How to use Google Maps for delivery route planning, its limitations for multi-stop delivery operations, and how EasyRoutes works alongside Google Maps to provide the optimization, tracking, and delivery features that Google Maps can't.
Google Maps is the world's most popular navigation tool — and for good reason. It's free, reliable, and available on every smartphone. For personal navigation and simple trips, it's hard to beat. But for delivery businesses managing multi-stop routes, multiple drivers, and customer expectations for real-time tracking, Google Maps has significant limitations that can cost you time, fuel, and customer satisfaction.
This guide covers exactly how to use Google Maps for delivery route planning, where its capabilities end, what it can't do that delivery businesses need, and how dedicated route optimization software like EasyRoutes fills those gaps — while still letting your drivers use Google Maps for the turn-by-turn navigation they already know.
If you're doing a small number of deliveries, Google Maps can handle basic route planning. Here's the step-by-step process:
Step 1: Open Google Maps on your mobile device (iOS or Android) or at maps.google.com on desktop. Sign in with your Google account for the best experience.
Step 2: Enter your first destination in the search bar. Confirm the address and tap "Directions."
Step 3: Add additional stops. Tap the three-dot menu and select "Add stop." Repeat for each delivery address. You can add up to 10 stops total (including your starting point).
Step 4: Reorder stops manually. Drag and drop stops into the order you want to deliver them. Google Maps does not optimize stop order for you — it routes stops in the sequence you arrange them.
Step 5: Review and start navigation. Check the total distance and estimated time at the bottom of the screen, then tap "Start" for turn-by-turn driving directions.
For a solo driver making 5–8 deliveries in a familiar area, this process works reasonably well. The problems start when you need more than 10 stops, multiple drivers, or any of the delivery-specific features that Google Maps simply doesn't have.
It's worth acknowledging Google Maps' genuine strengths — because even businesses that use dedicated route optimization software still rely on Google Maps for navigation:
Real-time traffic data. Google Maps draws on data from over a billion monthly users to provide live traffic conditions, accident alerts, and road closure information. This is genuinely best-in-class.
Turn-by-turn navigation. Clear, reliable driving directions with voice guidance, lane guidance, and automatic rerouting when you miss a turn or encounter a road closure.
Massive address database. Google Maps recognizes virtually every address and business location worldwide, with high geocoding accuracy.
Satellite and Street View. Helpful for drivers approaching unfamiliar addresses — they can preview the building, entrance location, and parking situation before arriving.
Free. No subscription, no per-user fees, no usage limits on navigation.
These strengths make Google Maps an excellent navigation tool. The important distinction is that navigation (getting from point A to point B) is a different problem than route optimization (determining the best sequence of 30 stops across 3 drivers with delivery windows and vehicle capacity constraints).
For delivery businesses, Google Maps' limitations become apparent quickly:
10-stop cap per route. This is the most immediate constraint. If you have 25 deliveries, you need to split them across three separate Google Maps sessions, manually deciding which stops go in which batch and in what order. There's no way to optimize across all 25 simultaneously.
No stop-order optimization. Google Maps routes stops in the order you enter them — it does not calculate the most efficient sequence. Figuring out the optimal order for even 10 stops involves evaluating over 3.6 million possible combinations (the Travelling Salesperson Problem). Doing this by eye is guesswork, not optimization.
No multi-driver support. Google Maps handles one route for one driver. There's no way to split a pool of orders across multiple drivers, balance workloads, or respect delivery territories.
No delivery time windows. You can't tell Google Maps that Customer A needs delivery between 9–11 AM and Customer B needs delivery after 2 PM. Real delivery operations run on time windows, and Google Maps has no concept of them.
No delivery-specific features. No proof of delivery (photos, signatures, GPS stamps). No customer notifications or tracking pages. No delivery notes or order details visible to the driver. No analytics or performance tracking. No integration with your e-commerce platform.
No order integration. Every address must be typed manually into Google Maps. If you're running a Shopify store with 40 orders, that means copying and pasting 40 addresses one at a time — a tedious, error-prone process that dedicated tools eliminate entirely.
No route sharing or dispatch. There's no built-in way to create a route and dispatch it to a driver's phone with order details, delivery instructions, and a stop list. You'd need to share it via a link or screenshot, and the driver would still lack context about what they're delivering to each stop.
