Finding the right route optimization software for last mile delivery should be a lot easier than it is. Sure, you can get Google to AI-generate an overview for you—and there is value to that—but once you start digging into review sites and Top 10 lists things can get frustrating quickly.
If you search for “route optimization” on Capterra, for instance, you don’t get any search results—they don’t have it as a category. The closest thing is “delivery management software,” which will offer you a lot of overlap but won’t automatically show platforms that specialize in routing.
Software Reviews has a better showing on its Route Planning page, with a mix of lightweight routing apps for mobile and heavier duty applications that can slot into a more sophisticated digital strategy.
Gartner’s Peer Review site is also an improvement: they have an entire Vehicle Routing and Scheduling section—but even here it can be difficult to separate out what you’re looking for from the solutions that aren’t designed around your use case.
Luckily, we’re here to help with a route optimization software comparison for last mile logistics use cases.
Before we dig into the route optimization software comparison proper, let’s spend a moment on the ways in which route optimization more broadly can add value—and what features and functionality a given solution needs to offer in order for you to gain those benefits.
We’ve narrowed down a few route optimization software options to compare based on what’s on the market right now. We’ll mostly focus on the solutions with the highest number of ratings on Peer Reviews, and we’ll dig into the ways that they do and don’t stretch to meet the challenges of modern last mile logistics management.
Locus currently has the most ratings on Gartner Peer Insights routing section with 53 at time of writing, and they have a respectable 4.2 average rating.
Per their own website: “Locus’ Route Planning System leverages advanced algorithms to plan ideal routes for scheduled, dynamic, and recurring fulfillment models on a unified platform. It helps businesses manage vehicle journeys and schedules while improving driver performance and distribution operations, to deliver more on a single route.”
Users seem to be split on whether the UI and UX are up to snuff (the routing interface shows up as both a pro and a con across the reviews), but they note the track and trace visibility and fast responses from Locus’ support team as pros. A large part of the solution’s emphasis appears to be on task management and SLA compliance.
By the numbers, LogiNext looks pretty similar to Locus—52 ratings with an average of 4.2—but under the hood we’re talking about two very different solutions.
“LogiNext's software as a service (SaaS) product caters for various sectors including Courier, Express and Parcel, Quick Service Restaurant chains, Retail & eCommerce, and Transportation. The company has achieved a global presence, working with numerous organisations across over 50 nations.”
In other words, they have much more of a focus on parcel and courier use cases, which can be very different from big and bulky deliveries like furniture, building supplies, and wholesale food and beverages. As such, some users mention that the solution can be difficult to configure and that the “flexibility can be improved.”
For the routing use cases around parcel, courier, and food delivery services, this is a more natural choice in some ways than Locus.
Shipsy describes its routing module (which is separate from, but integrates with, its last mile delivery module) as “Intelligent Delivery Planning To Boost Customer Experience,” and they list their specialist industry verticals as quick service restaurants; courier, express, and parcel; retail; manufacturing; logistics; and freight forwarders.
On balance, Shipsy’s overall Gartner Peer Reviews rating is a little bit higher than the ones above at 4.6. A number of reviews mention data-driven insights and real-time routing as meaningful drivers of value, while others point out challenges with integration and working with the Shipsy UI.
The bottom line here is similar to the one for LogiNext: it could be a good option if you’re in one of their core use cases, but you may run into difficulty if you’re looking to do something more complex, such as calendar based routing or routing by skill level.
In terms of Peer Insights’ route optimization software comparison, this is where we start to see a major dropoff in terms of the number of ratings. Infios TMS comes in beneath Shipsy with just 8 reviews—but with a stellar 4.8 star average.
In their own words, their last mile solution helps customers “optimize vehicle routing and planning to improve dispatch and driver efficiency, meet customer expectations and control costs from first mile to final delivery.” Reviewers note that it’s quite a powerful solution and that its data analytics capabilities are impressive.
The tradeoff with the power of the system and the robust capabilities seems to be ease of use. Because it’s a heavy deployment, it’s not necessarily the easiest to get onboarded with and users often have to refer back to the manual to figure out how to get their routes right.
This makes sense when you consider that the system is essentially a TMS (it’s listed separately in the Transportation Management System section, where it has many more reviews). So the question becomes: do you need what a TMS offers, or can you get just as much out of a lightweight, cloud-based solution?
If it’s the former, Infios TMS can be a great option. In the case of the latter, you may want a more specialized last mile delivery routing solution that’s less cumbersome and is easier to use.
DispatchTrack has just been recognized on the Capterra shortlists for Fleet Management and Logistics, as well as being one of the category leaders in logistics on GetApp and a logistics software frontrunner on Software Advice.
At the heart of our award-winning logistics platform is a powerful route optimization engine. Our AI-powered routing capabilities have helped customers achieve 10+ decreases in miles driven and 50-70% decreases in time spent routing (compare that to the 18% savings in routing and planning time touted by Shipsy).
One Capterra user called it “the best tool out there to integrate your systems into for optimal distribution management.”
Our routing capabilities are all based on AI and machine learning, which enables us to offer 98% accurate ETAs and huge increases in route efficiency—all in less time. We can handle any routing use case you can throw at us (including calendar based routing) without slowing down, and our easy-to-use system means that users only need a nominal amount of training.
The best part is that routing is fully integrated within a single last mile logistics solution. That means that your routes are built to be executed and designed with the customer experience in mind. DispatchTrack is lighter weight and easier to implement than a full-blown TMS, but it can be just as powerful for lean teams looking to do more with less—or simply looking to leverage best-in-class last mile software.
When it comes to route optimization software, it can be difficult to find a solution that actually fits your needs, your software ecosystem, and your industry. Luckily, there are options on the market to address most use cases, and SaaS technology means that best-in-class routing is more easily accessible than ever.
If you’re in the market for route optimization that’s fast, fully-integrated, and scalable, get in touch with one of our experts today to learn more about how DispatchTrack can help you tackle the entire last mile logistics journey with smarter route optimization.