10 Best Free Route Planning Software Multiple Stops (2026)
Find the best free route planning software multiple stops in our 2026 guide. We review 10 top tools for delivery teams, from Google Maps to RouteXL.
You’re usually not searching for free route planning software multiple stops because route planning is interesting. You’re searching because tomorrow’s run is already messy. Orders came in late, one driver called out, a customer wants a tighter ETA, and someone on the team is still trying to manage the day in Google Maps tabs and spreadsheets.
That works for a while. Then the route list grows, the stop order gets harder to fix manually, and “free” starts costing you time. For solo drivers, a basic planner can still be enough. For a small retail delivery team, field service operation, or any business handling local drops, the main question isn’t just whether a tool can place pins on a map. It’s whether the tool helps you run the day without creating admin work somewhere else.
That’s the gap most roundups miss. They review route planners like travel apps, not like operating tools. If you’re handling your own local delivery, the better lens is whether a planner fits your current stage and when it stops being worth forcing it. That’s especially true if you’re also optimizing moving operations or any service workflow where route quality affects labour, fuel, and customer communication.
Table of Contents
- 1. MapQuest Route Planner
- 2. RouteXL
- 2. RouteXL
- 3. Google Maps
- 4. HERE WeGo
- 5. GraphHopper Maps
- 6. openrouteservice Maps
- 8. Spoke formerly Circuit Route Planner
- 8. Spoke formerly Circuit Route Planner
- 10. MyRouteOnline
- 10. MyRouteOnline
- Top 10 Free Multi‑Stop Route Planners Comparison
- Final Thoughts
1. MapQuest Route Planner
MapQuest still earns a place on lists like this for one reason. It gets a route built fast.
If a solo driver, estimator, or owner-operator needs to line up a day’s stops without learning dispatch software first, MapQuest is easy to use. Paste in addresses, choose a route preference, and it returns something workable quickly. That matters more than flashy features when the primary task is getting the van out the door.
Best for quick ad hoc route building
MapQuest makes sense for light-duty route planning. It suits occasional delivery runs, sales calls across town, and single-vehicle days where the person building the route is also the person driving it. In that use case, simplicity beats depth.
The trade-off shows up once the workload becomes repeatable or team-based. Free tools like this help with stop order, but they do not give you much control after the route is created. There is no real dispatch workflow, no strong handoff between office and driver, and no built-in structure for proof of service or route changes during the day. Teams comparing these options against broader route planning software for delivery and field operations usually hit that limit quickly.
Earlier comparisons of free planners have placed MapQuest near the upper end of the usual stop limits for no-cost tools. That is useful for a longer one-off run. It is still a planning tool, not an operations system.
Use it if the goal is speed and low friction. Replace it when missed updates, driver call-ins, manual route sharing, or customer ETA pressure start creating office work that the free plan cannot absorb.
- Works well for: solo couriers, local reps, one-vehicle service days, quick ad hoc runs
- Weak spots: team coordination, live route changes, proof of delivery, recurring route operations
- Upgrade signal: more than one driver needs the same route data, or the office is manually managing exceptions all day
2. RouteXL
A common use case is a small operator with a short stop list who already knows the territory and just wants the best visit order before leaving the yard. RouteXL fits that job well. It keeps the planning task narrow, which is part of its appeal.
The tool is strongest for single-route optimization, especially when the person planning the run does not need a full driver app, customer messaging, or back-office controls. For a solo courier, estimator, or service tech handling a compact round, that can be enough. For a small fleet trying to run repeatable daily routes, it starts to feel thin much faster.
Best for small optimized runs
RouteXL’s own route planner positions the product around optimizing stop order for multi-stop trips (RouteXL route planner). That matters because its value is very specific. It helps answer the planning question first, then leaves the rest of the day to your other tools and manual processes.
That trade-off is fine in the early stage. It gets expensive in staff time once dispatch and driver communication become daily work. If the office is texting route changes, checking completion by phone, or copying stop details into another app, the free planner is no longer saving much.
Use RouteXL when route sequence is the main problem and execution still happens through simple habits. Move on when more than one person needs visibility into the same run, or when missed stops and status checks start creating admin work.
