Route alternatives for Shopify
Updated · How we collect this data
The most used Route alternative on Shopify is AfterShip (2,911 stores). We rank 2 returns & shipping tools by how many live Shopify stores run them, out of 6,454 installs we detect.
What are the best Route alternatives for Shopify stores?
AfterShip is the most used Route alternative on Shopify, installed on 2,911 active stores, 45.1% of all returns & shipping installs we detect. Loop Returns follows with 2,194 stores (34%). For comparison, Route itself runs on 1,349 stores, 20.9% of the category. We rank alternatives by how many live Shopify stores actually use them (October 2026), measured across 6,454 returns & shipping installs, rather than by features or affiliate deals. Fewer than 5% of Route stores also run any single one of these tools, so they are true substitutes rather than add-ons. Market leadership also varies by country: AfterShip is strongest in Hong Kong SAR China (1.4% of stores) and Loop Returns is strongest in United States (0.7% of stores). Notable stores still on Route include AKIRA, Cotopaxi, Fear of God.
Route alternatives ranked by number of Shopify stores
| # | Alternative | Stores | Share of category | Also use Route | Strongest market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AfterShip | 2,911 | 45.1% | 1.1% | Hong Kong SAR China (1.4%) | Compare |
| 2 | Loop Returns | 2,194 | 34% | 3.4% | United States (0.7%) | Compare |
"Also use Route" = share of Route stores that run the alternative at the same time. "Strongest market" = country (100+ stores) with the highest adoption.
AfterShip
AfterShip runs on 2,911 active Shopify stores (0.4% of all stores we track), 45.1% of returns & shipping installs. Its largest market is United States with 1,217 stores. 15 stores run it together with Route (1.1% of Route stores). It is installed on more stores than Route in United States (1,217 vs 1,176), United Kingdom (236 vs 26), Hong Kong SAR China (216 vs 5), Australia (157 vs 21). Stores using AfterShip instead of Route include Manucurist, Princess Polly, Platanomelón, REDMAGIC. See the top stores using AfterShip or compare Route vs AfterShip.
Loop Returns
Loop Returns runs on 2,194 active Shopify stores (0.3% of all stores we track), 34% of returns & shipping installs. Its largest market is United States with 1,703 stores. 46 stores run it together with Route (3.4% of Route stores). It is installed on more stores than Route in United States (1,703 vs 1,176), United Kingdom (165 vs 26), Australia (129 vs 21), Canada (104 vs 84). Stores using Loop Returns instead of Route include Eddie Bauer, OtterBox, KITSCH, BaubleBar. See the top stores using Loop Returns or compare Route vs Loop Returns.
Rankings count live Shopify stores where each tool is detected in homepage code, from our crawl of every Shopify store with real traffic. They measure adoption, not quality or price. Methodology.