Courier Companies in Saudi Arabia: How to Compare Them

The best way to compare courier companies in Saudi Arabia is to test each one on four things: coverage for your customers' cities, how and when COD cash reaches you, how returns work, and how it handles the National Address. Price matters, but most Saudi couriers do not publish full COD or returns terms, so you have to ask and write the answers down.

This guide is for a Saudi store or trading business choosing between SMSA, Aramex, SPL (Saudi Post) and newer couriers.

How do you compare courier companies in Saudi Arabia?

Start with your own orders, not a "Top 15" list. Most listicles rank couriers and quote prices with no source. Treat those numbers as unverified.

Pull your last 30 days of orders and note three things: the cities you ship to, the share paid by COD, and your return rate. Then score each courier against that.

What do SPL, SMSA and Aramex actually publish?

Each one publishes different things, so you are rarely comparing like with like. Here is what their own pages say.

SPL (Saudi Post)

SPL's e-commerce page describes last-mile delivery to the doorstep, to post offices and to parcel lockers. It lists several COD options through POS devices, including cash and a payment link. It also lists reverse logistics, where returns are received at an SPL branch and sent to the merchant, plus pickup from your store or warehouse, tracking with proof of delivery and API integration.

SPL states a network of 580 outlets, 13 central sorting centres and 62 lockers covering 146 cities and villages. These are SPL's own figures as stated on its page, so check them when you negotiate.

Two practical notes. The SPL FAQ says SME bundles are currently sold only through SPL branches in the Riyadh region, and that cash and jewellery are prohibited items. Qoyod's comparison reports SPL rates of SAR 54 for an economy parcel up to 30 kg and SAR 141 for Express Plus up to 30 kg (1 to 2 days), and notes that the pricing pages do not state COD terms. Confirm both on SPL before you budget.

SMSA Express

SMSA's e-commerce page lists a return service, cash on delivery and collection, address validation, hold at location and a clearance service. It says conditions vary from one customer contract to another. So COD terms with SMSA are something you negotiate, not something you read off a rate card.

Its Retail-to-Retail service is listed at 2 to 3 business days with a COD option, a 32 kg maximum per piece, and cut-off times that vary by location.

Aramex

Aramex's Saudi express page lists cash on delivery, card payments and bank transfers on domestic express. It also lists returns pick-ups and drop-offs, Click & Collect, Pick & Drop points (lockers, shops, pharmacies) and APIs for POS and order management systems.

It does not publish KSA COD remittance days on that page. Qoyod reports an Aramex price of SAR 110 for an overnight 1 kg parcel from Riyadh to Jeddah, taken from Aramex's rate calculator on 5 August 2026. That is a snapshot, not a tariff.

What about newer couriers?

Qoyod reports that Zid's shipping page lists SPL, Aramex, SMSA, Aramex GCC, QuickBox and BeOne Express. Newer couriers can be a good fit for city delivery or specific verticals. Judge them with the same table above. Ask for the same sample parcels and the same written COD terms. Do not rely on a ranking.

How do you check COD terms before you sign?

Ask for the COD process in writing, because it is the term most likely to differ from what a sales page implies. Here is a real example of why: SMSA's own pages list COD, but the SMSA listing in the Salla app store says COD is unavailable on that integration. The likely reading is that COD depends on the integration or contract. Confirm it for your setup.

Ask these questions:

1. Who collects the cash: the driver, a POS device or a payment link?
2. How many days after delivery do you remit, and on which weekdays?
3. Do you send one remittance statement per batch, with one line per waybill?
4. What is the COD fee, and is VAT added on top?
5. What happens when the customer pays less, refuses, or cannot be reached?
6. Can the statement be exported as a file, so you can match it to orders?

The pain is rarely the fee. It is a statement that arrives with 140 lines, and 6 of them do not match your orders. If you run more than one courier, that is 6 problems times the number of couriers. A last-mile aggregator like Quickship's Last Mile module puts several couriers on one dashboard and helps with COD reconciliation, so you can see which waybills are paid and which are still open.

What should you check on returns?

Check who collects the parcel, who pays, and how long until it is back with you. Couriers describe returns differently.

• SPL: returns are received at an SPL branch and sent to the merchant, per its e-commerce page.
• SMSA: a return service and delivery note return are listed. Terms follow your contract.
• Aramex: returns pick-ups and drop-offs are listed, plus drop-off points such as lockers and shops.

Ask whether the return costs the same as the outbound parcel. Ask whether a COD order that is refused at the door is charged. Ask how you will know the return has been dispatched, since customers will message you the same day.

Does the Saudi National Address rule change how you book?

Yes, it adds an address check before you book. Reports say that from 1 January 2026, shipments to, from or within KSA must carry a Saudi National Address, or a Short Address code plus postal code. The Short Address is four letters and four digits, for example RRRD2929. Reports also say carriers may refuse non-compliant shipments and may be fined. I could not confirm the issuing authority on an official page, so check the current wording with SPL and your courier.

SPL says it uses the National Address to get the customer's location. SMSA lists address validation as a service. In practice, add a Short Address field at checkout and reject an order that does not have one. A wrong address on a COD order is the most expensive kind of failed delivery, because you pay for the trip and still do not get paid.

The postal sector is regulated by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), so that is the place to look for official postal rules.

How do you run a courier pilot?

Run a small pilot with two couriers for two weeks, using real orders. Say a Riyadh store sends 60 orders a week and half are COD. This is a hypothetical, but the steps work at any size.

1. Pick two couriers and one backup. Get the rate card and COD terms in writing.
2. Send each courier the same mix: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and two smaller cities.
3. Record promised delivery date, actual date, failed attempts and the reason for each failure.
4. Track COD: delivery date, remittance date, and any waybill missing from the statement.
5. Create two test returns per courier and note the time from request to parcel back.
6. Compare total cost per delivered order, not price per parcel. Include COD fees, VAT, failed attempts and returns.

Common mistakes when choosing a courier

• Choosing on the headline rate. The rate for a 1 kg parcel says little about COD fees or returns.
• Trusting a ranking. A ranked list does not know your cities or your products.
• Skipping the contract. SMSA says terms vary by contract, and SPL's SME bundles have location limits.
• Assuming the integration has COD. Check the Salla or Zid setup, not only the courier's website.
• Using one courier for everything. A backup helps when a hub is busy or a city is poorly covered.
• Not matching remittance. If you cannot match each waybill to an order, you cannot tell what you are owed.

Quickship is a software company. It does not deliver parcels or collect cash. It builds the tools that help you compare and manage the couriers you contract with.