- Works well for: solo drivers, technicians with short appointment chains, small local delivery rounds
- Weak spots: team handoff, live status tracking, proof of completion, customer updates
- Upgrade signal: the route is easy to build, but the day is still hard to manage once vehicles are on the road
2. RouteXL
RouteXL is a better fit when the order of stops matters more than the driving experience inside the app. It’s focused on solving the route sequence, which is why many small operators still like it for compact delivery rounds and service visits. The interface stays fairly clean, and it’s easy to understand what the tool is doing.
This is the kind of planner that helps when you’ve outgrown manual stop ordering but haven’t yet reached full dispatch software territory.
Best for small optimized runs
A 2025 comparison of free multi-stop route planners listed RouteXL at 20 stops on the free tier (free route planner comparison). For small rounds, that’s workable. For dense urban courier work or a service technician with a short list, it can be enough.
Its trade-off is familiar. RouteXL can optimize a route, but it won’t manage your operation. There’s no built-in proof of delivery, no driver tracking layer, and no customer communication workflow. If your business depends on confirming completed drops or reacting to live exceptions, you’ll start exporting work from one tool into another.
RouteXL is good at answering “what’s the best order?” It’s much weaker at answering “what happened after the driver left?”
That’s why I’d classify it as a planner for a solo courier, a very small service team, or a business testing route optimization for the first time. It’s less convincing for furniture deliveries, scheduled perishables, or any route where stop timing and customer handoff matter as much as mileage.
Use RouteXL if your route plan is the main problem and operational control isn’t yet the bigger one.
3. Google Maps
Most drivers already know Google Maps, which is why teams keep trying to make it work as free route planning software multiple stops. That instinct makes sense. It’s familiar, traffic-aware, and easy to hand off to anyone with a phone.
The problem is that familiarity hides a key limitation. Google Maps is a navigation tool first. It’s not a route optimizer.
Best for navigation, not optimization
Recent market commentary on multi-stop planners describes Google Maps as widely used for free multi-stop planning, but capped at about 10 stops for driving directions, and it also notes that Google Maps doesn’t optimize route order or handle operational needs like load planning (industry commentary on route planning gaps).
That means your dispatcher, owner, or driver is still doing the hard part manually. If someone adds stops in the wrong order, Google Maps won’t rescue the route. It will just follow the sequence it was given.
For a single driver with a handful of calls, that can be fine. For a retail delivery day with multiple areas, it usually turns into wasted miles and late arrivals.
- Use Google Maps when: The route is short, the stop order is obvious, and the main need is turn by turn navigation.
- Don’t rely on it when: You need route optimization, team coordination, delivery notes, or a clean process for route changes.
- Best handoff role: Many operations still use it as the last step for navigation even after planning happens elsewhere.
Google Maps stays valuable because almost no driver needs training to use Google Maps. Just don’t confuse that convenience with optimization.
4. HERE WeGo
HERE WeGo is often the quiet backup choice that ends up becoming the daily app for some drivers. If your routes run through patchy coverage areas, industrial zones, or rural delivery patches, offline maps become more than a nice extra. They keep the route moving when reception drops.
That’s where HERE WeGo earns its place. It handles multi-stop editing well enough for practical use and gives drivers a dependable navigation option outside the Google and Apple default choices.
Best for drivers who need offline reliability
The main reason to choose HERE WeGo isn’t algorithmic route optimization. It’s route execution in places where live connectivity isn’t guaranteed. Drivers can reorder stops, work with offline maps, and keep moving without depending on a stable mobile signal the entire day.
That makes it a solid fit for businesses delivering building materials, gas, firewood, equipment, or anything else where the route can drift into less connected areas. It’s also a practical fallback app for subcontractors who need a simple navigation setup without a lot of onboarding.
The trade-off is straightforward. HERE WeGo isn’t built to solve business routing at a deeper level. You won’t get the sort of planning logic, dispatch control, or delivery workflow that a growing local fleet eventually needs.
- Strong fit: Offline capable navigation, simple stop reordering, driver use in mixed coverage areas.
- Weak fit: Multi-driver planning, dispatch control, and route optimization for dense delivery days.
If your current pain is “the route breaks when the signal does,” HERE WeGo is worth trying. If the pain is “we need to plan and manage deliveries as an operation,” you’ll outgrow it.
