UK Postage: Royal Mail, Post Office & Franking Explained

UK postage is provided mainly by two companies: Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd. Royal Mail handles the collection and delivery of letters and parcels across the UK and overseas, while Post Office Ltd runs the branch network where you can buy stamps and access other services. To pay for postage you can use traditional stamps or, more cost-effectively for businesses, a franking machine.

The UK postal market has been open to competition since 2006, which has grown business-to-business delivery options. Stamps are bought from shops, whereas franks come from a franking machine and are usually cheaper.

Royal Mail

Royal Mail is one of the main postal service companies and delivers mail across the entire UK, and is responsible for universal mail collection and delivery. To use the service, simply stamp or frank your mail and post it in a post box, and Royal Mail does the rest. Royal Mail allows post to be sent at different rates depending on the class of the post. For current postage rates, see the Royal Mail website [FACT NEEDED: Royal Mail rate card 2026], or view our franking machines for cheaper franked rates.

Post Office Ltd

The other main postal service company in the UK is Post Office Ltd. It provides customers with a wide range of products and services, such as stamps, banking services and bill payments, through its nationwide network of post office branches. Post Office Ltd is owned by the UK Government and has thousands of branches across the UK, many of which are franchised out to companies such as WHSmith.

If you would like access to these services at a cheaper price, you may want to check out our range of franking machines, which give you cheaper prices to send mail.

FAQs

Who provides postage in the UK? UK postage is provided mainly by Royal Mail, which collects and delivers mail nationwide, and Post Office Ltd, which runs the branch network for buying stamps and accessing postal services.

Is franking cheaper than stamps? Yes. Sending mail with a franking machine is usually cheaper than buying stamps, because Royal Mail offers discounted franked rates compared with stamped postage.

Where can I find current UK postage rates? Current postage rates are published on the Royal Mail website, as rates change periodically. For franked rates, view the Mailcoms franking machines range.