original window is at risk. AfterShip separates carrier-provided estimates from its AI delivery estimates. ParcelPanel’s paid tiers include post-purchase estimated delivery dates.
Treat a revised estimate as an estimate. Your tracking page and notifications must distinguish a predicted arrival from a confirmed delivery scan. When the carrier has supplied no new event, the customer needs the last known status and your store’s next action.
Returns links help after delivery. Put the route to your returns process beside the order details, so a customer with the wrong item can move directly to the right workflow. A tracking subscription and a returns service can have separate billing.
Top Picks by Store Type
AfterShip is the stronger fit for stores spanning several platforms. ParcelPanel is a practical choice for a Shopify or WooCommerce store focused on branded tracking and delivery updates. Shopify’s native order status page is the baseline for a Shopify store before adding either app.
AfterShip
AfterShip is best for stores that need Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce integration and a shared view of carrier tracking. It supports Australia Post and StarTrack, as well as Aramex Australia and CouriersPlease. That makes it a useful choice when different orders leave through different local carriers.
Its tracking plans separate basic notifications from deeper integration features. Premium includes API access and webhooks, which send shipment events to another system. That matters when a helpdesk or chat agent needs the same status the customer sees on the tracking page.
The trade-off is feature selection. A store that only needs a tracking link can use less of the platform than it pays for. AfterShip is the better pick when delivery estimates, carrier exceptions and data access are part of the support workflow.
ParcelPanel
ParcelPanel, now branded CWILL Post-Purchase on its website, is best for Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want branded tracking with volume-based plans. Its Australia Post and StarTrack pages describe tracking for both platforms. It’s a useful step up when your team needs more control over tracking updates than the store’s standard page supplies.
Paid tiers add delivery estimates and shipping notifications. Professional adds developer API access and webhooks. A store choosing an entry tier for notifications must account separately for the higher tier needed to connect shipment data to a custom assistant.
ParcelPanel’s free allowance is small enough that a store shipping hundreds of orders needs a paid tier. Its published platform focus is Shopify and WooCommerce. For a BigCommerce store, AfterShip is the supported connector choice in this comparison.
Shopify’s built-in order status page
Shopify’s order status page is best for a Shopify store whose customers need a straightforward way to revisit their shipment. Add the tracking number and carrier when fulfilling the order. Customers can return to the status page and see live shipment updates for supported carriers.
The page already supports branding through Shopify’s editor. Customers can sign in, and access to order details can require identity confirmation. A separate order tracking app must justify its extra subscription through your actual needs, such as broader carrier handling or shipment exception reporting.
Keep the native page when it answers your customers’ questions clearly. Choose AfterShip when you need multi-platform tracking and richer shipment data. Choose ParcelPanel when your Shopify or WooCommerce store needs branded tracking with delivery notifications.
Pricing Models Compared
Tracking tools charge by shipment volume, order credits or a tiered monthly allowance. Compare the allowance with the data features you need. A store sending 500 orders in one parcel each uses 500 shipments a month, or 6,000 a year.
| Tool | Billing model | Free allowance | Plan basis for 500 monthly shipments | Data access consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AfterShip | Volume-based subscription with per-shipment overage | Shopify listing includes 50 shipments a month | Direct pricing page shows a 6,000 annual shipment allowance on Essentials and Premium | Premium includes API and webhooks |
| ParcelPanel | Monthly order-credit tiers with extra-credit charges | 20 credits a month, then tracking is unavailable once exceeded | Essential has a 500-credit option | Professional adds API and webhooks |
| Shopify order status page | Included in the store’s existing platform service | No separate tracking-app free tier | Native page, with the existing Shopify subscription | Store order and fulfilment data is separate from a tracking provider’s detailed feed |
An order and a shipment aren’t always the same unit. In an illustrative month with 500 orders, 100 orders split into two parcels produce 600 shipments. A per-shipment allowance must cover both parcels, even when your sales report still shows 500 orders.
Monthly and annual allowances also need different treatment during a seasonal peak. Budget for excess volume and SMS usage, then choose the tier that includes the connection your support workflow needs. The cheapest entry tier can be the wrong purchase if your assistant requires developer access.
Answering Tracking Questions in Chat
An on-site assistant can answer an order question by retrieving the customer’s order and its latest shipment data. The tracking page remains useful for the full timeline. Chat helps a customer who asks a specific question, such as why one part of an order hasn’t arrived.
The reply needs the carrier status and the last event time. Add the estimated delivery date when the feed contains one, and preserve an exception or delay flag. The assistant must distinguish those fields from the store’s internal fulfilment status.
| Tool | Connection relevant to chat | What the assistant must keep consistent |
|---|---|---|
| AfterShip | Premium API and shipment-event webhooks | Carrier event, shipment status and the supplied delivery estimate |
| ParcelPanel | Professional developer API and webhooks | Standard shipment status and the delivery information returned by the connection |
| Shopify native page | Store order and fulfilment connection | Tracking number, carrier and fulfilment state, with richer carrier events supplied separately when needed |
Developer access doesn’t mean that a tracking app includes a finished chat integration. The connection must identify the correct order and expose only that customer’s details. A missing delivery estimate must remain absent, and an older event must keep its original time.
For example, a split order can contain one delivered parcel and one parcel awaiting collection. The assistant needs both shipment records to explain the difference. A single order-level “delivered” label would give the customer the wrong answer.
Choose AfterShip for multi-platform shipment data, or ParcelPanel for a Shopify or WooCommerce tracking workflow. Connect chat to the same shipment records, then use the guide to reducing where-is-my-order contacts for the wider support process.