On the same 5 lb box, the gap between carriers reached several dollars in our latest run. Comparing is how you keep them.
One box, every carrier: quotes from 2026-07-27
A 14 × 12 × 6 in box at 5 lb, quoted through the SMKlog calculator on both lanes the same day. This is the full rate list a buyer would have chosen from, checkout totals as returned.
Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303
| Carrier and service | Label price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground Saver | $13.65 | 4 days quoted |
| UPS Ground | $14.05 | 3-4 business days |
| FedEx Ground Economy | $14.31 | 4-5 business days |
| USPS Ground Advantage | $14.67 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS 3 Day Select | $19.94 | 3-4 business days |
Los Angeles, CA 90011 to New York, NY 10001
| Carrier and service | Label price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground Saver | $19.25 | 6 days quoted |
| UPS Ground | $19.30 | 6-7 business days |
| USPS Ground Advantage | $20.84 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS 3 Day Select | $27.17 | 3-4 business days |
| USPS Priority Mail | $32.26 | 2-3 business days |
The ordering isn't stable across routes, which is the whole argument for quoting all carriers at once. Going east-to-south the top four rows sat within about a dollar of each other; crossing the country the spread opened and the fast tiers separated hard. If your package always ships USPS, the USPS-specific walkthrough covers that flow in more depth, counter comparison included.
About labels that claim to cost nothing
A lot of people land on pages like this after searching for a label they won't have to pay for. Straight answer: that product doesn't exist. Postage is transportation, carriers sell it, and a label without paid postage is a sticker. What those searches actually find falls into three buckets, and knowing them saves you from signup traps.
Tools with no monthly bill
Most label platforms charge a subscription and dangle the postage as the draw. The honest version of this offer is a tool that's free to use where you only ever pay for labels, which is how SMKlog's Free plan works: fifteen quotes a month, three of them before any account exists.
Return labels paid by stores
The prepaid return label in your online order didn't cost zero; the merchant bought it and priced it into the business. If someone owes you a return, ask them for the label rather than buying your own.
Supplies, not postage
Some of those search results are really about packaging giveaways rather than labels, and the two get conflated. Even where a box costs nothing, the barcode that moves it never does.
Buying questions
Where can I buy a shipping label online without a subscription?
Right here. SMKlog's Free plan costs nothing per month, the first three quotes don't even require an account, and a single label purchase is a one-off guest transaction with the price stated before you pay.
Which carrier was cheapest in the latest quotes?
For the 5 lb box we quoted on 2026-07-27, UPS Ground Saver took the low slot on both lanes, at $13.65 out of Newark bound for Atlanta and $19.25 leaving Los Angeles for New York. Lighter boxes usually flip the winner to USPS, so let a live quote decide rather than a habit.
Are shipping labels ever actually free?
No. A label is prepaid postage, and every search result promising one for free is really offering either a tool with no monthly charge, a carrier's returns process paid by the merchant, or supplies like empty boxes. Somebody always pays the carrier for transportation.
How fast do I get the label after paying?
It appears as soon as the payment clears, typically within moments, in a view built for printing from a computer or a phone. The receipt email carries a link back to it, and the tracking number is live from the start.