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3 Best Delivery Management Software UK Edition [Detailed Comparison]

Written by eLogii | Aug 16, 2024 4:00:00 AM

Looking for the best delivery management software available in the UK to help you organise, optimize and execute your delivery operations but aren’t sure how to choose the one that’s going to fit your particular needs the most?

Well then, you’ve come to the right spot, as we’ve done our research well and have come up with a list of as many as 4 best delivery management software UK edition for you to choose from.

We’ve prepared a detailed analysis of each platform’s features, pricing policies and ideal use case.

That way, you’ll have all the necessary information to make the right decision.

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Here's a Summary of This Article

  • We’ve reviewed, rated and considered the ideal use case for 3 best delivery management software in the UK market

  • eLogii is the perfect choice for large and small businesses alike, as it has the broadest range of customisation options, flexible pricing policy and lots of versatile features

  • OptimoRoute is a high-quality tool with good functionality but lacks a few core requirements and is charged on a per-driver basis, which makes it best suited for the smallest businesses

  • LogiNext is a powerful, feature-rich tool with a price tag to match, so it’s a good fit for enterprises alone

3 Best Delivery Management Software in the UK

  1. eLogii
  2. OptimoRoute
  3. LogiNext

Research Method & Evaluation Criteria

To get the best insight into these platforms’ functionality, we’ve used them for a whole month.

But we did more than that, as we’ve also made sure to:

  • Talk to at least a dozen past and current users of each of these delivery management solutions and see what they have to say about their perks and shortcomings;
  • Comb through customer ratings and reviews on all the relevant SaaS rating sites like G2 and Capterra.

And when it comes to the evaluation criteria, we looked for the essential features that the best delivery management software simply must include, such as:

  1. Versatile routing options;
  2. Automated customer notifications from each critical stage of the process;
  3. Ability to precisely calculate ETAs and update them on the go if anything changes;
  4. Real-time vehicle and order tracking;
  5. Vehicle load optimization;
  6. Frictionless driver management;
  7. Wide range of POD collection methods;
  8. Seamless integration with the wider supply chain.

Ideally, the best delivery management software will have all of the above features and come at an affordable price on top of that.

And not to mention that it should have just the right use case to fit your business’s type and size like a glove.

But, is there such a solution?

Let’s break down each platform’s features and use cases one by one to find out.

Best delivery management software UK edition #1: eLogii

eLogii is a cloud-based route optimization and delivery management platform specifically designed to accommodate all the imperatives of contemporary last-mile delivery.

Its broad functionality and high flexibility make it suitable for businesses of all types and sizes.

It’s no wonder then that despite being a relatively new delivery management platform on the UK market, it’s already earned excellent ratings of 4.8 and 5.0 out of 5 on Capterra and G2, respectively.

Key features

When it comes to eLogii’s key delivery management & optimization features, it’s fair to say that this platform offers perhaps the widest range of various essential functionality compared to any other on the market, including:

  • Advanced routing options - eLogii’s algorithm does more than just basic route planning and optimization, as it can do much more, such as
  • Dynamic routing - meaning that it adjusts to any unexpected events that happen on the road and adjusts the route accordingly
  • Live vehicle tracking

  • Multi-day routing for long-distance haulage
  • Custom route start and endpoints
  • Pickup-only points without corresponding deliveries
  • “Return to depot” functionality for drivers to reload
  • Multi-depot operations and shared fleets, etc.
  • Various operational and optimization parameters - eLogii outclasses the competition in the range of options and conditions it supports, including
  • Driver “skills” to match high-demand tasks to the best agents
  • Vehicle multi-capacity optimisation (e.g. plan loads around capacity, weight, pallet number, refrigeration availability, etc. to easily match each load with the right vehicle)

  • Tolerances for late and early delivery
  • Taking drivers’ breaks and time needed for unloading an actual package on-site into account when calculating ETAs
  • Setting up workflows in case of a failed delivery for drivers to follow (e.g. return it to depot, leave it with a neighbour, or on another designated safe location)

  • Customer notifications - unlike some other platforms that charge extra for keeping customers up-to-date on their order’s whereabouts and ETA, or don’t even offer them in the first place, eLogii includes real-time notifications and more, such as:
  • Automated notifications from each critical stage of the delivery process
  • Precise ETAs and their instant live updates in case something changes

