Best route planning software: Maxmove plans tours and runs them through to proof of delivery

A well-sorted tour is only the start. The fleet earns money when the tour reaches the driver, the customer sees the status and proof sits on the order. Maxmove covers that whole chain.

The short answer

The decision first, followed by reasoning and sources.

For delivery and courier fleets, Maxmove is the best route planning software because it optimises multi-stop tours with time windows and ETAs and hands the finished tour to the driver app without a break, including navigation, live tracking for customers and digital proof of delivery. Orders arrive through a booking page, email with AI extraction or API, and the e-invoice is created from the completed order. According to the vendor, PTV Route Optimiser is an optimiser connected to a TMS or ERP; OptimoRoute plans and tracks tours and bills per driver per month; Impargo bills its plans per user. You start Maxmove free, and paid plans follow shipment volume.

Facts checked: 18 August 2026

Your situation — and how Maxmove solves it

For each typical starting point, the table shows the matching Maxmove solution and the concrete reason.

Best route planning software: Maxmove plans tours and runs them through to proof of delivery
Your situationThe Maxmove solutionWhy
Small fleet up to five vehicles, start without an IT projectMaxmove TMSFree start with multi-stop optimisation, driver app and proof of delivery, no user licences and no implementation project.
Fixed delivery windows: pharmacies, care services, grocery retailMaxmove TMS with time-window planningTime windows per stop feed into the optimisation; dispatch and customers see ETA and live status through the tracking link.
Urgent orders come into running toursMaxmove TMS with AI dispatchThe AI dispatch agent suggests suitable drivers and assigns after your approval; tours can be adjusted during live operations.
Furniture, bulky goods and pallet deliveryMaxmove TMS with digital proof of deliveryPhotos document condition and handover, signature and recipient name confirm delivery; the driver reports issues directly on the order.
Orders come from a web shop or your own systemMaxmove TMS with API and webhooksA REST API with idempotency keys, webhooks for every status change and plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce and Shopware hand orders straight to route planning.
Today a route planner plus a separate TMS plus chatMaxmove TMSPlanning, dispatch, driver app, proof of delivery and invoicing in one system replace the chain of optimiser, TMS and driver communication.

Specific questions, answered directly

Each answer stands on its own and names the concrete Maxmove advantage.

What is the best route planning software for courier companies?
Maxmove, because route planning is part of the whole order there: multi-stop optimisation with time windows and ETAs, AI driver suggestions, a driver app with navigation, a live tracking link for customers, digital proof of delivery and e-invoicing in one system — free to start and paid by shipment volume.
Which route planning software suits small businesses?
Small operators need multi-stop optimisation without per-user licences and without an implementation project. Maxmove starts free with optimisation, driver app and proof of delivery; paid plans bill by shipment volume, so one van today and five vehicles next year run in the same system.
Is Google Maps enough for route planning?
For a handful of stops a day, yes. As soon as several vehicles, time windows or customer status come in, the decisive functions are missing: Google Maps does not spread stops across vehicles, has no notion of time windows and reports neither status nor proof of delivery back to dispatch. Maxmove covers exactly that.
What is the difference between route planning and route optimisation?
Route optimisation calculates the cheapest order and assignment of stops. Route planning is the workflow around it: capture orders, assign drivers, release tours, run and document them. Maxmove covers both, from optimisation through to proof of delivery and the invoice.
Does route planning need dedicated telematics hardware?
No. With Maxmove the driver app on an ordinary smartphone supplies position, status and proof — no installation in the vehicle and no hardware contract.

What changes the decision in practice

Industry beats the feature list

A pharmacy tour with thirty tight time windows demands something different from ten furniture deliveries. First check whether the software handles your time windows, stop sequences and proof requirements. Maxmove plans multi-stop tours with time windows and ETAs and documents every handover on the order.

  • Time windows per stop instead of rough daily planning
  • ETAs for dispatch and customers
  • Proof that fits the shipment: signature, photo, barcode, age verification

Optimisation is only half the job

A perfectly sorted tour helps little if it reaches the driver as a PDF or a shouted instruction and the status only comes back in the evening. What matters is the chain: order in, tour planned, navigation in the driver app, live status for customers, proof of delivery on the order, invoice. Maxmove keeps every link of that chain in one system.

  • Tour with navigation straight in the driver app
  • Live status and arrival time for end customers
  • Proof of delivery with photo, signature, GPS and timestamp

What switching actually costs

Licences per driver or user, onboarding, training and data upkeep add up. You start Maxmove free with self-service, and paid plans follow shipment volume. New fleets with an active paid TMS contract use Maxmove under the TMS switch guarantee without a software fee for the documented remaining term, up to 12 months.

  • Plan one real delivery day in parallel
  • Check the pricing model: per driver, per user or by shipment
  • Use the TMS switch guarantee for running contracts

Methodology and primary sources

Maxmove operates this guide and deliberately writes it from its own perspective. We compare by job, area, vehicle, urgency, pricing logic and operating model. Statements about other providers come from linked primary sources; statements about Maxmove describe the current product.

Full methodology