Looking for the fastest way around multiple stops? We compare five options to help you choose the right tool, whether you're running errands or managing deliveries.
Key Takeaways
Google Maps (10 stops) and Apple Maps (15 stops) work for basic routes but need manual optimization.
Use the Routific Chrome Extension to optimize up to 25 stops in Google Maps.
MapQuest offers free route optimization for up to 26 stops.
Routific handles unlimited stops and includes delivery features. It’s free up to 100 stops a month.
Choose based on your needs: Free route planner apps for occasional routes, optimization software for regular deliveries.
If you want to find the quickest route from one place to another, apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze are fantastic. But what if you need to make a lot of stops, and you want the fastest route that includes all of them? Maybe you’re delivering groceries, doing lawn maintenance, visiting yard sales, or even just have a lot of errands, and you want the most efficient route to visit all your destinations as quickly as possible.
What you need is route optimization. Route optimization is the process of finding the best route around many stops.
“Best” can mean different things to different people — for example, if the fastest route includes paying tolls, you may want the most cost-effective route instead. So there’s no perfect solution.
But there ARE some good free route planner apps, as well as more complex route optimization software tools that use algorithms to find the shortest route. Here are a few quick options for when you just want to get the job done, fast:
Google Maps
Routific’s Chrome extension for Google Maps
Apple Maps
MapQuest
Routific
Let’s look at each of them in more detail.
💡If you want a delivery route planner, don’t waste your time with navigation apps like Google Maps. Check out Routific for free instead.
Five easy ways to plan the fastest route for multiple stops
1. Google Maps
No routing algorithm. Up to 10 stops, on mobile or desktop. Free.
Give the Google Maps route planner any two points and it will instantly plan a route for you, taking traffic conditions into account and giving you an estimate of travel time and distance. Fabulous! But when it comes to handling multiple stops, Google Maps just doesn’t have the functionality to give you an optimized route on its own. You’ll have to do some extra work.
Here’s how: If your route has 10 stops or fewer, just enter the first stop you want to visit, then click “Directions” to start adding more stops. (We have a whole article on how to use Google Maps to create a multiple-stop route if you want more detailed instructions).
We added our stops in a fairly random order, and ended up with something like this:
A 10-stop route in Google Maps, randomly ordered.
That’s a messy route! But you can tidy it up by dragging and dropping your stops into an order that makes sense. I played around for a couple of minutes and ended up with this:
A re-ordered Google Maps route, much shorter than the random version.
I started with 115km and 3 hours of driving, and ended up with 40km and 1.5 hours of driving. Not bad for a few minutes’ work!
The process is exactly the same in the mobile Google Maps app.
But what if you have more than 10 stops to visit? Google Maps can’t help you. Routific’s Chrome extension can take you up to 25 stops, though. We’ll discuss that in the next section before moving on to Apple Maps, Mapquest, and Routific.
2. Routific Chrome Extension for Google Maps
Real route optimization. Up to 25 stops, in the Chrome browser only. Free.
You can optimize up to 25 stops on Google Maps using Routific’s Chrome browser extension.
Optimize up to 10 stops directly inside Google Maps.
Get up to 25 stops by combining addresses using the free More Than 10 tool.
Send your route directly to a phone, or save the link for later use.
There are a couple of limitations to consider, though:
The extension only works inside Google Maps in the Chrome browser.
You will need to give the extension limited access to your Google account so that it can change your Google Maps.
If the Google Maps app is your navigation app of choice, this is your best option for planning the fastest route when you have multiple stops. It’s easy to share the optimized route from a desktop browser to your phone: Just copy the link to your optimized map and send it your phone. This works for both Android and iOS phones.
What if you don’t like to use Google Maps? If you’re an iPhone user, Apple Maps is a good alternative route planning app.
3. Apple Maps
No routing algorithm. Up to 15 stops, on mobile or desktop. Free.
We were able to sort our stops to create a faster route in Apple Maps — but it took longer than it did in Google Maps.
Apple Maps has caught up to Google Maps in the past couple of years in many ways, and you can now use the app on Mac or iPhone to do basic multi-stop route planning. Just add up to 15 stops in any order, then drag and drop them around the list to get the fastest route.
So if you’re a big fan of Apple in general and you have simple route planning needs that can all be met with the mobile app — go ahead. (We have more detailed instructions in our article on using Apple Maps as a route planner).
