Royal Mail vs UK Mail: A Comparison

If you manage an e-commerce business then you know the importance of choosing the proper mail courier.

Choosing the correct courier is not just a search for the right supplier. It’s about identifying a serious ally that will help you deliver the best value and service to your customers.

The right courier will satisfy your customers with the best quality, speed, and cost effective services.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail 

Here at ShippyPro, we want to help you in your search for that perfect carrier.

Today we will be analyzing Royal Mail and UK Mail.

Both Royal Mail and UK Mail are based in The United Kingdom, playing key rolls in the UK market. They also effectively serve the international market as well.

In this article we will be analyzing Royal Mail and UK Mail’s National US services, National UK services, European, and international services.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail: National US Shipments

Neither Royal Mail nor UK Mail provide services to the United States. So we will be skipping this section.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail: National UK Shipments

This table compares Royal Mail and UK Mail’s domestic services throughout the UK.

Royal Mail	UK Mail
Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Service	Delivery Time	Cost
Same Day Delivery	By end of same business day		Pre 9:00 am	By next business day by 9:00 am
Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed	Guaranteed next business day by 9:00 am		Next Day	By end of next business day
Royal Mail Signed for 1st Class	Aim to deliver by end of next business day		Saturday Delivery	By 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays
Royal Mail Signed for 2nd Class	Aim to deliver by end of 2-3 business days		Flexible Option	By end of 3-5 business days
1st Class Mail	Aim to deliver by end of next business day
2nd Class Mail	Aim to deliver by the end of 2-3 business days

Royal Mail offers cost effective options for same day, next business day, and 2-3 business day delivery. These services also differ on potential compensation coverage based on your needs. The other key difference to note is some services offer guaranteed delivery while others cannot promise the parcel will arrive on time, but the success rates are high.

Same Day Delivery guarantees delivery by the end of the day on the same day the delivery order was placed. A special £10,000 compensation coverage option is available for those who need it. Due to the expedited nature of this service it does cost more than their other options.

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed offers guaranteed delivery the next business day by 9:00 am. Royal Mail is so confident they can fulfill their guarantee that if the package does not arrive on time, they delivery is 100% free. A special £10,000 compensation coverage is also offered.

Royal Mail Signed for 1st Class aims to complete the delivery by the end of the next business day. While this is not a guarantee, the success rate of these deliveries is extremely high. There is an option to add up to £50 of compensation coverage as well.

The Royal Mail Signed for 2nd Class option aims to deliver the parcel by the end of 2-3 business days for a cost effective price. It is worth noting this 2-3 day delivery is only a goal and is not guaranteed, however it does enjoy a high success rate. The optional £50 of compensation coverage is also available.

Royal Mail’s 1st Class Mail serviceaims to complete the delivery by the end of the next possible business day. The success rate of this goal is also very high. Again the difference in compensation coverage is noticed. The potential coverage in this service is only up to £20 instead of the £50 option offered by its similarly priced services.

The 2nd Class Mail service aims to deliver the parcel by the end of 2-3 business days. While not a guarantee it is the most economic option if leniency in delivery time is allowable. Again the compensation is only £20 instead of £50.

UK Mail offers very reasonably priced next day delivery options to the UK. But also offers more economic options if time is not as important of a factor. UK Mail provides special value in that they offer many services that will deliver on Saturdays, a service that is rather unique in the shipping industry.

Pre 9:00 am offers delivery by 9:00 am the next possible business day Monday though Saturday. At a reasonable price and next day delivery, this is one of UK Mail’s most popular options.

UK Mail’s Next Day delivery service promises delivery by the end of the next business day. This is available Monday through Saturday and is rather close in price to the Pre 9:00 am service.

There is also a special Saturday Service for parcels that are intended to arrive ahead of time on a Saturday. This is beneficial because you are able to selectively pay only for the Saturday service without paying for the expedited delivery.

UK Mail’s Flexible Option is their most economic shipping service in the UK. Delivery is guaranteed by the end of 3-5 business days. This service is only available Monday through Friday but is the best option in terms of cost.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail: Europe

Royal Mail does not have Europe specific services, but their European and international delivery times differ slightly. The table below compares the Royal Mail’s European aspect to UK Mail’s single European service.

Royal Mail	UK Mail
Services	Delivery Time	Cost	Services	Delivery Time	Cost
International Tracked and Signed	Aim for end of 3-5 business days		Road Express	Delivery by end of 2-6 business days
International Tracked	Aim for end of 3-5 business days
International Signed	Aim for end of 3-5 business days
International Standard	Aim for end of 3-5 business days
International Economy	Aim for end of 10-15 business days

Royal Mail’s international services are also offered in Europe with the reduction of delivery times. These services can be broken down into two economic options and three slightly more costly options based on the delivery needs.

International Tracked aims to complete the delivery by the end of 3-5 business days. This service also provides end to end tracking of the parcel, giving you peace of mind from start to finish.