Here's how Google Maps stacks up against purpose-built route optimization software across the features that matter for delivery businesses:
Stop limit: Google Maps caps at 10. EasyRoutes handles unlimited stops per route.
Stop-order optimization: Google Maps doesn't optimize. EasyRoutes uses AI algorithms to find the most efficient sequence automatically.
Multi-driver routing: Google Maps handles one driver. EasyRoutes splits orders across multiple drivers, balancing workloads and respecting territories.
Delivery time windows: Not supported in Google Maps. Built into EasyRoutes' optimization engine.
Order integration: Manual address entry in Google Maps. EasyRoutes pulls orders directly from Shopify — no typing, no spreadsheets, no errors.
Customer notifications: None in Google Maps. EasyRoutes sends automated email and SMS notifications with branded tracking pages.
Proof of delivery: Not available in Google Maps. EasyRoutes captures photos, e-signatures, GPS stamps, and delivery notes.
Driver app: Google Maps provides navigation only. The EasyRoutes driver app provides navigation plus stop-by-stop order details, delivery notes, customer info, and one-tap status updates.
Analytics: None in Google Maps. EasyRoutes provides delivery analytics tracking on-time rates, driver performance, and route efficiency.
Price: Google Maps is free. EasyRoutes offers a free plan plus paid tiers that scale with your operation.
Here's the key insight that many delivery businesses miss: you don't have to choose between Google Maps and EasyRoutes. They solve different problems, and they work together seamlessly.
EasyRoutes handles everything Google Maps can't: pulling orders from Shopify, optimizing stop sequence across multiple drivers, managing delivery windows, dispatching routes to drivers, sending customer notifications, capturing proof of delivery, and tracking performance analytics.
When a driver is ready to navigate to their next stop, EasyRoutes hands off turn-by-turn navigation to their preferred navigation app — Google Maps, Waze, or Apple Maps. The driver gets the optimized stop order from EasyRoutes and the real-time traffic navigation from Google Maps. Best of both worlds.
This means your drivers don't need to learn a new navigation interface. They keep using the Google Maps (or Waze) they already know and trust for driving directions, while EasyRoutes handles the delivery-specific intelligence that Google Maps was never designed to provide.
Businesses like Bloomen and Sweet E's Bake Shop use exactly this approach — EasyRoutes for route optimization and delivery management, Google Maps for on-road navigation.
Google Maps is a perfectly fine starting point for very small delivery operations. But you've outgrown it when any of these apply:
You regularly have more than 10 stops. Splitting routes manually across multiple Google Maps sessions wastes time and produces suboptimal results.
You have more than one driver. Coordinating multiple drivers with separate Google Maps routes and no shared visibility is a management nightmare.
You're spending more than 20 minutes per day on route planning. If manual address entry and stop reordering are eating your morning, the ROI of automation is immediate.
Customers are asking "where's my order?" Google Maps provides zero customer-facing visibility. If WISMO calls are consuming your support time, you need automated tracking and notifications.
You need accountability. Without proof of delivery, you have no evidence that a delivery was completed. One disputed delivery can cost more than months of software subscription.
Your delivery operation represents your brand. When customers judge your business by the delivery experience — not just the product — you need professional-grade tools.
Google Maps is an exceptional navigation tool and a reasonable starting point for very small delivery operations. But it was designed for personal navigation, not delivery logistics. It can't optimize stop order, manage multiple drivers, enforce delivery windows, notify customers, capture proof of delivery, or integrate with your e-commerce platform.
The good news: you don't have to give up Google Maps to get those capabilities. EasyRoutes handles the delivery intelligence, then hands off navigation to Google Maps (or Waze, or Apple Maps) for the actual driving. Your drivers use the navigation app they already trust, powered by the optimization engine they need.
Ready to upgrade your delivery operations without giving up Google Maps? EasyRoutes optimizes your custom delivery routes, dispatches to drivers, tracks deliveries in real time, and notifies customers automatically — then hands off navigation to Google Maps. Start your free trial today.
EasyRoutes is the AI-native delivery operations platform trusted by 1,400+ businesses across 75+ countries. Plan routes in seconds, dispatch drivers automatically, and delight your customers — from Shopify or any order source. Experience delivery operations that run themselves. Rated 4.8 stars and certified Built for Shopify.
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