TL;DR:

While Upper and OptimoRoute optimize routes, Upper emphasizes creating clean, non-overlapping routes, increasing drivers’ navigation ease while reducing their confusion.
Upper’s user-based pricing makes it more affordable for businesses with multiple drivers, compared to OptimoRoute’s driver-based pricing.
Upper provides real-time traffic data for dynamic route adjustments and features live driver tracking and extensive customization options, making it more powerful and adaptable.

Another day of facing routing issues?

Another day of searching for route planning software solutions to fix them only to get overwhelmed with so many options available on the market?

And yet another day of finding yourself stuck with choosing between the two strong contenders in the field of route planning?

It’s showdown time again: Upper vs OptimoRoute.

This blog covers an in-depth comparative analysis of Upper and OptimoRoute, exploring how they compete.

We assure you that it will help you make an informed choice and enhance your service or delivery operations.

So, stay with us till the end.

Don’t Give It a Second Thought!

Looking for multi-constrained route planning, detailed live tracking, traffic-based rerouting, and automated customer notifications at affordable prices? Upper brings you all and more.

Table of Contents

How Did We Compare Upper vs OptimoRoute?
Upper vs OptimoRoute: The Ultimate Face-Off
Why Choose Upper over OptimoRoute?
FAQs
Upper vs OptimoRoute: Making the Right Choice that Suits Your Business

How Did We Compare Upper vs OptimoRoute?

We always aim to bring you the most precise and unbiased comparative analysis and leave no stone unturned to help you arrive at an informed purchasing decision.

Our sales and customer success team collaborated to speak to our clients who used OptimoRoute previously. This helped us understand their user experience, what worked for them, and the gaps that led them to make the switch.

We also turned to discussion forums on social media sites like Quora and Reddit to learn people’s opinions about these delivery route planning software solutions.

If we had limited this comparison to what others found or experienced, it would have been an utter injustice to our readers. And we couldn’t let it happen!

So, we signed up for their free trial to test these multi-stop route planning tools firsthand. We kept around 150 real-world addresses subject to free-trial limitations and evaluated:

Multi-constrained route planning: We set multiple constraints, such as delivery time windows, drivers’ working hours, and vehicle capacity constraints to see how well the routes account for them.
Route quality: It’s not always about creating mathematically shorter routes but also ensuring they are clean. So, we had to check for how the routes shaped up.
User interface: Our team tested both the route optimization software for the ease of navigating the features they provide.
Pricing: We evaluated the pricing models to determine their suitability for different sizes of businesses and how they measure flexibility and affordability.
Customer support: We compared the range of support options to analyze the flexibility they provide and reached out to OptimoRoute’s support team to check their responsiveness.

Upper vs OptimoRoute: The Ultimate Face-Off

Aspect
G2 rating	4.8	4.8
Pricing model and flexibility	Driver-based pricing, unsuitable for small businesses that may need you to pay a high amount for every driver you add.	Flat-rate user-based pricing that allows unlimited routes, each with up to 500 stops.
Annual billing discounts
Free trial
User interface	Crowded with small windows, disrupting the user experience	Clean and intuitive, with directions on how to use it
Route quality	Crisscrossing and overlapping in many places	Clean and easily navigable routes
Route edits and start location adjustments for contract drivers	Difficult, with occasional glitches	Easy and smooth
Traffic-aware routing
In-app navigation
Contact book functionality
Detailed live tracking features, including breadcrumb trails
Custom fields	only for orders	for drivers, stops, and contacts
Attempted location
Package finder
Free Chrome extension		Up to 10 stops per route
OCR address scanner
Barcode scanning
Customer support	Limited options, including call and email	Wide range of options, including live chat, priority email support, technical consulting, and a dedicated support manager

Aspect OptimoRoute Upper
G2 rating

4.8

4.8
Pricing model and flexibility

Driver-based pricing, unsuitable for small businesses that may need you to pay a high amount for every driver you add.

Flat-rate user-based pricing that allows unlimited routes, each with up to 500 stops.
Annual billing discounts
Free trial
User interface

Crowded with small windows, disrupting the user experience

Clean and intuitive, with directions on how to use it
Route quality

Crisscrossing and overlapping in many places

Clean and easily navigable routes
Route edits and start location adjustments for contract drivers

Difficult, with occasional glitches

Easy and smooth
Traffic-aware routing
In-app navigation
Contact book functionality
Detailed live tracking features, including breadcrumb trails
Custom fields

only for orders

for drivers, stops, and contacts
Attempted location
Package finder
Free Chrome extension

Up to 10 stops per route
OCR address scanner
Barcode scanning
Customer support

Limited options, including call and email

Wide range of options, including live chat, priority email support, technical consulting, and a dedicated support manager
Try Upper for FREE No credit card required

This tabular comparison shows that while both these route planners fare well when it comes to creating the shortest routes, they differ in the quality of routes.

