Best Apps for Tracking Parcels: Poste Italiane vs 17TRACK vs AfterShip

Best overall pick: use 17TRACK if you track parcels from many shops and countries, use Poste Italiane if most of your shipments are in Italy, and use AfterShip if you run an online store. AfterShip says it supports tracking across more than 1,200 carriers, which gives it serious reach for sellers and frequent buyers [source: AfterShip].

TLDR: 17TRACK is the easiest all-rounder for personal parcel tracking, especially if you order from AliExpress, Amazon Marketplace, Etsy, or small overseas sellers. Poste Italiane is best when you need official Italian tracking, delivery notices, or local postal services. AfterShip is better for stores: for example, a shop sending 500 orders a month can use branded tracking pages and automated updates to reduce “Where is my order?” emails by a noticeable amount.

Quick comparison

• Poste Italiane: best for Italy-based users and official Poste or SDA shipments.
• 17TRACK: best for shoppers who track parcels from many carriers in one place.
• AfterShip: best for e-commerce teams, Shopify stores, and branded delivery updates.

Poste Italiane: best for official Italian tracking

Poste Italiane is the app you want if your parcel is moving through the Italian postal system. It feels most useful when you are dealing with Raccomandata, Pacco Ordinario, Poste Delivery, or SDA-linked shipments.

The big win is trust. You are getting tracking data from the source, not through a third-party layer. That matters when a parcel is stuck, marked as “in consegna,” or waiting at a post office. You can also access other Poste services in the same app, which is handy if you already use PostePay, BancoPosta, or digital identity services.

The catch is that it is not built for people who track parcels from ten international shops at once. Add a China Post parcel, a DHL package, and a local courier delivery, and the experience starts to feel limited. It does the official Italian job well. It just does not try to be a global tracking hub.

Best for:

• People living in Italy.
• Users who often receive Poste Italiane or SDA parcels.
• Anyone who wants official local tracking instead of third-party guesses.

17TRACK: best for personal global tracking

17TRACK is the app that many regular online shoppers end up using. It supports a huge number of carriers, accepts most tracking numbers quickly, and can auto-detect the courier in many cases. That removes a small but annoying step.

It is especially good for cross-border orders. If you buy from marketplaces where one parcel might start with YunExpress, pass through customs, then finish with Poste Italiane or another local carrier, 17TRACK usually shows the handoff clearly. That is where a normal carrier website can feel useless.

Honestly, it feels like 17TRACK was made for people who check tracking too often. You paste a number, save it, label it, and move on. Notifications are simple. The layout is practical. No drama.

There are some rough edges. Carrier auto-detection can still pick the wrong option. Some updates arrive late. Translations can sound odd. And when a seller creates a label but does not ship the item, 17TRACK cannot magically fix that. Expect to waste time refreshing if the merchant is the real problem.

Best for:

• Frequent online shoppers.
• People who order from overseas marketplaces.
• Anyone tracking parcels from several couriers at once.

AfterShip: best for online stores and customer updates

AfterShip is more business-focused. A casual shopper can use it, but that is not where it shines. Its real value comes from branded tracking pages, delivery emails, SMS updates, analytics, and integrations with e-commerce platforms.

If you run a small store, AfterShip can make your tracking experience feel more polished. Instead of sending customers to random courier pages, you can keep them on a branded tracking page. That can build trust. It can also reduce support messages.

For example, if 8% of customers email after ordering to ask about delivery, a store with 1,000 monthly orders may get around 80 tracking-related messages. Automated updates will not remove all of them, but even cutting that by a quarter saves real time.

The annoying part is that AfterShip can feel like too much if you only track your own parcels. There are dashboards, settings, integrations, billing tiers, and business tools. Great for sellers. A bit much for someone waiting for one pair of shoes.

Best for:

• Shopify, WooCommerce, and marketplace sellers.
• Brands that want branded tracking pages.
• Teams that need delivery analytics and customer notifications.

Which app should you choose?

Choose Poste Italiane if you want official tracking in Italy. It is the safest pick for local postal shipments, delivery notices, and services tied to the Italian postal network.

Choose 17TRACK if you are a buyer first. It is the best mix of simple, broad, and useful. It handles messy international tracking better than most single-carrier apps.

Choose AfterShip if you sell online. It is not just a tracking app. It is a customer experience tool. That makes it stronger for businesses, but heavier for personal use.

Final verdict

17TRACK wins for most people. It gives you the widest everyday use with the least effort. Poste Italiane wins for Italian postal accuracy. AfterShip wins for sellers who care about branding, alerts, and reducing support tickets.

If you only install one app for personal use, pick 17TRACK. If you live in Italy, keep Poste Italiane too. If you run a store, skip the basic tracking routine and use AfterShip to make delivery updates look professional.