Direct Mail Services Compared: 7 Options by Job and Price
Seven direct mail services described from their own websites, grouped by the job they do, with the price of one letter where the pricing page says what it covers.
Robbert Veer, Founder
14 min read
Direct mail services print your letters, cards or gifts and hand them to the post for you. Of the seven compared here, Lob, PostGrid, LetterStream and Pingen print and post a letter on demand. Postalytics is built for marketing campaigns. Handwrytten and Sendoso send handwritten notes and gifts. Two of them, Lob and Pingen, print and post Leadodo's letters, and this page says so wherever it matters.
Every fact about a service on this page comes from its own website, read on Nov 10, 2026. A letter price is quoted only where the pricing page says what the price covers. The page ranks nothing and makes no claim about print quality or delivery speed.
How do the seven direct mail services compare?
The seven services differ in what they send, where they mail and how they charge. The two tables group them by job, each with Leadodo in the last column.
Print and post on demand.
| What an agency asks | Lob | PostGrid | LetterStream | Pingen | Leadodo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What does it send? | Letters, postcards, self mailers and checks | Letters, postcards and checks | Letters, certified mail and postcards | Letters, and registered mail in five countries | Your Outbound Machine sends a letter, then emails and LinkedIn steps |
| Where does the list come from? | Your own list | Your own list | Your own list | Your own list | A Google Maps scraper and a database of 460M+ contacts |
| How are prospects qualified? | No scoring named. It verifies addresses | No scoring named. It verifies addresses | No scoring named. It cleans address lists | No scoring named | Twip AI scores each website out of 100. Sites below 40 form the shortlist |
| Where does it mail? | From the US. Abroad by USPS First Class Mail | Local delivery networks listed for the US, Canada, the UK and Australia | Through USPS and FedEx. No countries listed | Local print and mailing operations in 10 countries, and other countries through DHL | US letters through Lob. European letters through Pingen |
| Entry plan on Nov 10, 2026 | Developer, no subscription fee | Starter, no monthly fee | No plans and no monthly fee | No plans and no monthly subscription | Pricing on request |
| What do the pages we read leave to you? | The list, the letter, and email or LinkedIn steps | The list, the letter, and email or LinkedIn steps | The list, the letter, and email or LinkedIn steps | The list, the letter, and LinkedIn or phone steps | What follows a reply, the sales call and your offer |
Campaigns, cards and gifts.
| What an agency asks | Postalytics | Handwrytten | Sendoso | Leadodo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What does it send? | Letters, postcards and self-mailers | Cards written by robots that hold real pens, plus gift cards and inserts | Gifts, eGifts, branded merch, direct mail and handwritten notes | Your Outbound Machine sends a letter, then emails and LinkedIn steps |
| Where does the list come from? | Your list or CRM, or a mailing list it sells | Your own list | Your own list | A Google Maps scraper and a database of 460M+ contacts |
| How are prospects qualified? | No scoring named. Lists are sold by type | No scoring named | Campaigns can be triggered by intent and other signals | Twip AI scores each website out of 100. Sites below 40 form the shortlist |
| Where does it mail? | The US and Canada | The US and Canada, and by its homepage 190 other countries | It says it ships to 165+ countries | US letters through Lob. European letters through Pingen |
| Entry plan on Nov 10, 2026 | Free Plan, no subscription | Single cards, or a monthly plan | Five plans, each quoted by sales | Pricing on request |
| What do the pages we read leave to you? | The letter, the reason to write, and email or LinkedIn steps | The list, the message, and email or LinkedIn steps | The list, and email or LinkedIn steps | What follows a reply, the sales call and your offer |
Two notes on the tables. "No scoring named" means the pages we read name no score for a prospect. The last row lists what those pages do not name. A service may offer it on a page we did not read.
What does one letter cost at each service?
On Nov 10, 2026 three services showed a plain price for one First Class letter on a plan with no monthly fee, from $1.059 to $1.411. LetterStream lists an "as low as" price with no quantity. The prices do not cover the same things, so the last column matters as much as the figure.
| Service | Plan | One First Class letter on Nov 10, 2026 | What the price covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lob | Developer, no subscription fee | $1.066 in black and white | Print, postage and envelope |
| PostGrid | Starter, no monthly fee | $1.059 in black and white | "Printing, Processing and Postage Costs". The envelope is not named |
| LetterStream | No plans | "as low as $1.27" for one page in black | Printing, envelope insertion and postage. No quantity is given for the price |
| Postalytics | Free Plan, no subscription | $1.411 for a one-sided 8.5x11 letter | "printing, postage & paper". The envelope is not named |
| Pingen | No plans | Not quoted. See its prices page | Processing, paper, print and delivery are priced apart |
| Handwrytten | Single cards, or a monthly plan | Not quoted. It sells cards | Postage is extra |
| Sendoso | Quoted by sales | No price shown | Does not apply |
| Leadodo | Pricing on request | About 86 cents in the US, for one page in black and white | Printing, postage and the envelope |
One disclosure belongs here. US letters from Leadodo are printed and posted by Lob, and European letters by Pingen. Our guide to direct mail cost splits a letter into its parts.
