Whether you're in industries like field sales, delivery services, or trucking, route planning can be a slog. It may seem straightforward, but organizing all of your stops in the most efficient order can be complex, especially when managing the high volume of destinations that are typical in these fields.

That’s why you need a tool that can automate your route planning for you. A free route planner with unlimited stops can be a game changer as it will provide you with fully optimized routes that will save you time, reduce fuel costs, and help you boost revenue by allowing you to meet more customers in a day. 

I’ve gone out into the field and personally tested all of the apps listed here, keeping in mind the different use cases they will be used for and that not all route planners are the same. The biggest problem I found was this - there are no free route planners with unlimited stops! A lot of the free tools on this list will create routes with a certain number of stops, however if you want a tool to create unlimited stops, you’re going to have to commit to a paid route planner. 

But don’t worry, I’ll give you the lowdown on both free and paid route planners, right here.

Google Maps

Best Free Route Planner for: Multiple purposes

Main Benefits: User-friendliness, reliability, compatible with all devices

Capterra Rating: 4.7

Available on: iOS | Android

Is there a better route planner than Google Maps? The route planner business leader is available on virtually all devices—smartphones, tablets, desktops, and even smartwatches. It allows you to easily locate destinations and plan your routes with turn-by-turn navigation that is among the most advanced in the industry. Features like real-time traffic updates, automatic rerouting, and live ETA sharing have almost single-handedly changed the way the world travels.

Street View, what was once a groundbreaking feature, now has a potential successor. Immersive View is the shiny new toy Google has been rolling out the past couple of years. Powered by AI, Immersive View can provide you with a 3D, multi-dimensional experience view of a location, where you can preview bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections, and parking spots for planning your next journey. While both features remain available, it’s clear that Google is positioning Immersive View as the go-to choice for experiencing locations in greater depth. 

With more and more electric cars on the roads, electric vehicle drivers can now conveniently locate charging stations using their app, which offers up-to-date details on charger availability and charging speeds. For busy field teams planning routes, this can be highly beneficial.

Although it is primarily used for personal and recreational purposes, you can use Google Maps to plan your routes if you’re working in industries such as field sales or field services. It does only allow for 10 stops in a single route, however, there are some clever workarounds for that. 

Despite being 100% free and very easy to use, Google Maps route planner has some limitations -  

• If you’re planning a trip with multiple stops, Google Maps will find the best route from one point to the next, but it won’t optimize the entire route. 
• You can’t add more than 10 stops to your route.
• No CRM integration, so it might not be the best solution for professional use.

What’s the point of paying for a route planner when you have a free tool like Google Maps? Selling 25% more and driving 20% less! 

Apple Maps

Best Free Route Planner for: Day-to-day routing

Main Benefits: Integration with Apple devices. Privacy. Simple design

Available on: iOS

Apple has drastically improved their route planner in recent years and is now a worthwhile competitor to Google. Unlike Google, they highly value user privacy, something which is becoming more and more of an issue with users. You can add up to 15 stops, 5 more than you can add with Google. 

Compared to the typical design of route planner apps, Apple Maps offers its users a photographic and sleek look which allows you to clearly see nearby locations without distractions, perfect for the average user. You can take a virtual walk through your chosen streets with 360-degree panoramic views in the Look Around feature.

Apple Maps provides real-time turn-by-turn directions and integrates seamlessly with Siri, allowing you to stay connected across all your Apple devices, including your iPhone, Apple CarPlay, and Apple Watch. The Apple Watch even provides haptic feedback, informing you when you need to take an action. These can be customized to your liking. 

If you’re looking for a simple and easy-to-use navigation tool on your Apple device, the Apple Maps route planner is a great option. Similar to Google Maps and Waze, Apple Maps doesn’t offer route optimization. You will need to reorder your stops manually, something which can end up taking too much time if you are working with long customer lists.

Waze

Best Free Route Planner for: Getting from A to B quickly

Main Benefits: Real-time data, community feedback, speed control, parking notifications

Available on: iOS | Android

Waze has a lot in common with Google Maps, which makes sense as Google's parent company Alphabet bought Waze in 2013. But there are key features that differentiate the two and while Google Maps caters to users who walk, drive, and use public transport, Waze is focused primarily on drivers, making it more car-centric.

