Mailbox Melodies vs Tilly's Letters

Where they differ

Both are activities and stickers clubs. Past that they pull apart: Mailbox Melodies also covers music, while Tilly's Letters adds letters.

Tilly's Letters is the cheaper of the two — £12.99/mo against $19/mo, roughly 13% less on a monthly basis. Whether that gap means anything depends on what turns up: the dearer club is not automatically sending more, and on a gift the up-front total matters more than the monthly figure.

The age ranges differ too: Mailbox Melodies is pitched at ages 0 to 6+, Tilly's Letters at ages 2–6. Match the reading level rather than the birthday — a child who cannot yet read the letter alone needs an adult in the loop either way.

Shipping is the one that rules a club out rather than in: Mailbox Melodies ships to US, Tilly's Letters to Worldwide.

Mailbox Melodies expects a reply — there is something to write back to. Tilly's Letters is one-way. A write-back club is the better one if an adult will actually sit down and help; if not, it turns into a pile of unanswered post.

What each one sends

Mailbox Melodies

On the 15th of every month Ms. Chelsea mails a themed envelope with your child's name on the front: an original music-class experience she writes and records herself, on CD plus a digital download that works on a phone, Yoto or Toniebox, an illustrated booklet with the lyrics and what each song is teaching, stickers, and extras like crafts and art.

Tilly's Letters

A story-led letter from a character called Tilly, with a hand-illustrated story card, a sticker sheet, a screen-free activity card, a child-friendly recipe card and occasional extras. The envelope carries the child's name, and up to three siblings can be added to one subscription at no extra cost. Order by the 7th for that month's letter.

Which one to pick

We are not going to pretend there is a winner here — they are close enough to be on the same shortlist, which is why this page exists. What we would say is that the choice usually turns on the household rather than the club: how much adult time there is, whether the child reads independently yet, and whether you want post that asks something of them or post that simply arrives.

Read the full listings before deciding, and follow through to each club's own site — prices, terms and gift options are theirs to change and ours only to record.