LettrLabs alternative: how notecardHQ compares
Comparing LettrLabs and notecardHQ: a printed plus handwritten mail platform vs a real pen card API. Pricing, Premium at $399 a month, integrations and API.
LettrLabs and notecardHQ both send cards written by robots holding pens, but they are built for different jobs. LettrLabs is a direct mail platform that mixes printed and handwritten pieces and adds data services around them. notecardHQ, which we run, does one thing: real pen notes, sent one card per API call or from the portal. This page sets out where each one fits, using LettrLabs' own published pages. All figures were checked on October 25, 2026 and may change, so confirm them with LettrLabs before you buy.
What LettrLabs offers
LettrLabs, based in Los Angeles, says on its homepage that its "robotics will write each card with a ball point pen." It also sells printed postcards and printed letters, so a single campaign can combine formats. A handwritten envelope around a printed letter is one of its products.
Its pricing page lists these Starter prices, with postage included and no monthly fee:
- Handwritten card and envelope: $2.86
- Bi-fold card and envelope: $3.11
- Handwritten postcard: $1.66
- Handwritten envelope with a printed letter: $1.56
- Printed 4x6 postcard: $0.76
- Handwritten insert: $0.69
The Premium plan costs $399 a month, though a $449 figure also appears on the same page without explanation. On Premium, a bi-fold card and envelope runs $1.71 to $2.30, and on Enterprise it is $1.52. Handwritten postcards drop to $0.88 on Enterprise. New accounts get $30 of free credit.
LettrLabs also sells data services by the record: NCOA address updates at $0.025 to $0.03, data enrichment at $0.12 to $0.20, and "LeadReveal" at $0.25 to $0.50 per card, all on the pricing page. It publishes ROI calculators, and a third-party guide notes that it offers built-in holdout measurement.
Where LettrLabs is strong
- Free API access. "Open API Access" is included on the free Starter tier, per its pricing page, and its homepage points to public API docs at
docs.lettrlabs.com. - Integrations. Its homepage lists Klaviyo, Shopify, Salesforce, HubSpot, ServiceTitan, AccuLynx, Zapier, and Gorgias. If you run a home services business on ServiceTitan or a roofing business on AccuLynx, that is a direct connection we do not have.
- Mixed formats. Printed postcards for reach and handwritten cards for the people who matter most can go out from one account.
- Low single-card price. At $2.86 with postage, its Starter handwritten card is below our $3.25 entry price.
Pricing compared
notecardHQ prices are all-in (card, handwriting, envelope, and postage), billed per card mailed, with no monthly fee at any volume. The API comes with every account.
| Cards a month | notecardHQ US | notecardHQ international | LettrLabs Starter card and envelope |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 499 | $3.25 | $4.25 | $2.86 |
| 500 to 2,499 | $2.95 | $3.95 | $2.86 |
| 2,500 to 9,999 | $2.35 | $3.35 | $2.86 |
| 10,000 or more | $1.95 | $2.95 | $2.86 |
LettrLabs figures are from its pricing page and do not include international mail, which LettrLabs does not price publicly.
Read plainly: on Starter, LettrLabs is cheaper than us below 2,500 cards a month. From 2,500 cards a month, our per-card price is lower than its Starter price. Its Premium and Enterprise rates can be lower than ours at volume, but they are listed for bi-fold cards and postcards, and Premium adds $399 a month. Compare the format you would actually send, and add any monthly fee divided by your card count.
Where we are clearly different is international. Every one of our tiers has a published international price that includes postage.
Real pen and how it is checked
LettrLabs writes its handwritten pieces with a ballpoint pen and prints the rest. With a hybrid platform, check which product a campaign uses, because "handwritten postcard" and "printed postcard" sit side by side.
Every notecardHQ card is written by a robot holding a real pen in our New York studio. Before writing, a handwriting model turns the note into pen strokes, and OCR reads every word back. Numbers must read exactly, and any word that does not read cleanly is redrawn. We explain why that matters in how we check every card, and why pen differs from print in robot handwriting vs handwriting fonts.
API differences
We did not review the details of the LettrLabs API docs, so we will not characterize its test mode or webhooks. Here is what ours does:
POST /api/v1/noteswith a Bearer key creates one card.- An
Idempotency-Keyheader means a retried request with the same key and body returns the same note, never a second card. - US addresses are verified before a note is accepted. An undeliverable address returns a 422 and nothing is created.
- Statuses are
created,card_printed,card_dispatched, andcancelled, and you can GET any note's status.
Test keys and signed webhooks for every status change are available. Recipes for Stripe, Shopify, and Zapier cover the common triggers, but we have no native CRM marketplace apps yet.
Which one fits
LettrLabs fits if you run direct mail campaigns that mix printed and handwritten pieces, want data services like NCOA and enrichment in the same place, need a native ServiceTitan or AccuLynx connection, or send fewer than about 2,500 handwritten cards a month and want the lowest per-card price with no fee.
notecardHQ fits if every piece should be written with a real pen, you want each card's words checked before writing, you mail internationally at a known price, or you are sending from your own code and want idempotency and US address checks built in. You upload your own card design and return address, and we can also write the note from context you send. For when a card is worth sending at all, see when to send handwritten cards.
More comparisons are on the compare page, including the best handwritten note services roundup.
See every notecardHQ tier, US and international, on the pricing page.