Which direct mail companies print and post a letter on demand?
Lob, PostGrid, LetterStream and Pingen print and post a letter on demand. You send a file and an address, through an API or a web page, and the service prints the letter and hands it to the post. None of the four supplies a list.
Lob
Lob calls itself "The Direct Mail Delivery Engine". A business creates mail in a dashboard or through an API, and Lob prints it and hands it to the postal service. Its print and mail page names postcards, letters, self mailers and checks, among other formats. A Print & Send API can trigger mail from a CRM, and Address Verification covers US and international addresses.
Its homepage says "For teams managing complex direct mail at scale." It lists agencies and consultants among its users.
The Developer plan has no subscription fee, and each piece is charged. On Nov 10, 2026 the table headed 11/01/2026 on its pricing details page put a black and white First Class letter on that plan at $1.066, with print, postage and envelope. The paid plans carry a platform fee and a lower price per letter. The pricing page on its main site showed lower "Starting at" figures that day, with no mail class named.
Pick Lob over Leadodo if you already have a list and a letter and want an API or a dashboard that prints and posts it.
Leadodo's US letters are printed and posted by Lob, so weigh this section with that in mind.
PostGrid
PostGrid's homepage offers a "fully-documented REST API to send personalized letters, checks, postcards and improve address accuracy". It prints and mails letters, postcards and checks, with templates and mail tracking. Its Address Verification API checks addresses, and bulk verification takes up to 200k addresses at a time. The pricing page lists local delivery networks for the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
It names developers and teams in compliance, marketing, finance and customer success.
The Starter plan has no monthly fee and allows up to 500 mailings a month. On Nov 10, 2026 its pricing page put a black and white First Class letter on Starter at $1.059, on its USA tab. The page says pricing includes "Printing, Processing and Postage Costs" and does not say whether that covers the envelope. Enterprise prices are on request.
Pick PostGrid over Leadodo if your own software should send the mail, such as certified mail or checks to your customers.
LetterStream
LetterStream calls itself "an online print-and-mail service". You upload documents, add addresses and pick mailing options. It prints the pieces, inserts them and hands them to USPS or FedEx. It sends First-Class letters, Certified Mail with tracking, postcards in two sizes and flats of up to 75 sheets. Address lists go in as CSV files, and it offers an API for software companies.
The site says it serves "individuals and businesses (small, medium, to large)". It lists law firms, HOAs and accounting firms among its customers.
There are no plans, no monthly fee and no minimum quantity. On Nov 10, 2026 its pricing page listed a First-Class letter "as low as $1.27 each". That is for one page in black, with printing, envelope insertion and postage. The page gives no quantity at which the "as low as" price applies.
Pick LetterStream over Leadodo if you need certified mail, or a one-off mailing with no monthly fee.
Pingen
Pingen sends letters by post from a computer. Its homepage says "Send and track your letters digitally, while we handle printing and worldwide delivery via local post or DHL." You upload PDFs in a web app or use its Letter API. The homepage states "Local print and mailing operations in 10 countries" and names carriers such as Deutsche Post, La Poste, PostNL and Royal Mail.
The homepage says "Made for any kind of business, big or small."
Pingen has no plans. Its prices page lists no setup fees, no monthly subscription and no minimum volumes, and a letter is paid from prepaid credit. A letter price is built from a processing fee, paper, print and delivery by country. Our browser read on Nov 10, 2026 showed the calculator at 0.00 and no other amount, so we quote none. See its prices page.
Pick Pingen over Leadodo if you post letters inside Europe from your own list or your own software.
Leadodo's European letters are printed and posted by Pingen, on A4. Weigh this section with that in mind too.
Which service is built for marketing campaigns?
Of the seven, Postalytics is the one that calls itself direct mail automation software. It adds an editor, triggers, tracking and mailing lists for sale to printing and posting.
Postalytics
Postalytics is direct mail automation software. Its homepage says a user can "create, send and track" campaigns. It prints and mails letters, postcards and self-mailers, built in an editor with templates. Mail can be triggered by an event, such as a customer's birthday or a recent purchase. It tracks whether each piece is delivered, forwarded or returned, and it uses QR codes and personalized URLs to see who responds. It sells mailing lists by type and connects to CRMs.
It names marketers, small businesses and agencies. It has a U.S. pricing page and a Canada pricing page.
The Free Plan has no subscription, and each piece is charged. On Nov 10, 2026 its pricing page put a one-sided 8.5x11 First Class letter on the Free Plan at $1.411. The page says per piece prices "include printing, postage & paper". The paid plans carry a monthly fee and lower prices per piece.
Pick Postalytics over Leadodo if you mail your own customers or CRM contacts and want triggers, tracking and response codes.
Which services send handwritten notes and gifts?
Handwrytten and Sendoso send handwritten notes and gifts. Handwrytten writes cards with robots that hold real pens, and Sendoso stores and ships gifts, merch and notes for you.
Handwrytten
Handwrytten writes notes on cards and mails them. The site says it "uses custom-designed handwriting robots that hold real pens" to write "in the handwriting style of your choice". It addresses the envelope and sends the card by First Class postage through the US Postal Service. Extras include gift cards, inserts such as a business card, and branded stationery. It connects to CRMs and has an API.
Its homepage says "Companies of all sizes" use it. It lists real estate, insurance agents and nonprofits among its customers.
Postage is extra on every card. The pricing page and the FAQ give different retail prices for one card, and each business plan shows two prices with no label, so we quote none. See its pricing page.
Pick Handwrytten over Leadodo if the piece is a thank-you card or a note to a client, where the handwriting is the point.
Sendoso
Sendoso is a gifting and direct mail platform, which its site calls a "Sending Management Platform". A team uses it to send gifts, eGifts, branded merch, direct mail and handwritten notes to prospects, customers and employees. It stores and ships items for you, with warehousing, stock tracking and returns. Campaigns can be triggered by intent and other signals. The homepage says "Ship to 165+ countries."
It names sales, marketing, customer experience and people teams. Plans come with a set number of licenses, from 5 on the two starting plans to 50 on Advanced.
Pricing is on request. Its plan comparison page lists five plans with no prices, and the site shows no price for one letter.
Pick Sendoso over Leadodo if you send gifts or branded merch to prospects, customers or employees and want the storage and shipping handled for you.
Where does Leadodo fit, and where does it not?
Leadodo is software for web design and marketing agencies. It finds businesses, scores their websites and runs outreach to the ones with the weakest sites. The posted letter is the first of six steps.
The tie to two services on this page. US letters from Leadodo are printed and posted by Lob. European letters are printed and posted by Pingen, on A4. Read this comparison knowing that.
What a letter costs. In the US, a letter costs about 86 cents, for one page in black and white, sent First Class. That covers printing, postage and the envelope. In Europe the price depends on the country, and we give no figure.
What Leadodo adds around the letter.
- The list. Leadodo finds businesses with a Google Maps scraper and a database of 460M+ contacts.
- The choice. Twip AI scores every website in a search out of 100 across 10 domains. Sites that score below 40 form the shortlist.
- The first line. Twip's findings become the opening line of each letter and email.
- The follow-up. Your Outbound Machine runs six steps over 19 working days. The letter arrives on day 1. Emails follow on days 4, 7 and 11, and LinkedIn steps on days 15 and 19. The sequence stops for a business the moment it replies.
You can review every letter before it goes, review a sample such as the first 100, or let your Outbound Machine send without review. Our guide to direct mail for agencies explains why the letter goes first.
Where it does not fit.
- You already have a list and a letter and only need printing and posting. Go to one of the four print and post services directly.
- You mail your own customers, with certified mail or checks. Lob and PostGrid name both, and LetterStream names certified mail.
- You want campaign tools for your own CRM contacts. Postalytics names triggers, tracking and response codes.
- You want handwritten cards or gifts. Handwrytten and Sendoso send those.
- You sell something other than websites or marketing. A website score will not tell you who to write to.
Leadodo never contacts anyone itself. You send, under your own name.
Questions
What is a direct mail service?
A direct mail service is a company that prints a piece of mail for you and hands it to the postal service. You supply the addresses and the content. Some take orders through an API, some through a web page, and some add mailing lists or campaign tracking.
Which direct mail companies have no monthly fee?
Six of the seven let you start without a subscription. Lob's Developer plan, PostGrid's Starter plan and the Postalytics Free Plan charge per piece only. LetterStream and Pingen have no plans at all, and Handwrytten sells single cards. Sendoso quotes every plan through sales.
What is direct mail automation?
Direct mail automation is software that prints and posts a piece when a person or a rule sets it off, so nobody in your office touches paper. Postalytics uses the term for itself. An API such as Lob's or PostGrid's does the same job from your own software. Our guide to automated direct mail explains the triggers.
Can a direct mail service send letters abroad?
Some can. Lob's help site says its mail starts in the US and is mailed abroad by USPS First Class Mail. Pingen says it has local print and mailing operations in 10 countries and uses DHL for others. PostGrid lists local delivery networks for the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Postalytics has pricing pages for the US and Canada.
Which direct mail service should an agency use for prospect letters?
It depends on what you already have. With a list and a finished letter, a print and post service does the job. Without them, the work sits before and after the letter. Our guide to direct mail marketing covers the whole campaign, and how to write a sales letter covers the page itself.
Checked on Nov 10, 2026. If a detail about your service is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Next step. See how your Outbound Machine posts a letter that arrives on day 1 and follows it with three emails. Outbound Machine.
