Who doesn’t like receiving a postcard?! In this day and age it is so rare to even get “real” mail among all the bills and junk. It only adds to the thrill when you find one in your mailbox. As an avid postcard sender, I have put several postcard apps to the test, to see how they measure up in terms of quality, cost and convenience. Do they make a worthwhile replacement for the traditional postcard? Read on to find out.
Are postcards still a thing?
You might be wondering “are postcards even still a thing?” Yes. I mean, kind of. There are some old -school folks out there like myself, who still send postcards. I would absolutely encourage you to send a few and see the joyful response that you get.
I find them particularly good for older relatives who are not on social media or email savvy. They are also terrific for kids. Think about it… do younger Millenials and Gen Z even know what a postcard is? Have they even experienced what it’s like to get a letter in the mail? I send most of my postcards to young family members, godchildren and my friends’ kids. Some of them are enthused enough to even write back—how cool is that!?
You can also send postcards to yourself. That’s right. As I wrote in this post about DIY souvenirs and documenting travel memories, sending yourself a letter or postcard every few days of your trip is a great way to create an illustrated travel journal. Just collect up the postcards when you get home and slip them into a scrapbook, or bind them with a ring in chronological order to create a diary of your adventure.
Why use a postcard app?
I try to send a few postcards from every destination I visit; honestly, sometimes it’s a real hassle. There are destinations where it’s difficult to find a place to buy a postcard. When you do find some, they are often poorly printed, cheesy cards that look like they were designed in the 1980s. Add to that…
Finding a post office that’s open;
Wondering how much a postcard stamp costs;
Getting them written (my handwriting has gone to the dogs);
Formatting an international address correctly;
Sending them before you leave the country so they have that precious international postmark on them.
Hmph! There has to be a better way, right? Well, there is…
Enter postcard apps
There is a solution for the digital age – the postcard app. Don’t worry, you still get that physical postcard in the mail, but with a few distinct advantages. Let’s jump into some of the pros and cons of postcard apps:
Pros
Personalisation: Use your own photos for a truly unique and personalized postcard. Imagine, you can even be on your own postcard.
Postage: You know exactly how much your postcard and postage will cost in advance. No worrying about stamps or post office opening hours.
Convenience: Send them from anywhere, anytime. You could be lying in a comfy hotel bed after a long day exploring or sipping wine on the terrace of a Tuscan farmhouse and just upload a photo, write a quick message and send away.
Cons
Handwriting: Your postcard won’t be in your handwriting. In my case, this is actually a pro!
Postmark: The postmark or cancellation of the stamp that appears on your postcard will not be from your destination. Most people won’t notice but some love this little detail of getting a postcard from a foreign place.
The best postcard app of 2023
There are various apps that offer to turn you pictures into postcards and mail them on your behalf. Some like, Postcard on the Run which featured on the TV show Shark Tank, have folded in recent years. I have selected several of the most popular ones that are still active in 2023, to test. I used the absolute basic, minimum offering without any premium features or upgrades. Let’s dive into the results. If you want to know more about my process and a detailed comparison, continue reading the next section.
Best postcard app overall – MyPostcard
Best postcard app for value – Ink
Best postcard app for simplicity – SnapShot
Best postcard app for design—Ink
The process
On a quest for the best postcard app, I’ve put several of them to the following test. I downloaded each app to my iPhone and used them to create and send two postcards to myself from each: one with a photo from my iPhone 11 and another with a photo from my DSLR (a Sony A7III).
Overall, all the apps had modern, intuitive interfaces. I didn’t read any instructions, I just let them guide me through the steps of creating my chosen card. I ordered the most basic version of each card (no premium upgrades) at their individual card rates (no multi-card savings or subscriptions). I tested features such as handwritten signatures or personalized postage stamps, that were included at this standard level of purchase. I received confirmation emails for each of my orders.
Next, I documented the cards’ arrival dates and examined them for print quality and design. The individual results were as follows.
The results
MyPostcard mypostcard.com – best overall postcard app
Cost: From £2.69 (roughly USD2.29) for card and shipping
Delivery: Worldwide, shipped from Germany and the USA
Size: 4×6 inches
Cardstock: FSC-certified, glossy cardstock
Android or iOS: Both
Other products: Personalised greeting cards, photo prints, XXL cards, framed prints, photobooks and audio cards
Payment options: Credit card, ApplePay or Paypal
MyPostcard highly recommend using photos or artwork that have a minimum resolution of one megapixel and a file size no larger than 10 Mb. They offer layouts with up to 9 photos. The edges will be slightly cropped to accommodate a white border. You can rotate the postcard layout from landscape to portrait and change the colour background. You can also add a short title or caption to the front of the card.
