In this Onfleet review, find out everything you wanted to know about its features, use cases, pricing policy, and more. Plus an alternative to Onfleet.
Onfleet is one of the first delivery management software to charge a flat rate subscription fee based on a fixed number of monthly “tasks” (i.e., pickups and deliveries).
Initially, that gave Onfleet a significant advantage over most other platforms that charge exclusively per user, meaning the costs quickly shoot up as your fleet grows.
However, is Onfleet’s pricing policy reason enough to opt for it?
And is it a good choice for any type of business?
We recently analyzed 99 providers and 40K+ route optimization software reviews to find out:
(Including Onfleet.)
Read on to find out all of that and more since we’ve prepared a detailed review of Onfleet.
Finally, if you find Onfleet isn’t your cup of tea by the end of this article, we’ll offer an alternative solution for your delivery management needs.
We’ve made sure to go in-depth in reviewing Onfleet so that you can get first-class information on all the relevant stuff.
We’ve achieved that by:
Interviewing past and current Onfleet users to find out what they liked and disliked the most about the platform
Reading over customer reviews on reputable SaaS rating websites such as Capterra, GetApp, and G2
Using Onfleet during its free trial period to see how it works firsthand
Since we’ve been in the delivery management space for quite some time now, we know what stuff the very best delivery management platforms are made of.
That’s why we paid particular attention to things like:
Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Onfleet’s clean and intuitive interface is one of its biggest strengths. It makes it attractive for various users - from delivery management veterans to beginners who are just starting to learn the ropes.
Moreover, Onfleet has a reasonably thorough support centre with articles divided into various categories for a clearer overview and easier navigation.
However, Onfleet doesn’t have live technical support, which can be a problem when you encounter an urgent issue. The only way to contact the support team is via email, and then you have to wait for their response, which isn’t exactly the most time-efficient solution.
On the other hand, Onfleet offers the option of scheduling a certain number of support calls, depending on your chosen subscription plan.
Those support calls, however, are not to be used in case of emergency, as they only cover general troubleshooting, workflow suggestions and reviews, help with managing the dashboard, etc.
If you need urgent help, you’ll just have to send an email and hope for the fastest response.
You won’t hear any Onfleet users complaining about its interface being too complex to navigate. And once you consider their rich knowledge base, it’s clear that even the least tech-savvy users will find Onfleet easy to use.
However, the lack of on-demand live customer and tech support can be an issue, as you’re left with no way of getting immediate assistance when you need it.
This feature is particularly convenient, as it helps managers and dispatchers save valuable time.
There are 3 ways to assign tasks automatically.
The first is via dashboard, where a dispatcher selects a task or tasks they want to auto-assign. They then choose the criteria for assignment between 2 options:
To closest driver: This auto-assigns the task to the driver who is currently the shortest distance from the new task’s destination
To shortest route: This auto-assigns the task to the driver who will have the shortest total distance to travel after being assigned the new task
There are also options for limiting the number of tasks that can be auto-assigned to a particular driver to avoid situations where one agent has too many tasks, which makes them impossible to accomplish.
The other two ways include the option to auto-assign tasks to specific teams, drivers, or organizations, which can be done:
Onfleet also has options for collecting various types of POD, including:
However, barcode scanning is omitted from Onfleet’s starting plan, which is a big deal for most delivery businesses.
Barcode scanning has become a must-have POD method nowadays since barcodes help with various things, such as:
This means that even the smallest businesses that want to have the barcode scanning option will be forced to opt for one of the two pricier plans. This doesn’t make much sense for those companies since they probably won’t need as many tasks as those plans include in their offering.
Another nifty POD option is age verification - especially regarding packages that could be picked up only by legal adults.
However, this option is only available in Canada and USA for now and is included in the higher-tiered plans alone.
When it comes to customer satisfaction, Onfleet has several features that are supposed to provide first-grade customer experience.
In addition to having automated SMS notifications that are triggered by various events (e.g., task started, driver arriving, task completed, etc.), as well as notifications containing ETAs for every package, there are also options for live-tracking deliveries and for leaving customer feedback after a package has been delivered.
However, Onfleet has no option for sending email notifications - only SMS ones, and it’s charged extra.
SMS and voice telephony usage is billed on the 1st of each month and is charged at the following rates:
So, if you want pickup or delivery status-triggered automatic SMS messages and voice/SMS communication between drivers, dispatchers, and recipients - and let’s face it, practically every delivery business needs this - expect some extra costs to come your way.
Onfleet is pretty big on analytics, as it provides valuable stats both for drivers on the one hand and administrators and dispatchers on the other.
