Years ago, customers were willing to wait a few days for delivery, but now the demands of consumers have changed as the eCommerce industry has expanded. Delivering a day earlier than your competition can make the difference between landing and losing the next sale.
RouteXL, an automated route planning tool, provides businesses with flexible and efficient delivery channels.
That's why we analyzed route optimization software reviews from RouteXL with 98 other solutions:
And in this review, we’ll cover:
And if, after reading our assessment, you don’t think RouteXL is the right fit for you, we have an alternative option that can meet your delivery demands.
Let's begin.
RouteXL is an automated cloud-based route planning software equipped with advanced algorithms that can plan the most efficient route within a minute.
RouteXL is a low-cost, extremely basic platform built for small, local businesses.
If RouteXL isn’t for you, we recommend eLogii. eLogii is a global technology platform with a powerful delivery management solution that helps companies plan routes and provide a seamless last-mile delivery service. eLogii is suited to businesses of various types and sizes — from cafes to car rental stores.
To ensure we had a complete understanding of RouteXL’s strengths and weaknesses, we did the following:
We interviewed several past and present users to find out what they liked and disliked about RouteXL. We also asked them what compelled them to start using it and why they stopped using it.
To get a broader understanding of RouteXL and its offerings, we also combed through customer ratings and reviews on Capterra, G2, Upperinc, and some other top software review websites
We used RouteXL’s free trial for a month to test its capabilities ourselves.
Now that we’ve covered our methods, let’s delve into RouteXL’s design and ease of use.
There are no technical or complex features in RouteXL that might be difficult to understand – its interface is basic.
Although its appearance is more than outdated, the features are easy to find. The layout is also fairly intuitive.
Unfortunately, you need to access RouteXL through its website since it doesn’t have a mobile app. And while RouteXL works well on a smartphone browser, it will never be able to give you a seamless, straightforward user experience like an app normally can.
Thankfully, the process of adding stops and optimizing your route on the RouteXL website is pretty straightforward. So that’s a plus.
A multi-stop route planning feature is critical in choosing the best route for deliveries.
RouteXL’s multi-stop feature is great because it can take into account factors such as fleet and driver availability, delivery address, the number of shipments, fuel efficiency, traffic, driver skills, special handling of an item, and scheduled returns.
RouteXL’s multi-stop road route planner feature determines the quickest path for your delivery driver while also accounting for unforeseen circumstances like last-minute road closures and vehicle breakdowns.
We found it was great when planning timely deliveries. We also found that on-time deliveries lead to increased consumer satisfaction (which means more sales).
Related: 29 Best Route Planning Software in 2022 – The Ultimate List
RouteXL allows you to import many addresses at once. It’s pretty simple, too – by clicking the “import” button, you can import as many addresses as you want instantly.
Addresses can also be copied from any application and then pasted into the import text area.
Additionally, you can import names, service times, time frames, and comments for a location.
When you upload addresses, they are sent to a geocoding service that locates them on your map.
RouteXL allows you to share a route with others using a QR code.
Helpfully, the routes you create are automatically tagged as private if you have an account and are logged in. No one else but you can see private routes.
If you want to load a route onto a smartphone or tablet in your vehicle, you can also scan the route’s QR code. If this isn’t working for any reason, you can take the URL in the QR code and open it in your web browser manually.
RouteXL’s interface and routing algorithms use open-source data from OpenStreetMap, licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL). This means that the source code is free and open for anyone to access, modify, and improve.
You can also integrate RouteXL with other apps via the RouteXL API.
RouteXL doesn’t operate on iOS devices, so you must create your routes on a computer (Mac or Windows) and add them to your RouteXL account manually.
It’s helpful that you have many route planning options (including time slots and different vehicle types), but the fact that you require a computer is a major drawback.
We found that it could be inconvenient when you don’t have a computer on hand.
Some users have complained about RouteXL not offering a smooth enough experience for new users.