International Signed aims to hand you the parcel by the end of 3-5 business days as well. The difference with this service is it requires a signature upon the arrival of the package. This is perfect for sensitive parcels that are too important to be left out sitting on the porch.

International Tracked and Signed brings the best of both worlds to the table. Offering end to end tracking on top of the required signature upon arrival. With the same delivery time of 3-5 days this option is very popular and is the most expensive of Royal Mail’s European/international options.

International Standard is the first of the two economic European options. With a goal of delivery in 3-5 business days and no required signature or tracking system, it is a happy middle ground between cost effective and expensive additional services.

International Economy is the most bare bones European service Royal Mail offers. Completion of the package is expected between 10-15 business days with none of the frills of the other services.

UK Mail only offers one European specific service, Road Express. This service aims for delivery by the end of the day in 2-6 business days. At a fair price point and reasonable delivery time, this option is very popular in the European market.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail: International

The table below lists the international shipping services provided by Royal Mail and UK Mail.

Royal Mail	UK Mail
Services	Delivery Time	Cost	Services	Delivery Time	Cost
International Tracked and Signed	Aim for end of 5-7 business days		Air Express	Delivery by end of 6-10 business days
International Tracked	Aim for end of 5-7 business days
International Signed	Aim for end of 5-7 business days
International Standard	Aim for end of 5-7 business days
International Economy	Aim for end of 6-12 weeks

Royal Mail’s International services are the same as their European services so this section will look very similar to their European services with adjusted longer delivery times, with both economic and more pricey options. 

International Tracked aims to complete the delivery by the end of 5-7 business days. This service also provides end to end tracking of the parcel, giving you peace of mind from start to finish.

International Signed aims to hand you the parcel by the end of 5-7 business days as well. The difference with this service is it requires a signature upon the arrival of the package. This is perfect for sensitive parcels that are too important to be left out sitting on the porch.

International Tracked and Signed brings the best of both worlds to the table. Offering end to end tracking on top of the required signature upon arrival. With the same delivery time of 5-7 days this option is very popular and is the most expensive of Royal Mail’s European/international options.

International Standard is the first of the two economic European options. With a goal of delivery in 5-7 business days and no required signature or tracking system, it is a happy middle ground between cost effective and expensive additional services.

International Economy is the most bare bones European service Royal Mail offers. Completion of the package is expected between 6-12 weeks with none of the frills of the other services.

UK Mail’s only international option is their Air Express service. Like Road Express This service aims for delivery by the end of the day in 6-10 business days. Like its European counterpart, it is a very popular delivery service.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail: Additional Services for E-commerce

Royal Mail offers two additional services while UK Mail offers one additional service.

Royal Mail offers a very unique Articles for the Blind option. This additional service will specially ship books, printed materials, letters, relief maps, audio and electronic media, equipment such as magnifiers and mobility aids up t 7 kg all made to aid visually impaired people. They come delivered at a First Class International rate and are very reasonably priced for a service that can spare no expense.

HM Forces Mail offers special discounted prices for delivering mail to The British Forces Post Office. With guaranteed Special Delivery, First Class Signed For, and Royal Mail 1st Class it is the perfect option for staying connected with the men and women serving their country. They deserve the best mails services and this additional service provides that to them.

UK Mail offer a Print Logistics additional service specially serving the print and promotions industry. This service specially manages POS stock, secures storage of POS and call-off facilities, collation, fulfillment, packing and wrapping, labeling and data management support.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail: Reviews and Considerations

We at ShippyPro operate in the e-commerce sector, especially in the field of online shipments. We are in daily contact with many domestic and international couriers.

Evaluating all the work of a courier is not an easy task.

The one perfect courier does not exist, however, there are certain couriers that are more suited for the needs of your business.

In this article we have introduced the main services of both Royal Mail and UK Mail, are used heavily at a national UK level.

We want to help you choose the ideal logistics partner for your needs, but there are other considerations we need to look at.

To do this, we will show you the only meter of transparent judgment we have; the reviews of our customers who use Royal Mail and UK Mail daily to ship domestically and around the globe.

Below are the total reviews of the two couriers formed on the basis of daily feedback from our customers.

Royal Mail vs UK Mail: Who do we choose to ship?

At this point you understand how difficult it is to determine which courier is better than another.

It is well known that some carriers work better in some areas than others.

Now, considering that your goal is to provide the best customer service, there is nothing better than trying to enter into a contract with not one, but multiple couriers.

This way you will be able to offer excellent service in every area and every category of product.

Don’t limit yourself to a single shipping service provider

Instead, look to choose different couriers, each for a specific scope, significantly reducing asset management costs.

In fact, each freight forwarder charges very different tariffs in relation to the weight, size, and destination of the goods.

Compare and choose the best carriers for any type of shipping you make!

Comparing all these carriers is a time-consuming process, but there are services for managing the various shippers that can help.

The best way to manage this important decision is to choose a software that automatically compares the prices of different vendors and / or allows you to set shipping rules, saving you time and money.