Waze is possibly most famous for helping you get to your destination as quickly as possible, rerouting you to avoid traffic jams and accidents. This may mean you end up driving roads you have never seen before, but you can ensure you will get to your destination that bit faster than other free route planners. 

Using real-time data crowdsourced from other Waze users, you can stay informed of road conditions with quirky and colorful maps that make driving quick, easy, and fun. One potential drawback of this is that if not a lot of people in your area use Waze, the information you receive won't be as accurate. The more Waze users in your area, the better your experience. The Crash History Alerts feature can inform you of roads that have a history of crashes, a useful feature if you are looking for the safest route to your destinations.

They have fun and engaging themes that you can choose from and even options to get voice directions by your favorite celebrities! Driving around while getting directions from Morgan Freeman or Arnold Schwarzenegger sounds pretty cool, right?! The app can also connect with Spotify, making it possible to easily switch between music and navigation. 

The Waze route planner is a great free app when it comes to planning simple routes from point A to B, and it even allows you to add 1 stop along the way while keeping you on the fastest route. However, if your route has multiple stops, the Waze route planner will not allow you to add those extra stops. You’ll need to create a new route every time, which can make it extremely difficult and time-consuming to efficiently plan your routes that require multiple stops. 

While Waze does not allow for unlimited stops to routes, it can be used as the navigation system for other route planners on this list, such as Badger Maps.

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Badger Maps, the Highest Ranked App in the B2B Sales Mapping Apps Category

Image credit to MatrixPlace, a sales consulting firm that wrote an Analyst Report on Sales Mapping Software

Badger Maps

Best Route Planner for: Field Salespeople and Field Service Techs

Main benefits: Route optimization, route planning, scheduling, lead generation, keeping track of appointments, CRM integration

Capterra Rating: 4.7

Pricing: Free 7 day trial, Business - $58/month, Enterprise - $95/month (Free 7-day trial)

Available on: iOS | Android

Badger Maps is the best route planner with unlimited stops as it allows you to automatically plan, route, and maximize your time in the field, cutting down driving time by 20%. It can help you save time on your daily planning, maintain better relationships with your customers, and be more productive.  

Although not necessarily free, they do offer a flexible free trial period and team pilot programs where you can see if it works for your team before you commit to a purchase. The app will even pay for itself through the gas savings you make, with sales teams reporting that they sell 22% more and drive 20% less when using Badger Maps. The average team of 10 reps sells $936k more the year they start using the app.

Badger Maps offers great features for field teams like lead generation, territory mapping, photo check-ins, and advanced reporting that allow you to discover new leads in your territory, keep track of key customer information, and stay on top of your most important accounts.  

The colorize and filtering capabilities Badger Maps offers allow you to effortlessly plan your days. You can filter your customers to segment them into different groups, helping you target specific accounts and plan your day more strategically. You can also set your map pins as different colors which will help you to quickly visualize the locations of your most valuable customers compared to lower-priority accounts.

Using Badger Maps, you can mobilize your CRM software, giving you instant access to your important customer information as you work your territory. You can easily sync and leverage data in your CRM, all from your mobile device. 

You can enable a two-way, real-time integration with the most common CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho, Insightly, NetSuite, and many more, transforming your current CRM into a mobile CRM solution to keep all of your data in sync on-the-go.

If you’re part of a field team and looking to make the most of every day on the road, the best route planner with unlimited stops is Badger Maps. You can create routes with 100+ stops with turn-by-turn directions powered by Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze. The mobile app can also integrate with Carplay.

On average, sales teams using Badger Maps save 8 hours a week, drive 20% less, and sell 22% more.

Sign up for a free trial today or schedule a demo and see for yourself!

MapQuest

Best Free Route Planner for: Road trips

Main Benefits: Simple routing, business location

Available on: iOS | Android

MapQuest is one of the oldest names in the route planning industry. Launched in 1996, it has been one of the most reliable and popular route planners on the planet and almost single-handedly revolutionized the standards of web-based mapping.

