# Lob vs PostGrid: which do AI models recommend for direct mail, September 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Print. Zero of twelve models named Lob first on the direct prompt; zero named PostGrid. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/marketing/print/lob-vs-postgrid/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lob | 9% | #2 of 11 | 27% | 48 | 12 of 12 |
| PostGrid | 7% | #4 of 11 | 25% | 40 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: PFL) (alternatives: PostGrid, Sendoso)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics, Reachdesk) (alternatives: Alyce, Lob, Postal)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: DirectMail.io, Lob, Sendoso)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Lob, PostGrid, Sendoso)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Lob, PostGrid, Sendoso)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Lob, PFL, Reachdesk, Sendoso)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Lob, PFL, Sendoso)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Lob, PostGrid, Postal, Reachdesk)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Lob, Postal, Sendoso, Stannp)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Sendoso) (alternatives: PFL)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Magileads)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Postalytics) (alternatives: Click2Mail, LetterStream, Sendoso)

## What the models said about Lob

- "Platforms to Avoid on a Tight Budget- Lob — Great API, but the $260–550/month platform fee" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "SaaS "Subscription Traps" to Avoid on a Budget ... they are not ideal for tight budgets" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Steep Learning Curve: Complex API documentation and lack of guidance for non-developers" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Postalytics or Lob are strong starting points if you want CRM-connected marketing automation" (Kimi K2, scale prompt, first choice)
- "1. Lob - API-First Platform ... Lob - Complete REST API, webhook support, postal IQ routing" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Choose PostGrid or Lob if you want API-first, developer-controlled automation" (Perplexity Sonar, comparative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about PostGrid

- "Platforms to Avoid on a Tight Budget ... Postgrid — Cheaper API alternative ($0–99/mo), but pricing is often quote-based" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Avoid Lob ($260-$550/month) and PostGrid unless you need API-first development capabilities" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Platforms to Avoid or Be Cautious About ... 1. Postgrid - Poor Customer Support" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "PostGrid is best for revenue ops teams needing API-driven direct mail triggered by CRM events (rated 9.3/10 overall)" (MiniMax M2.5, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Choose PostGrid or Lob if you want API-first, developer-controlled automation" (Perplexity Sonar, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend starting with PostGrid due to its: Strong B2B focus" (Mistral Small, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.