StopHarborGoogle Maps or a route planner? It depends on the day you are planning.
If you have six stops and one driver, Google Maps is probably enough. Once you have more stops, more people, windows or a hand-off problem, the gap shows quickly.
When Google Maps alone is fine
- One driver, fewer than about ten stops.
- No appointment windows.
- You are happy choosing the order yourself.
What a route planner adds
- Optimized order: it compares far more sequences than anyone can by hand.
- More stops: a full day in one plan instead of ten at a time.
- Several workers: dividing the list fairly is solved together with the order.
- Windows and time on site: arrival estimates and a realistic finish time.
- Hand-off: each worker gets only their list, with notes, and reports back.
- Records: saved plans, CSV exports and printed route sheets.
Use both
StopHarbor does not replace navigation. Plan and assign in StopHarbor, then tap Navigate on any route to open it in Google Maps in the right order. Routes longer than ten stops open as consecutive legs.
Put a number on it
Our free route cost calculator estimates what driving costs your business each month in wages, fuel and vehicle wear, and what a modest reduction in drive time would save.
The cost of doing it by hand
Ordering stops by hand takes office time every morning and still leaves avoidable miles. For a crew of three driving two and a half hours a day each, even a ten percent cut in drive time adds up to dozens of working hours a month. Our calculator shows the dollar figure for your own numbers, so you can decide with data rather than a sales pitch.
Questions
Is Google Maps route optimization free?
Google Maps navigation is free, but its directions follow the order you enter rather than optimizing it, and accept about ten stops.
Do I need to stop using Google Maps?
No. Workers still navigate with Google Maps; StopHarbor decides the order and who goes where.
What does a route planner cost?
Solo is $19 a month for one worker and up to 40 stops per calculation. Team is $59 a month for up to ten route workers, three signed-in seats and 80 stops total per calculation. Every workspace starts with a 14-day trial with 300 stop computations in total; each optimization counts the stops it processes.