We believe a number of improvements need to be made to RouteXL’s tutorials and documentation in order to make it easier for fresh users to get started.
One review from a top software review website, Capterra, reads, “Could do a better job of guiding new users on how to use the product. There is a tutorial video, but it isn’t in a very obvious spot on the site.”
We found this to be true as well, as it took some digging for us to find our feet.
Some RouteXL users have mentioned that they had a poor user experience because the software has no mobile app and can only be accessed through the RouteXL website.
Its design looks interesting and is easy to navigate, but it doesn’t feel modern and isn’t really equipped for the realities of today’s mobile-driven delivery jobs.
RouteXL’s free plan only allows you to use up to 20 addresses per route.
However, RouteXL’s routing software makes it easy for customers to open multiple free accounts instead of paying for an upgraded version. (Though we can’t recommend you do this – it’s very inconvenient).
Sometimes, routes must be skipped for various reasons – including the customer not being available to pick up the delivery and traffic issues. When this happens, it’s necessary to re-plan and re-optimize the route. RouteXL allows drivers to re-plan the route based on skipped stops, but they cannot add new stops.
RouteXL does have a fix for users being unable to add stops in the middle of a route. However, it requires the use of additional software, which makes the entire setup a bit clunky.
RouteXL provides three pricing plans for its route planning and route optimization services. These plans include:
This plan allows you to create your ideal route with up to 20 additional stops. You also have the option of using free geocoding to find shipping addresses – however, we believe it’s poor quality and has limited functions.
This plan gives you up to 100 different stops and allows you to use the online route planner feature. It also gives you access to premium geocoding (which is usually of higher quality).
With this subscription, you can include up to 200 different stops to create an unlimited number of routes.
RouteXL is an excellent fit for small or medium-sized business owners who need to eliminate delivery challenges. RouteXL is also a great route optimization tool for delivery companies.
However, it’s not a comprehensive delivery solution and doesn’t offer much in the way of logistics management.
Larger companies will likely need to find an alternate solution because they need a comprehensive platform that can handle delivery management (not just a road route planner).
Planning routes manually is a time-consuming and ineffective approach, especially when your drivers have a large number of clients or destinations to visit.
Additionally, in many sectors, the cost of fuel plus driver compensation accounts for 59.8% of your total operational cost per mile.
Therefore, even minor adjustments to your driver’s routes can speed up deliveries and bump up your bottom line.
With the right route optimization technologies (like eLogii, for example), your company can increase order capacity by up to 100% and save up to 20% on mileage.
eLogii is sophisticated software for delivery management and route optimization. It assists users in meeting all the demands of modern-day delivery and logistics operations.
eLogii has a wide range of highly-customizable features that make it an ideal choice for various types of businesses – from field service providers to retailers, pharmaceutical companies, restaurants, couriers, food and drink delivery services, and more.
eLogii’s core features include:
eLogii doesn’t offer fixed-price plans, so it’s a perfect choice for small, medium, and large companies.
Instead, eLogii comes with custom-tailored pricing plans based on your business’s particular configuration and needs. Typical entry-level prices start at around $359 per month for 2500 tasks.
There are three plans:
Each plan includes unlimited users, drivers, and vehicles – so eLogii is an excellent option for larger businesses or those aiming to scale. Here’s a full breakdown of what’s included in each plan.
If you want to learn more about eLogii’s plans, request a customized pricing proposal. You can also use eLogii’s Return on Investment (ROI) calculator to estimate your returns with eLogii.
And, if you want to see eLogii in action, book a demo.
RouteXL and eLogii both offer robust routing algorithms that aid in route planning and optimization.
In terms of price, we believe RouteXL is a great option for small and medium businesses that only need help with route planning. One major drawback of RouteXL is the lack of a mobile app. It’s also not a full-scale delivery solution – it’s just route optimization.
eLogii, on the other hand, is perfect for both small and large businesses that want to solve problems with their routes and implement a robust delivery management system.