Want to jump straight to the answer? The best virtual mailbox for most people is iPostal1 or Anytime Mailbox.
A virtual mailbox gives you an online gateway to scan and forward your mail. Whether you’re a digital nomad, startup, or ex-pat, you can use the service to manage your postal mail from anywhere you live.
The Top 5 Best Virtual Mailboxes
Best of 2023: Anytime Mailbox, Earth Class Mail, iPostal1, PostScan Mail, Traveling Mailbox
Keep reading for detailed reviews of each service to give you a better idea about which tool would be a better fit for you.
Our Favorite Virtual Mailbox Solutions 2023:
- iPostal1 – Best for Extensive Address Ranges
- Anytime Mailbox – Best for Businesses Operating Outside the United States
- PostScan Mail – Best for Multi-User Functionality
iPostal1 – Best for Extensive Address Ranges
- Over 2,500 global locations
- Street addresses and PO Boxes available
- Customize how you receive mail
- Virtual office options available
iPostal1 has steadily improved its range of services to become one of the leading names in digital mailbox technology today. It has expanded its infrastructure considerably since its launch in 2007 and is now one of the largest networks of digital mailbox locations.
Yep, you read that right. iPostal1 is one of the biggest international virtual mailbox services that gives you over 2,500 locations to choose from—and this includes virtual offices, office buildings, and workspaces on the global level.
The service works similarly to all good virtual mailbox services and has partnered with DHL, USPS, FedEx, and UPS for delivery. It offers many features like mail scanning and forwarding, check depositing, package forwarding, and a permanent street address. Other than this, you can manage your mails from anywhere and at any time via your phone or online.
You can’t register your business or receive deliveries from carriers when you only have a PO box. It’s why you need a real street address. The good news is iPostal1 offers both a PO Box and a real street address. You can get your mail and packages handled, received, and stored at the mailing address of your choice.
Choosing how your mail is handled is another interesting feature. You can get it opened, scanned, forwarded, shredded, discarded, or stored for later pick up—whatever you want.
Pricing
iPostal1 offers tons of plans and sub-plans, so you’re sure to find the right match as per your requirements and preferences.
- Virtual Mailing Address — Starts at $9.99 per month
- Virtual Business Address — Starts at $9.99 per month
- Virtual Office — Starts at $39.99 per month
Check out iPosatal1 and get started now.
Anytime Mailbox – Best for Businesses Operating Outside the United States
- 1,954 service locations
- Accepts FedEx and DHL packages
- Virtual and physical options
- Mobile app available
Anytime Mailbox is a cloud-based virtual mailbox service that offers flexible, low-priced services in 1,954 locations, including the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, and Asia. No joke.
Anytime Mailbox makes it incredibly easy to get a virtual post office box, thanks to its partnership with an online notary platform called Notarize. All you have to do is fill in and submit a notarized form, and everything will be done in a few minutes.
Depending on your plan and location, you get access to several amazing features, such as a virtual mailbox, mail forwarding, mail scanning and storage, and virtual business addresses. What’s more, you also get additional offers like mail and package forwarding, check deposit, open and scan mail, and secure document shredding.
Anytime Mailbox takes the security of your mail seriously. It accepts packages from leading delivery companies, including FedEx and DHL, and has physical locations from which you can pick up your mail.
Let’s not forget it also offers a handy mobile application for iPhone and Android devices, allowing you to keep up with your mail on the go.
Pricing
Anytime Mailbox is hands down one of the cheapest virtual mailbox services.
Monthly plans start as low as $5.99. However, the pricing tiers can be a bit confusing as the fees are different for each location. Be warned that if you opt for that lower-priced option, charges could quickly shoot up if you go over your allocated incoming mail quota.
PostScan Mail – Best for Multi-User Functionality
- Add multiple users per account
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Instant notifications included
- Mobile responsive
PostScan Mail makes it easy to view, scan, forward, and recycle your mail from anywhere. You can even instruct the service to shred your mail—all without ever touching it yourself.
While the mailbox service is virtual, you still have the option to walk into any PostScan Mail location to pick up your deliveries. Just forward your mail to one of the 400 locations worldwide, and check its status with real-time tracking.
Our favorite feature of PostScan Mail is its ability to add multiple users to a single account. Each user has their own secured password and individual access. So you’re always in total control of your mail.
PostScan Mail is a great option for both business and personal use. The service accepts mail from all major carriers, including USPS, UPS, and FedEx. You can also enable email alerts and push notifications to ensure you never miss an important delivery.
It’s packed with features like unlimited cloud storage, online mail management, discounted mail receiving, package forwarding, and more. The online platform is secure, but you can get your mail shredded for free after it’s uploaded to add even more protection.
The platform is very responsive from multiple devices. It works great on most smartphones and tablets, and you can control everything from the mobile app—perfect for managing mail remotely.
Pricing
PostScan Mail offers three membership plans based on incoming mail volume:
- Starter — Starts at $10 per month
- Standard — Starts at $20 per month
- Premium — Starts at $30 per month
There are extra charges if you go over your monthly limits or need something not included in your plan. All PostScan Mail plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can get two months free when you sign up for an annual contract.
More Great Virtual Mailbox Solutions
Traveling Mailbox – Best for Third-Party Integrations
- Integrates with DropBox, Evernote, Google Drive
- OCR processing included
- Will scan docs for you
- All plans under $100 per month
Traveling Mailbox ticks off most requirements of a good virtual mailbox service. It’s feature-rich, reliable, and enjoys a stellar reputation for its quality mailbox management assistance.
You get an online postal mailbox, addresses, mail forwarding, post mail scanning, mail storage, mail filtering, document shredding, and check deposit services across its 30+ US-based addresses. The service lets you convert your emails, correspondences, invoices, and checks into digital documents to allow remote viewing.
