What “cheapest” should include
Cheapest means monthly platform fee + printed piece + extra meters (address verification, extra pages, custom envelopes) + operator time. Postage-only quotes hide the rest.
This page is for self-service operators, not for a 10-best directory and not for real-estate investor ROI math. If you want a name after you do the math, open the best self-service direct mail platform picker.
Published fee models we actually fetched
| Platform | Monthly start | Example piece | Source fetched 2026-08-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sendvo Local | $0 | 4×6 $0.92 all-in credits | sendvo.io/pricing |
| Sendvo Operator / Growth | $499 / $999 | 4×6 $0.69 / $0.66 | Same page |
| Postalytics Free | $0 | First Class 4×6 $1.081 | postalytics.com/pricing |
| Postalytics Marketer / Pro | $199 / $399 | First Class 4×6 from $0.941 / $0.821 at 0–2,499 | Same page |
| Lob Developer / Startup / Growth | $0 / $260 / $550 | Postcard print+postage from $0.905 / $0.645 / $0.615 | lob.com/pricing |
| Click2Mail | No subscription fees (homepage) | Public per-piece card not found | click2mail.com |
| OpenLetterConnect | Free / $199 / Enterprise | Postcard cells: Contact Sales | openletterconnect.com/pricing |
| PostGrid | Demo / usage API | No public postcard card on the page we fetched | postgrid.com/pricing |
Lob’s postcard starting rates are print and postage. US address verification is a separate line on the same page. Sendvo’s Local 4×6 is the bundled campaign-review number. Do not subtract them as if they were the same SKU.
A simple worksheet
Monthly fee ÷ pieces that month + piece rate = effective cost per card. If the plan cannot send your campaign, the low piece rate is unused.
Example using only Sendvo’s published card: 500 Local 4×6 cards cost 500 × $0.92 = $460, and $0 monthly. The same 500 on Operator cost 500 × $0.69 = $345 plus $499 = $844 that month. Local is cheaper at that volume. Operator becomes a workflow purchase (upload, dedupe, triggered mail), not a piece-rate win.
Example using Postalytics’s published Free vs Marketer First Class 4×6 at 0–2,499: $1.081 vs $0.941. The piece delta is $0.14. $199 ÷ $0.14 ≈ 1,422 pieces before Marketer pays for itself on that one format, if you were going to send them anyway.
When a monthly fee is still the cheaper path
Pay a platform fee when you need a capability the free tier does not include: Postalytics Flows and Salesforce on Pro, Sendvo triggered mail on Operator, Sendvo API on Growth, Lob’s lower print rates and extra webhooks on Startup/Growth.
That is why Sendvo vs Postalytics and Sendvo vs Lob exist as separate pages. The fee model and the workflow are one decision.
What we will not say
- We will not say Sendvo is the cheapest platform in all cases.
- We will not invent Click2Mail, PostGrid, or OpenLetterConnect postcard prices.
- We will not use reply rates or ROI to justify a cheaper piece.
If your next question is “can I automate without a monthly fee,” continue to direct mail without a monthly platform fee. If the question is portal vs API, use Sendvo vs Click2Mail or dashboard vs API.
Bottom line
Add the monthly fee. Add the published piece. Ignore slogans. Then open the vs page for the name that survives the worksheet.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to send a self-service postcard?
Add the monthly platform fee for the month you send, plus the published per-piece rate, plus any address-verification meter. Then divide by pieces. The cheapest brand on a homepage is often not the cheapest invoice.
Does Sendvo have a free plan?
Local is $0/month. You pay with prepaid credits. A 4×6 is $0.92 on Local. Triggered automation is not on Local.
Who publishes a $0 monthly platform fee?
Sendvo Local, Postalytics Free, Click2Mail’s homepage (no subscription fees), and Lob Developer all start at $0/month. Piece rates still apply.
Should I buy a paid plan to get a lower piece rate?
Only if the monthly fee is smaller than the piece-rate savings at your real volume. On Sendvo, Operator vs Growth break-even is 16,667 non-EDDM pieces in a month — a price comparison, not a requirement.