Explore the top 7 delivery route planner apps for 2024. Optimize routes, save time, and boost efficiency with picks like eLogii, Route4Me, and Circuit.
If you're a delivery driver, you know the routine: your alarm rings, and you’re gearing up for a long day. As you sip your morning coffee, you're already thinking about the routes you'll take and what surprises might come your way.
Perhaps you’ve been using Waze or Google Maps to plan your routes. But there are even better options out there! Today’s delivery route planning apps for mobile devices make it simple to plan routes with many stops, and they optimize the route to save you time and money. In this post, we'll go over eight of the best apps to help you find the one that suits you best.
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Even if you know your neighborhood well, a route planner app can help you spend less time on the road and make quicker deliveries. Why? There’s a big difference between planning a delivery route and optimizing one. Many navigation apps can plan a quick route from A to B, but very few can efficiently organize multiple stops to cut your time on the road.
Route optimization software considers address data, delivery time windows, expected arrival times, stop durations, and even shift and break times to create the fastest and most efficient route. This means you can finish your deliveries faster, reduce mistakes and delays, and keep your customers happy by delivering on time.
Some driver apps, like eLogii, connect to cloud-based route optimization software that fleet managers or dispatchers can use to manage all their delivery operations. This includes planning routes and sending them to drivers.
If you drive for a delivery business that plans routes for you, you might not get to choose which app to use. But if you’re an individual driver planning your own multi-stop routes, having a phone-based app can make a big difference in your day.
We tested a bunch of driver apps to find the best delivery route planner for your multi-stop routes. Most of these apps are available on both iOS and Android. For our tests, we used an iPhone 11 and added as many stops as possible to see how each app performs.
Looking for a free route planner? Unfortunately, you're out of luck. You can do basic route planning with free apps like Google Maps or Waze, but the route optimization apps we’re reviewing here do much more. They’re like full delivery management systems for your phone. Most of them cost around $10-$20 a month, though prices may vary by country. If the savings in time and fuel don't outweigh the cost, take a look at our article on optimizing delivery routes using Google Maps.
Upper offers various navigation options and enables proof of delivery. It actually has two apps, which can be confusing! Upper Route Planner is a standalone app for individual drivers. Upper for Driver, on the other hand, is a dispatch and driver tracking app for delivery services using Upper’s browser-based central route planning software. If you’re a driver organizing your own multi-stop routes, Upper Route Planner is the ideal choice.
The app is similar to others in features and ease of use, though its interface is a bit clunkier than Route4Me’s or Circuit’s. It does allow for uploading a list of addresses from a spreadsheet, unlike Circuit, but the process is complicated and requires using a separate browser. So, if spreadsheet upload is important to you, Route4Me is a better option.
Upper can also be slow, especially when planning longer routes, and it’s not easy to edit routes once they’ve been planned.
For turn-by-turn directions, Upper lets you choose between Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, Maps.me, or Yandex.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Ratings:
Price: $25.99 per month
✅ Simple and offers spreadsheet upload.
❌ Slows down when planning longer routes, expensive.
Circuit Route Planner is super easy to use, even for beginners. You can add destinations using postcodes, a camera scan, or voice search, and mark priority stops before starting your day. It also has a handy "load vehicle" feature that lets you note exactly where each package is loaded in your vehicle, which improves efficiency and saves time at each stop!
However, if you're driving long delivery routes and prefer to upload addresses from a spreadsheet, Circuit only allows that on the Android app. You can add notes about each stop, but there are no proof of delivery features like photo capture or signatures.
We also found that using the app was difficult when the network connection was weak. If you're in a city with fast data, this won’t be a problem, but a slow mobile connection can be frustrating. Despite this, Circuit is a good choice for drivers who want an easy way to plan efficient routes.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Ratings:
Price: Free for up to 10 stops per route, then $20 per month for up to 500 stops. Prices vary by country.
✅ Efficient, effective, and simple route planning app.
❌ Can be slow and doesn’t support spreadsheet uploads. Expensive.
MyWay features a simple, user-friendly interface that effectively highlights any questionable addresses. It's suitable for any route planning need, including car, truck, bicycle, and even walking routes. The interface is easy to use, and you can import data directly from a spreadsheet or cut and paste from another app. You can prioritize deliveries based on time windows or their importance.
MyWay considers historical and real-time traffic data, road closures, and weather conditions when creating a route plan, which is great. Even with the latest iOS version on an iPhone, MyWay Route Planner was slower compared to other apps and froze twice during our testing. We had to delete and reinstall the app to get it working again. There's no Android version yet, although their website says one is coming soon.
