Should you use FedEx or UPS? Both are reliable shipping solutions with a slew of services. Read this blog to learn how to make the right choice for your business.
If you’re new to the world of shipping, UPS and FedEx probably look the same to you. Both are express couriers that offer better tracking and faster service than government postal services.
Still, these two are competitors – so what’s the difference between them? Is FedEx or UPS shipping cheaper? Which offers faster delivery times ? Which is more reliable
At Easyship, we wanted to know whether its FedEx or UPS that has better rates for:
- Cross-country domestic shipping between cities?
- Cross-country domestic shipping between rural areas?
- Short distances?
- Shipping internationally?
Here are the parameters for our little head-to-head:
Package dimensions: 13” x 12” x 2” (medium sized FedEx box)
Package weight: 3 pounds
We’re shipping a medium box. And we’re shipping to various places around the world to get an idea of which company is cheaper and better.
Join us as we compare these two top courier companies – FedEx and UPS – to get the cheapest rates.
UPS vs Fedex: The Differences
Before we talk exact prices, let’s highlight the ways in which FedEx and UPS differ in their approach to service.
UPS specializes in domestic ground package delivery, and has a larger fleet of ground vehicles. FedEx specializes in global air express freight, and has double the airplanes than UPS. This suggests that FedEx should offer cheaper rates on international shipping, and UPS better rates on domestic.
Both companies offer a range of shipping services at various delivery speeds and prices, from Ground to Overnight and Flat Rate services. Both companies have physical store locations around the US, though FedEx has far more.
UPS also offers Supply Chain and Freight services like supply chain management, customs brokerage, and freight distribution. This means UPS can be a partner as you scale into global eCommerce sales.
FedEx has partnered with the US Postal Service for many eCommerce shipments. FedEx handles most of the shipment transport via jet, then hands off the last mile delivery to USPS for final delivery. This helps FedEx to reduce costs and accelerate delivery times for domestic shipping.
For the specific case of our experiment: UPS shipping uses different volumetric weight formulas for domestic and international shipments, seen below:
- Volumetric weight for a 13” x 12” x 2” box using UPS domestic: 2 lbs
- Volumetric weight for a 13” x 12” x 2” box using UPS international: 3 lbs
For FedEx, the volumetric weight for a 13” x 12” x 2” box, regardless of whether it’s being shipped internationally or domestically, is 3 lbs.
Takeaway: If you plan on shipping a 2-pound package domestically in a medium-sized box, UPS shipping would give you a better rate than FedEx.
FedEx vs. UPS: Ground Services Compared
FedEx and UPS are direct competitors. This means that every service they offer tends to match closely to the others in terms of price, delivery times, and features. For example, here’s how UPS and FedEx compare in terms of their most common service: ground.
FedEx Ground vs. UPS Ground
Both services offer ground-based shipping within the domestic US. Here’s how they compare.
FedEx Ground Service Details
- Delivery lead times between 1 – 5 five business days within the contiguous US; 3-7 business days for Hawaii and Alaska
- Delivers Monday – Friday
- No weekend delivery
- Weight limit is 150 pounds (68 kg); length limit is 108 inches (274 cm) and 130 inches (330 cm) for girth
- Offers guaranteed delivery
- Packages insured up to $100
- Package tracking
UPS Ground Service Details
- Delivers within 1 – 6 days within all 50 US states
- Delivers Monday – Friday
- No weekend deliveries
- Weight limit of 150 pounds (68 kg)
- Offers guaranteed delivery
- Offers up to $100 in insurance
- Package tracking
Takeaway: Both UPS and FedEX Ground deliver to every state in less than a week. Delivery times are comparable, come with a guarantee, and include tracking.
Update: Both companies have halted their delivery guarantees until the end of COVID-related restrictions.
UPS vs FedEx: Which Is Cheaper?
Now let’s compare the rates of UPS and FedEx to find who is cheapest.
Let’s assume we ship something on a Monday from San Francisco, CA to New York, NY.
