It's half past six, the vans are loading, and three drivers still haven't got a route. The tools below fix that morning in three different ways: route planners for drivers, dispatch and tracking platforms, and proof of delivery tools. Match the tool to the part of your day that breaks first, then run two of them on one real day's stops.
Routific describes itself as delivery management and route optimization software for growing businesses, with Shopify and Zapier integrations. Its homepage now also offers separate logins for an old and a new version, and an MCP server so you can optimise routes from Claude, ChatGPT or any AI agent. If that shift is what's prompting a look around, this page sets nine tools against it.
Nine route tools and the job each covers
The table gives the kind of tool and who it suits, from each maker's own description, sorted A to Z and in no particular order beyond that.
| Tool | Kind of software | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| MyRouteOnline | Multi-stop route planner | Uploading an address list and going |
| Onfleet | Last mile delivery software | Teams wanting one delivery platform |
| OptimoRoute | Delivery route planning and field scheduling | Time windows and vehicle capacities |
| Route4Me | Route planning and optimization | Planning, dispatch and telematics |
| RouteManager | Route management software with GPS | Fleets that need GPS with routing |
| Spoke | Route planner app and dispatch platform | Single drivers and courier companies |
| Track-POD | Delivery management and proof of delivery | Proof of delivery and collections |
| Upper | Route optimization and dispatch | AI dispatch with customer notifications |
| Zeo Route Planner | Route planner with proof of delivery | Mobile planning with proof of delivery |
Planner, dispatcher or proof of delivery
Software in this space overlaps a lot, but each tool leads with one job. Grouping them by that job is the quickest way to cut a list of nine down to the two worth a real test.
Route planners for drivers. MyRouteOnline plans multi-stop routes from an uploaded address list and exports them to a navigation app on a phone. Zeo Route Planner is a mobile planner that adds proof of delivery and customer tracking links. If you remember Circuit, getcircuit.com now serves Spoke, which pairs a free driver route planner app with a Dispatch platform for courier companies.
Dispatch and tracking. Onfleet bundles route optimisation, dispatch, tracking, a driver app and customer experience tools. Route4Me adds telematics to planning, dispatch and tracking for last mile operations. Upper leads with AI dispatch, and also offers a route planning app for one driver plus customer notifications.
Scheduling and fleets. OptimoRoute plans around driver skills, vehicle capacities and time windows with live tracking, which matters for field service as much as for deliveries. RouteManager pairs routing and dispatch with GPS for couriers, distribution and food and beverage fleets.
Proof of delivery first. Track-POD manages deliveries and collections from a web dashboard and driver app, with proof of delivery and scheduling built in.
What to test on a real day's stops
Route software is easy to admire in a demo and harder to judge on your own streets. Load a real day's addresses, not a sample file, and look at four things: whether time windows and vehicle capacities change the routes the way you'd expect, how a driver sees changes after they've left the depot, what the customer receives, and what proof of delivery looks like when it reaches the office.
Check how orders arrive, too. If they come from an online shop or a spreadsheet, make sure they can reach the new tool without someone retyping them each morning. And confirm which login and which version of a product you're signing up to, since some vendors now run old and new versions side by side and names in this category move around.
The nine, A to Z
Each line keeps to what the maker says its tool does, with any vendor claim marked as theirs.
MyRouteOnline
Best for: Planning multi-stop routes from an uploaded address list, then sending them to a phone's navigation app; the vendor highlights unlimited drivers and Excel import.
Onfleet
Best for: Last mile teams that want routing, dispatch, tracking, a driver app and customer tools together, which the vendor sums up as one platform.
OptimoRoute
Best for: Field and delivery teams planning around driver skills, vehicle capacities and time windows, with live tracking.
Route4Me
Best for: Last mile operations needing planning, dispatch and tracking plus telematics; the vendor calls it industrial grade route planning software.
RouteManager
Best for: Couriers, distribution and food and beverage fleets wanting routes, dispatch and GPS in what the vendor calls all-in-one route management software.
Spoke
Best for: Courier companies planning multi-driver routes and collecting proof of delivery, with what the vendor calls its free driver app for each driver.
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Track-POD
Best for: Businesses running deliveries and collections who need proof of delivery, a driver app and scheduling from one web dashboard.
Upper
Best for: Dispatchers wanting AI dispatch and customer notifications; the vendor's pitch is building a day your team can finish.
Zeo Route Planner
Best for: Drivers who want a mobile planner with proof of delivery and tracking links for customers, plus a fleet auto-assignment option.
Two planners, one morning
Choose an ordinary day, not your busiest. Export that day's stops and load them into two tools from the same group, so you're comparing like with like. Give each route to a driver who'll tell you the truth about it, and keep a note of the planned finish time.
At the end of the day, compare planned against real finish times, count the stops that had to be moved by hand, and ask the office how many calls it took from customers wondering where their parcel was. Those three things tell you more than a feature list, and they're the same three you'll care about once the whole fleet has switched.
For a courier running a handful of vans
A small courier or a local shop with a few vans usually needs a reliable planner and clean proof of delivery more than a full dispatch suite, so I'd begin with the route planner group and only move up once you're juggling several drivers and changing jobs mid-round.
For a wider view of the category, see my guide to route optimisation software, and if the whole delivery operation needs a rethink, these delivery management tools go further than routing.
Do you make route planning or delivery management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need dispatch software or just a route planner?
A route planner orders the stops for each driver. Dispatch software also assigns jobs, tracks drivers through the day and keeps customers informed. One or two vans can often manage with a planner; a growing fleet usually needs dispatch.
Can these plan around delivery time windows?
Several say so on their own sites, and it's a common feature in this category. Test it with your own windows, because how tightly a tool keeps to them only shows up with real addresses.
What counts as proof of delivery?
Usually a photo, a signature or a note captured in the driver app at the door and sent back to the office. Check what format you get and how easily you can find it when a customer queries a drop.
Will my drivers need a new app?
Most tools here include a driver app or send routes to a navigation app on the phone. Ask a driver to try it on a real round before you commit.
Can I import my addresses from a spreadsheet?
Most route planners accept an uploaded address list, and one here names Excel import specifically. Clean the file first, because a bad address sends a driver to the wrong street whatever the software does.
Is route optimisation the same as navigation?
No. Navigation gets one driver from stop to stop; route optimisation decides the order of stops and which driver takes them, across the whole day.
