The question is not "which is cheaper"
Almost every online seller gets stuck at the same place: Steadfast or Pathao. Ask in a group and you find both camps, and both answer with confidence.
The reason is that both sides are right. They are just talking about different parcels.
No single courier is cheaper on every route. The rate chart is built so that below a certain weight one of them is cheaper, and above it the other is. Inside Dhaka one thing is true. For a parcel coming back into Dhaka from outside, the opposite is true.
So the right question is: how much do your parcels usually weigh, and where do they go. If you know those two things, the answer takes a minute.
Where the rates come from
Every number below was taken from the two couriers' own pages on 13 September 2026.
The Steadfast rates were read from the price calculator on their pricing page, by entering each route and weight. The Pathao rates come from the "Courier Charge Plans" table printed on their courier page.
One thing first, because without it this post will do harm a few months from now: courier rates change. Use the numbers below to get a feel for which one suits you. But before you set your shop's delivery charge, check that day's rate on their page or panel. The figure you charge a customer should not come from an old blog post, this one included.
Same parcel, two couriers
I took three weights, because most of a small shop's parcels fall around these three. All figures are in taka, without VAT.
500 g parcel
| From and to | Steadfast | Pathao |
| Inside Dhaka city | 65 | 60 |
| Dhaka to Gazipur, Narayanganj, Savar, Keraniganj | 115 | 80 |
| Dhaka to outside Dhaka | 115 | 110 |
| Outside Dhaka into Dhaka | 115 | 110 |
| District to district | 135 | 120 |
| Inside the same district, outside Dhaka | 60 | 60 |
1 kg parcel
| From and to | Steadfast | Pathao |
| Inside Dhaka city | 75 | 70 |
| Dhaka to Gazipur, Narayanganj, Savar, Keraniganj | 135 | 100 |
| Dhaka to outside Dhaka | 135 | 130 |
| Outside Dhaka into Dhaka | 115 | 130 |
| District to district | 135 | 145 |
| Inside the same district, outside Dhaka | 60 | 70 |
2 kg parcel
| From and to | Steadfast | Pathao |
| Inside Dhaka city | 95 | 90 |
| Dhaka to Gazipur, Narayanganj, Savar, Keraniganj | 155 | 130 |
| Dhaka to outside Dhaka | 155 | 170 |
| Outside Dhaka into Dhaka | 135 | 170 |
| District to district | 155 | 180 |
| Inside the same district, outside Dhaka | 80 | 90 |
Very light parcels, up to 150 g
The tables above miss one step, and for some sellers it is an everyday step. Steadfast's rate inside Dhaka city has a separate tier up to 150 g: 55 taka. In Pathao's chart the smallest step is 500 g, so that same parcel costs 60 taka there.
If you send jewellery, cosmetics, small gadgets or a single shirt inside Dhaka, the comparison flips here. Outside Dhaka this tier does not exist, and 150 g costs the same as 500 g.
Put the three tables side by side and a picture becomes clear.
At 500 g Pathao is cheaper or equal on almost every route. At 1 kg the picture starts to break. At 2 kg it turns over: except for Dhaka city and the districts next to Dhaka, Steadfast is cheaper on every route, in places by 35 taka.
The reason is simple. Above 1 kg, Steadfast adds 20 taka per kg on every route. Pathao keeps steps in its chart up to 2 kg and above that adds 25 taka per kg, or 15 taka inside the same district. On heavy parcels that five taka difference keeps adding up.
Where the gap is biggest
One row in the tables differs from the rest: Dhaka to Gazipur, Narayanganj, Savar and Keraniganj.
Pathao lists these four places separately in its chart, as "Dhaka metropolitan to suburb", and prices them at 80 to 130 taka.
In Steadfast's list, Gazipur and Narayanganj are separate districts, so a parcel sent there counts as "outside Dhaka": 115 to 155 taka. Their list does have a separate entry called "Dhaka Sub-Urban", with a rate of 105 taka, but Gazipur and Narayanganj are not that entry.
The result: a 1 kg parcel from Dhaka to Gazipur costs 135 on Steadfast and 100 on Pathao. That is 35 taka a parcel.
If ten parcels a day go that way, it is ৳10,500 a month. That is no longer a detail of the rate chart. It is part of your profit.
So if a large share of your customers is in these districts around Dhaka, you have your answer.
Where the weight rule bites
Above 1 kg, Steadfast rounds weight up to the next whole kilo. So a 1.1 kg parcel counts as a full 2 kg, and costs 95 taka instead of 75.
This sounds small, but for shops sending things around 900 g, the packaging decides the cost. A thick carton and extra bubble wrap can add 20 taka.
Two habits save money here:
Weigh the parcel after packing, not before. The courier weighs it with the packaging.
For products that fall just over a step, check whether the packaging can be made lighter. The difference between 980 g and 1020 g is 20 taka.
The same logic applies to Pathao's chart. Its steps are just at 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg.
What is the same at both
These two are often left out when comparing prices, yet both go into your calculation.
1% on cash on delivery. Both couriers take 1% of the collected amount. On a 1,500 taka order that is 15 taka, on top of the delivery charge. Steadfast calls it the cash on delivery and risk management charge, Pathao calls it the COD charge. It is the same thing.
VAT is not included in the prices. Both pages say the rates are without VAT and tax.