5. GraphHopper Maps
GraphHopper Maps makes more sense if you think in terms of routing logic, vehicle profiles, and future flexibility. It’s lighter and more technical than the consumer apps on this list. That will appeal to some teams and immediately put off others.
I wouldn’t hand this to a casual user and expect instant comfort. I would consider it for a business with someone technical in the mix, especially if truck routing or custom integration may matter later.
Best for technical teams and mixed vehicle types
GraphHopper’s strength is that it sits closer to an ecosystem than a simple route page. You can plan with multiple waypoints, work from OpenStreetMap data, and use vehicle profiles that are more relevant than standard car-only tools in some cases.
That makes it interesting for operations with mixed use cases. A team might handle vans on weekdays, heavier vehicles on selected routes, and custom workflows in the future. Consumer tools usually start feeling rigid in that environment.
If you already know your operation will need custom routing logic later, choosing a tool family with a deeper technical path can save a messy migration.
The downside is obvious. The free web planner isn’t a delivery management suite. It won’t give you customer notifications, proof of delivery, or easy dispatch controls. It’s better as a routing layer than as an end-to-end operational tool.
GraphHopper Maps is best for users who value routing flexibility more than simplicity.
6. openrouteservice Maps
openrouteservice Maps is one of the more interesting choices on this list because the public map tool and the deeper optimization capability aren’t really the same experience. The public maps client gives you a usable multi-stop planner. The broader platform can go much further if you’re willing to work with APIs.
That split matters. Some teams open it expecting a polished delivery product and get confused. Others see the flexibility and realize it could support more advanced routing logic later.
Best for teams that may outgrow the web planner fast
If you need custom restrictions, heavy-vehicle considerations, or the possibility of time windows and fleet optimization in a more technical setup, openrouteservice is stronger than a basic consumer route tool. It’s especially relevant for operations that have unusual constraints and don’t fit the standard “courier in a hatchback” model.
Recent vendor-neutral commentary around the category points out that advanced needs such as service time, time windows, lunch breaks, and priority stops are often scattered across product pages rather than explained in a practical decision framework. The same analysis also notes that some tools now market very high stop counts, including up to 500 stops in one Android app listing, which shows stop count alone no longer tells you whether a tool is operationally ready (route planning decision framework discussion).
That’s exactly how I’d frame openrouteservice. It’s not the easiest planner here, but it’s one of the clearer examples of why “can it handle more stops?” isn’t the only question.
Use openrouteservice Maps if your routing problem includes restrictions and logic that simpler free tools don’t think about.
8. Spoke formerly Circuit Route Planner
A solo driver can get value from Spoke in the first hour. Add stops, optimize the run, send each stop into navigation, and get moving. That low-friction flow is why this tool has stayed popular with couriers, gig drivers, and small local delivery businesses.
It is one of the better fits in this list for teams that care more about driver execution than office planning.
Best for solo drivers and very small teams that need fast route execution
Spoke works well when one person owns the route from start to finish. The app feels built for the cab, not the dispatch desk. That matters in real use. Drivers are less likely to fight the interface, and training time stays short.
The trade-off shows up as soon as the business gets more structured. If dispatchers need visibility, if different drivers cover overlapping areas, or if customers expect updates and proof of delivery, a free route planner stops being enough. At that point, the question is no longer which app orders stops fastest. The question is whether you need delivery management software for real operations.
That is the core decision framework for Spoke. It is a strong free or low-commitment test for a single driver workflow. It becomes less convincing once you are managing handoffs, service standards, or team accountability.
- Good fit: Gig drivers, owner-operators, pharmacies, bakeries, and local shops running simple daily rounds.
- Poor fit: Multi-driver fleets, retailer delivery teams, and operations that need dispatcher control or customer-facing delivery processes.
I would use Spoke to prove that route optimization helps the day run cleaner. I would not use the free layer as the long-term answer for a growing delivery operation.
8. Spoke formerly Circuit Route Planner
Spoke, previously known as Circuit, has long been popular with couriers because it removes friction. Build route, optimize route, hand off navigation, drive. That flow is simple enough that gig drivers and small local delivery operators can start quickly.
If your team values a smooth mobile experience above all else, Spoke is one of the more driver-friendly options in this group.
Best for gig style driving and simple mobile route execution
This is the kind of app that works best when one driver controls the route and the day doesn’t require much dispatcher intervention. Navigation handoff is clean, route building is fast, and the mobile experience generally feels less clunky than tools designed first for desktop planning.
