Here’s the part most comparisons bury: the features are nearly identical wherever you go. A real US address, mail received and scanned to PDF, worldwide forwarding, and shredding for whatever you don’t want — Anytime Mailbox and In Out Parcel both do all of it, and you can run either one without ever picking anything up in person.
So the question that actually changes your bill is simple: how do they charge? Anytime Mailbox runs on a monthly subscription. In Out Parcel has no monthly fee at all — you get the full toolkit free to keep and pay only when something actually arrives. (And if you’re near the BC border, you also get the option to pick up your own packages.) Here’s the honest side-by-side.
The quick comparison
| In Out Parcel | Anytime Mailbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $0 — pay per item | Subscription (varies by location, often ~$10–30/mo) |
| What you pay | $4.25 per package or letter received | Monthly plan + add-ons (extra scans, handling, forwarding) |
| Locations | One: Point Roberts, WA | Thousands across the US (and beyond) |
| Mail scanning | Yes — scanned to PDF | Yes |
| Forwarding | Yes — worldwide | Yes |
| Shred / dispose unwanted mail | Yes | Yes |
| Use it without ever visiting | Yes — scan + forward | Yes — scan + forward |
| In-person package pickup | Optional: 24/7 self-serve lockers | No — mail-forward model |
| Best for | Anyone who wants a US mailbox with no monthly fee (plus optional pickup near the border) | Anyone who wants to pin their address to a specific US city |
Where Anytime Mailbox shines
Credit where it’s due: Anytime Mailbox’s strength is choice and scale. You can pick a mailbox in a specific city — handy if you need an address in a particular state, or if you live anywhere in the US and just want your mail digitized and forwarded. It’s a polished, mail-forwarding-first platform, and if that’s the job you’re hiring it for, the subscription buys you a lot of flexibility.
If pinning your address to a specific US city is the priority — or you simply want the widest choice of locations — that network is its genuine advantage, and a predictable flat monthly bill some heavy users prefer.
Where In Out Parcel shines
The headline is the price: In Out Parcel does everything a subscription virtual mailbox does — receive your mail and packages, scan them to PDF, forward them worldwide, or shred what you don’t want — it just doesn’t charge a monthly fee for any of it. Two things set it apart: $0 monthly, and the option to collect your own packages. It’s also not a newcomer: In Out Parcel has been serving the border since 2014 and holds a 4.9★ rating from 700+ reviews.
- No monthly fee — that’s the whole point. You pay $4.25 per package or letter received and $0 in the months nothing arrives. The address and all the capabilities are free to keep. For occasional or seasonal use, that costs far less than a subscription you pay year-round. See the no-monthly-fee breakdown.
- The full toolkit, run from anywhere. Scan your letters to PDF, forward your packages worldwide, or shred the junk — all online, without ever setting foot in Point Roberts.
- Or skip forwarding entirely. If you’re near the border, grab your packages 24/7 from secure self-serve lockers minutes from Tsawwassen — no postage, no waiting. (How it works.)
- A real US street address, not a PO box, that accepts every carrier — handy whether you’re across the line or across the border.
The cost difference, concretely
Say you receive 3 items in a year:
- In Out Parcel (pay-per-use): 3 × $4.25 = $12.75 for the year.
- Even a low-end plan in the ~$10–30/mo range — say ~$15/mo: runs roughly $180 for the year, whether you used it or not.
A flat subscription only pulls ahead if you’re receiving a steady, heavy volume every month — and even then, compare the per-item and forwarding add-ons closely. Full numbers are on our rates page.
So which should you choose?
- Choose In Out Parcel if you want a US mailbox with no monthly fee — whether you have everything scanned and forwarded to you wherever you live, or you pick up 24/7 near the BC border.
- Choose Anytime Mailbox (or a similar network) if pinning your address to a specific US city matters most, and a flat monthly subscription with a big location network suits you.
Considering other providers too? See how iPostal1 compares to In Out Parcel.
Same capabilities, no monthly fee. If you’re tired of paying a subscription just to keep a US address alive, get your free US address — receive, scan, forward, or shred, and pay only when something actually arrives.