MapQuest is a straightforward mapping tool to create routes, locate businesses such as restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations, and even to book hotels. The free version allows you to create routes with up to 26 stops and gives you the option to optimize your routes. That being said, its overall functionality, and its database, is pretty limited compared to a behemoth like Google Maps. It's startingly obvious that this route planner is a relic of the past. 

Its user interface is pretty outdated, and considering other route planners can pull from a massive amount of data to create better maps, using Mapquest on a daily basis would end up causing more problems than solving. In 2019 Mapquest was sold to an internet advertising company, System1, something which greatly impacts its user experience due to constant ads. Shortly after, System1 purchased another route planning app, RoadWarrior, which requires a monthly fee and is geared towards delivery drivers. 

Compared to other free route planners on the list, it’s clear that MapQuest is quite limited. It was not designed to compete with more industry-specific routing apps. However, if you are looking for a simple route planning app to get the job done, MapQuest is a handy route planner that has stood the test of time.

Circuit

Best Free Route Planner for: Delivery Services

Main Benefits: Shareable routes, route optimization

Capterra Rating: 4.8

Available on: Website, iOS | Android

Circuit is a route planner designed specifically for delivery drivers that allows you to input 10 multiple delivery addresses for free and automatically calculates the most efficient route, minimizing the time you spend on the road. If you are looking to get unlimited stops, you will need to upgrade to their Standard subscription that costs $20 a month. This is considerably cheaper than its competitors, something to keep in mind if you are thinking of committing to a paid route planner.

So what makes Circuit a better fit for delivery services over other route planners like Routific, Route4Me, or OptimoRoute? For starters, its user-friendly interface is easy to navigate and easy to eye, something a lot of its competitors have not latched on to yet. Delivery drivers tend to have a high-stress work environment and they don’t need unnecessary distractions, something Circuit does pretty well.  

An essential part of any route planner for delivery drivers is a Proof of Delivery (POD) feature and Circuit can collect electronic signatures, photos, and notes as proof of delivery, enhancing accountability and customer satisfaction. You can organize your stops by priority and create time windows for stops which can help you easily communicate delivery ETAs to your customers.

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TruckRouter

Best Free Route Planner for: Trucking (North America only)

Main Benefits: Trucking routes, regulation information, trip cost calculator

Available on: Website

Trucking is a complex industry with a specific set of needs. TruckRouter is a free route planner designed to address these needs and is one of the best free options available for people who make their living driving trucks across North America.

Features such as truck-specific routes, weight/height restrictions, and trip cost calculator are just some of the capabilities TruckRouter provides. In an industry dependent upon speed and reliability, TruckRouter is an invaluable tool to stay ahead of schedule. 

Truck warnings, toll roads and costs, and route elevation information keep drivers informed of what to expect and how to prepare accordingly. It makes the rough hours on the road just a little easier — and a little safer. 

One drawback of this route planner is that it doesn’t come with a mobile app, so you will have to print off or export your routes to another route planner to start your drive. This can be a major drawback if you’re thinking about getting a free route planner, but the trucking-specific capabilities TruckRouter offers may sway your decision.

RAC Route Planner

Best Free Route Planner for: Safety focused

Main Benefits: Safest routes, avoiding accidents

Available on: Website

If safety is your top priority, UK-based RAC Route Planner might be the tool for you. With an emphasis on avoiding accidents, RAC’s route planner is a fantastic (and safe!) resource.

You can stay aware of accidents along your route and weather information that might affect traffic. RAC’s free route planner provides maps and driving directions within the UK and the rest of Europe. It also helps locate hotels and has a fuel cost calculator to ensure that you aren’t spending too much on gas on the road.

Businesses and drivers that put safety first can benefit from using RAC’s mapping service. At the end of the day, safety is the most important thing – RAC is designed to ensure that you get back home every time you get behind the wheel.

It does allow you to plot unlimited stops, though its interface can be a bit clunky.

For routes in the UK and the rest of Europe, RAC Route Planner is one of the best options to stay safe and informed of what awaits you on the road.

Plotaroute

Best Free Route Planner for: Outdoor activities

Main Benefits: Recreational routes, interactive maps

Available on: Website

If you’re looking to create a route for your next walk, run, or bike ride, Plotaroute is a great free route planner. It was created specifically with outdoor activities and recreational routes in mind. It's used all over the world by outdoor enthusiasts looking for new and dynamic exercise paths. 

