Short answer: if you have a printer and can get to a Post Office, Royal Mail Tracked 48 is the cheapest Royal Mail tracked service, at £3.45 (Tracked 24 is £4.15). If you don't have a printer, or can't get to a counter, an online print-and-post service is cheaper once you count the trip — with printle a one-page letter sent with tracked delivery costs £4.27 in total, printed and posted for you.
The right choice depends on what "tracked" needs to mean for your letter: proof it was delivered, updates while it travels, a signature, or a guaranteed delivery day.
Every option, on price
| Option | Price for one letter | What you get | You need to print and post it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Mail 2nd Class stamp | 91p | No tracking and no proof of delivery | Yes |
| Royal Mail 1st Class stamp | £1.80 | No tracking and no proof of delivery | Yes |
| Royal Mail Tracked 48 | £3.45 | Tracking from dispatch to delivery | Yes, at a Post Office counter |
| Royal Mail Tracked 24 | £4.15 | Tracking from dispatch to delivery | Yes, at a Post Office counter |
| Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm | from £9.95 | Tracked, signed for and guaranteed next working day by 1pm | Yes, at a Post Office counter |
| printle — one page, tracked delivery | £4.27 | Printed, packed flat in a hardbacked envelope and posted with tracking | No — upload it or write it online |
Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 are counter prices checked on 8 October 2026. Stamps and Special Delivery: Citizens Advice (stamp prices) and Mailcoms (Signed For and Special Delivery), for prices from 7 April 2026. printle's price is its live one-page price with its cheapest tracked delivery (28p for the page plus £3.99 delivery). Checked 29 September 2026.
Signed For is not the same as tracked
Royal Mail Signed For (what used to be called recorded delivery) gets a signature when the letter is delivered, and you can check online that it arrived. It does not show where the letter is on the way. Tracked services scan the item through the network, so you can follow it and see when it was delivered. Special Delivery does both and adds a guaranteed delivery time and higher compensation.
Online letter services compared
Several UK services print and post a letter for you. For a one-page letter with the cheapest option that includes tracking or a signature, prices on their own sites on 29 September 2026 were:
- printle: £4.27, tracked delivery included on every order, sent flat and never folded.
- PrintPigeon: £2.99 plus £3.99 for 2nd Class Tracked — £6.98.
- ModernMail: £6.00 for 1st Class Signed For.
- PostRight: £7.99 for Tracked 48.
Their untracked letters are cheaper — from about £2 — but come without any proof of delivery. Prices change, so check each site before you order.
What does the trip to the Post Office cost?
A counter service is only cheaper if you can already print the letter and get to a branch. Printer ink, a bus fare or parking, and time off work can easily cost more than the difference. That is the gap an online service fills: you upload the letter, or write it online, and it is printed, packed and posted for you.
When a tracked letter is worth paying for
- A letter before action, where you may need to show the court it was received.
- A tenant's notice to quit, where the notice period runs from when your landlord receives it.
- A complaint letter that may later go to an ombudsman.
- Formal letters to HMRC, the DVLA or your council with a deadline attached.
If you need a signature specifically, rather than tracking, Royal Mail Signed For or Special Delivery is the service to use.
Send a tracked letter online — or upload a letter you have already written.