That said, free use tends to be narrow. You can test the approach, but you won’t stay on the free layer for long if your routes are growing or you need business controls. Team dispatch, deeper stop logic, and operational visibility live on the paid side or in separate products.
Spoke is easy to like when the job is “get me through my route.” It’s less complete when the job becomes “run delivery as a business process.”
That distinction matters most for retailers and 1PL teams. Once you need customer updates, proof of completion, route changes, and cleaner oversight, you’re moving beyond route sequencing and into last mile delivery software built for execution.
Use Spoke when mobile ease is the priority and the operation is still relatively simple.
10. MyRouteOnline
Monday morning is where tools like MyRouteOnline earn their keep. A dispatcher has a spreadsheet of stops, a driver roster, and no time to copy addresses into a phone one by one. In that situation, batch import matters more than a pretty mobile app.
MyRouteOnline fits teams that already plan from Excel or CSV and need to turn recurring address lists into workable routes quickly. That makes it more useful for office-led planning than driver-led route building.
Best for spreadsheet-based planning and recurring multi-stop route days
The value here is operational discipline. Import the list, clean up bad addresses, optimize the order, then send drivers out with something more organized than a manually built map. For small businesses testing route planning beyond basic consumer apps, that is a meaningful step up.
The limitation is just as clear. Free access is usually enough to test the workflow, not to run an ongoing delivery operation at scale. Once you need live route changes, proof of delivery, customer notifications, or dispatcher visibility across multiple drivers, you are no longer choosing a route planner. You are choosing last mile delivery software for day-to-day execution.
I usually place MyRouteOnline in the middle tier of this list. It suits a bakery, pharmacy, wholesaler, or service business that has repeat route days and wants to stop wasting admin time. It is less convincing for solo drivers who build routes on the fly, and it does not replace a full dispatch system for a growing fleet.
Use it if your operation starts in spreadsheets and you want a cleaner planning process before paying for a broader platform. Skip it if the business already needs field updates, delivery status control, and multi-driver coordination from one dashboard.
10. MyRouteOnline
MyRouteOnline sits in an awkward but useful middle ground. It’s not really a free tool in the long-term sense, but it is one of the better options for businesses that want to test larger batch planning before committing to a full delivery platform. If your routes start from spreadsheets and recurring address lists, that matters.
Many operations managers begin to feel the difference between “route planner” and “navigation app” when importing a batch from CSV or Excel, a very different workflow from entering stops one by one.
Best for larger address lists and recurring route days
The category has a clear financial inflection point once planning gets more serious. Industry reporting in 2025 estimated that effective route optimization can reduce driving time by about one hour per driver per day and save up to $200 per month per driver, while paid plans in the category often start at about $29 per month per seat (route optimization cost and savings benchmark). Those figures explain why businesses often stop forcing free tools once route volume rises.
That’s the lens for MyRouteOnline. Its strength is handling larger address sets and recurring route days in a structured way. Its weakness is that ongoing use is paid, and it still doesn’t replace a full delivery management platform if you need proof of delivery and customer communication.
For businesses running scheduled local drops, especially those still planning from spreadsheets, MyRouteOnline can be a practical stepping stone before moving into a more complete last-mile delivery platform.
