---
title: "Lob vs Stannp for direct mail APIs"
description: "Lob is the safer pick for mature US mail infrastructure. Stannp is better for cheaper, pay-as-you-go postcards and a dashboard marketers can use without engineering."
canonical: https://trysincerely.com/compare/lob-vs-stannp
last_updated: 2026-09-13
---
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# Lob vs Stannp for direct mail APIs

> Lob is the safer pick for mature US mail infrastructure. Stannp is better for cheaper, pay-as-you-go postcards and a dashboard marketers can use without engineering.

Source: https://trysincerely.com/compare/lob-vs-stannp

Lob is better for a US product team that needs mature print infrastructure, deep webhook events, and enterprise safeguards. Stannp is better when price and freedom from a monthly fee matter more than API depth.

Both will take finished artwork and put mail into the postal system. The choice is whether you want the more established US API or a simpler pay-as-you-go service from a UK company with later US and Canadian operations.

## The two platforms at a glance

| Dimension             | Lob                                      | Stannp                                     |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Core product          | US print-and-mail API                    | Dashboard and direct mail API              |
| Entry model           | Free Developer tier                      | Pay as you go, no platform fee             |
| Published 4x6 price   | $0.905 on Developer                      | $0.80 at low volume                        |
| Volume pricing        | Startup and Growth start at monthly fees | $0.53 above 50,000 pieces                  |
| Marketer access       | Built for developers                     | Campaign dashboard as well as API          |
| Tracking              | Deep webhook events                      | Six published mailpiece statuses           |
| Geographic background | Mature US print API                      | UK company with US and Canadian operations |

## Lob is better for mature US infrastructure

Lob is the more mature US print API. It is built for transactional mail from software, including statements, notices, checks, and compliance letters.

The deeper event model matters when mail state drives your product. Lob also puts HIPAA-eligible workflows and print-network redundancy on its Growth and Enterprise tiers. A team that needs those safeguards should treat them as requirements, not extras.

## Stannp is better for low-cost, flexible sending

Stannp asks for no monthly commitment. As of August 2026, its [US direct mail API page](https://www.stannp.com/us/direct-mail-api) lists 4x6 postcards at $0.80 per piece at low volume and $0.53 above 50,000 pieces, with no monthly minimum.

It also has a dashboard, so a marketer can run a campaign without waiting for an API integration. The simpler API is easier to adopt but has less depth. Stannp publishes mailpiece statuses for printing, dispatched, cancelled, local delivery, delivered, and returned, which gives developers a concrete list to test against their needs.

## Lob is better when switching carries risk

An existing mail integration has a real replacement cost. Small per-piece savings can disappear once engineers rebuild templates, callbacks, failure handling, and reporting.

Lob is the safer choice when the current workflow works or when deep events are part of the product contract. Stannp earns the switch when the simpler interface and lower postage bill remove more pain than the migration creates.

## Pricing reality: Stannp is cheaper on published rates

As of August 2026, [Lob's pricing page](https://www.lob.com/pricing) lists a free Developer tier for up to 6,000 mailings a year, with postcards at $0.905. Startup starts at $260/month and Growth at $550/month. The phrase "starting at" makes those monthly figures floors, not complete budgets.

As of August 2026, Stannp lists 4x6 postcards from $0.80 down to $0.53 and letters from $0.94 down to $0.70 by volume band, with printing and postage included. There is no platform fee and no minimum. Lob may still justify its premium when the integration and enterprise controls carry business value.

## Which is better for what

- A US transactional-mail feature: Lob.
- Sporadic campaigns without a subscription: Stannp.
- Deep webhook events or HIPAA-eligible workflows: Lob.
- High-volume simple postcards at a published rate: Stannp.
- A marketer who needs a dashboard alongside the API: Stannp.
- An established integration that already works: Lob.

## Where Sincerely fits

Sincerely runs the B2B mail channel end to end, building audiences from your CRM, writing each standard postcard or letter for one recipient, and measuring lift against account-level holdouts. Handwritten 4x6 postcards and letters are written by hand with a real pen. Sincerely also sends gifts on a recurring plan: 47 physical gifts with a personalized note, US prices starting at $49, and the exact price shown before confirmation, in the United States and Canada. See [gifts](https://trysincerely.com/gifts). Published pricing starts at a $199 one-time pilot for 100 live pieces. Sincerely does not offer a raw print API like [Lob](https://trysincerely.com/alternatives/lob) or [Stannp](https://trysincerely.com/vs/stannp), and it is not built for their transactional mail workloads.

## The bottom line

Choose Lob when mail is a durable feature inside a US product and reliability matters more than the lowest public rate. Choose Stannp when you want a straightforward API or dashboard, mail in bursts, and care most about pay-as-you-go economics.

## Related questions

- [Lob vs Click2Mail for programmatic direct mail](https://trysincerely.com/compare/lob-vs-click2mail): Choose Lob for mail built into software. Choose Click2Mail for one-off jobs run in a browser. The deciding factor is whether you need infrastructure or a mailing tool.
- [PostGrid vs Stannp for direct mail APIs](https://trysincerely.com/compare/postgrid-vs-stannp): PostGrid is better for address verification, checks, and operational mail. Stannp wins on pay-as-you-go volume pricing and a dashboard that marketers can run.
- [Inkit vs Lob for documents and direct mail](https://trysincerely.com/compare/inkit-vs-lob): Inkit is better for generating, signing, and storing digital documents. Lob is the clear choice for a live print-and-mail API and transactional physical mail.
- [Postalytics vs Lob for direct mail automation](https://trysincerely.com/compare/postalytics-vs-lob): Postalytics is better for marketers running triggered, template-based campaigns. Lob is the stronger print API for developers building mail into a product.
- [Sincerely vs Stannp](https://trysincerely.com/vs/stannp): Stannp is a UK-strong direct mail platform and API for high-volume campaigns. Sincerely is US B2B outbound with per-recipient writing and holdouts. How to pick.

---

Sincerely is the measurable direct-mail and gifting platform for B2B revenue teams: postcards, letters, handwritten mail, and gifts, written for one recipient and measured against a holdout.

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