Domestic Shipping
Below are the retail rates for cross-country domestic shipping rates between major US cities, with fuel surcharges included:
Rates for 3 lb. package (13″ x 12″ x 2″) from SF to NY
Courier | Service | Delivery Time | Cost (Retail) in USD |
UPS | Next Day Air Early | Tuesday, 8 AM | $121.22 |
FedEx | First Overnight | Tuesday, 8 AM | $120.27 |
UPS | Next Day Air | Tuesday, 10:30 AM | $89.64 |
FedEx | Priority Overnight | Tuesday, 10:30 AM | $88.18 |
UPS | Next Day Air Saver | Tuesday, 3 PM | $81.61 |
FedEx | Standard Overnight | Tuesday, 3 PM | $80.26 |
UPS | 2nd Day Air AM | Wednesday, 10:30 AM | $45.25 |
FedEx | 2 Day 2 AM | Wednesday, 10:30 AM | $44.51 |
UPS | 2nd Day Air | Wednesday, End of Day | $39.52 |
FedEx | 2 Day | Wednesday, 4:30 PM | $38.86 |
UPS | 3 Day Select | Thursday, End of Day | $32.03 |
FedEx | Express Saver | Thursday, 4:30 PM | $31.52 |
UPS | Ground | Monday, End of Day | $15.41 |
FedEx | Ground | 3 – 6 Working Days | — |
Both companies offer similar, time-sensitive services at very similar rates. However, FedEx’s rates are cheaper than UPS for domestic city-to-city shipping.
For some reason, FedEx did not provide a quote for their Ground service, so we will assume that UPS shipping provides the cheapest rate for ground service if you are shipping a small package cross-country.
Remember, with Easyship you can get even better rates – up to 70% off prices on either FedEx or UPS!
Below, we get cheaper rates on the same shipment by using Easyship. In fact, we see that UPS is actually cheaper for certain services.
Courier | Service | Delivery Time | Cost (Retail) in USD | Cost (Easyship) in USD |
UPS | Next Day Air Early | Tuesday, 8 AM | $121.22 | — |
FedEx | First Overnight | Tuesday, 8 AM | $120.27 | — |
UPS | Next Day Air | Tuesday, 10:30 AM | $89.64 | $50.73 |
FedEx | Priority Overnight | Tuesday, 10:30 AM | $88.18 | $62.19 |
UPS | Next Day Air Saver | Tuesday, 3 PM | $81.61 | — |
FedEx | Standard Overnight | Tuesday, 3 PM | $80.26 | $57.66 |
UPS | 2nd Day Air AM | Wednesday, 10:30 AM | $45.25 | — |
FedEx | 2 Day 2 AM | Wednesday, 10:30 AM | $44.51 | $42.60 |
UPS | 2nd Day Air | Wednesday, End of Day | $39.52 | $25.99 |
FedEx | 2 Day | Wednesday, 4:30 PM | $38.86 | $34.95 |
UPS | 3 Day Select | Thursday, End of Day | $32.03 | $22.46 |
FedEx | Express Saver | Thursday, 4:30 PM | $31.52 | $27.68 |
UPS | Ground | Monday, End of Day | $15.41 | $11.84 |
FedEx | Ground | 3 – 6 Working Days | — | $16.66 |
When sending a small package in the US, FedEx shipping provides cheaper rates if you are paying retail price. But if you use Easyship, UPS will have a better rate.
Want to see the accurate best-possible rates on your shipment? Try our free shipping calculator! From FedEx to UPS to USPS, this is the fastest way to find the best rates anywhere for your specific shipment.
UPS vs FedEx: Domestic rates between rural areas
Now let’s compare rates for sending our 3-pound package between two rural areas, instead of cities. For this example, I chose to ship from a small town in California (Saint Helena) to a remote town in Maine (Shirley Hills).
Express couriers are known to add additional surcharges for remote area deliveries, so we wanted to see how much more it would cost to ship a small package cross-country from one rural area to another.
Surprisingly, rates are not that much more expensive.
For example, shipping between two major cities coast to coast via UPS Next Day Air cost $89.64, whereas doing something similar between 2 rural towns coast to coast turns out to be $92.33 – and this is with a remote area and fuel surcharge included.
A notable difference is that there are less amount of services to remote areas than if you are shipping to a major city. Additionally, in this case, UPS offered one more service than FedEx did.
Comments