Virtual Mailbox
February 11, 2023

6 Cheap virtual address options for 2023

Introduction

Whether you want to know everything about virtual addresses or just need some options without doing all the legwork yourself, you will find it here.

The need for virtual addresses is set to grow in 2023 and beyond as businesses expand their presence both locally and globally.  A physical mailing address and traditional post office box present limitations that a virtual address does not.  

If you want the flexibility of a virtual address that doesn’t tie you or your mail down to one location and is safe, then this service is for you. 

We examine the cheapest virtual mailbox services to get you going in 2023.

What is a virtual mailbox?

A virtual mailbox is a digital service that can receive, open, scan, log and shred all your physical mail.  It can also receive packages of various sizes.  Mail and packages can be forwarded to a location of your choice for a fee. This is called mail forwarding services.

Free storage for your postal mail and packages is available for a limited time. This allows you to collect mail at your convenience.  If you do not want to collect it, it can be sent for recycling. 

This service can also provide you with a mailing address, with real street addresses available.  A virtual business address will ensure you are in the location you want. 

The virtual mailbox service is managed via an online portal or mobile app, giving you full access to your mail anytime, anywhere. This is different than a UPS Store Mailbox Rental, which does not provide scanning services.

Benefits of a virtual address

Here are some of the top benefits of virtual mailboxes:

No office building and associated expenses

A presence in any location

Stay connected when away on business or leisure travel

A professional image for your business

Receive mail and packages, eliminating theft

A business address to register your business and receive legal documents

Protection of privacy

Attend to important mail 24/7 in any location

Electronic storage of mail, reducing lost mail

Tax deductible claim for business

Who would use a virtual mailbox service?

Virtual mailbox services can be used by anyone who wants to direct their mail to one place and benefit from a real street address.

  1. Private individuals and families
  2. Small business owners and home businesses
  3. Remote working start-ups and entrepreneurs
  4. Expats living abroad
  5. Students at university, college or traveling
  6. Any business that would like to have a presence in more than one market, locally and globally

How does a virtual mailbox service work?

Sign-up with a service provider is done on the company website.  You will choose a location, street address, plan and optional extras. You will be directed to a payment process to conclude the sign-up. 

- Mail process

Request senders to use the virtual address you provide.  All your mail will be received at the scanning facility and scanned within 24-48 hours. The outside of the mail is scanned, and you can track the time and date of the scan. 

You will receive a notification of new mail and need to choose whether to open it, scan it, and then store it or shred it.  Physical storage of mail can be up to 30 days, but the scanned PDF will be kept in unlimited cloud storage indefinitely. Most providers have a recycling option because they are seriously mitigating the impact of papermaking on the environment. 

- Package process

Packages go through the same process as mail.  However, there are two options available to deal with packages:

  • Store for a limited number of days
  • Send immediately to another location via a courier service

- Other services

The following additional services are available but are provider dependant. 

  • Physical office buildings, called virtual offices, where you can share space with others.
  • Free scan and junk mail shredding
  • Local pick-up services
  • Check deposit services

What to consider when choosing a virtual mailbox provider

The top consideration is security.  You do not want to entrust your mail and packages to a business that cannot protect your privacy.  From the scanning facility to the online platform and ending with the recycling service, the safety of your information must be guaranteed. 

The number of locations and pages scanned per month is also important because this differentiates one provider from another. 

If local pick-up and check deposit is a service you cannot pass up, know that these services are not provided by all businesses. 

6 Entry-level Options for 2023

This article may be about the cheapest services, but this does not mean that cheap is sub-standard.  This is an overview of the services, but you are encouraged to visit the provider's website and thoroughly investigate the options to ensure they are right for you.

The comparisons are based on the entry-level pages and the number of pages.  See below for a detailed explanation of the service providers.  

Trythatch

1Postal1

Anytime

Earthclass

Postscan

Physicaladdress

$19.99

$9.99

$9.99

$19.99

$10

$7.98

100 pages

30 pages

30 pages

50 pages

30 pages

30 pages

0.19 per page

0.33 per page

0.33 per page

0.39 per page

0.33 per page

0.26 per page

USA and international?

USA and international

USA and international

USA and international

USA and international

USA addresses

Online/Mobile app

Online/Mobile app

Online/Mobile app

Online/Mobile app

Online/Mobile app

Online/Mobile app

#1 TryThatch.com

- Pricing

At first glance, they appear to the most expensive option of the six.  However, when you consider that they scan 100 documents for $19.99, the value quickly becomes apparent. At 0.19 cents a page, this makes them the cheapest option available. 

- Features

  • Full-text search of your mail history for easy access to high-resolution PDF scans
  • Mail and package forwarding in combined shipment to save money
  • Full tracking of packages online
  • Mail and parcel forwarding to any location
  • Shredding and destruction of unwanted mail
  • Full visibility of the chain of custody of your mail  You have full knowledge of when you mail was scanned, opened, shredded or stored
  • Real business address provided

#2 PhysicalAddress.com

- Pricing

Starting at $7.98 for their basic plan, physical address offers four plans.  The most expensive plan is Plan 200 at $26.98 per month.  They offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are unhappy with their services.   This is a bonus for anyone who wants to try the service without the risk of being tied to a 6 or 12-month subscription. 

The features of their plans increase according to the cost of the plan.  To keep the comparison of services at the same level, only the basic plan is shown here.  

- Features Plan 30

  • 30 Envelope Scans
  • 10 Content Scans
  • Unlimited Mail Recipients
  • Free Local Pickup
  • Free Registered Agent
  • Free Secure Shredding
  • Additional Scans $0.20
  • Non-parcel storage 3 months for free

- Security

PhysicalAddress.com is one of the few providers that have their own staff at all their locations. The mail is not outsourced to any third parties. 

