Sendpaper vs. Lob: which fits your mailing workflow?
Lob and Sendpaper both print and mail letters and postcards through USPS, but they're built for different jobs. Lob is a platform for businesses sending mail at volume. Sendpaper is for sending one letter, a certified letter or a few postcards now, often from an AI agent, without opening an account.
Sendpaper wrote this comparison. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Lob, and we don't use it (our printing partner is PostGrid). Prices and features change, so check Lob's own pages, linked below, before deciding.
Short answer
If you send hundreds or thousands of pieces, run mail from a CRM, or need international mail, Lob fits better, and its published per-piece prices are far lower than ours.
If you (or your AI agent) need to send a single letter, a certified letter or a handful of postcards to US addresses without setting up an account, API keys or prepaid credit, Sendpaper is the simpler path: each order has its own checkout, and a person reviews every piece before it prints.
Side by side
| Lob | Sendpaper | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Businesses sending mail at volume: marketing and operational mail, CRM-triggered sends | People and AI agents sending one-off or small-group personal and transactional mail |
| Getting started | Create an account; before live mail, verify your email, add a payment method and fund prepaid Lob Credits (even on the free Developer plan) | No account and no API key. Every order comes with its own checkout link |
| Plans | Developer $0/month; Startup from $260/month; Growth from $550/month; Enterprise custom. Print and postage are charged per piece on top | No plans or subscription. You pay per piece, all-in |
| How you pay | Prepaid Lob Credits; card (3% fee), ACH, wire or check | Card through Stripe Checkout, or a one-time agent payment you approve in Stripe Link |
| Ways to send | REST API with SDKs, dashboard and Campaigns, many CRM and marketing integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier and others) | Website, REST API and an MCP server for AI agents (Claude, Codex, Muse and other MCP clients) |
| AI agents | We found no first-party Lob MCP server as of October 8, 2026. Third-party MCP connectors (Zapier, Pipedream, Composio, open source) can reach Lob's API with your own Lob key | First-party MCP server at sendmypaper.com/mcp; no key needed |
| Formats | Postcards, letters (incl. legal size on Enterprise), self-mailers, checks, snap packs and more | Postcards (4×6, 6×9, 6×11) and letters (typed, about 3 pages, or your PDF up to 6 pages) |
| Certified mail | Add-on to a First-Class letter: Certified, or Certified with an electronic return receipt | Certified letter, or certified with an electronic return receipt |
| Review before printing | You proof your own mail (PDF proofs, a 4-hour cancellation window for new accounts). Lob's terms say it does not review or monitor mailpiece content | A person at Sendpaper reviews every piece before it prints |
| Where it mails | US, plus postcards and letters to international addresses (First-Class only; no certified mail abroad) | US addresses only, including territories and military addresses |
| Volume | Designed for large volumes; plans set monthly limits | Up to 25 recipients per order; bulk marketing isn't allowed |
Prices for common jobs
| Job | Lob | Sendpaper |
|---|---|---|
| One black-and-white letter, 1 page | $1.06 | $4.99 |
| One letter, 3 pages | $1.26 | $4.99 |
| 25 identical 4×6 postcards to 25 people | $22.63 | $74.75 (one checkout) |
| One certified letter | $8.01 | $14.99 |
| One certified letter with return receipt | $10.92 | $19.99 |
Published self-serve prices, checked October 8, 2026. Lob: Developer plan (no subscription), First-Class, before its announced November 1, 2026 changes (small increases; certified fees unchanged). We assume Lob's letter price includes the first page and that its certified fee is added to the letter price, which its pricing page implies but doesn't spell out. Sendpaper: list prices, before any promotion; that's the full price at checkout. Lob notes that sales tax may apply depending on your state.
Which fits
Choose Lob when
- You send hundreds to thousands of pieces, especially marketing or recurring operational mail like statements and notices.
- You want the lowest per-piece price and are happy to set up an account, a payment method and prepaid credits.
- You need international mail, self-mailers, checks or legal-size letters.
- Your mail is triggered from a CRM or marketing tool, or your developers want templates, webhooks, scheduled sends and a test environment.
Choose Sendpaper when
- You need to send one letter, one certified letter or a few postcards now, without opening an account or managing API keys.
- An AI agent is doing the work: it connects to our MCP server with no key, and you approve each payment.
- You want a person to look at every piece before it's printed.
- Your mail is personal or transactional and goes to US addresses.
Where Sendpaper is weaker
- Our per-piece prices are higher than Lob's published self-serve prices in every scenario above.
- US addresses only; no international mail.
- No bulk or marketing campaigns (by policy), and at most 25 recipients per order.
- Every piece waits for a person to review it, and there's no scheduling, templates with merge fields, webhooks or CRM integrations.
- Fewer formats: no self-mailers, checks, legal-size letters or registered mail.
Common questions
Is Sendpaper built on Lob?
No. Sendpaper's printing and mailing partner is PostGrid. We don't use Lob.
Is Lob cheaper?
Per piece, yes: a one-page letter is $1.06 on Lob's free Developer plan versus $4.99 with Sendpaper. Lob asks you to set up an account and prepay credits first; Sendpaper charges per order with no account.
Can an AI agent send mail through Lob?
Yes, through third-party MCP connectors such as Zapier's or Pipedream's, using your own Lob account and API key. We found no first-party Lob MCP server as of October 8, 2026.
Can I switch between them?
Nothing locks you in either way. You could use Lob for high-volume business mail and Sendpaper for occasional letters sent from an agent.
Sources
- Lob: print and mail pricing
- Lob: pricing details (per-piece rates, including November 1, 2026 changes)
- Lob: getting started (payment information and Lob Credits)
- Lob: payment methods
- Lob: API keys, test and live mode (email verification, proofs)
- Lob: mail settings and cancellation window
- Lob: certified and registered mail
- Lob: international mail
- Lob: service-specific terms (content review)
- Lob on GitHub (no MCP server found)
- Zapier MCP: Lob
- Pipedream MCP: Lob
- Composio: Lob toolkit
- lob-mcp (open source, third party)
- Sendpaper pricing
- Sendpaper content policy
Lob sources accessed October 8, 2026.