UPS vs FedEx

UPS and FedEx compared for parcels within Canada: next-day and ground times, Saturday delivery, size limits, dimensional weight and claim deadlines.

Checked against both carriers’ own pages on October 11, 2026

Short answer. Both cover Canada with ground, two-day and next-day services, and neither delivers to PO boxes. UPS gives 60 days to report loss or damage and serves the territories by air only. FedEx bills bulky boxes less on its express services, takes Ground parcels to the territories, and delivers Ground parcels to homes on Saturdays in big cities in six provinces.

UPS and FedEx side by side

Topic	UPS	FedEx
Services	Standard, Expedited, Express Saver, Express	Ground, 2Day, Standard Overnight
Fastest service	Express, by 10:30 am	Standard Overnight, by 5:00 pm, 8:00 pm to homes
Heaviest parcel	150 lb	150 lb
Longest side	108 in	108 in
Length + girth	165 in	165 in Ground · 130 in Express
Dimensional weight	L × W × H ÷ 139 Standard · ÷ 115 Express	L × W × H ÷ 139
Signature on delivery	Available	Available
Weekends	UPS Standard delivers to homes on Saturdays in major metro areas, and Express can add Saturday delivery; no Sundays	FedEx Ground delivers to homes on Saturdays in big cities in six provinces; no Sundays
PO boxes	Can't deliver to a PO box	Doesn't deliver to the box; FedEx Express holds the parcel at a FedEx location
Rural addresses	Rural routes accepted with the receiver's full name and phone number	Rural routes accepted with the receiver's area code and phone number
Territories	Express and Express Saver only	Ground and 2Day reach all three; Ground stops at 70 lb there
Claim deadline	60 days after delivery for loss or damage, or after pickup if never delivered	Damage: 21 days after delivery. Loss: 9 months after shipping
Who files a claim	Anyone can open one; UPS pays the account holder	Sender, recipient or a third party can file; FedEx pays the sender
Drop-off	The UPS Store, UPS Access Points and customer centres, plus pickups	FedEx Ship Centres, Staples and other authorized locations, and drop boxes
Good for	Next-morning delivery by a set time, and parcels up to 150 lb	Two-day and next-day delivery by a set time, and Saturday ground delivery to homes

Choose UPS when

The parcel has to arrive by 10:30 the next morning. UPS Express commits to that, while the FedEx overnight service in ProtonShip quotes arrives by 5 p.m.
You might find damage weeks later. UPS gives 60 days after delivery to report it, against FedEx's 21.
It's a ground parcel to a home in a major metropolitan area, such as Greater Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal or Toronto, where UPS Standard can arrive on a Saturday.
The box is long and thick. UPS takes up to 165 inches in length plus girth on every service, and FedEx's express services stop at 130.

Choose FedEx when

The box is light for its size and needs to go fast. FedEx divides by 139 on every service and UPS by 115 on its air services, so FedEx bills less dimensional weight.
It's going to Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut by ground. FedEx Ground goes there up to 70 lb, and UPS only flies there.
It's a ground parcel to a home in a big city outside UPS's Saturday areas, in one of the six provinces where FedEx Ground delivers on Saturdays.
A lost parcel might not be noticed for months. FedEx gives nine months after shipping to claim a loss, against UPS's 60 days.

Is UPS or FedEx faster?

For the next morning, UPS. UPS Express arrives by 10:30 a.m. the next business day to most metropolitan areas, and UPS Express Saver by 3 p.m. at business addresses. FedEx Standard Overnight, the overnight service in ProtonShip quotes, arrives by 5 p.m. at businesses and 8 p.m. at homes. FedEx also sells morning services, First Overnight and Priority Overnight, but they aren’t in ProtonShip quotes, and neither is UPS Express Early.

For two days, UPS Expedited arrives on the second business day to most metropolitan areas in the ten provinces. FedEx 2Day takes one to two business days, by 5 p.m. at businesses and 8 p.m. at homes, and it reaches the territories.

By ground, both say one to seven business days: UPS Standard to most destinations in the provinces, and FedEx Ground anywhere in Canada. Your quote shows each carrier’s delivery date for your two postal codes.

When we checked on October 11, 2026, UPS’s holiday shipping page said its service guarantee was suspended for all Canadian domestic services, with no end date given.

Which takes bigger and bulkier boxes?

Both take parcels up to 150 lb and 108 inches long. The difference is length plus girth. UPS allows 165 inches on every service. FedEx allows 165 on Ground but 130 on its express services, so a long, thick box that fits FedEx Ground can be too big for FedEx 2Day.