Top 10 Free Multi‑Stop Route Planners Comparison
| Tool | Core features ✨ | UX / Quality ★ | Unique selling point 🏆 | Target audience 👥 | Price/value 💰 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MapQuest Route Planner | ✨ Multi-stop auto-optimize, round-trip toggle, drag‑and‑drop | ★★★☆☆, very low learning curve | 🏆 Quick ad-hoc planning with no account overhead | 👥 Occasional deliveries, sales runs | 💰 Free |
| RouteXL | ✨ OSM-based auto optimization, GPX/ITN export, per-stop constraints | ★★★★☆, fast & simple | 🏆 Optimizer tuned for small TSP problems | 👥 Small businesses & solo drivers (≤20 stops) | 💰 Freemium (free ≤20 stops) |
| Google Maps (multi-stop) | ✨ Multi-stop reorder, turn-by-turn nav, live traffic | ★★★★★, ubiquitous navigation & traffic | 🏆 Best-in-class live traffic & familiar UI | 👥 Drivers needing navigation & quick handoff | 💰 Free |
| HERE WeGo | ✨ Multi-stop planning, live ETAs, offline maps | ★★★★☆, reliable offline routing | 🏆 Offline maps and ETAs for low-connectivity areas | 👥 Drivers needing offline capability | 💰 Free (Pro add-ons paid) |
| GraphHopper Maps | ✨ Multi-waypoint routing, truck profiles, export/API ties | ★★★★☆, fast, lightweight | 🏆 Developer-friendly with optimization APIs | 👥 Technical users & devs | 💰 Free web; paid API for fleet scale |
| openrouteservice Maps | ✨ Multi-stop routing, heavy‑vehicle restrictions, Optimization API | ★★★★☆, research-grade constraint support | 🏆 Strong routing constraints & generous free API limits | 👥 Developers, researchers, fleet pilots | 💰 Free client; API tiered (free limits / paid) |
| RoadWarrior (Basic) | ✨ Mobile-first routes, spreadsheet import, cloud sync | ★★★☆☆, mobile-centric, intuitive | 🏆 Designed for couriers on mobile | 👥 Couriers & solo drivers | 💰 Freemium (Basic free ≤8 stops; paid to scale) |
| Spoke (formerly Circuit) | ✨ Mobile optimization, nav handoff, stop notes | ★★★★☆, very driver-friendly | 🏆 Popular among gig drivers for speed & simplicity | 👥 Couriers, gig drivers | 💰 Free limited plan; paid for teams |
| OsmAnd | ✨ Offline maps & nav, multiple waypoints, vehicle profiles | ★★★☆☆, powerful but steeper learning curve | 🏆 Open‑source with strong offline configurability | 👥 Privacy/offline-focused drivers & hobbyists | 💰 Free / optional paid map downloads or donations |
| MyRouteOnline | ✨ Batch Excel/CSV import, multi-route/driver planning, export options | ★★★★☆, scales to large address sets | 🏆 Handles very large lists and flexible exports | 👥 Businesses with scheduled/recurring delivery days | 💰 Paid (credit-based); free trial |
Final Thoughts
A free route planner looks great at 8 p.m. when you are loading tomorrow’s stops into a map. It looks very different at 11 a.m. when a driver is late, a customer changes a delivery window, and someone in the office is rebuilding the route by hand.
That is the real dividing line.
For a solo courier, owner-driver, or very small operation, free tools still do useful work. If the stop count is moderate, the service area is familiar, and one person handles both planning and driving, tools like MapQuest, RouteXL, Google Maps, RoadWarrior, and Spoke can save time quickly. In that setup, ease of use usually matters more than advanced routing logic.
Small fleets hit a different problem first. The route itself is rarely the only issue. Admin time starts creeping up through spreadsheet cleanup, late order changes, driver handoff, missed notes, and the simple question of who changed what. A lot of free tools can sequence stops. Fewer can support a repeatable daily operation once two, three, or five drivers are involved.
That is why the right choice depends on use case, not just feature count. A solo driver can live with a few manual workarounds. A bakery running six vans on fixed morning rounds cannot. A field sales rep may care most about map speed and offline access. A local delivery team usually needs imports, dispatch control, proof of delivery, and customer communication before long.
A practical decision framework is simple:
- Stay with free tools if one person plans the route, one driver runs it, and route changes are limited.
- Move to a paid route optimizer if staff are spending too much time resequencing stops, fixing imports, or rebuilding routes during the day.
- Move to delivery management software if dispatch visibility, customer updates, proof of delivery, and driver accountability are now part of the daily job.
For 1PL operators, that last step matters most. Running your own fleet means the delivery process carries the brand, not just the box in the vehicle. If you need a record of who handled an order and when, that becomes part of understanding chain of custody across the wider workflow.
Free tools are good for testing whether route optimization helps. Paid platforms start making sense when the cost of manual planning, missed communication, and weak operational visibility is higher than the subscription.
If your team has outgrown basic route planners and needs one system to capture jobs, optimize routes, dispatch drivers, send customer updates, and collect proof of delivery, Routelink is built for that next stage. It fits retailers, 1PL delivery teams, and scheduled local operations that need less admin, faster planning, and smoother delivery execution.