What’s more, all your documents are processed through OCR (optical character recognition) software before being converted into searchable PDF documents. This is one of Traveling Mailbox’s biggest USPs, as not all competing services offer this facility.
There’s also a unique ScanPAK feature, where the service sends you a prepaid envelope to fill in important papers you don’t want to lose. Send the envelope back to the Traveling Mailbox, after which they will scan everything you send and upload it—all within a day of receiving the mail.
Direct integrations with third-party software like Evernote, Dropbox, Bill.com, and Google Drive can make things very convenient by building a more fluid workflow.
Pricing
Traveling Mailbox’s pricing tiers are largely dependent on your quota amounts, but it’s definitely on the expensive side. Currently, you can choose from three membership plans:
- Basic Plan — $15 per month
- Extended Plan — $25 per month
- Small Business Plan — $55 per month
Enterprise plans are also available starting from $99 per month if you’re looking for customized solutions to handle higher mail volumes. However, it doesn’t offer users a free service or trial.
Earth Class Mail – Best for Businesses Dealing With Sensitive Documents
- Personal login required to view mail
- Integrates with Quickbooks, Xero, Google Drive
- Automatic check deposit included
- Flexible personal and business pricing
Earth Class Mail is a safe alternative to traditional PO boxes. With over 21 million pieces of mail and over $3.1 billion in checks processed, this service is one of the most highly regarded options in the industry.
The service comes with all of the standard features you’d expect from an online mailbox, including:
- Mail forwarding services
- Content scan
- Secure document shredding
We strongly recommend Earth Class Mail to anyone getting sensitive or confidential data sent through the mail. That’s because this virtual mailbox ensures all your mail is received, organized, and stored safely by the company’s HIPAA-certified professionals.
All of the mail is scanned in high resolution. From there, it’s processed using OCR software to ensure it’s readable and searchable within the application.
Earth Class Mail also adds an extra layer of security to this process. You must be logged into the website if you want to download, recycle, delete, or forward your mail to another person.
One standout feature of Earth Class Mail is its check depositing service. This lets you automate your check deposit system in a secure way and saves time.
The platform also integrates with tools like QuickBooks, Xero, Bill.com, Box, Google Drive, and more. These integrations can make your life easier and accommodate the workflows that you prefer.
Earth Class Mail has more than 80 U.S. addresses on its list, but if you’re looking for a service that works outside of the country, this isn’t it.
Pricing
Earth Class Mail’s plans are priced higher than its competitors. They’re divided into two categories: MailBox Plans and MailRoom Plans. The Mailboxes are designed for individuals and families, whereas the MailRooms are built for small businesses and offices.
MailBox Plans
- Personal MailBox — $19 per month for one recipient and
- Shared MailBox — $29 per month for five recipients
- Premium MailBox — $79 per month for 20 recipients
MailRoom Plans
- Startup MailRoom — $139 per month for 100 pieces of mail
- Business MailRoom — $229 per month for 250 pieces of mail
A free Earth Class Mail trial is also available to test drive its features.
How to Find the Best Virtual Mailbox For You
Now that we’ve covered my top virtual mailbox recommendations, let’s take a look at how you can decide between them based on your needs.
Here’s what you need to focus on as you’re evaluating different options:
Service Actions
You should have the option to try out a product demo. Any good virtual mailbox service should offer this to give you a better idea about their scope of functionalities.
- How does the company handle packages and checks?
- In what format will you receive the mail?
- What are your available options for organizing your information?
- Is it possible to export this information to other applications?
- Can you add multiple users to your virtual mailbox account?
- Can you easily search for documents within the service’s platform?
Make sure you ask these questions to qualify your top candidates.
Locations and Addresses
What locations and addresses fall under the purview of the virtual mailbox?
Depending on your requirements, you’ll need different virtual addresses. For instance, if you’re a freelancer, you’ll want a street address that can then be used to register your business. On the other hand, having a PO Box is more than enough for an ex-pat.
The good news is there are plenty of options. Your job is only to ensure you sign up for a service that operates in all the locations you desire—nationwide and internationally.
Security
This is crucial and should be at the top of your to-do list. Ask the provider what security measures they take to safeguard their customers’ private information.
Does the company hire trained people on their team to manage your mail? You want to make sure the staff knows how to handle things like confidential health and financial information securely.
Some companies have independent operations, while others rely on local partners. While local partners give you more local pickup options, they also reduce your mail’s security.
Inquire about any backend security measures being used to keep your data safe. What types of security stems do they have to manage and store your mail?
Features
In addition to knowing how much you’re paying, you should also know exactly what you’re paying for.
Make a list of all the features you need (forwarding, document shredding, mail storage, and so on) from a virtual mailbox, and cross-check whether your selected prospects offer them. Follow this up by understanding the pricing structures associated with these plans and features.
Be sure you proceed with only those companies that provide the services—basic and additional—you need.
Ease of Access
The whole point of signing up with a digital mail and document solution is to access information quickly and on the go, preferably in usable formats.
To make the right choice, you should think about how long it takes for the service to give you your mail contents once you request them to be scanned. Other considerations include how long mail forwarding takes and whether there’s an option to automatically scan all the content.
In my experience, it’s best to choose virtual mailboxes that let you access your mail on a mobile device. It’s much more convenient.
Best Virtual Mailbox Solutions: Your Top Questions Answered
The Top Virtual Mailbox in Summary
Anytime Mailbox and iPostal1 are the two best virtual mailbox solutions on the market today. They rank high on our list due to their extensive capabilities at an affordable price point for a wide range of use cases.
For mail forwarding, mail scanning, virtual mailing addresses, and other top features follow the recommendations and considerations in this guide.
https://www.quicksprout.com/best-virtual-mailbox/
No comments:
Post a Comment