EDDM vs addressed mail: which targeted direct mail fits your business?
Prices and rules checked October 2026.
EDDM sends your card to every home on the carrier routes you pick, with no list and the lowest price per home. Addressed mail goes only to the names on a list, so it costs more per piece but skips the homes you do not want. Choose EDDM when most homes near you could be customers. Choose addressed mail when only some of them could, like new movers, past customers, or one party’s voters.
EDDM vs addressed mail at a glance
| EDDM | Addressed mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | Every home on a carrier route, or every home and business | Only the addresses on your list |
| List needed | No | Yes. Your own, or one you buy |
| Targeting | By place: streets and neighborhoods | By person: who they are or what they did |
| Name on the card | No. It says “Local Postal Customer” | Yes, a name and address on each piece |
| Postage | $0.260 a piece at EDDM Retail | Varies with the mail class, sorting, and size |
| Smallest mailing | 200 pieces | Depends on the mail class |
| Skip houses | No. Whole routes only | Yes |
| Best for | Building a name across whole neighborhoods | Reaching a known group of people |
How EDDM works
Every Door Direct Mail is a USPS service. You pick carrier routes, and your mail carrier puts one card in every mailbox on them. A route is usually 400 to 700 homes. You do not need names, a list, or a permit at Retail.
That makes EDDM targeted direct mail by place. You choose the streets around your shop, your listings, or your past jobs. See how EDDM works.
How addressed mail works
Addressed mail prints a name and address on each piece. The list can be your own customers, or a list you buy, such as new movers, homeowners in a price range, or a business type. The mail is sorted by ZIP Code and sent at a bulk rate.
That makes it targeted direct mail by person. You only pay to reach the people on the list.
How the cost compares
With EDDM, a 6.25 x 9 postcard costs $0.44 to $0.59 a home with us, with printing and postage included. There is nothing else to buy.
Addressed mail usually costs more per piece. Each card is printed with a name, the postage depends on the class and how the mail is sorted, and a bought list adds a cost per name. Your own customer list is free.
The fair way to compare is cost per customer, not cost per card. If only 1 home in 10 on a route could ever buy from you, a list may win. If almost every home could, EDDM wins.
When EDDM is the better choice
- Lawn care, pest control, HVAC, roofing, and other home services, where almost every house is a possible customer.
- Restaurants, dentists, gyms, and churches, where people pick what is close to home.
- Real estate farming, where you want the same neighborhood to see your name every month.
- Grand openings and events, where you want everyone nearby to hear about it.
When addressed mail is the better choice
- New movers. People who just moved need a dentist, a church, and a lawn service.
- Past customers. A reminder or a thank-you offer to people who already know you.
- Narrow groups. Absentee owners, one age group, or one party’s likely voters.
- Spread out customers. When the right people live far apart, whole routes waste money.
Use both
Many businesses mail their own customer list with addressed mail, then mail the routes around those customers with EDDM. Neighbors trust a company the house next door already uses, and you reach them at the lower EDDM price.
Not sure which fits? Ask for a custom route plan. Tell us who you want to reach, and we send back the routes or the list option, with home counts and the full price, within 1 business day.