Dimensional weight is where a light, bulky box changes price. Both divide length × width × height in inches by 139 on their ground services. UPS divides by 115 on Expedited, Express Saver and Express, while FedEx keeps 139 on 2Day and Standard Overnight. Take a 20 × 16 × 12 inch box that weighs 6 lb:

Services	Divisor	Dimensional weight
UPS Standard and FedEx Ground	139	27.6 lb
FedEx 2Day and Standard Overnight	139	27.6 lb
UPS Expedited, Express Saver and Express	115	33.4 lb

A carrier bills the higher of the scale weight and the dimensional weight, rounded up.

On the faster services, that box bills about 6 lb more with UPS. Check your own box in the parcel size calculator.

Saturday delivery

Both deliver some ground parcels to homes on Saturdays at no extra charge. UPS Standard does it in major metropolitan areas; its 2024 map named Greater Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Laval, and Toronto. FedEx Ground does it in major urban centres in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan, for parcels shipped on a Thursday on two-day lanes or a Friday on one-day lanes.

Both also sell a Saturday option on their express services, which isn’t sold through ProtonShip yet, and neither delivers on Sundays as a standard service. FedEx drop boxes aren’t emptied on Saturdays, while many UPS Access Points keep weekend hours. More in which carriers deliver on weekends.

Rural routes and the territories

Both take rural route addresses such as RR 2 when the receiver’s phone number is on the label. UPS asks for the full name and phone number, FedEx for the area code and phone number. A ProtonShip quote to a rural route asks you for the phone number, then prices both.

The territories split them. UPS serves Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut with Express and Express Saver only. FedEx Ground and FedEx 2Day go there too, with FedEx Ground limited to 70 lb in all three.

Neither delivers to a PO box. UPS can’t, and FedEx Express holds a parcel addressed to one at a FedEx location for the recipient to collect, without its delivery commitment. Canada Post is the carrier for PO boxes.

Claim deadlines and who gets paid

UPS gives 60 days after delivery to report loss or damage, or 60 days after pickup for a parcel that never arrived; its May 2026 terms cut the loss deadline from nine months. FedEx gives 21 days after delivery for damage or missing contents, and nine months after shipping for a lost parcel. So UPS leaves more time for damage you find late, and FedEx for a parcel that goes missing.

Both pay the account the label was made on. UPS pays the shipper of record, and FedEx calls a business that resells its shipping a package consolidator and directs claims to it. A label bought through ProtonShip is claimed through ProtonShip, from the shipment in your account. See how to file a UPS claim, how to file a FedEx claim and coverage and claims at ProtonShip.

Drop-off and pickup

UPS takes parcels at The UPS Store, at UPS Access Point locations, at UPS Customer Centres and at Authorized Shipping Outlets, and drop-off is free at all of them. FedEx takes them at FedEx Ship Centres, at authorized locations in stores such as Staples, Kent and Super C, and in FedEx drop boxes. Both send a driver for a pickup you book.

Which costs less?

Neither is cheaper every time. For a given parcel, the price turns on:

The billable weight, which on the express services can be higher with UPS for a light, bulky box
The distance between the two postal codes
Whether it goes to a home or a business, since both charge more for homes
The speed you choose, and whether the destination is remote

A ProtonShip quote prices UPS and FedEx side by side for your parcel, with fuel and the surcharges known at booking already in each price. Signed-out quotes show prices by speed; sign in to see which carrier runs each one.

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Questions about UPS and FedEx

Is UPS or FedEx faster in Canada?

For the next morning, UPS Express arrives by 10:30 a.m.; the FedEx overnight service in ProtonShip quotes arrives by 5 p.m. at businesses and 8 p.m. at homes. By ground, both say one to seven business days, and your quote shows each carrier's date for your route.

Do UPS and FedEx deliver on Saturday in Canada?

Both do in some places. UPS Standard delivers to homes on Saturdays in major metropolitan areas, such as Greater Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. FedEx Ground delivers to homes on Saturdays in big cities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Neither delivers on Sundays.

Which gives more time to file a claim?

For damage, UPS: 60 days after delivery, against FedEx's 21. For a lost parcel, FedEx: nine months after shipping, against UPS's 60 days.

Can UPS or FedEx deliver to a PO box?

UPS can't deliver to a PO box. FedEx Express accepts parcels addressed to one but holds them at a FedEx location for the recipient to collect. Canada Post delivers to PO boxes.

Which is cheaper, UPS or FedEx?

It depends on the parcel. Weight, size, distance, a home or business address and the speed decide it, and a light, bulky box costs more weight on UPS's air services, which divide by 115 where FedEx divides by 139. One ProtonShip quote prices both.

Sources, checked October 11, 2026

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