Comparison

Virtual office vs PO box

A PO box holds letters. A virtual office gives your business an address it can legally and credibly operate from. Here is the honest comparison.

  • PO box: letters only, no UPS or FedEx, box number format
  • Virtual office: street address, all carriers, scanning, meeting rooms
  • Only one of the two passes Google Business Profile verification
Lobi Space at 1655 S Blue Island Ave in Chicago

LOBI SPACE

Your Real Office Address

Where a PO box fails

The limitations show up exactly when your business is trying to grow.

Rejected on many bank and merchant account applications
Cannot receive private carrier deliveries
Not usable as a principal office on most state filings
No signage, so no Google verification
No place to meet a client

When a PO box is fine

If you only need to keep personal mail off your porch and receive nothing but letters, a post office box is cheap and sufficient. Once you are invoicing customers, filing with the state or shipping product, the box becomes a bottleneck.

Pricing

Pricing for this service

Published prices, no sales call. Setup fees are one time and cover ID verification, USPS Form 1583 processing and activation.

Virtual Office Pro

$67/mo

Billed $800 once for 12 months. No setup fee. 14 day cancellation.

The plan that gets your business licensed, verified and compliant.

  • Everything in Business Mailbox Pro
  • Signed lease for licensing and LLC filings
  • Google Business Profile verifiable address
  • Unlimited mail scanning
  • 2 meeting room hours per month
  • Company name on the building directory

Explore FAQ's

Virtual Office Premium

$133/mo

Billed $1,600 once for 12 months. No setup fee. 14 day cancellation.

The full package for teams that use the space, not just the address.

  • Everything in Virtual Office Pro
  • Unlimited mail and package receiving
  • 4 hours of meeting room or private office use per month
  • Priority same-day scanning
  • Suite number on your lease and building directory
  • Business Suite partner discounts

Explore FAQ's

Want only a mailbox? Business Mailbox Pro starts at $25.00 a month.

Review mailbox plans

Members

What Chicago members say

4.8 RatingLoved By Business Owners & Members

Read all reviews on Google

5 out of 5 stars
I got Google verified in a week with the Lobi address after two failed attempts elsewhere. Mail gets scanned before lunch.
Danielle R. · Founder, Offbounds
5 out of 5 stars
We run the whole company from here: mailbox downstairs, meeting room upstairs. One bill, one building, no WeWork upsell calls.
Marcus T. · Profit Knocks
5 out of 5 stars
Registered agent plus notary in the same place saved me a courier run every month. Staff actually answer the phone.
Priya S. · Solo attorney
5 out of 5 stars
The virtual office lease was accepted by the city for my business license the same week I signed up.
Andre W. · Owner, Halsted Freight
5 out of 5 stars
Mail forwarding to Arizona every Friday like clockwork. I have not missed an IRS notice since switching.
Jenna K. · Bookkeeper, Pilsen
5 out of 5 stars
Started on the mailbox plan, moved into a private office six months later. No renegotiation drama.
Tomas L. · Founder, Rivet Labs
5 out of 5 stars
Walk-in notary saved my closing twice. They stamped and scanned everything in under ten minutes.
Ruthie B. · Real estate broker
5 out of 5 stars
Same-day scans mean I see checks before the bank does. On-demand pickup is worth it alone.
Kwame A. · Ecommerce seller
5 out of 5 stars
The meeting rooms are properly kitted out and reception makes client days easy.
Sofia M. · Creative director
5 out of 5 stars
Registered agent for both entities plus one address on every filing. Renewal reminders actually arrive.
Derrick H. · Managing member, two LLCs
5 out of 5 stars

Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.

Sergey Bogomolov · Google review
5 out of 5 stars

Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.

Kasia Kaminski · Google review
5 out of 5 stars

Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.

Joseph Noel · Google review
5 out of 5 stars

Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.

Mandy Wilton · Google review
5 out of 5 stars

Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.

Cesar · Google review
4 out of 5 stars

Rated 4 out of 5 on Google.

Rhynhardt De Bruin · Google review

FAQ

Questions people ask

Still unsure? Send us a message and we will walk you through the right plan.

Contact us

Guides

Guides for virtual office

Short, practical reads written for this service — compliance, setup and what it costs.

See all guides

Get a real Chicago address today

Pick a plan online, notarize Form 1583 with us, and start receiving mail the same day.