  • An option for customers to track their delivery via web link live
  • An option for letting customers choose their preferred channel of communication (SMS or email, or both)
  • Seamless dispatching and driver management - via a dedicated drivers mobile app that allows easy communication between drivers and base, among other things

  • Widest range of POD collection methods on the market, including:
  • Signatures
  • Photographs
  • Barcode scans
  • Alphanumeric and QR code scans
  • Cash-on-delivery confirmation

  • An extensively documented API and webhooks - having first-class API is crucial for enabling integration with the wider supply chain. Since eLogii’s API and webhooks are elegant, up-to-date, and comprehensive, you’ll have no trouble integrating smoothly with order management, warehouse operations, and many other types of software in no time.

How much does eLogii cost?

Given that it’s as flexible and scalable as it is, it doesn’t surprise that eLogii doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all pricing policy.

On the contrary, eLogii provides a custom price to each customer based on their specific needs after a free consultation with a product expert.

What we can say for sure is that:

  • The pricing options start at $359 (£294) per month for unlimited users and drivers - including all of the features discussed above
  • The pricing is based primarily on tasks per month.

eLogii’s pricing policy is one of the things that make it an ideal solution for medium and large businesses as well as businesses that aim to scale.

Namely, the per-task pricing means that the costs for these businesses won’t go through the roof as they grow their fleet - as is the case with platforms that charge users on a per-vehicle or per-driver basis.

eLogii in a nutshell

eLogii is the ideal last-mile delivery software for businesses small and large alike - except for micro businesses that can’t reach the number of 2500 tasks per month and won’t need all its features.

In addition to ticking all of the best delivery management boxes we’ve mentioned above, eLogii also:

  • Has more features than any other delivery management software on our list
  • Has a user-friendly UI
  • Allows more customisation of route and load parameters than any of the alternatives;
  • Has a modern, best-of-class API and webhooks that make it easy to plug into any tech stack.

Best delivery management software UK edition #2: OptimoRoute

Although OptimoRoute is first and foremost a route optimization tool, as its name would suggest, it does have plenty of features that could give a hand with delivery management in general.

In addition, OptimoRoute has a pretty good rating on the main review sites: 4.5 out of 5 on Capterra and 4.8 on G2, resulting in an average of 4.65.

Key features

OptimoRoute has a decent range of functionality, especially when it comes to route optimization, such as:

  • Weekly planning
  • Co-ordinated orders, where multiple drivers are needed to work together on a job
  • Away-from-depot pickup (for on-demand services) and multi-day long-distance route planning (also available with eLogii), in beta
  • Allowing dispatchers to incorporate real-time data about vehicle locations via their mobile app to generate precise ETAs for customers, recalculate routes, etc.

When it comes to other features, they include some options for customising various delivery needs like:

  • Specifying necessary drivers’ skills for certain tasks
  • Flexible driver start, end, and break times and working hours
  • Adding different vehicle specifications for optimising capacity, although they’re not as extensive as eLogii’s.

Some other capabilities worth noting are:

  • POD Collecting - however, OptimoRoute only offers taking photos, signatures or notes as methods of POD

  • Good analytics - the breadcrumbs feature is great for getting insight into where the actual routes that were taken differ from the planned routes
  • A well-documented API for integration

However, OptimoRoute does have several shortcomings:

  • It has a minimal number of POD methods, and the biggest problem is that it doesn’t enable barcode scanning as one of the most sought-after POD methods today
  • It doesn’t support driver-dispatcher live chat
  • Has no cash on delivery collection/confirmation capabilities
  • Lacks structured processes for handling failed deliveries (it just lets drivers add notes, which have to be reinterpreted later)
  • It doesn’t effectively incorporate live traffic data meaning you can forget about dynamic routing and up-to-the-minute ETAs.

How much does OptimoRoute cost?

OptimoRoute’s pricing policy is significantly different to eLogii’s.

Namely, they have fixed pricing plans that don’t consider a business’s specific requirements and characteristics, and they charge users on a per-driver basis.

What’s more, if you need more advanced features (e.g. POD collection, real-time order tracking, customer feedback, etc.), you’ll have to opt for the Pro plan at $49 (£40) per driver per month when billed monthly.