Platforms: iOS only
Ratings:
Price: Free for up to 20 stops, $10.99 per month for up to 200 stops. Prices vary by country.
✅ Easy to identify and fix wrong addresses.
❌ iPhone only, app is buggy.
RoadWarrior is a popular multi-stop route planner and optimizer. You have the option to optimize your route based on either distance or time, avoid highways and tolls, and indicate whether you’re driving, biking, or walking.
It's fairly easy to add stops using the address search, but there's no option to upload a spreadsheet, which we missed after experiencing that convenience. (The desktop RoadWarrior Flex app allows for uploading spreadsheets and FedEx manifests, but it's a more expensive option for complex delivery management needs).
You can set time windows or open hours and prioritize each stop, which is handy. It's also easy to re-order stops if necessary.
Despite these great features for delivery drivers, we were puzzled that there are no proof of delivery options. You can make notes on a stop or click an icon to check in, but there's no option to take a photo, scan a barcode, or get a signature.
You can plan a route with up to 8 stops using the free version, but for unlimited stops, you'll need a pro subscription.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Ratings:
Price: $13.49 per month or $134.99 per year
✅ Good optimization options.
❌ Can be confusing.
Routific doesn’t have its own standalone driver app. However, delivery drivers working with a dispatcher can enjoy easy, effective route optimization with a full set of route management features. Routific also offers a free 7-day trial.
Using Routific’s browser-based route optimization software and mobile app, delivery and field service dispatchers can manage multiple routes, drivers, and vehicle types all in one day. GPS tracking makes it easy to follow driver progress and reassign stops if needed. Customer notifications are sent from the dispatch app, allowing drivers to focus on their driving.
Routific's route optimization algorithm avoids criss-crossing and overlaps, so drivers don't end up on the same route as their colleagues. Dispatchers can also assign drivers to the territories they know best.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Ratings:
Price: from $49 to $93
✅ Driver app is clean and intuitive.
❌ Can't force certain stops to start first.
Route4Me stands out as a top choice for route optimization software on desktop, and their latest mobile app version is impressive as well. It’s a powerful, standalone delivery route planning app that’s easy to use. It took us just a few minutes to sign up, upload a spreadsheet with all our stops from iCloud, and create an optimized route (though we did have to commit to a $10.99 per month subscription first). If you handle long routes daily and have your addresses in a spreadsheet, it's much simpler to use that for planning rather than entering each address individually.
You can choose whether to optimize your route for time or distance. When you hit the road, you can use your favorite navigation app, like Waze or Google Maps, so you don’t have to give up the benefits of those tools. You can also share your ETA with customers via text message to avoid dealing with phone calls on the road.
Once you're on the road, Route4Me has excellent proof-of-delivery features. You can easily upload pictures, get a signature, scan a barcode, and make any notes you need before marking a stop as done.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Ratings:
Price: $10.99 per month
✅ Easy to use with a very full feature set.
❌ We didn’t find any negatives.
eLogii is one of our top picks for the best cloud-based route optimization software. It comes with an easy-to-use driver app for receiving and completing delivery tasks. With this powerful standalone routing software, you can plan, optimize, execute, and analyze routes. It's the only end-to-end solution suitable for any size distribution or field service business, anywhere in the world.
It takes just a few minutes to get started, with a simple driver setup through a driver form. You can plan an unlimited number of orders for a single day in seconds, either from the dashboard or via API. Whether you want to balance tasks by load, time, or distance, you can achieve balanced workloads based on your preferred parameters. You can also share ETAs with customers via text message to avoid dealing with phone calls while on the road.
Once you're on the road, eLogii offers excellent proof-of-delivery features. You can easily upload pictures, get a signature, scan a barcode, and make any notes you need before marking a stop as done.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Ratings:
Getapp and Capterra: 4.8, 49 reviews
Price: get a personalized pricing proposal
✅ Great feature set.
❌The task system can be confusing at first.
Finding the perfect delivery route planning app can transform your day on the road. Whether you need to juggle multiple stops, avoid traffic, or provide proof of delivery, the right app can save you time and hassle. From the feature-rich eLogii and Route4Me to the straightforward Circuit and MyWay, there's an option for every driver. Explore these apps, and discover which one best meets your specific needs, making your delivery routes smoother and more efficient. Give them a try, and take control of your delivery game!
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