Although primarily designed for individual use, it also includes features that can benefit groups or organizations planning events or group activities.

It offers thousands of preloaded routes that you can follow, whether your activity is walking, running, cycling, horse riding, or motorbiking. This sense of community opens you up to find the best alternative paths and routes that you may not be aware of. You can annotate and upload photos of your routes, which can be highly beneficial for other users. Plotaroute is a great way to have a different adventure each time you strap on your running shoes, and it’s also easy to keep track of your mileage and progress.

This free route planning tool provides a multitude of different route editing features that can allow outdoor enthusiasts to create routes exactly to their specifications. You can combine two routes into one, reshape existing routes, accurately measure the length of their routes, and much more.

It also has sharing features that allow you to show off your routes on social media with unique, interactive maps. This encourages others to exercise on the same paths as you — or to compete and try to beat your time.

Standard membership is free, so there’s nothing stopping you from using Plotaroute and making the most of your next outdoor adventure!

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Sometimes a free route planner just won’t be enough for you if you have complex routing needs. If you are going on a road trip that consists of five or six stops, a free route planner such as Google Maps or Apple Maps will work well for you. 

You could create sales or service routes with a free route planner, however the amount of time you would spend planning and plotting your routes would prove detrimental to your bottom line. Also free route planners don't tend to offer route optimization capabilities, something that will prevent you from saving money on gas.

Let’s say you are working in field sales or field services and you are dealing with upwards of twenty customers a day. If you are working in these types of industries you are going to need a paid route planner such as Badger Maps that will allow you to create routes with multiple stops.  

A paid sales route planner can help you navigate your territory by combining easy data visualization, optimized routes, CRM integration, and a lead generation tool - all on the same platform.

Sales reps and service techs know the importance of managing their time and by using a paid route planner they can work more efficiently, freeing them up from the more time-consuming and menial tasks to focus on the activities that provide more return on their investment.

Check out this blog that provides you with 6 ways to improve your performance when using a route planner!

Conclusion

There are many fantastic free options for route planners with unlimited stops, and each of them serves a different purpose. The best free route planner for you will depend on the particular personal or professional needs you have.

In general, if you need an option that is a bit more sophisticated, it might be best to pay a little money. In most cases, the route planning app professionals choose will end up paying for itself in traveling expenses and increased revenue. The gas savings alone might end up paying for the route planner you choose.

Most route planners offer a free trial, so pick out the software that fits your needs best, and decide later if it’s worth paying for.

MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT FREE ROUTE PLANNERS WITH UNLIMITED STOPS

What is the best free route planner app?

The best free route planner app for professionals is Badger Maps. Its industry-leading features include route optimization, territory visualization, CRM integration, customer check-ins, and follow-up enablement. For personal trips the best app is Google Maps.

Can Google Maps optimize my route?

No, Google maps cannot optimize your route. You can add up to 10 stops to your route, however, for route optimization you many find it easier to use specialized route planners better suited to your needs, such as Badger Maps or RouteXL.

What is the best free route planning software?

The answer depends on what features matter most to you. Visualization features, keeping customer information handy at all times, and check-in tracking are important to professionals on the road.
The best all-in-one tool route planner with these features is Badger Maps. For personal travel and road trips, Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Mapquest are great free options that are easy to use.

Can Google Maps plan a route with multiple stops?

You can route up to 10 stops at a time with Google Maps. There are ways around this that allow you to plug in more stops. But for the sake of convenience, it is easier to use a different route planner that allows multiple stops.

Is there an app to map out a route?

There are many! The most well-known route planning app is Google Maps, used by millions around the world. It is easy to use and free.
If you’re a businessperson who needs to plot a more complicated route while tracking key customer information, there are great options available for your unique needs like Badger Maps, Maps.me, or SpeedyRoute.

What is route planning in sales?

Route planning in sales is the process of strategically mapping out the most efficient and effective sales routes to take when visiting customers in the field. This involves optimizing the sequence of stops to minimize travel time, fuel costs, and vehicle wear and tear, while maximizing the number of customer visits completed within a given timeframe.

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