MyPostcard offers one san-serif and several handwritten typeface options for a more authentic postcard experience. Text size and colour are also variable. If you’re having trouble thinking what to write, the app offers suggested text for different occasions.
When you place your order, the premium option is auto selected for an extra $0.50 and I had to manually deselect it. You can purchase credits in 15, 25, 35, 50 and 100 lots for sending multiple cards and the more you purchase at a time, the more you save.
You have the option of providing your email address to receive an order confirmation email. This also adds you to the MyPostcard mailing list which you can easily unsubscribe from this later. The MyPostcard app allows you to save drafts and return to past orders to use the same design again.
The resulting postcard took 12-days to arrive on the West Coast of the USA. The print is of good quality, with a glossy front and matte finish on the back. MyPostcard were the only postcards that had a real, adhesive postage stamp attached (rather than a printed one) at the standard price point. The layout is a typical split-back postcard. There is a large MyPostcard logo in the bottom right.
Touchnote touchnote.com
Cost: From €2.47 (roughly USD2.99) for individual card and shipping
Delivery: Worldwide
Size: 4×6 inches
Cardstock: Glossy cardstock
Android or iOS: Both
Other products: Personalised greeting cards, gifts
Payment options: Credit card, ApplePay or Paypal
Touchnote request photos of a minimum 1000 x 760 pixels and a maximum resolution of 300dpi (which is standard for printing). You can create a layout of up to 6 photos and add a short caption to the front, which can be rotated between landscape or portrait. There is a title option which is an added upgrade.
The Touchnote app offers handwritten and typed font options in different colours, but the type size is set.
Premium features include options to use a photo as a personalized “stamp”, along with a basic map of your location. There is also an option to create a postcard without text and send it to yourself to handwrite later. You can return to your order history to use a design again in the future.
Of all the apps TouchNote was the most guilty of all the apps with regard to popups trying to upsell you on subscriptions and other features/products. You can understand there isn’t much margin in a $3 postcard, after printing and shipping but the tactics felt deceitful. At the final purchase point, the app tries to get you to sign up for a subscription and doesn’t make it clear that you can just cancel out of this screen and send a one-off card. You can see this misleading design reflected in some of the negative reviews by other users online. Be careful what you are clicking on and note that anything with a little yellow crown symbol is a Premium feature.
The cards themselves were some of the first to arrive, taking 6 days to reach the West Coast USA. Interestingly, Touchnote print the send date on the rear of the card. The print quality is good and the card is super glossy on both sides. This is good for protecting the card in the mail, but having a glossy back does give it a less genuine postcard feel. The text is large and easy to read. The rear design is a clean split-back layout with a large Touchnote logo in the bottom left corner.
Ink sincerely.com/ink – best postcard app for value for money and design
Cost: From USD2.00 for postcards within the USA. USD3 for international deliveries
Delivery: Worldwide, shipped from the USA
Size: 5×7 inches
Cardstock: Glossy cardstock
Android or iOS: Both
Other products: Personalised greeting cards and other merchandise from mugs to key chains
Payment options: Debit/credit card, ApplePay or Paypal
Note: Sincerely also own a similar app called Postagram. They create postcards using Instagram-style square format images.
Ink has lots of nice, contemporary pre-designed templates to chose from. Select the “Any Occasion” category to find plain photo postcards (like the one I used) with layouts for up to 9 images. The standard card also offers a caption on the front.
Ink offers a wide selection of typefaces including handwritten styles. There was a slight glitch where I found you need to select the typeface after writing the caption, otherwise it kept reverting to the previous selection. There is the option to hand sign your card using your finger on the screen. However, it was difficult to make it neat and legible.
There is a return dress option available and you can request a delivery date, but that is not completely within the app maker’s control given they are subject to the postal service. I wouldn’t rely on it. You may return to your order history later and customize the same postcard for another sender.
The Ink postcards are significantly larger than the other cards. The photo print quality is in the mid-range of the apps tested—not the worst, but not the best either. The postcards have the same light gloss texture both front and back. The rear is a simple black and white, split-back layout with a postage mark and a watermark of old-school postage striping along the top. There is a discreet Ink Cards logo in the bottom lefthand corner,
Snapshot Postcard snapshotpostcard.com
Cost: USD2.39/1 credit for US destinations and 2 credits for delivery addresses outside the US.
Delivery: Worldwide, shipped from the USA
Size: 5×7 inches
Cardstock: Glossy cardstock
Android or iOS: Both
Other products: Has a sister app SnapShot Greeting Card that provides just that. Credits purchased can be used across both apps
Payment options: Debit/credit card, ApplePay or Paypal
SnapShot is the most no-frills and simple to use of the apps. They recommend using photos with a minimum dimension of 1600x1200px. They offer a simple one-photo layout in landscape or portrait, with various creative borders that you can add. There is also an option to add a short caption to the front of the card. SnapShot offer a few typeface choices and there is a return address section.
