By Pacer Logistics4 min read
A quick overview before you dive in:
Neither Australia Post nor couriers are always cheaper or faster. Australia Post is often good value for small, light parcels, especially in its flat-rate satchels. Couriers often compete strongly for heavier boxes, interstate deliveries, urgent same day jobs and anything bulky, and some parcels are too big or heavy for Australia Post altogether. The reliable way to know is to compare prices and delivery dates for your exact parcel.
This guide compares the two fairly, by type of parcel, so you can tell which is likely to suit before you check.
On 1 July 2026, Australia Post increased its prices, including an average rise of 4.95% for Parcel Post and Express Post and an average of 3.75% for international parcels and letters. Business contract rates were updated at the same time.
Courier prices have moved in 2026 too, partly through fuel surcharges that change from month to month. Our guide to courier fuel surcharges explains how those work. With prices moving on both sides, an option that was cheapest last year may not be now.
For small, light items, Australia Post is often hard to beat, particularly with prepaid satchels or flat-rate packaging, which remove any uncertainty about chargeable weight. Couriers can still be competitive, especially if you'd rather have the parcel picked up than take it to a Post Office.
As boxes get heavier, couriers often become more competitive. Australia Post's domestic parcels have a maximum weight of 22 kg, so anything heavier needs a courier. Both price larger parcels on size as well as weight: Australia Post uses a cubic weight of 250 kg per cubic metre for parcels sent in your own packaging, and couriers use their own conversion rates.
For interstate parcels, courier quotes can include road express, air freight and premium priority options where the route allows, so you can choose between price and speed. See Interstate Courier for how the options compare.
Australia Post's Express Post is its faster domestic service. For same day delivery within a capital city, couriers are the usual choice: same day is available in every Australian capital city, if you book by 12pm for standard same day or by 2pm for VIP same day, in your pickup city's local time. See Same Day & Overnight Courier.
Australia Post's domestic parcels have a maximum length of 105 cm and a maximum size of 0.25 cubic metres. Furniture, equipment and other oversized items need a courier, and a single large item is often best sent on a pallet. See Large & Bulky Item Courier for what to know.
Pickup or drop-off. With Australia Post, you usually take your parcel to a Post Office, although pickup services are available. When you book a courier through Pacer, the courier collects from your address, and each quote shows the pickup date.
Tracking. Both give you tracking. With Track a Parcel, you can follow any parcel from the couriers we cover in one place, including StarTrack, Australia Post's courier business, with no account needed.
Cover. Standard Pacer bookings within Australia include a transit warranty of up to $350, and you can add extra cover of up to $100,000 at checkout, before you pay. Australia Post has its own cover options, so check what's included with whichever service you choose. See Shipment Cover for what Pacer's cover includes.
For more ways to bring your costs down, see our guide to sending a parcel for less.
Yes and no. StarTrack is owned by Australia Post and operates as its courier and freight business, separate from Australia Post's own parcel services. It's one of the couriers you can compare through Pacer, alongside FedEx, Team Global Express, Aramex, Allied Express, CouriersPlease and others.
Australia Post's general maximum for domestic parcels is 22 kg. For anything heavier, compare courier or pallet options.
The quickest way to settle courier vs Australia Post for your parcel is to see the courier options side by side, then weigh them against Australia Post's price.