iPostal1 Review

Monday, December 2nd

2024 Mail Scanning Service Reviews

iPostal1

• Plans range from a starting price of $9.99 to $39.99 per month
• More than 3250 locations worldwide for setting up your mailing address
• All plans include 30 days of storage for mail and packages under 1728 cu.in., or 5 days of storage for larger packages
• "A+” rated and accredited by the BBB
• In business since 2015

iPostal1 serves as an interface between you and various partner locations around the globe that you can use as a physical address for your personal mail or your company. Launched in 2015 as an integration of a long-standing digital mailbox platform with international mail forwarding capabilities, iPostal1 uses retail pack-and-ship stores and executive coworking spaces in office buildings to help you obscure your personal address, protect packages from porch pirates when you're not home, or simply receive and scan your mail while you travel the world.

Choose from domestic and international addresses

As we mentioned, iPostal1 connects you with a network of postal service providers. That goes everywhere from Alabama to Wyoming and from Austria to the UK. Although iPostal1 isn't in quite as many countries as its closest rival on our list, they've got more stateside options than the competition. For example, you'll have 532 choices in California, 325 in Texas, 212 in New York, even locations in the USVI and Puerto Rico if you prefer. Click on a state or country and you'll be able to see the specific cities where iPostal1 can get you set up. There aren't many filters, even when you select a city, beyond options with international forwarding capabilities or ones in office buildings. So, you'll have to click through each one to see the details for what's provided. iPostal1 doesn't disclose the name of the operator for each location, but a quick Google should do the trick (if that's important for you to know).

Multiple tiers of pricing and service

There are three main tiers of service offered by iPostal1's network of providers:

• Virtual Mailing Address: at a starting price of $9.99/month or $99/year, you'll get a real physical street address for your mail and packages. Within this category of service, you'll also see color-designated tiers of Green, Blue, Silver, and Gold, depending on how many mail items you receive each month (from 30-240). All of these plans come with up to 6 recipient names per address (but no company names; this is strictly for personal accounts).
• Virtual Business Address: at a starting price of $14.99/month or $149/year, you can get mail in your business name. You'll also have to choose among those colored tiers, depending on how much mail you anticipate your company receiving from month to month. It's essentially the same plan as the Virtual Mailing Address tier; you're just paying extra to put 1 company name on the address.
• Virtual Office: if you're looking for solutions that include not just mail scanning but phone and fax services, this is the tier for your company. Prices start at $39.99/month or $399 per year. The tiers are a little different within this package; Office 60 comes with 60 mail items per month plus phone and fax, while Office 120 comes with 120 mail items. You've also got options for a toll-free number and either 120 or 240 mail items each month. That highest-tier is starting priced at $69.99/month or $699 for the whole year.

Mailbox types also affect pricing

However, there's another little tweaky part to the pricing at iPostal1 - or rather, with the options among the partner locations you can select. Mailbox locations are designated as "Standard”, "Select”, "Premium”, or "Prestige”, and that too will affect how much you pay. It's a lot to take in!

Lots of services with extra fees

Before you sign up for a mail scanning plan here, we also recommend that you go take a look at the "Optional Services” list. It applies to all packages and tiers of service, and it's also why some iPostal1 clients grumble about feeling nickel-and-dimed here. Mail items above plan maximum? $0.35 each. Scanning the contents of an envelope (and not just the outside, which gets uploaded to your virtual mailbox dashboard)? $2.25 for up to 10 pages, then $0.25/page after. Check deposit by mail? $4.95 plus trackable shipping for scanning up to 5 checks. Extended storage? $1.10/item per month on letters and such, or $1.10 per pound on packages. You get the idea.

Good record with the BBB, despite complaints

The Better Business Bureau has given its accreditation and "A+” rating to iPostal1, despite having almost 150 complaints filed there in the last three years. That high grade means that the BBB hasn't found any issues with the way the company has responded to those client concerns. Plus, there were almost 300 people who came to the BBB to leave a review (separate from complaints), and those average a respectable 4.3 out of 5 stars. Feedback left via Trustpilot and compiled by Google is roughly the same in the pros and cons department.

Can be tricky at the outset

But, reading through more recent comments reveals that more than a few new clients got stuck at the verification and notarization step of setting up their accounts. You might wind up having to use iPostal1's service, which in some cases has had customers going in circles. Others sail right through and create their new virtual mailbox with no issues.

Solid choice for mail scanning

Overall, we'd say that iPostal1 comes in as better than average. You've got more locations to choose from than some comparable mail scanning services, and even though it can be annoying to have to sift through all of the pricing options, it lets you get really granular about what you pay for. It can get spendy fast with iPostal1, and not everyone has a flawless experience. But, on the whole, people seem to be happy with this service and with the partner locations that iPostal1 has selected for its network. This is a good backup plan if you don't find the mail scanning packages you need with a higher-ranked provider on our list.