The app also offers to let you recycle the design and customized for another recipient, rather than starting over each time. This is a super time-saver if you are sending multiple postcards. Most of the other apps, require you to complete your purchase and then reload the same design from your order history. You can also return to your order history and reuse a card design later on with SnapShot.
My SnapShot postcards arrived on the West Coast USA 7-days after ordering. Right up front, this is the worst postcard from a visual perspective (did I mention I’m a graphic designer?). You can see it in the branding and immediately upon opening the app. Beyond the graphics and interface, the quality of the photo print was by far the worst of all those reviewed—it was blurry like I had used a low-resolution image. The rear has a pastel yellow background with purple and orange details and a medium-sized SnapShot Postcard logo.
Postsnap postsnap.com
Cost: From USD3.49 for postcards within the USA. More for international deliveries.
Delivery: Worldwide. Shipped from the USA and UK
Size: 4×6 inches (8×6 inch cards also available)
Cardstock: Glossy cardstock
Android or iOS: Both
Other products: Personalised greeting cards, photo books, canvas prints and invitations
Payment options: Mastercard or Visa debit/credit cards, ApplePay or Paypal
Postsnap’s app is intuitive to use. It has no upsell pop-ups for a much better experience. But the trade-off is that it is the most expensive for sending postcards.
Postsnap offers collage layouts of up to 6 photos along with some photo filters and basic borders. You can add text to the front of your card in various typefaces, sizes and colours. Their typeface selection is the best of all the apps tested. You can add a photo or hand-drawn signature to the rear of the card along with your message. The hand-drawn signature is easier to control than the one on the Ink app rendering neater and more precise text.
Postsnap does not offer a subscription service. It is pay-as-you-go or you can buy a set dollar value in credits upfront for better value price per card. There is a duplicate option to reuse a design for a different addressee before you checkout. However, if you check out and want to reuse a design from your order history, you can only change the address, not the original message!
The card I sent arrived on the West Coast USA 12-days after I ordered. The postcard has a glossy front and matt textured rear. The photo print quality is excellent but the rear was patchy like a printer running out of ink. The rear is a simple split-back, black and white design with a medium-sized Postsnap logo and a similarly sized Trustpilot logo.
Postsnap also adds a QR code to each postcard, which when scanned using a smartphone camera, links to a return message option. This allows the recipient to send a message back to you via the email address on your Postsnap account (not a physical postcard). Unfortunately, there is no explanation of this on the card, so it is unlikely your recipient will scan the QR code.
Postando Postcard & Puzzle App en.postando.de
Cost: From USD2.49
Delivery: Worldwide. Shipped from Germany
Size and format: 4×6 inches
Cardstock: Glossy 350g/m² cardstock
Android or iOS: Both
Other products: Personalised puzzles
Payment options: Credit card, ApplePay or Paypal
Postando offer up to a 6-photo collage layout for their postcards and recommend a minimum 1 Megapixel size image. You can add creative borders and a short caption to the front. They offer the ability to add a hand-drawn signature and customized photo to use where the stamp would usually be on the rear. The app has a small selection of options for typeface, size and colour of text.
Similar to Postsnap, there is a QR code for the recipient to scan and confirm receipt (which it explains on the card). However, it requires the person to download the Postando app to scan the code. Also, the message is an automated confirmation and not a custom message like in Postsnap.
A feature unique to Postando is the ability to upload a video that will be digitally attached to the postcard via another QR code. Again, however, the recipient needs to scan the QR code from within the app on their phone to view the video. This all feels like an elaborate way to recruit more users. I did not test this feature.
Postando allow you to add another, different postcard to your order before checking out. One of my Postando test postcards arrived after 12-days, the other has not landed yet but the app says it is in the mail. The postcard that did arrive had average photo print quality. The rear shows just the essentials for postage and the aforementioned QR codes, along with my personalized photo “stamp” printed in colour. There was no obvious branding.
Tips for using a postcard app
- Don’t use emojis and emoticons, they don’t always print as expected.
- If you are using apps with pop-ups, ensure your read everything before clicking ahead. You do not have to sign up to a subscription with any of these apps and can pay-as-you-go.
- Remember, the pandemic has wrecked havoc with the mail system worldwide and things are going to take longer to deliver than usual. Be patient and don’t expect your postcard to arrive by a particular date.
- These apps are all free to download, you only pay when you send a card. So feel free to download a few and play around with them to find the features you love. Let me know if you disagree with my top picks below in the comments.
Whichever postcard app you choose, your family and friends are almost guaranteed to be delighted when they receive your personalised, old-school mail. I also wrote a post on the history of travel postcards–you can find it here.
Peace, love & inspiring travel,
Madam ZoZo
1 comment
Very useful app lists…. thanks