So the 75 taka in the table is not really 75. When you take a delivery charge from a customer, count these two, or you lose a little on every order and the month-end figures do not add up.
What only one of them has
Only one prints its delivery time. Pathao writes the time in its chart: 24 hours inside the same district, 72 hours for everything else. Steadfast's pricing page does not state a time for normal delivery. Keep this in mind before you promise a customer a time.
Steadfast has same day delivery. Inside Dhaka city and Chattogram city, 105 taka up to 1 kg, then 20 taka per kg above that. The service is not available outside these two cities. For anyone delivering cakes, flowers or any rushed order, this is not an expensive extra.
Steadfast has a separate rate for books. 55 taka inside the same district, 95 taka district to district up to 1 kg, then 20 taka per kg above that. If you sell books online, this is a good deal lower than the normal rate, so choose the right category when you place the order.
What to check before you decide on price
Comparing rates is easy, because the numbers are printed. But the real costs of switching couriers are not printed, and they can be bigger than a five taka difference in rate.
Things you have to ask the couriers directly, because their pages do not say:
How many days until the money reaches you. How long after delivery the collected money enters your account, and how many days a week payouts happen. For a small shop's cash flow this matters more than the rate.
What a return costs. The customer refuses and the parcel comes back. What is the return charge, and in which cases does it apply. For a shop with a high return rate, this number is the real rate.
Whether they really go to your area. Both couriers have coverage lists, but a district name being on the list is not the same as reaching your customer's particular upazila. Check the one or two areas where most of your orders go, one by one.
How pickup works. Who collects from your shop, how many times a day they come, and the minimum number of parcels. On its page, Steadfast lists a minimum charge of 80 taka for its pick and drop service.
I am not writing the answers here, because they differ by merchant account and contract and change over time. Calling both and asking is the right thing to do.
So which one
The honest answer: most shops should have both.
A merchant account costs nothing to open, and with both open you can send each order by whichever is cheaper. For most shops the rule ends up as two lines:
Parcels around 500 g, and the districts next to Dhaka: Pathao.
Parcels heavier than 1 kg, parcels coming into Dhaka from outside, and district to district: Steadfast.
Small items under 150 g inside Dhaka, and books: Steadfast, because it has a separate lower rate for each.
Above all of that, one thing outweighs every rate: the courier that really reaches your customer's area on time. Saving five taka and then losing a parcel or having it arrive three days late is not a saving on any count.
How to get orders to the courier
Running two couriers brings a new nuisance: you have to lay out the same order list in two different formats. Done by hand, this is annoying and full of mistakes.
If your site's orders collect in one place, you can make each courier's own file from there, without typing an address by hand even once. Which column holds what, and where mistakes happen, is written up separately in the post on making a courier order file.
And if you want to see the whole path in one place, from an order arriving to it reaching the courier, read the post on a shop web app. It has the inbox, payment and courier all together.
Questions and answers
Which has the lower delivery charge, Steadfast or Pathao? It changes with route and weight, and neither is lower everywhere. Pathao is lower for a 500 g parcel and from Dhaka to Gazipur, Narayanganj, Savar and Keraniganj. Steadfast is lower above 1 kg, into Dhaka from outside, and district to district. These figures were taken from the two couriers' own pages on 13 September 2026.
How much does it cost to send a 1 kg parcel inside Dhaka? At the 13 September 2026 rates, 75 taka on Steadfast and 70 taka on Pathao, without VAT. If it is cash on delivery, 1% of the collection is added, on both couriers.
How much does it cost to send a very small parcel inside Dhaka? Up to 150 g, 55 taka inside Dhaka city on Steadfast, and 60 taka on Pathao, because Pathao's smallest step is 500 g. If you send light things like jewellery or cosmetics inside Dhaka, this step is useful. Outside Dhaka this tier does not exist, and 150 g costs the same as 500 g.
Which is cheaper from Dhaka to Gazipur or Narayanganj? Pathao, and this is where the gap is biggest. Pathao counts these four places as Dhaka suburbs and charges 100 taka for 1 kg. Steadfast counts them as separate districts and charges the outside-Dhaka rate of 135 taka. That is 35 taka a parcel, or ৳10,500 a month at ten parcels a day.
What gets added on top of the courier's charge? Two things, on both couriers. 1% of the collection for cash on delivery, and VAT, because the printed rates exclude VAT. If you do not count these two when you charge a customer for delivery, you lose a little on every order.
If a parcel is a little over 1 kg, do I pay for a full 2 kg? On Steadfast, yes. Above 1 kg the weight is rounded up to the next whole kilo, so 1.1 kg is charged the same as 2 kg. So weigh the product after packing, and check whether the packaging can be made lighter for items that fall just over a step.
Do both couriers have same day delivery? Steadfast does, inside Dhaka city and Chattogram city, 105 taka up to 1 kg. The service is not available outside these two cities. In its printed chart, Pathao lists 24 hours inside the same district and 72 hours on all other routes.
Can I use both couriers together? Yes, and for most shops that is the better choice. A merchant account costs nothing to open, so you can keep both open and send each order by whichever is cheaper. If your site's orders collect in one place, you can make both couriers' files from there.
How long will these rates stay correct? There is no way to say, because courier rates change. The figures here were taken on 13 September 2026. Use this to get a feel for which suits you, but before you set the delivery charge you take from a customer, check that day's rate on the courier's own page or merchant panel.