key points:
- usps priority mail is the standard domestic air service for usps, and packages are delivered within 1-3 business days with tracking for domestic deliveries
- usps priority mail express is the service of fastest domestic shipping available from usps and delivers your packages within 1-2 business days
- easyship offers up to 89% discount on usps shipping rates for domestic and international shipments
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is popular with online merchants because it offers affordable rates for domestic and international shipping.
The two fastest USPS shipping services are Priority Mail and Express Express Mail. Although the two services sound similar, they differ in their prices, delivery times, and more.
Understanding the differences between Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail allows you to get the lowest rates and fastest delivery on your next shipment.
easyship is a direct partner of usps, which means we offer usps rates up to 89% off retail, including priority mail and express express mail. This article highlights the differences between Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail to help you save the most on shipping.
what is the difference between priority mail and express priority mail?
Priority Mail vs. Express Priority Mail: Which Is Best For You?
usps is known for being affordable. however, USPS is not known for being reliable. this can be a problem for merchants.
priority mail express is the improved version of priority mail. express mail is the faster and more reliable version of priority mail, but for about 3 times the price.
However, if you absolutely must have a package arrive on time, you may want to use express. Here’s an overview of the differences between priority mail and urgent express mail.
priority mail
priority mail is the standard domestic air service for usps. packages are delivered within 1-3 business days with tracking in the lower 48 states.
however,
priority mail does not offer a delivery guarantee. this means that packages may take longer to reach their destinations than the estimated 1-3 days. and there is no recourse if your package is delayed. you and your customers just have to wait.
Priority mail prices start at just over $7 for small boxes and envelopes. a wide range of packaging options is also available with priority mail.
Priority mail is a good option for eCommerce merchants looking to save on shipping.
express priority mail
priority mail express is the fastest domestic shipping service available from usps.
Delivery is guaranteed to most locations within 1-2 days. overnight delivery is available even on weekends and holidays, for an additional charge.
Unlike priority mail, express mail guarantees delivery times. If your package is not delivered on time, you can request a refund of the shipping costs paid.
This faster, guaranteed service is more expensive than priority mail. envelopes and small boxes cost about $22. meanwhile, Express Priority Mail is limited to a smaller selection of packaging options.
priority mail express is a premium shipping option used when packages absolutely need to get there.
packaging: priority mail vs. express priority mail
packaging is a key difference between priority mail and urgent express mail.
Before we highlight the differences, let’s see how the two services are similar. both offer:
- 70 lbs maximum weight
- 108″ maximum dimensions in length and width combined
Beyond these basics, packaging is very different for Priority Mail and Express Mail.
express packaging express mail
priority mail express offers only three packaging options, including:
- flat rate envelope
- legal flat rate envelope
- padded flat rate envelope
The price of shipping in these envelopes starts at $26.35.
remember you can send packages up to 70 pounds with urgent priority mail. there just isn’t any specific packaging provided for anything larger than envelopes.
This means that the post office will weigh and measure your package when it is dropped off or picked up to determine the final shipping cost. If you are using Priority Mail, we recommend that you order your free shipping supplies from the USPS website in the size you need.
priority mail packaging
Unlike express mail, priority mail gives you access to a wide variety of packaging options at different prices. this makes it easier to ship with priority mail than with express mail.
The following screenshot shows all the options for Priority Mail packaging and shipping:
Being able to pick from these packaging options makes Priority Mail more convenient than Priority Express.
Pricing: Priority Mail vs Express Priority Mail
As mentioned above, urgent priority mail tends to be about 3 times more expensive than priority mail.
express mail also quotes call rates according to the delivery area. this just means that areas closer to the sender cost less and far away areas like alaska cost more to ship.
by contrast, priority mail offers a selection of flat-rate options that are the same price regardless of destination.