While OptimoRoute focuses only on creating ‘technically’ shorter routes even though they frustrate drivers, Upper generates clean and non-overlapping routes. Moreover, it integrates real-time traffic data while planning routes that help avoid congestion.

With a broader range of customer support options and flexible user-based pricing offering a higher discount on annual plans, Upper forms an ideal pick for those seeking more features at affordable rates.

Why Choose Upper over OptimoRoute?

While both Upper and OptimoRoute look promising as multi-stop route planning solutions, Upper has a competitive edge over OptimoRoute in the following ways.

1. Better route quality

While both route planner software solutions feature multi-stop route planning, Upper has the upper hand as it creates not only mathematically shorter but also easy-to-navigate routes that don’t involve overlapping.

2. User interface

Upper is renowned for its simple and easily navigable interface with clear instructions, making it visually appealing for both veterans and first-timers alike and reducing onboarding time.

3. In-app navigation

It enables delivery drivers to view and navigate routes from within their delivery app without switching to Google Maps, minimizing distractions on the road.

4. More customer support options

Upper offers a comparatively larger number of support options, ranging from email and text to priority email, technical consulting, and a dedicated support manager.

5. Feature-rich mobile app for dispatchers

While both these route planner software provide an app, Upper’s route planner app doesn’t limit users to drivers, unlike OptimoRoute. It, rather, features a fully functional route planner app with all the route planning functions as in the web version.

6. Flexible pricing structure

Upper allows three users in its basic plan and enables setting their roles as ‘Admin’, ‘Dispatch Manager’, and ‘Driver’ based on internal hierarchical changes, unlike OptimoRoute which requires you to pay charges for even one driver.

7. Annual pricing discounts

Upper provides a 20% discount on annual subscription plans compared to OptimoRoute’s 10%, making it more rewarding for those seeking higher cost savings in return for their year-long commitment.

8. Higher degree of customizability

While Upper and OptimoRoute provide custom fields, Upper’s freedom of customization goes beyond incoming orders and enables adding, deleting, or renaming fields for driver notes, address details, and contacts.

Made a Decision or Need More Time?

Put an end to your second thoughts as Upper’s got you the best features at the flat-rate prices you won’t believe ever exist. So, take your first step to seamless route planning now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of the two software excels at route planning and optimization?

While both software solutions compete closely when it comes to route planning, Upper has an advantage over OptimoRoute. This is because Upper focuses on creating not only the most efficient routes but also ensuring they make sense to drivers and don’t involve unwanted tangling and overlapping.

What makes Upper a better alternative to OptimoRoute?

As Upper provides better route quality, a user-friendly interface, in-app navigation to enable hands-free driving, extensive customer support, and pricing flexibility, it outperforms OptimoRoute.

How does OptimoRoute’s pricing stack up against Upper’s, and which is better?

OptimoRoute’s pricing is driver-based, while Upper’s is user-based. While they may sound similar, here are the two key differences that make Upper a more feasible option, especially for businesses with fewer drivers:

Flat-rate pricing structures allow for a minimum of three users, unlike OptimoRoute which requires you to pay every time you add a driver.
A higher discount of 20% on annual plans compared to OptimoRoute’s 10%, enabling greater cost savings.

Can I customize data fields in Upper and OptimoRoute?

Yes, both Upper and OptimoRoute provide the freedom of customization of fields to fit your unique business requirements. However, Upper offers a higher degree of customization, as it allows you to add or rename fields not only for orders but also for driver notes, address details, and contacts.

Which route planning solution is more suitable for businesses of all sizes: Upper or OptimoRoute?

While the final decision depends on your unique business requirements, Upper’s pricing model allows a minimum number of users and allows for resetting their roles as ‘Admin,’ ‘Dispatch Manager,’ and ‘Driver’. This makes it more flexible and scalable. It is also packed with AI-powered routing algorithms, live driver tracking, attempted location, and in-app navigation, making it more powerful.

How do I switch from OptimoRoute to Upper?

Upper offers support for businesses looking to switch from their current routing software to it. They provide migration and onboarding assistance to ensure a smooth transition to their platform.

Upper vs OptimoRoute: Making the Right Choice that Suits Your Business

As long as you want to optimize multiple routes and seek functionality like live tracking and proof of delivery, Upper and OptimoRoute stay as strong contenders.

However, if you go beyond your basic routing requirements to seek real-time traffic-based routing or higher freedom of customization, Upper stands as the clear winner.

Moreover, Upper gives you peace of mind by creating routes that are clean and non-overlapping, helping drivers navigate them smoothly.

Last but not least, the flexible pricing and a generous annual discount of 20% make it a go-to choice for those seeking a mix of efficiency, affordability, and customizability.

If you are still unsure of your decision, you can always sign up for a free demo to understand how it works.

Upper vs OptimoRoute: Choosing the Right Route Planning Solution