10 best courier services in Singapore: Cheapest fees and fastest deliveries

Whether you're a power Carouseller or running a fledgling e-commerce business, finding the right delivery or courier provider can be a headache.

While we no longer need to rely on SingPost as the only option to ship our items (yay!), the problem now is that there are so many logistics companies to choose from. But we're not complaining. Which are reliable? Which are affordable? We review 10 best courier services in Singapore with the lowest delivery fees.

Best courier services in Singapore (2023)

1. Overview of the best courier services in Singapore (2023)

For easy reference, here are the prices for the best courier services in Singapore.

 

Need some recommendations in a hurry? Here are our courier service suggestions for different delivery needs:

• For small parcels: SingPost, Ninja Van, Pickupp, Pandago, UParcel, GrabExpress
• For prepaid postage: Postage-paid solutions like Ninja Packs or SingPost’s PolyM and SmartPac packages are super convenient. Just stuff, seal, and drop off.
• For small but heavy parcels: Ninja Packs come in 3 sizes and all have no weight limit. Stuff as much as you can in there!
• For instant delivery: Pickupp, Pandago and GrabExpress all offer on-demand delivery for small parcels. For larger parcels, try Lalamove, GoGoX and Pickupp.
• For van or lorry deliveries: Lalamove, GetVan, GoGoX

Read on for more about our shortlisted courier services in Singapore with affordable and transparent pricing.

2. SingPost—Best for small packages, prepaid postage options

At SingPost, you have two main options for standard local delivery of small packages: non-postage paid and postage-paid. 

SingPost is the classic local courier choice, and they offer some of the cheapest rates of as low as $1.55 for small packages up to 2kg, 324 x 229 x 65mm.

To skip the queues at the post office and avoid having to fiddle with stamps, use their postage-paid polymailers (Poly M) or Smartpacs. Since postage is already paid, all you have to do is pack your items and drop them off—no stamps required.

 Note: The postage fees above were estimated from SingPost’s postage fee calculator. Do input your own package details to get the exact rate.

3. Ninja Van — Best for small, heavy parcels; prepaid postage options

Ninja Van has two options you can use to send parcels (the last option, Ninja Pro, is more suited to businesses.) — Ninja Lite and Ninja Pack. Both are tracked and delivered in one-three working days. Of the two, Ninja Packs are especially useful if you have small heavy items, since these packs have no weight limit.

Ninja Lite — shipping rates, weight and size limits

All parcels shipped under Ninja Lite come with coverage up to the value of the delivery item or SGD100 per item, whichever is lower.

 How Ninja Lite works: Ninja Lite isn’t a prepaid postage service. You need to create a Lite account, top up credits in your account, prepare your parcel, and arrange for pickup or drop-off at any Ninja Point.

Ninja Packs — shipping rates, weight and size limits

Ninja Packs are postage-paid polymailers of different sizes. But, unlike Ninja Lite and SingPost, there’s no weight limit. You can stuff all you want into the bag, which makes it perfect for items that are small but heavy, such as books.

Like parcels shipped under Ninja Lite, Ninja Packs are delivered in one - three working days. However, if anything happens to your parcel (touch wood!), Ninja Packs come with lower coverage of $50.

How Ninja Packs work: Buy Ninja Packs in bundles of 5 or 20, which can be purchased online. Create a Ninja Dash account, stuff your Ninja Pack to your heart’s desire, and create a Ninja Pack order on Ninja Dash. Then, just drop it off at a Ninja Point, and BOOM! Item shipped.

4. Pandago — 1-hour, small to medium parcel, 24/7 delivery

Foodpanda can now do more than just deliver food orders to you. The cutest pink food delivery app in Singapore now offers its own parcel delivery service, Pandago. It’s 24/7, trackable in real-time, and convenient to book within the Foodpanda app. With its 60 minute or less delivery time, Pandago is a great option for time-sensitive deliveries.

Unlike the other couriers with different rates for different parcel weights and sizes, Pandago offers just one rate for one size/weight specification. You can pack, seal and send anything up to 5kg—as long as it fits in the 33 x 33 x 18cm pandago delivery bag, and isn’t illegal or dangerous.

Wanna give Pandago a shot? Psst, use the promo code PGNEW in your Foodpanda mobile app for 25 per cent off your first Pandago order. Just note that there’s a minimum spend of $6, and the discount is capped at $5.

5. Qdelivery by Qxpress — Best for bulky items with higher coverage

If you can get over Qoo10’s bizarre user interface, their in-house delivery service Qdelivery isn’t a bad choice for next-day delivery. They accept parcels up to 30kg, weight + height + length = 300cm, and not exceeding 160cm for any one dimension. Break these rules and Qoo10 will reject your parcel.

One annoying thing about Qdelivery: While you can select a pickup date, but can’t select a time slot. I mean, there’s a field for “Select time slot”, but there is only one option you can must choose: 10:00-19:00. If you want full control over when your parcel gets handed over to the QExpress folks, drop off your parcel at a Pick Locker instead.