This section highlights how priority prices differ for different package sizes, plus how you can save up to 89% on all USPS fees using easyship.
small box
let’s say we want to ship a 2 pound hoodie within the domestic united states.
according to the usps website, the cost of express priority mail is $27.15 for local deliveries. The price goes up to $72.65 for delivery to distant areas like Hawaii or Alaska.
by contrast, local delivery with priority mail is only $8.55. delivery to remote areas costs $26.75.
obviously, we will keep a package with priority mail.
medium box
Now let’s try shipping a 5 pound medium box.
Express Priority Mail is only slightly higher for local deliveries at $28.35. deliveries to zone 9 are now $101.95.
Priority mail for 5 pound local shipments is $10.60 and $47.95 for shipments to Hawaii and Alaska.
can we save even more money with easyship? Let’s turn to our free shipping rate calculator and see what we find. below the price for local deliveries in a 5 pound box.
Turns out, we save about $3 on Priority Mail with Easyship, and about $4 on Priority Mail Express rates. This is because Easyship is a direct partner of USPS, and gets business rates that aren’t available otherwise.
but what if we want to ship to distant areas instead of locally? these are easyship’s rates to send our 5 pound package from new york to hawaii.
We show a Priority Mail rate of just under $10, and a Priority Mail Express rate of around $63. Again, we see a 40% savings on Priority Mail and 15% on Priority Express.
Our free shipping calculator was created to help you find the lowest rates for each shipment from each shipping service. is available on all domestic and international shipments and covers all courier services.
features: priority mail vs priority express mail
A final deciding factor in shipping options are features like insurance, tracking, and international delivery. If any of these value-added features are important to you or your customers, it could affect your choice of service.
shipping insurance
Insurance protects your package against theft, damage or loss in transit. Depending on your products and customers, insurance can be a key feature in your checkout flow.
Both priority mail and express mail offer insurance coverage. Both services insure packages up to $100 in domestic shipments and up to $200 in international shipments.
If you want additional insurance coverage, easyship can help cover your items up to $5,000.
packet tracking
Buyers love tracking packages because it offers peace of mind.
Both Priority Mail and Express Priority Mail offer free tracking updates until the package arrives.
Tracking includes confirmation of delivery date and time, signature confirmation, and attempted delivery notices in the event of a missed delivery.
delivery on weekends and holidays
for an additional fee, priority mail express delivers 365 days a year, regardless of holidays or weekends. will upgrade your express shipment from Priority Mail to Overnight Delivery and you will receive it by 10:30am. m. the next day.
Unfortunately, this feature is not available in priority mail. you will need to adhere to the usps specific schedule and delivery schedule.
international shipping
usps offers International Priority Mail and International Express Priority Mail for cross-border shipments. Both services offer weight-based, flat-rate envelopes for international shipping. both services cost more for international shipping. You can find international shipping rates on all USPS services in seconds with our free shipping calculator.
Priority Mail vs Priority Express Mail: Which is Better?
priority mail is the cheaper but less reliable version of priority mail express. if you need the packages to arrive in 2 days, it is better to be served by express mail. for shipments where affordability is key, you want priority mail.
using easyship offers you discounts of up to 89% on all express and express mail rates. our all-in-one shipping platform makes it easy to compare shipping rates and transit times to determine which service is best for your business.
Ready to automate your shipping and access discounted USPS rates? Create a free easyship account to get started!
frequently asked questions about priority mail vs. express priority mail
How reliable is Priority Mail vs Priority Express Mail?
Priority mail does not offer a delivery guarantee, which means your package may be delayed. priority mail express is a guaranteed service, which means your package must be delivered as promised, or your money back.
can delivery be made to a PO box with priority mail or urgent express mail?
yes. While private carriers like UPS and FedEx cannot deliver to PO boxes, USPS does deliver to PO boxes. That means both Priority Mail and Express Mail offer delivery services to PO Boxes.
Can priority mail or express priority mail be delivered the same day?
Currently, USPS does not offer a same-day delivery service. With Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail, you will receive your package within 1-3 business days.