Franked Mail vs Stamps 2026: Which Is Cheaper?
Franked mail is cheaper than stamps on almost every Royal Mail format. The catch is that a franking machine costs money to run, so the cheaper postage only helps if you send enough of it.
Here is a straight comparison, item by item, using prices checked October 2026, followed by the costs people tend to forget.
Price by price
These are Royal Mail's stamp prices and Mailmark franking prices. Franked prices date from 7 April 2026. Letter and large letter stamps also date from April, while parcel stamp prices rose on 5 October 2026, according to dealer Mailcoms' published tables.
1st Class
| Format and weight | Stamps | Franked | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter, up to 100g | £1.80 | £1.77 | 3p |
| Large letter, up to 100g | £3.30 | £2.86 | 44p |
| Large letter, 101g to 250g | £3.60 | £3.28 | 32p |
| Large letter, 251g to 750g | £3.60 | £3.30 | 30p |
| Small parcel, up to 2kg | £5.90 | £5.45 | 45p |
| Medium parcel, up to 2kg | £8.70 | £8.05 | 65p |
2nd Class
| Format and weight | Stamps | Franked | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter, up to 100g | 91p | 88p | 3p |
| Large letter, up to 100g | £1.55 | £1.52 | 3p |
| Large letter, 101g to 250g | £1.90 | £1.81 | 9p |
| Large letter, 251g to 500g | £2.40 | £2.30 | 10p |
| Large letter, 501g to 750g | £2.70 | £2.50 | 20p |
| Small parcel, up to 2kg | £4.60 | £4.25 | 35p |
Two patterns jump out. Standard letters save just 3p either way. 1st Class large letters and parcels save far more, from 30p to 65p an item in the table above.
What a stamp really costs you
A stamp's price is only part of its cost. With stamps you also pay in:
- Time. Someone has to buy them, often at a Post Office counter.
- Guesswork. Without scales, staff tend to overpay "to be safe", or underpay and the recipient gets a surcharge card.
- Leakage. Books of stamps walk out of offices. It is hard to track who used what.
- No records. You get no breakdown of postage by department or client.
None of this shows on the price list, but it is real money in a busy office.
What franking really costs you
Franking has its own extras:
- Lease or purchase. Most firms lease over several years. Our franking machine prices guide covers typical monthly costs.
- Ink. Each brand uses its own cartridges.
- Service and rate updates. Sometimes bundled, sometimes charged separately.
- Labels if you frank parcels.
- Admin. You have to sort franked mail by class and format before posting it.
The postage itself is paid in advance into an account held through your supplier. That makes budgeting easier but ties up a little cash.
When does franking win?
A quick way to judge it: add up your monthly postage saving, then compare it with the monthly cost of a machine, ink included.
Say you send 600 2nd Class letters a month. The saving is 600 × 3p = £18. That is unlikely to cover a lease and ink on its own.
Now say you send 200 1st Class large letters a month as well. That adds 200 × 44p = £88. Together you save about £106 a month, which can comfortably cover an entry level machine.
So the answer depends heavily on your mix. Large letters and parcels make franking pay. A pile of standard letters on its own rarely does.
When stamps still win
Stamps are the better choice if:
- You send fewer than a few hundred items a month and most are standard letters.
- Your post is irregular, with weeks when nothing goes out.
- You do not want another contract to manage.
- You rarely send large letters or parcels.
Online postage through Royal Mail Click & Drop is a middle ground for small senders of parcels and large letters. For example, a 1st Class large letter up to 100g costs £3.20 there, against £3.30 with a stamp. It is still more than the franked £2.86, but there is no machine to pay for.
Other differences worth knowing
Professional finish
A franked impression can include your logo and a short message. Many firms like the way that looks next to a stamp, though it is a matter of taste.
Where you can post
You can drop stamped mail in any post box. Franked mail has a few rules. Royal Mail lists Post Office branches, Customer Service Points, mail centres and business post boxes. You can only use a public post box if the items are inside a franking outer envelope from your machine provider. Royal Mail also offers business collections. Our guide on how to prepare and send franked mail explains the details.
Posting window
Royal Mail now accepts franked mail up to seven days after the date printed in the impression, which gives you some slack if a batch misses the post.
Tracking
Mailmark impressions carry a barcode that Royal Mail scans as items move through its network. Some suppliers pass that data on to you, so you can see when a batch was processed.
Common questions
Is franked mail slower than stamped mail?
No. 1st and 2nd Class franked items travel on the same service levels as their stamped equivalents. The class you pay for decides the speed, not the way you pay.
Can I mix franked and stamped mail?
You can use both in the same business, but keep them apart when posting. Franked mail needs to be sorted and handed in as franked mail.
Is there VAT on postage?
Standard 1st and 2nd Class postage is exempt from VAT whether you frank it or use stamps, so the comparison above is like for like.
What happens if I underfrank an item?
As with an underpaid stamp, the recipient may be asked to pay the shortfall plus a fee. A machine with a built in scale makes this much less likely.
Do franking prices change at the same time as stamps?
Not always. In 2026, franked prices changed in April but not in October, while parcel stamp prices did rise in October.
The decision in one table
| If you mostly send... | Better option |
|---|---|
| A handful of letters a week | Stamps |
| Hundreds of standard letters a month | Run the numbers; often close |
| Regular 1st Class large letters | Franking |
| Regular parcels | Franking, or online postage if volumes are low |
| Post that must be costed by department | Franking |
Final thoughts
Franked mail is cheaper per item, but a machine is a fixed cost. Count what you actually send for a couple of weeks, split it by format, and do the sum above. If the saving beats the monthly machine cost with room to spare, franking is worth it.
For full prices across every class and weight, see our guide to Royal Mail franked mail costs.
Prices checked October 2026, from Royal Mail's Mailmark franking tariff, Royal Mail's stamp prices, and dealer Mailcoms' published comparison tables.