Exploring the top 10 free & paid driving route planners of 2021, including EasyRoutes, Google Maps, and Waze, among others, tailored for various needs such as logistics, road trips, daily commuting, and deliveries.
You can’t avoid planning your day when you have a job that requires you to be on the road.
While you can plan your appointments, organize leads for follow-up, and decide which calls to make in between meetings, there are some things you can’t plan for, such as traffic and appointment cancellations.
According to INRIX, each American spent 97 hours and $1,348 in 2018 due to traffic congestion. Time lost to traffic in cities with high levels of traffic, such as Los Angeles, exceeded 200 hours per person!
You can save time planning your daily routes and get the most out of your day by using a driving route planner, even if you run into something unexpected.
The following are some of the key advantages of using a driving route planner:
In most day-to-day activities, you probably don’t have to worry about mapping routes for driving. However, if your job requires you to visit customers, deliver goods, or deal with logistics, you’ll need to use a driving route planner.
Here are a few scenarios in which using a Driving Route Planner is advantageous:
Because driving route planners are not one-size-fits-all, the best one for you will be determined by a variety of factors, including the size of your company, your budget, and your business objectives.
The list below includes the best driving route planners on the market, organized by different use cases, as well as a brief description of what differentiates each tool from the others. You’ll be able to choose the best option for your specific use case based on this information.
Price: Free plan – $0, Solo plan – $9.99, Pro plan – $29.99, Pro+ plan – $49.99, Growth plan – $69.99, Growth+ plan – $99.99 (Free 14-day trials available)
Best for: Deliveries and logistics
Features: Route Optimization, Utilizes all orders, Share Routes, Driver Mode, Edit Routes, Proof of Delivery, Add Custom Stops, Notify Customers, Mark as Delivered, Drive Times/ETAs, Time Per Stop, Smart Route-Splitting, Route Inventory, No Bad Addresses, Customizable Views, Get Directions
EasyRoutes is the best delivery driving route planner on the market when it comes to route planning software.
It can be difficult to figure out the most efficient way to deliver products to your customers. It’s mentally exhausting, and those hours could be spent more productively elsewhere in your company. Route planning, on the other hand, does not have to be so difficult or complicated.
EasyRoutes is a local delivery driving route planner app that makes planning a route a breeze. After that, you can either share your routes with drivers or deliver them yourself using our mobile-friendly driver mode.
EasyRoutes works seamlessly with Shopify and your store’s orders. You will no longer need to waste time exporting and importing spreadsheets. Simply select the orders you’d like to deliver, and EasyRoutes will figure out the most cost-effective delivery route for you.
EasyRoutes’ advanced features make delivery planning a breeze. Smart route-splitting, for example, divides your orders into as many optimized routes as needed. We also provide a route inventory that can be used as a packing list to make sure you or your drivers have everything they need before leaving.
EasyRoutes can also send out customer notifications, such as when orders are ready for delivery, when deliveries are missed, and when a delivery is completed.
EasyRoutes, a driving route planner app, was created with simplicity in mind. There’s no need to deal with clumsy enterprise route planner apps any longer. Route planning is made simple with EasyRoutes.
EasyRoutes is without a doubt the best route planner for Shopify store owners. EasyRoutes feels like a natural part of the Shopify ecosystem, with full integration in the backend.
EasyRoutes works with a wide range of companies in a variety of industries. EasyRoutes typically saves hours per week planning routes. EasyRoutes has been revolutionary for some businesses, such as Bloomen.ca: “Because EasyRoutes runs so smoothly with our back end, we have acquired our own driver fleet which was never originally part of our business plan,” says Rishi Dhuck, Director of Operations. “We now have complete control of our deliveries and order statuses.”
EasyRoutes is also great for groups. Using EasyRoutes, EcoFuel.ie was able to plan and manage their deliveries completely remotely during the Covid-19 lockdowns. “Since we’ve started using EasyRoutes we’ve gone from spending about 5 hours a day organising routes to only needing an hour each morning to plan out our deliveries,” says Susie Tan, Office Manager.
EasyRoutes was a Shopify Staff Pick, is very well reviewed, well-supported, and it offers plans and free-trials for any size business.
Get EasyRoutes today on the Shopify App Store.
PROS & CONS: Optimized route building; Requires Internet connection; Share routes with drivers; No mobile invoicing; Extremely easy to use; Only available in English; Very powerful and full-featured; Web-based means no need to configure apps; Great customer support
Price: Free
Best for: Short road trips with no more than 9 stops
Features: Routing, Street View, Turn-by-Turn Directions, Live Traffic Conditions
Google Maps is a dependable and simple-to-use driving route planner for walking, driving, bicycling, or taking public transportation.
You can create routes with up to 9 stops, get turn-by-turn directions, and get real-time traffic updates with Google Maps.
You can view the map in a variety of ways with Google Maps, including satellite imagery, aerial views, and a 360° interactive street view.
Because it does not optimize routes with more than one stop, Google Maps is the best at providing the best driving route from point A to point B.
