Guide · checked October 24, 2026
Virtual mailbox vs PO Box vs UPS Store mailbox
All three give you an address that isn't your home. They differ in what the address looks like, who will deliver to it, whether you can see your mail without going there, and how the price is set. Here's each difference, taken from USPS rules, the USPS price list and the providers' own pages.
Side by side
| USPS PO Box | UPS Store mailbox | Virtual mailbox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The Postal Service, inside a Post Office. [USPS] | A franchisee; "each store is locally owned and operated." [UPS Store] | A commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA): a business that accepts mail for others. [DMM 508.1.8.1] |
| Address format | PO Box 123, or 123 Main St #4567 where Street Addressing is offered. [DMM 508.4.5.4] | Store's street address with PMB 123 or # 123. [UPS Store FAQ] | Operator's street address with PMB or # and your box number. [DMM 508.1.8] |
| UPS, FedEx, DHL, Amazon packages | Only with Street Addressing, which is "subject to availability and restrictions". [USPS] | Yes, from any carrier. [UPS Store FAQ] | Generally yes; package handling, storage and forwarding fees are set by each provider. See each provider page. |
| See mail without visiting | Informed Delivery previews letter-sized mail for eligible accounts (images of the outside, not the contents). [USPS] | Text alerts when packages arrive and Call-in MailCheck; "additional fees may apply". [UPS Store] | The point of the service: the operator scans the outside of incoming mail, and opens and scans contents on request, often for a per-item fee. Exact rules are on each provider page. |
| Forwarding while away | Premium Forwarding Service Local only reships to a street address served by the same local postal facility. [DMM 508.7.4] | Offered; "additional charges may apply". [UPS Store FAQ] | Core feature, anywhere, priced per shipment plus postage. |
| Sign-up paperwork | PS Form 1093 plus 2 IDs shown in person at the Post Office where the box is. [USPS] | 2 IDs (one with a photo) and the mandatory PS Form 1583. [UPS Store FAQ] | PS Form 1583 plus 2 IDs, signed in person or by live video. Form 1583 guide |
| Price | Published nationally by fee group and box size (table below). [Notice 123] | Not published: "prices may vary. Contact your neighborhood location". [UPS Store FAQ] | Published plan prices plus per-action fees (list below). |
| Term | 3, 6 or 12 months; a 3-month term requires automatic renewal with no opt-out. [USPS] | Minimum length "may vary" by store. [UPS Store FAQ] | Usually monthly or annual; see each provider. |
| When you leave | File a change of address; mail can be forwarded for up to a year. [USPS] | No USPS change of address is allowed; the CMRA must remail your mail for at least 6 months, and may charge for it. [DMM 508.1.8.4] | |
A UPS Store mailbox and a virtual mailbox are the same thing in USPS terms: both are private mailboxes at a CMRA. The difference is service. A UPS Store box is built around picking up in person; a virtual mailbox is built around scanning.
What a PO Box costs (official USPS price list)
USPS publishes PO Box fees in Notice 123, the official price list. The edition we read is effective October 4, 2026. Every Post Office is assigned a fee group, and the price depends on that group and the box size, from Size 1 (3" × 5.5", "10-15 letters and 3 rolled magazines") to Size 5 (12" × 22.5"). [Notice 123] [USPS sizes]
There are two kinds of locations. Competitive boxes (groups C30–C44) are at Post Offices near a private mailbox competitor; market-dominant boxes (groups 1–7) are everywhere else. [DMM 508.4.1.2] USPS doesn't say on the page which group your Post Office is in; the online box search shows the price for each location.
| Fee group | Size 1 (XS) | Size 2 (S) | Size 3 (M) | Size 4 (L) | Size 5 (XL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C30 (most expensive competitive) | $170 | $225 | $395 | $452 | $677 |
| C31 / C38 | $133 | $170 | $269 | $321 | $450 |
| C37 / C44 (cheapest competitive) | $80 | $103 | $161 | $193 | $270 |
| 1 (most expensive market-dominant) | $81 | $118 | $206 | $355 | $553 |
| 4 | $45 | $66 | $105 | $194 | $313 |
| 7 (cheapest market-dominant) | $31 | $41 | $60 | $90 | $156 |
| E | Free, if you qualify (see below) | ||||
Selected rows; Notice 123 lists every group from C30 to C44 and 1 to 7, plus 3-month fees. Source: USPS Notice 123, PO Box Service, read October 24, 2026.
