Key Takeaways
A multi stop route planner takes a list of addresses and works out the fastest order to drive them. That reordering, called route optimization, is the whole point. Google Maps doesn't do it.
Geo2 is the best free option: 15 stops per route free, unlimited for $7.99/month, with proof of delivery and an AI voice assistant that no other app includes free.
Google Maps is not a multi stop route planner. It caps at 9 stops and follows the order you type them in. Fine for a few errands, useless for a delivery round.
The free-stop limits across the main apps: Geo2 15, MyWay 15, Zeo 12 routes/month, Circuit/Spoke 10, Route4Me 10, RoadWarrior 8.
What actually matters on a shift: optimization quality, how fast you can get stops in, whether proof of delivery is included, and whether it works offline. Price is downstream of those.
If you deliver for a living, you want a planner built for drivers, not a navigation app with waypoints bolted on.
What is a multi stop route planner?
A multi stop route planner is an app that takes multiple delivery addresses and calculates the fastest order to visit them all, then guides you stop to stop.
The key word is order. Anyone can drop ten addresses on a map. The hard part, the part worth paying for, is working out that stop 7 should actually be your third drop and stop 2 should be your last, because that sequence saves you 40 minutes and a gallon of fuel. That reordering is called route optimization, and it's a genuinely hard computing problem. It's the difference between a route planner and a map.
If an app makes you set the order yourself, it isn't optimizing anything. It's just showing you pins.
What is the best app to plan a route with multiple stops?
Geo2 is the best app to plan a route with multiple stops for delivery drivers, because it optimizes up to 15 stops free and includes proof of delivery and an AI voice assistant that competitors charge for or don't offer.
There are maybe seven apps a working driver would seriously consider, and they cluster into three groups:
Driver-first apps (built for one person with a van): Geo2, Circuit/Spoke, MyWay, Zeo, RoadWarrior. These live on your phone, they're quick to set up, and they're priced for an individual.
Fleet platforms (built for dispatchers): Route4Me, OptimoRoute. Powerful, integration-heavy, priced by quote or per seat. Overkill if you're the one driving.
Not actually a route planner: Google Maps. It strings stops together but doesn't optimize them.
For a self-employed multi-drop driver, the real choice is inside that first group, and it usually comes down to free-stop limits and upgrade price.
How do you plan a route with multiple stops?
To plan a route with multiple stops, add your addresses to a route planner app, tap optimize, and the app reorders them into the fastest sequence before you start driving.
The basic flow in any decent app:
Get your stops in. Type them, paste a list, scan a manifest with your camera, or speak them. The faster this is, the more time you save before you've even started the van.
Optimize. One tap. The app solves the order. This is the bit Google Maps can't do.
Drive. Follow the sequence, navigating stop to stop, handing off to Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps for the actual turn-by-turn if the app doesn't do its own.
Confirm delivery. Photo, signature, timestamp at each drop, if your app has proof of delivery.
The whole point is that steps 1 and 2 happen before you turn the key. Ten minutes of planning saves an hour of driving. That's the trade every multi-drop driver is making.
For the Google Maps method specifically, and where it falls apart, see our guide on how to plan a delivery route on Google Maps.
Is there a free multi stop route planner?
Yes. Geo2 is a free multi stop route planner with 15 stops per route, and it's the most generous free plan for features, not just stop count.
"Free" needs a caveat here. No app gives unlimited stops free, and the ones that claim to usually mean unlimited stops but a tiny cap on something else, like Zeo's 12 routes a month. The question that matters isn't "is it free" but "what does the free plan let me do a full day's work with."
On stops, Geo2 and MyWay lead at 15 per route. On features inside the free plan, Geo2 is out on its own: it's the only free plan with an AI voice assistant, and one of the few with proof of delivery included. Most apps make you pay for POD.
The catch, stated plainly: Geo2's free plan is ad-supported. Pro at $7.99 removes the ads and the stop limit. If 15 stops covers your day, you may never need to upgrade. If you run 40 or 50 drops, you will, and $7.99 is the cheapest unlimited tier among the driver apps.
More detail in our free route planner with unlimited stops comparison.
Why can't I just use Google Maps for multiple stops?
You can add stops in Google Maps, but it caps at 9 and it won't reorder them, so it isn't optimizing your route. It drives them in the order you typed.
This trips up a lot of new drivers. Google Maps looks like it should handle a delivery round. It's free, it's on your phone, it does navigation better than anyone. But it has two hard limits for delivery work: 9 stops maximum, and no optimization. You could enter your 9 stops in the worst possible order and Google Maps will faithfully drive you in that worst possible order, doubling back across town, because it never reorders anything.
For a handful of personal errands, fine. For a delivery round, it costs you time and fuel on every single shift. That's the gap a real free route planner fills.
What should you look for in a multi stop route planner?
Optimization quality first, then how fast you can load stops, then whether the day's essentials are included.
In order of what actually matters on a shift:
Optimization that's genuinely good. All these apps claim it. The test is whether the order it gives you makes sense to a driver who knows the area. A bad optimizer is worse than none.
Fast stop entry. Camera scanning a manifest, voice input, bulk paste. If you're typing 40 addresses by hand every morning you've lost before you've started.
Proof of delivery. Photo and signature. If you deliver for Amazon, Evri, DPD or anyone who wants confirmation, you need this. Geo2 includes it free; most charge for it.
Offline mode. Signal drops in rural rounds and multi-storey car parks. The route needs to survive that.
Vehicle restrictions. If you drive a tall or heavy van, height and weight avoidance stops you getting wedged under a bridge. Rare as a free feature. Geo2 has it.
Price you can actually see. If you have to book a sales call to find out what it costs, it's not built for you.
The Route Planner Comparisons
We've written honest head-to-heads for each major competitor, naming their real strengths, not just ours: