thanks.io vs Handwrytten: printed handwriting vs a real pen
thanks.io vs Handwrytten: thanks.io prints its handwriting, Handwrytten writes with a pen. What that means, what each costs all-in at your volume, and which to pick.
The main difference between thanks.io and Handwrytten is how the handwriting gets on the card. thanks.io prints it: its help center calls the process "a fully automated digital printing process." Handwrytten writes it with robots holding real pens. That is why thanks.io costs less: a notecard is $1.49 to $3.04 with US postage included, against roughly $2.15 to $4.53 all-in for Handwrytten. Pick thanks.io for marketing mail where cost per piece decides it, and Handwrytten when the card is meant to read as a personal note. Figures are as listed on each company's site in October 2026.
We run notecardHQ, which writes with a real pen like Handwrytten, so we have kept to each company's own pages and linked every figure. A short note about us is at the end.
Printed vs written
The thanks.io help center describes a proprietary handwriting engine that prints with "subtle imperfections" and randomized character placement, and says custom handwriting fonts are not supported. Its pricing page says prices include "digitally rendered handwriting." Its own compare page notes that Handwrytten uses real pens while thanks.io renders handwriting digitally. One thanks.io landing page does use the phrase "real pen and ink handwriting, not printed fonts," which contradicts the help center; we go by the help center and the compare page.
Handwrytten builds its own writing robots in Tempe, Arizona, runs about 200 of them, and addresses envelopes by robot with real stamps (robots page; FAQ).
On the card, the difference is physical. A pen leaves a faint groove and ink that varies in weight along a stroke; print sits flat and even. Real pen vs printed handwriting explains how to check a card yourself.
At a glance
| thanks.io | Handwrytten | |
|---|---|---|
| Handwriting | Printed by a handwriting engine | Written by robots with real pens |
| Custom handwriting | Not supported | $1,500 to $2,000 for a font, $250 for a signature |
| Plans | Pay as you go $0, Business $49 a month, Professional $199 a month | Pay as you go, or $449 to $2,499 a month |
| Notecard, US | $3.04, $1.83 or $1.49 by plan, postage included | $3.75 retail, or $1.99 to $1.19 on a plan, postage extra |
| Other formats | 4x6 and 6x9 postcards, windowless letters | Cards; more than 100 stock designs plus custom |
| International notecard | $4.15, $3.15 or $2.81 by plan, postage and customs included | Postage plus $0.10 a card; about $5.55 at retail |
| Gift cards | $1.83 or $1.49 plus the gift value, on paid plans | $5 to $100, plus a convenience fee |
| API | On pay as you go, billed against a prepaid balance; webhook on postal delivery | In business plans; test mode, Python and npm SDKs |
| AI agents | Official MCP server | Claude connector |
| Integrations | Zapier, Make, Integrately, Canva | Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Blackbaud, CDK/Fortellis, Tekion, Zapier, Make |
Sources: thanks.io pricing, thanks.io help center, thanks.io /c, Handwrytten pricing, Handwrytten FAQ, Handwrytten home. The Handwrytten international figure uses the $1.70 stamp its FAQ quotes.
What a notecard costs at your volume
All-in per US notecard, with each plan's monthly fee spread over the month's cards. For thanks.io we take the cheapest plan at each volume. For Handwrytten we take the cheaper of $3.75 retail or a monthly plan, plus $0.78 postage, the 2026 First Class figure its CEO gave in an April 2026 interview.
| Cards a month | thanks.io (printed) | Handwrytten (pen) | notecardHQ (pen) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $2.32, Business | $4.53, retail | $3.25 |
| 500 | $1.89, Professional | $3.57, Enterprise | $2.95 |
| 2,500 | $1.57, Professional | $2.41, Elite | $2.35 |
| 10,000 | $1.51, Professional | $2.15, Elite | $1.95 |
thanks.io is the cheapest at every volume, by roughly $0.65 to $2.20 a card against Handwrytten. That gap is, more or less, the price of a pen. Internationally the picture changes: a thanks.io international notecard is $2.81 to $4.15 all-in, while a Handwrytten card mailed abroad at retail is about $5.55.
What customers say
thanks.io has the larger public review base on Trustpilot: 4.4 from 198 reviews, with 11% one-star. Recent praise centres on ease of use, free samples, small quantities and the API; one 2026 reviewer has Claude customize each card through it. The one-star reviews mention slow delivery, duplicate postcards and no proof that cards went out (Trustpilot). Handwrytten's reviews are concentrated on G2, with roughly 840 to 890 reviews averaging about 4.7.
Where thanks.io is the better pick
- Marketing mail at volume. Offers, announcements and reminders do not need to pass as a personal note, and print cuts the cost per piece.
- Postcards and letters. 4x6 postcards are $1.18 on pay as you go and $0.64 on Professional, and letters are listed too.
- Small budgets and tests. No monthly fee on pay as you go, and the API is available there.
- Cheap international notecards, if print is acceptable.
Where Handwrytten is the better pick
- Thank-you, milestone and welcome cards to people who already know you, where a real pen is the point.
- A font made from your own handwriting, which thanks.io does not offer.
- CRM and vertical systems such as Salesforce, Blackbaud and dealership platforms.
- Anywhere you promise "handwritten." A pen keeps that promise literally.
Where notecardHQ fits
If you have decided on a real pen, notecardHQ is the other option to price. Robots holding real pens write every card in New York, and OCR reads every word back before writing. One price per card covers card, handwriting, envelope and postage: $3.25 in the US at up to 499 a month, $2.95 from 500, $2.35 from 2,500 and $1.95 from 10,000, with no monthly fee. That sits between thanks.io and Handwrytten at every volume above. International cards are $4.25 down to $2.95, written with a pen, which is close to thanks.io's printed international price at volume. The API, test keys and an MCP server come with every account. We have four handwriting styles, no custom fonts and no native CRM apps; integrations run through the API and our recipes.
More: thanks.io alternative, Handwrytten pricing explained, and robot handwriting vs handwriting fonts. Our tiers are on the pricing page.