Per month, that's about $5.17 for the smallest box in the cheapest group ($31 ÷ 6) and about $28.33 for the smallest box in group C30 ($170 ÷ 6). Paying 3 months at a time costs more: $21 a quarter (about $7 a month) for a Size 1 box in group 7, and $98 a quarter (about $32.67 a month) in group C30. [Notice 123]
Extras from the same list: a $6 deposit per key issued (no deposit for the first two keys at competitive locations), $14 for each key after the first two, and a $30 lock replacement or late payment fee. [Notice 123] New customers at competitive locations get 13 months of service for a 12-month payment. [DMM 508.4.5.4] If you close a box in the first 3 months of a 6-month period you get half the fee back; after that, nothing. [DMM 508.4.6.1]
The free PO Box (Group E)
If the Postal Service won't deliver to a mailbox at or near your home, you may qualify for one free PO Box. The address has to be inside the Post Office's delivery ZIP Code area and count as a potential carrier delivery point. It doesn't apply to hotels, campgrounds, transient trailer parks or places served by cluster boxes or mailrooms, or where delivery is blocked by things like private roads or gated communities. You get the smallest box that fits your daily mail, and you can't apply online. [DMM 508.4.5.2–4.5.3]
What a UPS Store mailbox costs
The UPS Store doesn't publish mailbox prices. Its own FAQ says: "Because all our locations are individually owned and operated, prices may vary. Contact your neighborhood location for pricing." The minimum agreement length and transfer rules also vary by store. [UPS Store FAQ] So we can't give you a number without making one up. Ask the store for the box price, the minimum term, and the charges for package notifications, forwarding and holding, which it says may cost extra. [UPS Store]
What a virtual mailbox costs
Virtual mailbox providers publish plan prices, but the plan is rarely the whole bill: scans, forwarding, storage and check deposits are charged per action. Starting prices from each provider's own page:
- Traveling Mailbox: $15/mo (Basic, monthly billing) (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- iPostal1: $9.99/mo (Virtual Mailing Address, 30 items, Standard location) (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- PostScan Mail: $10/mo (Starter, 'as low as', monthly billing) (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Earth Class Mail (LegalZoom Virtual Mail): $39/mo (Starter MailBox) (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Stable: $49/mo (Grow, billed yearly) or $59 month-to-month (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- US Global Mail: $49/mo (Scale, annual) or $65 month-to-month; varies by address (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Anytime Mailbox: From $4.99/mo (cheapest location); 'on average' $9.99 (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- PhysicalAddress.com: $7.98/mo (Plan 30, 'starting at') (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- Opus Virtual Offices: $59/mo address-only Business Address plan ($99/mo all-inclusive virtual office) (checked Oct 23, 2026)
To see what a month would really cost with your mail volume, use the cost calculator.
Which one fits
- You live nearby, get mostly letters and want the lowest price: a PO Box, especially at a market-dominant Post Office. Check if you qualify for a free Group E box first.
- You need packages from Amazon, UPS or FedEx: a UPS Store mailbox, a virtual mailbox, or a PO Box at a Post Office that offers Street Addressing.
- You travel, live abroad or full-time in an RV: a virtual mailbox, because nobody has to visit the box. A PO Box's local forwarding only reaches addresses served by the same postal facility. [DMM 508.7.4]
- You want a business address that isn't "PO Box": a UPS Store box or virtual mailbox gives you a street address, and so does a PO Box with Street Addressing, but all of them still carry "#" or "PMB", and some states and banks treat CMRA addresses differently. Read LLC & bank use before you choose.
This is general information about USPS rules and published prices, not legal advice. Fees change; each figure links to the page we read it from.