3PL Pulse vs AfterShip
AfterShip tracks delivery. 3PL Pulse tracks fulfillment. They solve different problems for different teams.
The Order Lifecycle
Your order goes through two distinct phases. Each tool covers a different half.
Different Tools for Different Teams
3PL Pulse
Fulfillment visibility for ops teams
Monitors what happens between order placement and carrier pickup. Measures 3PL performance, tracks SLAs, and alerts you when things slip.
Best for
- Ecommerce ops managers and directors
- 3PL accountability and SLA tracking
- Multi-3PL provider comparison
AfterShip
Post-purchase experience for customers
Tracks what happens after carrier pickup through delivery. Provides branded tracking pages, delivery notifications, and returns management.
Best for
- CX and support teams
- Customer-facing tracking and notifications
- Returns and exchanges workflow
Feature Comparison
| Feature | 3PL Pulse | AfterShip |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-shipment visibility See when your 3PL receives, picks, and packs an order | - | |
| Fulfillment time measurement Time from order placed to carrier pickup, excluding carrier transit | - | |
| 3PL SLA monitoring Track whether your 3PL is meeting their fulfillment commitments | - | |
| Provider comparison Compare performance across multiple 3PLs with the same definitions | - | |
| Proactive SLA breach alerts Get notified when orders are approaching or have breached SLA | - | |
| Warehouse-level performance See which warehouse or facility is behind | - | |
| Carrier tracking events In transit, out for delivery, delivered | - | |
| Branded tracking pages Customer-facing tracking pages with your branding | - | |
| Delivery notifications Automated emails/SMS to customers about delivery status | - | |
| Returns management Manage customer returns and exchanges | - | |
| Shopify integration Connects to your Shopify store | ||
| Direct 3PL integrations Connects directly to 3PL systems for warehouse-level data | - |
What This Costs at Scale
Delivery tracking charges per shipment. Fulfillment monitoring doesn't.
500 orders/day
5,000 orders/day
Based on publicly listed per-shipment rates. Pulse is flat-rate. The bar that doesn't grow is the one that catches problems before they reach your customers.
The Question Isn't Which One. It's Whether You Have Both Halves Covered.
AfterShip is great at what it does. It gives your customers branded tracking pages and delivery notifications. That's a CX tool.
But if you're also using it as your only window into whether your 3PL is doing their job, you're looking at less than half the picture. The most important half, the part that determines whether orders ship on time, happens before AfterShip's clock even starts.
Many ecommerce ops teams use AfterShip alongside their 3PL portal and a spreadsheet to piece together fulfillment visibility. That works until peak season, a provider switch, or a quarterly business review where you need real numbers. The goal is one place for the full picture.
Go Deeper
Your Ecommerce Ops Team Shouldn't Be Chasing Your 3PL
The full breakdown of what the ops role looks like and what fixes it.
The Multi-3PL Dashboard Problem
Why using multiple 3PLs means fragmented visibility, and what to do about it.
Why Calculating Fulfillment Time Is Harder Than It Looks
Getting the definition right is step zero for measuring 3PL performance.
See the Half You've Been Missing
Connect your Shopify store and your 3PLs. Set your SLAs. Get alerts when things slip. See the full order lifecycle, not just the delivery leg.
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