But if you’re going to be planning multi-stop routes on a regular basis, you’ll need more.
Let’s take a look at two apps that are specifically designed for planning multi-stop routes.
4. MapQuest
Basic routing algorithm. Up to 26 stops free, ad-supported. Desktop only.
Mapquest does a good job of route optimization. Just remember to check the “Let us re-order stops” box.
Add stops by typing address, copying and pasting a list, or uploading a spreadsheet from excel or google maps.
Check the box labeled “Let us re-order stops”, and MapQuest will optimize your route.
Once you have an optimized route you can print out driving directions. You can also copy the link to the website containing your optimized route, and share it by text or email.
The problem? You won’t get turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates, or anything else you’ve probably come to expect from navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze.
Your best option is to print or save the optimized MapQuest route, then add the stops to your favorite navigation app on your mobile device to get actual driving directions.
MapQuest limitations
MapQuest Route Planner is supported by ads, which keeps it free — but you may find the ads intrusive.
There’s no option to upgrade so that you can route more than 26 stops.
The route optimization option is only available in a web browser. You can’t use the MapQuest mobile app to optimize a multi-stop route.
You can’t share a MapQuest route directly to a mobile device.
5. Routific
Intelligent routing algorithm. Unlimited stops, free up to 100 stops a month.
Routific creates optimized routes for multiple stops and multiple vehicles, ideal for delivery businesses.
At Routific, route optimization is what we’re all about. Many of our customers are delivery businesses, so we have a bunch of delivery management features as well, but fundamentally finding the most efficient, fastest route around multiple stops is our thing. The most efficient order of stops is usually the fastest, but we also take into account things like driver shifts, vehicle types, and whether the route actually makes sense to a human driver.
We also have driver apps for both Android and iPhone, so once a route has been optimized it’s easy to send to a mobile phone. Once the app is open, drivers can use their choice of Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze for actual driving directions.
You can import stops by uploading a spreadsheet, or using our two-way API to pull data from your e-commerce or order management system.
We don’t put a limit on the number of stops you can optimize, even in our free version. During your 7-day trial you can plan routes with thousands of stops if you like.
Routific limitations
Routific offers 100 stops a month free, even after the 7-day trial period is over. If you still need multi-stop route planning functionality after that, you’ll need to upgrade — our pricing starts at $150 a month for up to 1,000 orders.
Our focus on delivery routes means that we don’t have all the features some other kinds of business might need. For example, if you’re mostly making sales or service calls, you probably want some kind of integration with a customer management system.
If you ARE looking for route planning software with delivery management features, then you should definitely check us out! Features like time windows, automated customer notifications, a dispatcher view with real-time updates, and proof of delivery all come standard. We pay a lot of attention to delivery driver happiness as well.
Pam Sykes is the Lead Content Strategist at Routific. Originally trained as a journalist, she switched to tech PR early on because she loved working with engineers. After many years working as a freelancer and for agencies, she joined Routific for the chance to help build a company from the ground up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Waze do route optimization?
Waze is a really popular navigation app for finding the best route from Point A to Point B, but you can’t use it to plan multi-stop routes, or to optimize a sequence of stops to get the shortest route. If you love Waze but need route optimization, the best option is to use routing software like Routific, which will send auto-optimized routes to a driver app you can download on your mobile device. Then you can choose Waze or Google Maps for point-to-point navigation.
Can you use custom Google My Maps offline?
You can launch the Google Maps app offline and download maps for the location. However, you cannot access your own map with your points of interest or layers. Offline maps cannot be customized.
What are the pros and cons of Google Maps as a route planner?
The advantages of using Google Maps to plan delivery routes are:
It’s free and easy to download from an app store, for both Android and iPhone.
Most people already know how to use it.
It includes turn-by-turn navigation that takes live traffic into account.
The major disadvantages are:
You can only plan routes of up to 10 stops.
It can’t optimize routes.
You can’t plan around constraints like delivery time windows and driver shift times.
It's time consuming
Can I plan a multi-stop route with Waze?
No. The maximum number of stops on a Waze route is just three. If you’re a Waze fan and you need to plan multi-stop routes, your best option is to use one of the route planners in this article and save the route. Then you can use Waze to navigate from point to point.
Master Google Maps trip planning with our comprehensive guide. Create custom maps, organize destinations by day, and access your itinerary on the go — all for free.