Upper vs. Routific: Head-to-head Comparison to Choose the Right Route Planner in 2024

Welcome to our detailed comparison of Upper vs. Routific, two leading route optimization platforms designed to streamline the routing operations of multiple businesses. 

If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re likely seeking insights into which platform best suits your company’s needs in terms of efficiency, functionality, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendliness.

Introducing the route planners:

• Upper: Known for its advanced route optimization features, intuitive interface, and comprehensive analytics. Upper focuses on enhancing delivery efficiency and customer satisfaction by offering real-time tracking, proof of delivery, customer notifications, and detailed reports.
• Routific: Focuses on optimizing routes and serves small to medium-sized businesses with multiple vehicles. It boasts features like live GPS tracking, proof of delivery, and a customizable template. However, its pricing structure and customization options may vary from Upper’s.

In this comparison, we’ll delve into key aspects, strengths, and weaknesses of both Upper and Routific, helping you make an informed decision for your delivery management needs.

So, let’s explore how these platforms stack up against each other.

Upper: Suitable for Businesses of All Sizes Seeking Advanced Route Optimization

Upper isn’t an average route optimization software. It analyzes traffic patterns, priority stops, time windows, driver availability, vehicle capacities, and other constraints to create the most efficient delivery routes. 

Forget about generic route suggestions—Upper focuses on finding routes that save you time and money. Upper goes beyond efficiency. It equips you with the tools to become a routing pro. 

Imagine a one-click dispatch that gets drivers on the road in seconds, real-time tracking that lets you track your drivers to resolve issues before they arise, and detailed reports that pinpoint areas for improvement. 

Not just it! 

Upper integrates seamlessly with your existing systems so that you can avoid the hassle of a complete overhaul.

Here’s the kicker: Upper is surprisingly user-friendly. No complex algorithms or confusing interfaces to navigate. It’s designed for busy business owners and dispatchers like you, so you can be up and running quickly.

Upper’s pricing plans

Here’s a breakdown of Upper’s pricing plans:

All plans come with a 7 days free trial, with no credit card details required to start the free trial. Just sign up, and you will be up for using it.

Key strengths of Upper

• Plan and optimize routes with multiple stops, accommodating complex schedules and maximizing driver productivity.
• Easily upload orders or service requests by importing spreadsheets in CSV or Excel format. This will allow you to manage large volumes of location data efficiently.
• Easily dispatch optimized routes to drivers with just a single click, streamlining the delivery process.
• Provide drivers with turn-by-turn navigation within the Upper’s driver app, ensuring they stay on track and reach destinations efficiently.
• Track drivers in real-time to monitor progress, make informed decisions, and provide accurate ETAs to customers.
• Keep your customers informed and updated with customizable customer notifications.
• Generate custom reports and analytics as per your business needs, providing actionable insights into delivery operations and performance.
• Seamlessly integrate Upper with other systems and platforms to automate workflows and data sync.

Upper’s positive reviews

Upper’s weaknesses

• Upper doesn’t currently support barcode scanning; instead, it focuses on efficient route planning and delivery management.
• Upper requires a stable internet connection to ensure optimal route planning with real-time data integration.
• Upper doesn’t have an in-app driver chat.
• Upper currently doesn’t provide multi-day planning; however, it’s in the development process for added scheduling flexibility across consecutive days.
• Upper offers a 7 days free trial, while some competitors might provide a longer trial period.

Upper’s negative reviews

Routific: Suitable for Businesses Having Basic Routing Requirements and Smaller Fleets

Routific is a route optimization software designed to streamline delivery operations for businesses across various industries. 

It optimizes routes based on traffic patterns and driver constraints. Compared to manual planning, we saw a clear reduction in delivery times.

While user-friendly for basic tasks, Routific has its limitations. For instance, advanced features like real-time driver tracking, proof of delivery, and detailed reports are either missing or limited in the base plans.

Additionally, exploring Routific’s full potential for complex deliveries with multiple stops and specific requirements involved some learning at the initial stage.

On the other hand, Routific offers a big perk for smaller businesses: budget-friendly pricing. The plans are straightforward. 

