Compare Overnight Shipping Rates: USPS vs UPS vs FedEx (2026)

“Overnight shipping” sounds like one product. It is not. Across USPS, UPS, and FedEx there are seven next-day services. Two things drive the price: how early it must arrive and how big the box is. For our most-common box — a 12×12×12 — a 5 lb shipment runs from about $88 to $384. End-of-day delivery is cheap; a guaranteed 8 AM delivery costs three to four times more; and an oversized box piles dimensional-weight charges on top.

Here is the real spread, what each service guarantees, and how to pick — using live discounted rates, not list prices.

What overnight actually costs

The cheapest options get it there sometime tomorrow. The expensive ones get it there first thing tomorrow, guaranteed. Decide which you actually need before you pay.

Why the box matters as much as the weight: dimensional weight

UPS and FedEx don’t bill the actual weight — they bill the greater of actual or dimensional weight (length × width × height ÷ 139). Our most-common box, a 12×12×12, works out to about 13 lb of dimensional weight even when it holds a 5 lb item. So the same 5 lb shipment costs noticeably more in that oversized box than in a right-sized one. USPS Priority Mail Express barely changes — which is why it wins on bulky, light packages.

Discounted (commercial) rates from our calculator, same 5 lb package, New York → Los Angeles, June 2026. Counter/retail prices run higher, and your rate changes with ZIP, weight, dimensions, and date. Run your exact package →

The takeaway: right-size your box. On UPS and FedEx, the same 5 lb item costs $26–$140 more just for being in a 12×12×12 instead of a 10×8×6. USPS adds nothing here — its Priority Mail Express stays at $88.35 either way.

What each service actually is

USPS Priority Mail Express

The Postal Service’s only overnight tier, and usually the cheapest next-day option. It delivers next day by 6 PM to most ZIPs (a short list of distant ZIPs get a two-day commitment), includes insurance, adds no residential or fuel surcharges, and is the only service that delivers Sunday and holidays in most areas. Flat-rate envelope and box options cap the price on heavy-but-small shipments. The trade-off: the window is wide — “by 6 PM,” not “by 8 AM.”

UPS Next Day Air — three tiers

• Next Day Air Saver — next business day by end of day (≈3–4:30 PM). Often the cheapest true next-day service, even below USPS for heavier boxes. No Saturday delivery on Saver.
• Next Day Air — by 10:30 AM–noon next business day. The middle option when you want it before lunch.
• Next Day Air Early — by 8–9:30 AM. UPS’s earliest, with a money-back guarantee.

FedEx Overnight — three tiers

• Standard Overnight — by 5 PM next business day. FedEx’s end-of-day tier.
• Priority Overnight — by 10:30 AM to businesses (noon/4:30 PM residential).
• First Overnight — by 8–9:30 AM, the earliest delivery any carrier offers. It is also the most expensive service on this page by a wide margin.

All UPS and FedEx overnight tiers carry a money-back guarantee: miss the committed time and the shipping cost is refunded. USPS does not guarantee a refund for a late Priority Mail Express delivery in the same way.

Need it there early? (a tight delivery window)

If the recipient cannot wait around — the package has to be in hand first thing — you want the 8 AM tier, and you have two choices:

• UPS Next Day Air Early — guaranteed by 8–9:30 AM, and far cheaper than the FedEx equivalent (about $127 vs $384 for our 5 lb box in the common 12×12×12). This is the value pick for an early-morning deadline.
• FedEx First Overnight — the earliest commitment available (by 8 AM) and the choice when minutes matter, but you pay a steep premium for them.

Need it before lunch rather than at dawn? Drop to the ~10:30 AM tier — UPS Next Day Air or FedEx Priority Overnight — and save meaningfully. If it just has to arrive tomorrow, the end-of-day services (UPS Next Day Air Saver, USPS Priority Mail Express) cost the least.

Cheapest overnight, and how to unlock it

For the lowest next-day price, compare USPS Priority Mail Express and UPS Next Day Air Saver. On a bulky box like our common 12×12×12, USPS wins ($88 vs $89) because it shrugs off dimensional weight; on a small, dense package UPS Next Day Air Saver often edges it instead. Both beat every FedEx overnight tier on price, and USPS adds Sunday delivery.

You do not need a business account for these discounted rates. A postage account such as

Stamps.com unlocks USPS Commercial pricing (and discounted UPS) and prints labels from home; a multi-carrier tool like ShipStation adds FedEx and compares all three overnight rates in one place.

Compare your exact package

Overnight pricing swings on distance, weight, dimensions, and pickup day far more than on the carrier’s logo — the same 5 lb item can run $88 by USPS or $384 by FedEx First Overnight, and an oversized box piles on dimensional-weight charges. Don’t trust a generic “X is cheapest” claim; price all three against your real box and addresses.

Use the shipping rate calculator to compare live discounted USPS, UPS, and FedEx overnight rates side by side. Enter your ZIPs and weight and it shows the cheapest first.

How to pay less for overnight, every time

1. Buy the label online, never at the counter — the walk-up retail desk at a post office, UPS Store, or FedEx Office. Those retail rates run ~10–15% above the commercial rates you get printing from home, and more on UPS and FedEx.
2. Right-size the box. UPS and FedEx bill dimensional weight; a too-big box can cost more than a heavier, smaller one.
3. Match the tier to the deadline. Start with end-of-day next-day and pay up for a guaranteed morning window only when the shipment truly needs it.
4. Beat the cutoff. “Overnight” only counts if you hand it off before the daily cutoff (often early-to-mid afternoon). Miss it and you have paid for next-day speed and a two-day result.

Bottom line

Overnight is a spectrum from “arrives tomorrow” to “on the desk by 8 AM,” and price tracks that window closely. For the lowest price, ship UPS Next Day Air Saver or USPS Priority Mail Express. For a guaranteed early-morning delivery, choose UPS Next Day Air Early (value) or FedEx First Overnight (earliest). Whichever you pick, compare the live discounted rates for your exact package first — the cheapest overnight service changes with every ZIP and weight.