PROS & CONS: User-friendly; Limited to only 10 stops; Free; Can’t set departure, arrival, or duration time; Reliable; Can’t track customer information; Create optimized routes with up to 10 stops; Can’t view top priority customers at a glance
Price: Free
Best for: Commuting daily
Features: Turn-by-Turn Directions, Mobile Speed Checks, Carpool, Traffic Notifications
Waze is a GPS navigation app that gives you turn-by-turn directions and traffic updates in real time. As a driving route planner, Waze provides information on accidents, traffic jams, and speed/police traps based on user-submitted data.
Waze allows you to plan trips ahead of time and choose the best departure time. Waze also has a carpool feature that allows you to join forces with other users travelling in the same direction and split travel costs while staying on the fastest route.
Waze uses slightly more data than Google Maps. As a result, Waze typically loads and updates routes more quickly.
PROS & CONS: Easy to use; Cluttered layout; Free; The app can be distracting; User-based Data for traffic, hazard, and police detection; Can only add up to 2 stops
Price: Starts at $29
Best for: Logistics and trucking
Features: Route Optimization, Data Import
My Route Online is a driving route planner that only works on the internet. It’s a straightforward planner that allows users to map up to 350 stops per route.
You can use My Route Online to import a spreadsheet with all of your addresses and create a route that is optimized for either distance or time. Once you’ve finished creating your route, you can save it to your GPS or mobile device to get turn-by-turn directions.
PROS & CONS: Simple User Interface; No Mobile App; Maps upwards of 350 stops; Limited features for sales
Price: Free
Best for: Road trips and simple routes
Features: Real-time Traffic Updates, Hotel Booking, Point of Interest Search
MapQuest was the first commercially available web mapping service, debuting in 1996. MapQuest is excellent for planning simple routes and locating destinations such as gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
MapQuest provides traffic updates in real time as well as turn-by-turn directions. MapQuest can also be used to find and book hotels in your area, making it an excellent route planner for road trips.
PROS & CONS: Free; Limited number of stops; Reliable; Not designed for outside sales/delivery services; Easy to use; Difficult to plot multiple stops
Price: Free up to 5 stops or $29.99/year for Plus
Best for: Road trips
Features: Turn-by-Turn Directions, Point of Interest Search, Live Traffic Updates
RoadTrippers is a mobile app and web-based software application that helps travellers plan road trips with up to 150 stops.
Users can use it to find independently owned points of interest all over the United States and Canada. You can create a trip on RoadTrippers and then sync it with the RoadTrippers app to get turn-by-turn directions and real-time traffic updates.
PROS & CONS: Can route up to 150 stops (paid option); Only available for U.S. based users; Ability to discover points of interests; Not designed for outside sales/delivery services
Price: $17.10 per driver/month Starter, $26.10 per driver/month Business, $35.10 per driver/month (Prices for Billed Annually)
Best for: Field sales reps
Features: Route Optimization, Live Tracking and ETA, Real-time Order Tracking, Analytics
OptimoRoute is a dynamic driving route planner with applications in a variety of fields, including sales.
Their main job is to plan and optimize routes that can be accessed via the web or a smartphone. OptimoRoute, on the other hand, does a lot more.
You can adjust routes at any time, keep track of reps working in the field, and plan routes for multiple days thanks to the app’s more than 50 features. OptimoRoute also has a number of features that are beneficial to delivery and logistics professionals.
PROS & CONS: Easy to use; Limited customization; Ability to communicate with customers; Outdated maps
Price: $10/day or $50/month
Best for: Delivery
Features: Timeboxing, Location Reordering
Speedy Route is a web-based route optimizer that is available worldwide. Speedy Route has a user-friendly interface and useful features like timeboxing, which allows you to arrive at your destinations at pre-determined times. You can re-arrange your destinations at any time, giving you complete control over your route.
PROS & CONS: Easy to use; No Mobile App; Free up to 10 stops; Limited features for sales
Price: Free
Best for: Road Trips, general travelling
Main Features: Offline Maps, Offline Navigation, Offline Search
Maps.me is an offline driving route planner for travellers who don’t have access to the internet. You can use Maps.me to download maps and create routes for walking, driving, bicycling, or taking public transportation.
The app also includes a number of travel guides to assist you in your exploration of your chosen destination.
PROS & CONS: Free; Limited features for sales; Offline Navigation
Price: Free, €35/month RouteXL 100, €70/month RouteXL 200
Best for: Logistics and deliveries
Features: Route Optimization, Data Import
Route XL is a straightforward web-based driving route planner that helps you save both time and money. You can import your address list into Route XL from a spreadsheet, e-mail, or simply copy and paste.
Although there is no mobile app for Route XL, you can export your optimized route to a GPS device.
PROS & CONS: Easy to use; No Mobile App; Limited features for sales
Adding a driving route planner to your toolkit will save you time and money in the long run. With so many options, you’re sure to find a route planner that meets all of your business requirements.
EasyRoutes is the ideal tool for you if you’re looking for a tool that optimizes not only your route but also your entire delivery process.
Roundtrip's mission is to equip every business with the software tools they need to deliver products to their customers in a delightful way. Thousands of worldwide choose EasyRoutes to power their local deliveries across dozens of product categories, from meal kits and groceries to coffee, cupcakes, kibble, and so much more. Our easy-to-use route planning and delivery optimization app is certified Built for Shopify, a two-time Shopify staff pick, and the top rated local delivery app on the Shopify App Store.