That way, drivers easily review their task history and gain insight into things like:
At the same time, admins and dispatchers can easily keep track of their team’s or organization’s overall performance and track every individual driver’s results in one comprehensive dashboard.
3PL service providers and businesses looking to outsource their deliveries partially or entirely will find this feature immensely useful.
This enables businesses to assign tasks to their subcontractors directly through Onfleet.
However, each business that wants access to this kind of inter-company communication must sign up to Onfleet.
Companies that choose Onfleet’s Enterprise plan can add as many sub-user organizations to their Onfleet dashboard as they like.
Onfleet has plenty of features that an average business dealing with delivery management would like to have in its arsenal.
Numerous POD collection methods, SMS customer notifications and ETAs, task auto-assignment, and options for connecting with other companies through Onfleet are just some of the functionalities that can make delivery management much easier.
However, businesses considering Onfleet should note the following:
Barcode scanning and age verification are only available in the more expensive plans
There are no options for setting up advanced delivery optimization parameters (e.g., automatically matching loads that require particular transportation conditions with the vehicles that can accommodate those needs, assigning tasks to drivers based on their skill set and experience, etc.)
Some users report issues with customer notifications, as they sometimes don’t get delivered
There are no email notifications, and SMS and telephone communication are charged extra
Geo-fencing and zone configuration are still in beta, meaning they’re not yet 100% stable
Once you consider all this, one thing is clear: businesses with more advanced and complex needs probably won’t find Onfleet a match.
Onfleet’s recently revised its pricing plans, reducing their number from 4 to 3 and changing the monthly fee.
Changes have also been made to each plan’s standard offering, as all the plans now have route optimization options, whereas before, the starter plan omitted this functionality altogether.
Some things, however, remained the same.
Onfleet’s pricing is still based on the number of tasks (i.e., deliveries or pickups) you get per month, while all plans include unlimited users.
This pricing type is a significant strong point, as it gives users more flexibility in maximising the efficiency of their fleet than vehicle-based pricing:
On the other hand, Onfleet offers a pretty limited number of tasks for its price range, as you get only 2000 tasks for $500 a month.
Moreover, all the best features, such as barcode scanning, age verification, and advanced route optimization, are reserved for higher-tier users only.
All this makes Onfleet a less-than-ideal option budget-wise.
With Onfleet, the features most delivery businesses desperately need for efficient delivery optimization are included only in the 2 pricier plans.
Moreover, Onfleet’s plans offer a minimal number of tasks for that price range.
As a result, it’s safe to say that Onfleet is far from being the most economical option out there.
However, smaller businesses that can get by with a low number of monthly tasks and don’t need more advanced features could find at least Onfleet’s Launch plan to be a match.
Onfleet is best suited for small businesses that don’t need too many tasks per month and can manage without some more advanced delivery optimization options. Options for subcontracting other organisations can also come in handy for smaller companies that often outsource at least part of their deliveries.
On the other hand, larger businesses with more sophisticated needs will be better off with a different kind of platform altogether.
We’ve already written in detail about the best Onfleet alternatives for various use cases, so this is just a quick overview of the most versatile delivery management solution - eLogii.
eLogii is an all-around delivery management and optimization platform that helps users tackle all the challenges of modern-day delivery and transportation logistics.
eLogii has a wide range of highly-customisable features which make it a perfect choice for various types of businesses - from field service providers to retailers, pharmaceutical companies, restaurants, couriers, food & drink delivery services, etc.
Some of its features include:
Moreover, eLogii doesn’t have one-size-fits-all pricing packages, which makes it an ideal solution for small, medium, and large businesses alike.
eLogii comes with custom-tailored pricing plans based on your business’s particular configuration and needs, with the typical entry-level price starting at around $359 per month for 2500 tasks.
Each plan includes unlimited users, drivers, and vehicles - an excellent option for larger businesses or those aiming to scale.
Moreover, eLogii’s plans include a significantly higher number of tasks than matching Onfleet plans.
You can compare each plan’s features on our webpage for a detailed overview of what each eLogii package includes.
All in all, small businesses, 3PL providers, and companies that outsource their deliveries could benefit from using Onfleet, especially considering that it charges users on a per-task basis.
However, the fact that Onfleet omits essential functionality from its starter plan and that it has a pretty low number of tasks in each plan makes this software an unviable option for larger companies with more complex needs.
Medium and large businesses, as well as businesses of all sizes and various types that need a delivery optimization solution that’s highly customisable, comes with cutting-edge functionality, and is very easy to navigate, will find eLogii to be a better choice for them.
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