Given that OptimoRoute is priced on a per-driver basis, your costs will stack up real high real fast if you have a slightly larger fleet or are planning on expanding it.

And not to mention that there’s a cap on the number of orders (a pickup or a delivery) that can be planned and stored at once - which will be a significant obstacle for bigger businesses, as the limit is set at just 1,000.

So, if you manage a fleet of about 20 vehicles, expect to pay as much as $980 (£802) in just one month and for a meagre 1000 orders at that.

OptimoRoute in a nutshell

OptimoRoute’s sheer number of features makes it one of the more advanced solutions available in the UK market.

However, its per-driver pricing policy, a very limited number of tasks per package and the lack of some core functionality (e.g. barcode scanning, advanced failed delivery workflows, dynamic routing, etc.) make it a viable option only for the smallest businesses.

Best delivery management software UK edition #3: LogiNext

LogiNext is a delivery management platform that offers several logistics solutions in its suit. This gives LogiNext a few extra capabilities compared to the stand-alone alternatives and makes it a good choice for businesses that need such features.

It has a pretty good user rating of 4.3 on Capterra and 4.6 on G2, which gives an average score of 4.5.

Key features

LogiNext’s most notable features are:

  • Automated route optimisation (and manual override), rerouting, and dynamic ETAs

  • Real-time customer messaging
  • Live vehicle tracking
  • Comprehensive POD collection options
  • Reverse delivery management
  • API and webhook integration

However, one of LogiNext’s most significant downsides - besides its price, which we’ll delve into soon - is the lack of customisation options regarding various operational and optimization parameters.

For example, LogiNext doesn’t enable users to automatically optimize vehicle load, i.e., match a certain order with just the right vehicle for accommodating it or ensure that the vehicle is being used at its optimal potential.

You’ll have to do all this manually, which can get quite time-consuming when you deal with lots of different vehicles or large-capacity vehicles such as trucks.

How much does LogiNext cost?

The price is definitely one of LogiNext’s biggest shortcomings - not only because it’s a pretty expensive solution but also because its pricing policy, as disclosed on their website, is quite confusing.

There are a few problems with LogiNext’s pricing.

Firstly, their pricing page says it comes at $49 (£40) per month per resource for the Advanced package - a resource being one vehicle or driver. That would mean that the price per vehicle is basically the same as with OptimoRoute, at first glance.

However, there’s a special catch with LogiNext. As shown above, the smallest paid-for plan available is 25 resources per month - giving an entry price of $1,225 (£1,003) per month.

But it doesn’t end there.

If you pay attention to the tiny-lettered disclaimer underneath, you’ll see that there is a “web license cost” that’s not included in that price.

That means the actual entry-level price is $1,225 (£1,003) per month, plus whatever a web license costs.

However, further down on the pricing page, it says you can have as few as 5 resources on a plan.

And to make matters even more baffling, LogiNext gives different names to the three packages in the very next table (Basic, Premium, and Advanced; presumably corresponding to Free, Advanced (!), and Enterprise).

Confused? Yeah, so are we.

LogiNext in a nutshell

LogiNext Mile has many versatile features, with just a few omissions (e.g. vehicle load optimization), making it one of the most powerful last-mile delivery software tools available on the UK market.

But it comes with a price tag to match, putting it out of reach for most smaller businesses.

So, although its per-driver or per-vehicle pricing would intuitively make it a good choice for small businesses, LogiNext is actually an utterly unsustainable solution for all but enterprises with significant budgets and high logistics demands.

3 Best Delivery Management Software UK Edition: Key Takeaways

Each platform we reviewed is first-class in its range and has a lot to offer to prospective users.

However, not all solutions are made equal and with the same type of user in mind.

So, what businesses should use which delivery management software? Here are our final takeaways to keep in mind when deciding:

  • eLogii is an ideal solution for businesses of all kinds and sizes - big and small alike, as it’s the most flexible, feature-rich and easily scalable platform on the market

  • OptimoRoute has pretty good functionality and some convenient features, especially regarding route optimization, but per-driver pricing and the lack of some sophisticated functionality make it a good choice only for the smallest businesses

  • LogiNext is most suited for enterprises with hefty budgets looking to optimise the performance of larger fleets and manage complex logistics operations