On the plus side, it’s relatively affordable for bulkier items that wouldn’t fit in a Ninja Pack or SmartPac. For example, a 20kg parcel costs only $12.90 for Qxpress to ship the next day. While this is probably going to cost more than the $6.10 – $12.15 rate under Speedpost Express, Qdelivery’s maximum compensation is also higher at $300.

If you are prepared to spend more $$ there’s also a Qxpress Quick Delivery (3 hours) which starts at $6.99 (for deliveries under 5km). For longer distances, you’ll be charged a higher base rate as well as unknown mileage charges.

ALSO READ: 9 best courier services in Singapore with the cheapest delivery fees

6. UParcel — Wide range of delivery timings and weight/size options

The main selling point of UParcel is that they have a gazillion delivery options:

• Three hours express
• Specific Delivery Slot
• Next Day Delivery
• Same Day Delivery
• Two way round trip (same day)
• One Hour Rush

I’ve included the prices for next day delivery (cheapest and slowest) and 1-hour delivery (most expensive) above. For all the prices, refer to the full UParcel delivery rates.

UParcel’s next day delivery is more expensive than Qxpress. But if you’re looking to send lots of stuff — say, a truck load? — UParcel’s got options from a half van load (max 50kg) to 14ft lorry (covered, max 900kg). However, only the three hours express, specific delivery slot, and 1 hour rush delivery options are available for these.

7. GrabExpress — Best for same-day delivery and high insurance coverage

 Grab’s GrabExpress is an on-demand delivery service that works pretty much like Grab’s ride-hailing service. But instead of delivering you to your destination, your ride will deliver your item.

GrabExpress starts with a very cheap base fare compared to the competitors below, but the per-km fees are high. So it’s best for short distance deliveries. 

On GrabExpress, you can choose either their four hour delivery service or instant delivery service. What’s the difference between them? In a nutshell, the four hour service is slower and more affordable, while the instant service delivers your item faster but at a higher price. For instant delivery, charges are taxi-style: Start with a base fare, then a distance-based fee kicks in. Here are more differences between them:

 How does GrabExpress work?

Open your Grab mobile app and select “Express”. Input the pickup point and delivery destination, then select either their four hour or instant delivery service. If you choose instant delivery, you’ll also be able to select your vehicle type (bike/car/large). Finally, input the approximate weight of your item, item type (e.g. document, electronics, clothing), and select your delivery guarantee. 

Can I send food on GrabExpress?

You definitely can via their instant delivery service, but Grab doesn’t recommend you send anything fragile or perishable using their four hour option. Whatever you send will be batched with other people’s Grab Express items, and may be on the roads for up to four hours.

Can I schedule a GrabExpress booking in advance?

Good question. By right, you can schedule a GrabExpress booking for both instant and four hour deliveries up to seven days in advance. Yet Grab also says GrabExpress is for on-demand deliveries only. What is the truth? I’m as confused as you. 

I put things to the test by trying to book GrabExpress in the app, and found that I could only schedule a pickup up to two days in advance, and only for the four hour delivery service. Our advice is not to bother trawling through the Grab Help Centre (we tried that already) and just try your luck with the app. It looks like scheduling a pick up on GrabExpress depends on the current demand and vehicle availability.

8. Lalamove — Up to 5,000 kg via lorry

 Lalamove has a wide range of vehicles and delivery services available 24/7. They can help you move everything from an 8 kg item on a motorcycle to a 5,000 kg load on a 24 ft lorry.

Everything is done on-demand so the recipient doesn’t have to hang around and wait all day. They’ll match you with nearby Lalamove drivers so that your waiting time is minimal. The driver will also help you with moving and loading the goods — so go ahead, buy that second-hand piano on Carousell.

9. GetVan — Up to 40 boxes of 55cm each via lorry

 Like Lalamove, GetVan specialises in super bulky deliveries done instantly, on demand. (Except for the XL lorry, which needs to be booked 2 hours in advance.)

Looking at the published rates, GetVan generally charges lower base rates compared to Lalamove, but higher per-km fees. It might be more worthwhile to use GetVan for short distance deliveries.

The fee for single trips includes loading/unloading time (20min each) and “assisted-moving”. But if you have items that are more troublesome to move like small furniture, bulky & unpacked items, you’ll have to pay an extra $10. If you want the driver to handle the move alone or want additional manpower, you need to fork out an additional $20 and $30 respectively.

10. GogoX (Van & Lorry)

 11. Pickupp — Up to 15kg, same day or one-three days delivery

 Pickupp is a decent delivery option for parcels up to 15kg. Their standard delivery is more affordable than the same-day express delivery options. However, from fiddling around the website as of April 14 2023, it appears that parcels over 10kg aren’t accepted for standard delivery. 

In terms of coverage, Pickupp will dole out a maximum of $50 in case your parcel is lost or damaged. It isn’t much, but at least you don’t have to pay extra for it.

This article was first published in MoneySmart.