Franking Machine Savings Calculator: How Much Could You Save In 2026?

Every franking salesperson will tell you that you'll save money. Some businesses will. Some won't. The only way to know is to put your own numbers in, so that's what this calculator is for.

Tell it how many letters and large letters you send each month, what the machine would cost you to lease and what you'd spend on ink, and it'll show you your monthly and yearly saving (or loss), plus the volume you'd need to break even.

How the maths works

There's nothing clever going on. For each type of item, the calculator multiplies the number you send by the difference between the stamp price and the franked price. It adds those up, then takes off your monthly lease and ink costs.

Monthly saving = (items x (stamp price minus franked price)) for each type, added together, minus lease, minus ink

The prices it uses are Royal Mail's own, valid from 7 April 2026 (Royal Mail stamp prices and Business Price Guide, checked October 2026):

Item	Stamp	Franked	Saving per item
1st Class letter	£1.80	£1.77	3p
2nd Class letter	91p	88p	3p
1st Class large letter up to 100g	£3.30	£2.86	44p
1st Class large letter 101g to 250g	£3.60	£3.28	32p
1st Class large letter 251g to 750g	£3.60	£3.30	30p
2nd Class large letter up to 100g	£1.55	£1.52	3p
2nd Class large letter 101g to 250g	£1.90	£1.81	9p
2nd Class large letter 251g to 500g	£2.40	£2.30	10p
2nd Class large letter 501g to 750g	£2.70	£2.50	20p

There's one extra saving the calculator can't see: accuracy. With stamps, people tend to slap on an extra one "just in case" when they're not sure of the weight. A franking machine weighs every item and charges exactly the right postage, so that overspend disappears. We don't count it, which means the calculator errs on the cautious side.

Break even volume

The break even figure tells you how many items a month you'd need to send for the postage savings to cover the machine. It's worked out like this:

Break even = (monthly lease + monthly ink) divided by your average saving per item

Your average saving depends on your mix. If everything you send is a 1st Class standard letter, the average is 3p, which means a lot of letters. If half your post is 1st Class large letters, the average jumps and break even comes down sharply.

Worked examples

To keep these simple, we've used a lease plus ink figure of £30 a month. That's an illustration, not a quote. Plug your real quote into the calculator above.

Example 1: a small accountancy practice

• 300 1st Class letters a month
• 100 1st Class large letters (under 100g) a month

Postage saving: (300 x 3p) + (100 x 44p) = £9 + £44 = £53. Take off £30 and you're £23 a month better off, or about £276 a year.

Example 2: a tradesperson sending invoices

• 120 2nd Class letters a month
• No large letters

Postage saving: 120 x 3p = £3.60. Take off £30 and you're £26.40 a month worse off. Stamps (or Click & Drop) are the better choice here. Read our guide on whether a franking machine is worth it for more.

Example 3: an online shop sending thin packages as large letters

• 600 2nd Class large letters, 101g to 250g, a month
• 200 1st Class large letters, 101g to 250g, a month

Postage saving: (600 x 9p) + (200 x 32p) = £54 + £64 = £118. Take off £30 and that's £88 a month, or roughly £1,056 a year.

The pattern is obvious once you see it. Standard letters barely move the dial. Large letters, especially 1st Class ones, are where franking earns its keep.

Getting an accurate answer

The calculator is only as good as the numbers you give it. Don't guess your volume. Pull last quarter's postage spend from your accounts, or ask whoever does the post to tally a normal fortnight by type: standard letters, large letters and anything heavier. Divide by the number of weeks and multiply up to a month. It takes ten minutes and stops you buying a machine on a hunch.

What the calculator doesn't include

We've kept it focused on postage, lease and ink so it's easy to use. In real life, a few other things can tip the balance:

• Time saved. No more trips to the Post Office or hunting for stamps. Hard to put a number on, but real.
• Service fees if your contract charges for call outs.
• Software or meter fees on some contracts.
• Branding. You can print your logo or a message in the frank, which some businesses value.
• Parcels. If you send small parcels, compare the franked rate with what you pay now. Royal Mail changed several parcel prices on 5 October 2026, so check the current guide.

A final tip: run the calculator twice, once with your current volume and once with the volume you expect in two years. Leases are long, so the second figure matters as much as the first.

FAQs

Are these prices VAT inclusive?

Standard 1st and 2nd Class letter and large letter prices are exempt from VAT, so there's no VAT to add (Royal Mail Business Price Guide, checked October 2026).

Will the calculator update when Royal Mail prices change?

Yes. We update the price table whenever Royal Mail publishes new tariffs, usually each spring.

What lease figure should I use?

Use the monthly figure from a real quote, including any software fee. If you don't have one yet, compare quotes first, or check our franking machine prices guide.

Is franking cheaper than Click & Drop?

For standard letters, Click & Drop online prices match stamp prices, so franking is still slightly cheaper per item. See our full franking vs Click & Drop comparison.

Looking for a deal?

The calculator is only as good as your lease figure. Get real quotes from approved suppliers and plug them in to see your true saving. Compare franking machine prices.