Is Google Maps enough for routing my crews, or do I need a route planner?
Short answer: Google Maps, the free map and directions app, is enough for one driver with a handful of stops, because it lets you add up to 9 stops (including the last one) on a computer and drag them into order yourself. Upper Route Planner, a paid tool that sorts a list of addresses into an efficient order and sends routes to drivers' phones, starts at $40 per user a month on yearly billing ($50 month to month) as of November 2026 and handles 250 or more stops a route. I'd stay on Maps until you hit the stop limit or spend more than about 10 minutes a day sorting stops by hand.
You send crews out to many stops a day and want to know if free Google Maps is still enough or if a route planner will pay for itself.
I'm Ranjit, and I run Blur Studio: 15+ years building software, 120 apps taken live, and clients who have gone on to raise $10M+. I build AI systems and processes that help businesses do a lot more with a lot less time. I also work differently from most of what else is out there, more on that further down this page. Say hello.
What are Upper Route Planner and Google Maps?
Google Maps is Google's free map and directions app. You enter a start and some stops, and it gives you a route. Upper Route Planner is a paid route planning tool. You give it a list of addresses and it works out an efficient order, splits stops across drivers, sends the routes to a driver app on iPhone or Android, and can track vehicles live. It is built mainly for delivery fleets, but service crews with many stops use the same idea.
Where does Google Maps break for a crew?
Google's help page says that on a computer you can add up to 9 stops, and that count includes the final destination. With your start point, that is 10 places. Multiple stops work for every mode except public transport and flights. Three more limits show up quickly for crews:
- You set the order. Google Maps lets you drag stops into a new order. It gives you directions for the order you chose. Google's help does not describe a way to have it sort 12 stops into the best order for you.
- It is one person's route. A plan for three vans means three separate routes, typed in by hand, and copied to each tech.
- It is not a scheduler. It gives directions. It does not know that a boiler service takes 90 minutes or that one customer is only in after 2pm.
If you have 6 stops and one van, none of this hurts. At 14 stops and three vans, it does.
What does Upper cost?
As of November 2026, Upper lists these plans per user a month. The yearly price carries a 20% discount label. Month to month, Starter is $50, Professional is $60 and Optimize is $89.
| Plan | Price | Stops per route | Notable features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $40 yearly, $50 monthly | 250 | Route optimization, driver app, CSV import, basic reports |
| Professional | $48 yearly, $60 monthly | 500 | Adds live GPS tracking, proof of delivery, customer notifications, time windows, recurring routes |
| Optimize | $71 yearly, $89 monthly | 1,500 | Adds AI driver assignment, avoidance zones, business rules |
| Enterprise | Contact Upper | 3,000 or more | Adds API, custom integrations, success manager |
Add-ons cost extra: customer text updates start at $0.01 a text, live tracking for customers is $20 per driver, and capacity optimization is $25 per driver. Starter allows 10 driver profiles and Professional 15. Upper offers a 7-day free trial.
The plan table on Upper's pricing page also lists limits that matter for a small firm: Starter has unlimited saved routes a month, an address book of 1,000 customers or stops, and keeps your route history for 6 months. Time windows, recurring routes and live GPS tracking begin on Professional, so a crew with appointment slots will not get them on Starter.
What does it cost for a real crew?
Here is a made-up example. You run 3 vans, each with 14 stops a day, 21 working days a month. Your office person spends 25 minutes per van each morning ordering stops in Google Maps.
- Time on Maps: 25 minutes x 3 vans x 21 days = about 26 hours a month. At a made-up $30 an hour for office time, that is around $790 a month.
- Upper Professional for 3 users: 3 x $48 = $144 a month on yearly billing ($180 month to month), if each driver counts as a user. Ask Upper what counts as a user.
That is not a promise of savings. Upper will not cut your time to zero, and the order of stops is only half the picture. But it shows why the stop count and the minutes matter more than the plan price.
What about a route planner with more than 10 stops?
If your problem is "I have more than 10 stops", you have three choices. Split the day into two Google Maps routes, which works but loses the best overall order. Use a route planner such as Upper, where the cap is 250 stops on Starter. Or use the routing built into your job software. A fourth route exists if you have a developer: Google's Routes API has an option to reorder intermediate stops to cut the overall cost of the route, and supports up to 25 intermediate stops per request, while its separate Route Optimization API is aimed at fleets with several vehicles and constraints such as driver hours and capacity, and names field service among its uses. These are building blocks for software, not an app your office person opens. ServiceM8, a job management app for trades, has an Auto Routing add-on that orders a staff member's day with one click, and its pricing page lists it as available on all plans. See my field service management software guide for tools that route inside the job app.
What looks the same but isn't?
A delivery route and a service route are different jobs. A delivery stop takes two minutes and the order of stops is the whole problem. A service call takes 20 to 120 minutes, needs the right person with the right skill and parts, and often has an appointment window. Upper lists stop durations, customer time windows and business rules such as matching a driver to a customer, and the more rule-heavy features sit on the higher plans. Check that the plan you want includes them. If most of your day is long jobs, routing saves less than good scheduling. See crew scheduling software and dispatch software for small business.
What are the alternatives to both?
Route4Me is another route planner, which I compare in Route4Me alternatives. For what AI can and cannot do with routes today, read AI route optimization.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Google Maps if you have one or two drivers, fewer than about 9 stops each, and few time rules. Pick Upper if you have three or more drivers, more than 10 stops a route, or a person who loses an hour a day building routes. Choose Professional only if you need time windows, live tracking or customer notifications.
Need something completely custom?
Everything above is a path to get it running quick and cheap. But sometimes none of these fit, and what you need is something custom that you own, built uniquely for your business from the ground up, with AI thoughtfully designed into the parts of it that your processes actually benefit from. An asset that grows in value, not a generic, one-size-fits-all boilerplate that's an expense with a lock-in. This is a complete bespoke build, and it's something I do very well. Get in touch to know more.
How I'd approach this
Time yourself for a week. Write down how many minutes someone spends ordering stops each morning, and how many stops each van has. If it is under 10 minutes and under 9 stops, stay on Google Maps and spend your effort elsewhere. If it is more, start the Upper trial with one real day of addresses and compare its order to yours by total drive time. Check whether your job software already has routing before paying for a second tool. If your rules are unusual, for example skills, parts in the van, or customer priority, a route planner may not fit, and that is where custom routing built around your jobs earns its keep.
Questions people ask
How many stops can Google Maps handle?
On a computer, Google's help page says you can add up to 9 stops, which includes the final destination. That is 10 places counting your start. For longer days, use a route planner or the routing in your job software.
Does Google Maps put my stops in the best order?
Google's help describes dragging stops to change their order, so you set the order yourself. A route planner such as Upper sorts the list for you.
How much is Upper Route Planner?
As of November 2026, Upper lists Starter at $40, Professional at $48 and Optimize at $71 per user a month, with Enterprise on request, on yearly billing. Month to month they are $50, $60 and $89. See the Route4Me alternatives guide for another tool.
Is there a free trial of Upper?
Upper's pricing page describes a 7-day free trial. Use a full day of your real addresses during it.
Do I need a route planner if my job software has routing?
Often no. ServiceM8, for example, lists an Auto Routing add-on on all plans. Try the routing you already pay for first. See field service management software for options.
More in this topic: Field service: X vs Y comparisons (14 guides) →