Routific integrates seamlessly with existing systems, avoiding the hassle of managing separate data sources. Plus, it even makes it easy to upload addresses and set preferences.Overall, Routific is an appropriate route optimization tool for smaller fleets with straightforward delivery needs. If you require advanced features or more control over route customization, you might need to explore other Routific alternatives.

Routific pricing plans

Essential

• Price: $49 per vehicle/month (or $39 per vehicle/month billed annually)
• Includes: Intelligent route optimization, dispatch routes to driver mobile apps

Professional

• Price: $69 per vehicle/month (or $59 per vehicle/month billed annually)
• Includes: Everything in Essentials, plus live GPS tracking, proof of delivery, end-of-day reports, API integrations

Professional+

• Price: $93 per vehicle/month (or $78 per vehicle/month billed annually)
• Includes: Everything in Professional, plus customer notifications, customizable Free Trial
• 7 days free trial templates, real-time delivery tracker link

Key strengths of Routific

Routific offers a mix of helpful features for delivery businesses. Here’s a breakdown of some key strengths and functionalities:

• Routific’s route optimization algorithms analyze traffic patterns, driver preferences, and business priorities to generate optimized routes. While generally effective, we have encountered occasional inaccuracies that require manual adjustments.
• The platform offers GPS tracking capabilities, allowing dispatchers to monitor driver progress in real-time. 
• Routific enables businesses to capture proof of delivery, including signatures and photos, promoting accountability and dispute resolution. 
• The compatibility with mobile devices allows drivers to access route updates and notifications on the go. 
• Routific provides customer support to assist users with technical issues. However, we have experienced mixed responses in terms of support responsiveness and effectiveness, with occasional delays in issue resolution.
• While Routific offers route adjustments and driver assignments, some advanced customization options, like reversing routes or locking stops, are limited.
• Routific supports API integrations to automate workflows and sync data from e-commerce systems. 

Routific’s positive review

Routific’s weaknesses

Routific offers a compelling solution for delivery route optimization, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Here are some key negatives to consider before you decide:

• Routific’s pricing is generally higher than some competitors, making it less cost-effective for small businesses or those with limited budgets.
• The GPS tracking feature is not available in Routific’s lite version, limiting visibility for some users.
• Some crucial features—customer notifications, proof of delivery, live GPS tracking, and end-of-day reports—are exclusive to Routific’s higher pricing tiers.
• Routific lacks some advanced route customization options, such as reversing routes, swapping routes between drivers, or locking specific stops, which can limit flexibility.
• Some users have reported that Routific’s timeline interface can be confusing to navigate and may require significant learning of the interface to become proficient with the software.
• The lack of barcode scanning functionality can be a limitation for delivery businesses that rely on this feature for supply chain management processes.
• Some users have cited issues with Routific’s routing algorithms when handling clustered stops or considering drivers’ end addresses, resulting in inefficient routes 
• There were even instances of multiple drivers being sent to the same area.

Routific’s negative reviews

The following comparison, based on a comprehensive survey involving 30 users, presents a detailed analysis of Upper and Routific’s key features and functionalities.

Price Comparison Between Upper and Routific

Pricing is a crucial factor for businesses when choosing a route optimization and delivery management solution. 

Both Upper and Routific offer different pricing structures to cater to various business needs and sizes.

• Routific follows a straightforward per-vehicle pricing model. However, the per-vehicle cost can quickly add up, making it less cost-effective for businesses with numerous vehicles or those operating on tighter budgets.
• Upper offers a more flexible and scalable pricing structure based on the number of users and stops rather than vehicles. This makes the pricing way lower than that of Routific. This type of pricing model is advantageous for businesses with larger fleets or higher stop volumes, as the cost does not directly scale with the number of vehicles.
• While Routific offers a considerable discount on its annual plans, Upper offers a flat 20% discount on annual billing, which further reduces businesses’ costs.
• Upper’s pricing includes essential features like customer notifications, real-time tracking, and detailed reports across all plans. With Routific, these crucial features are only available in the higher-priced tiers, which can increase businesses’ overall costs.