All business and private mail are received at the mailing center and processed within a day.  They do not outsource their customer service support, so you are assured that you are dealing with one company throughout the process. 

They have been around for 9 years and claim to have served 80 000 clients in 50 countries with their virtual mailing addresses. 

#3 1Postal1.com

- Pricing

1Postal1 has four packages for individual and business virtual addresses.  They are green, blue, silver and gold.  Each one increases in cost and features. These plans can vary depending on the location of the addresses. You can change your monthly plan at any time, which is very convenient.  

You will receive two months free if you sign up for a yearly plan.  They don’t lock you into contracts if you stay on a monthly plan.  

The biggest difference across the plans is the number of documents scanned and processed, with the basic plan, you get 30 mail items a month.

1Postal1 provides the additional virtual office service for $39.99 per month.  

- Features

  • US or international mailing address
  • Business phone and fax (virtual office)
  • Mail and package forwarding
  • Check deposit
  • Digital mailbox
  • Document scanning
  • Package consolidation
  • Contact manager

Founder Jeff Milgram believes that in the near future, everyone will be subscribed to a mail forwarding service via their mobile devices.  He founded the company in 2015 and currently, they have 2500 mailing addresses worldwide.

#4 AnyTimemailbox.com

- Pricing

Pricing for the USA begins at $9.99.  Anytime will not provide pricing unless you pick the location.  This also applies to international locations. What is handy is that pricing is shown in the international currency and provides the full physical address. 

They offer four packages (bronze, silver, gold and unlimited or platinum).  The number of documents scanned will range from 30 to 100.  Additional services will be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis. Storage is also charged per item and depends on the duration of storage. 

- Features

  • Real street address
  • Mail and package forwarding
  • Global mail forwarding
  • Unlimited online storage
  • 24/7 access to mail online
  • Scan, open, forward, shredding services
  • Live support Monday to Friday

Anytime Mailbox was founded in 2013 and started with a desire to view and manage mail online.  When they could not find what they wanted, they started their own service.

They currently have hundreds of locations in the USA and internationally. 

Reviews on Google give them a 4.5 out of 5, and DaVinci, PostNet and Annex brands are their partners. 

#5 PostScanMail.com

- Pricing

They have three packages on offer (Starter, Standard and Premium).  The starter package begins at $10 and offers 30 incoming mail items but no scanned documents.  For this service, you will have to upgrade to either standard ($20 p/m) or premium ($30 p/m).

Additional fees are charged for services such as mail forwarding, storage and shredding.

- Features

All plans include the same features. These are listed as

  • Real U.S. street address at mail center or office building.
  •  Mobile App for Android and iOS devices.
  •  24/7 online access to your mail items and unlimited cloud storage.
  •  Multiple recipients and user/department management.
  •  Email notifications for new mail and packages received.
  •  Multiple shipping carriers with real-time shipping rates.
  •  Content scans with the ability to download PDFs.
  •  Shipment tracking and delivery updates.
  •  Local mail and package pickup.
  •  Mail item consolidation and package forwarding
  •  Unlimited recycling of junk mail

PostScanMail is one of the service providers that focus on the security of their information.  They use Amazon Web Service for their application hosting and storage and provide a data security guarantee.  

With 12 years of experience and nationwide street addresses since 2020, this provider is a reliable option and if you are concerned about the integrity of your data, then this provider has provided proof that they protect it on their website. 

#6 EarthClassmail.com

- Pricing

Three options are offered (Personal, Shared and Premium).  The basic plan begins at $19,99 for individuals.  Business mailboxes are available from $39 a month. 

Earth class offer mailrooms catering to larger businesses that want to process large volumes of mail.  

- Features

  • Receive mail at a secure facility for processing
  • Deliver mail to an inbox as high definition PDFs
  • Access portal online or by mobile app 24/7
  • Deposit checks online
  • Shredding and destruction of unwanted mail
  • Forward mail to multiple locations
  • Integration with other platforms

Earth class mail started in 2004 and have been helping individuals and larger companies to receive their mail in digital format. Currently, they have 80 locations and have scanned 18 million pieces of paper.  

They are committed to keeping mail green and sustainable by protecting the planet and recycling 100% of junk mail that comes into their facility.  Each piece of mail is turned into new paper products. 

Earth class mail has the most integrations available with other platforms. They can integrate with bill.com, google drive, QuickBooks and Xero to enable the automatic entry of check deposits and the tracking of documents. 

Conclusion

Researching these companies, you will find their online platforms quite impressive.  Each site offers a breakdown of its products that is easy to find and clear enough to compare at a glance.  

There are options available for every budget, and these businesses are reasonable in their pricing.  Here are some quick categories where the providers differentiate from one another:

Environment conscious and focus on recycling and replanting of trees

Earth Class Mail

Integration with other platforms

Earth Class Mail

Deposit checks 

Earth Class Mail,  1 Postal1

Workspace sharing

1Postal1, Anytime

Local mail pick-up

PostScanMail

Safety and security focus

PostScanMail

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Trythatch?

The virtual address industry is competitive, yet there is room for further competitors to enter the market.  This is to the benefit of the consumer.  As more companies enter the market, the services will reduce in cost, and each company will strive to provide better customer benefits and features.  

In 2023 these six companies are entering the year with a lot going for them.  They have experience and expertise on their side and well-thought-out plans.  Their network of mail centers and international partners pushes them ahead of the rest. 

These are exciting times of technological development.  What started off as a novel idea, will soon be replacing the old postal service.  

Sign up now for a free trial with Thatch - The worst that can happen is you cannot live without your virtual address mailbox. The old saying goes: ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained!’

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