Which software provides a better value proposition, Upper or Routific?

While pricing is significant, businesses should also consider their specific requirements, such as features, ease of use, and customer support. 

Upper’s competitive pricing and comprehensive feature set make it a compelling choice for businesses seeking a cost-effective and efficient route optimization solution.

However, the decision should be based on a careful evaluation of each business’s unique needs, budget, and growth plans. 

To ensure you choose a solution that aligns with your business objectives, let’s perform a feature analysis of both Upper and Routific.

Key Feature Comparison: Upper Vs Routific

In comparing Upper and Routific, it’s essential to note that both platforms excel in route optimization and delivery management. However, there are some notable differences:

Route optimization and customization capabilities:

• Routific’s algorithms consider factors like traffic patterns, driver preferences, and business priorities to generate optimized routes. However, some users have reported occasional inaccuracies or inefficient routing for clustered stops or specific driver locations.
• Upper’s route optimization engine is powered by advanced algorithms that take into account time windows, vehicle capacities, priorities, driver availability, and many other time and distance-based constraints. 
• Users have consistently praised Upper’s ability to generate practical and efficient routes, reducing drive times and fuel costs.
• Upper’s route optimization process is highly flexible, allowing users to easily drag and drop stops, reverse routes, or swap routes between drivers with just a few clicks. Routific lacks some of these advanced customization options.

Driver management and dispatching:

• Both platforms offer mobile apps for drivers to receive routes and navigation instructions. However, Upper provides an in-app navigation feature in its driver app, while Routific relies solely on external navigation apps.
• Routific provides real-time GPS tracking of drivers, but this feature is not available in their lite version, limiting visibility for some users.
• Upper’s real-time tracking capabilities are available across all plans and offer sophisticated functionalities, such as monitoring driver speed and idle time and enabling admins to set speed limits.
• Upper’s one-click dispatch feature streamlines the process of assigning routes to drivers, ensuring efficient communication and reducing the risk of errors.

Customer experience:

• Routific offers customer notifications and a real-time delivery tracker link, but these features are exclusive to their higher-priced plan, making them more expensive for some businesses.
• Upper includes customer notifications and accurate ETAs as an add-on which is available across all pricing plans.
• Upper’s customizable notification templates allow businesses to maintain their brand identity and tone, enhancing customer engagement.

Reporting and analytics:

• Both platforms provide reporting and analytics capabilities, but Upper’s approach is more comprehensive and user-friendly.
• Upper offers detailed reports and insights into delivery operations, driver performance, and route summaries, enabling data-driven decision-making.
• Routific’s reporting features are generally adequate, but some users have found the interface and navigation to be less intuitive.

Integration and flexibility:

• Routific offers API integrations to connect with third-party systems, but the integration process may require additional development resources or technical expertise.
• Upper’s API and FTP integrations are designed to be seamless and user-friendly. They enable businesses to integrate with their existing systems and workflows without significant overhead.
• Upper’s flexible platform allows for customizations like adding custom fields, setting stop priorities, and handling complex delivery scenarios with ease. It also provides unique features like a contact/address book for creating routes directly and an OCR address scanner for easy address input.
• Upper’s “Attempted Delivery” functionality enables dispatchers to verify if drivers have properly completed or failed delivery from a reasonable distance, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Both Upper and Routific offer route optimization and delivery management capabilities. However, Upper stands out with its user-friendly interface, comprehensive feature set, cost-effective pricing structure, and advanced functionalities, such as in-app navigation, driver tracking insights, and delivery verification. 

Deciding Between Upper and Routific

In comparing Upper and Routific, it’s evident that both platforms offer robust solutions for route optimization and delivery management. 

Upper stands out with advanced algorithms, user-friendly features, and cost-effective pricing, making it ideal for efficiency-focused businesses. 

On the other hand, Routific offers budget-friendly options to smaller fleets but may lack some advanced customization and reporting features. 

The choice ultimately depends on your specific needs and budget, so take advantage of free trials to make an informed decision.