The Best Packing and Moving Companies

• Availability: 50 states
• USDOT #: 2293832

International Van Lines (IVL) handles almost every part of your move for you. Since 2003, IVL has provided full-service and partial-service moving packages with options such as furniture disassembly, packing, loading, transportation, unloading, unpacking, and furniture reassembly.

IVL allows you to have control over your packing experience. For example, you can have the company professionally pack your items and/or custom-crate them, or you can save money by choosing to self-pack while IVL’s movers handle all the loading and transportation.

IVL received a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars based on our methodology. It was awarded our highest rating because of its extensive list of basic and add-on services and wide service area. IVL also received high marks for its excellent Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and for providing moving services. However, it lost some points for not offering a rental truck option and financing.

• Moving Services (59 out of 59 points): IVL offers one of the most comprehensive moving service selections available, including full-pack, partial-pack, and specialty services such as crating for artwork and antiques.
• Insurance Coverage (8 out of 8 points): IVL scored high in this category as it offers more than three different insurance coverage options. You can choose to pay top dollar for full-value protection or opt for less expensive partial-value release plans.
• Scheduling (8 out of 8 points): We found IVL’s scheduling and quoting process simple and easy, and it has multiple communication methods, including email and phone.
• Additional Benefits (10 out of 13 points): The company lost some points in this category because it doesn’t provide financing or any do-it-yourself (DIY) moving methods. However, it still offers comprehensive storage services and sells packing materials to its customers.
• Customer Service (12 out of 12 points): IVL maintains an overall positive reputation across online review sites. It has only featured one crash report in the past two years, with most of its trucks passing federal inspection and staying in service.

IVL offers customizable moving packages that include packing services. It offers full-pack, partial-pack, and custom crating options. IVL takes care of everything from packing to unpacking if you choose a full-pack service. You pack most items if you choose a partial-pack service, but IVL handles fragile items and transportation. Custom crating is ideal for challenging items that have unusual shapes.

You may also add any of the following services when you choose IVL: 

• Bulky item relocation
• Large vehicle shipping
• Motorcycle shipping
• Piano moving
• Temporary or permanent storage

IVL’s quote process involves a phone-based or in-person estimate. We suggest opting for an in-person consultation for an accurate estimate. However, to get an estimate, we used the company’s online moving cost calculator to generate a generalized sample quote. A binding estimate requires an in-person consultation. Our sample quote only includes transportation and loading services.

• Sample quote: $4,200–$6,150 (three-bedroom move from Dallas, Texas, to San Diego, California)
• Deposit: 25%
• Payment accepted: Cash, cashier’s check, credit card (deposit only), money order

IVL has an A rating on the BBB but is currently not accredited. Positive reviews for the company mention prompt service, professional crews, and helpful relocation representatives. However, some customers reported inconsistent quality depending on the partner company booked, with issues ranging from broken items to poor communication practices. 

• Availability: 48 states*
• USDOT #: 614506

*American Van Lines is not available in Alaska or Hawaii

American Van Lines focuses on providing highly experienced and skillful movers that pack all items appropriately and securely. American Van Lines only hires full-time, background-checked employees rather than the standard of contractual labor. The company invests further in its workers, who have an average of 10 years of moving experience each, by training them in specialty services at a Pompano Beach, Florida, facility.

American Van Lines provides custom crating and custom boxes for packing services. This includes mattress boxes, mirror cases, wardrobe boxes, and other specialized packing supplies. Its movers can also disassemble, crate, and move any antiques or pianos you own.

American Van Lines scored 4.5 out of 5 stars based on our rating system. The company stands out with its wide range of moving and packing services. However, we deducted some points in the scheduling and customer service categories.

• Moving Services (59 out of 59 points): American Van Lines offers a variety of service packages and options for you to choose from, including specialty services that highly trained moving professionals carry out. You can opt for a partial-pack or a full-pack move.
• Insurance Coverage (8 out of 8 points): The company scored high in this category because it provides multiple insurance coverage levels tailored to your move’s budget and needs.
• Scheduling (4 out of 8 points): American Van Lines scored lower in this category because it only offers scheduling via phone. Many other movers offer the convenience of online scheduling and virtual consultations. The company’s customer service hours are also limited to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays.
• Additional Benefits (8 out of 13 points): American Van Lines offers fewer additional benefits than IVL. The company doesn’t provide financing or DIY moving options, an online cost calculator, or much cost information on its website.
• Customer Service (9 out of 12 points): American Van Lines has many positive reviews on its BBB profile. However, some of its trucks appear to fail federal inspections regularly. Its FMCSA profile shows a report of an injury and five tows.

American Van Lines provides highly skilled labor for almost all parts of your move. Service includes disassembly, packing, loading, transportation, unloading, unpacking, and furniture reassembly. American Van Lines is a great choice if you have challenging items to break down and pack, such as a Peloton or other gym equipment, a piano, or priceless antique furniture.

You can also turn to the company for the following services:

• Corporate relocations
• Military relocations 
• Online shipment tracking
• Temporary and permanent storage
• White-glove relocation of artwork and antiques

American Van Lines provides accurate pricing that doesn’t greatly change or feature hidden fees. The company only offers binding estimates through in-home or virtual surveys, as moving costs vary based on factors including inventory weight and packing services needed. However, it provides some pricing information online on its moving cost page. American Van Lines estimates that moving a three-bedroom home (or 10,000 pounds) that includes some packing services is $7,739.

• Sample quote: $7,739 (three-bedroom move from Dallas, Texas, to San Diego, California)
• Deposit: Up to 50% up-front
• Payment accepted: Cash, cashier’s check, credit card, money order, and traveler’s check

The company has an A+ rating with the BBB, which indicates its reliability and trustworthiness. Its customer reviews also reflect satisfactory service, rating 4.04 out of 5 stars. Many of American Van Lines’ former customers have praised its reasonable pricing, but a few negative reviews mention unexpected price increases and difficulty communicating with moving crews.

• Availability: 50 states
• USDOT #: 076235

Allied Van Lines acts as a carrier for many of its services, and this includes vehicle relocation services. Allied directly communicates with the employee transporting your vehicle and provides GPS shipment tracking, so you can have an easier time knowing exactly where your belongings are located.

The company also provides plenty of packing services, such as full-pack services and crating. Notably, Allied features a fragile-only packing service. This service lets you save money as you pack your non-fragile items, and Allied packs any difficult or fragile items you own to ensure their safety in transit.

Allied received 4.8 out of 5 stars according to our methodology. It secured a top position among our recommended moving companies due to its excellent packing services for local, long-distance, and international moves. However, it lost some points because it doesn’t provide DIY moving options and financing.

• Moving Services (59 out of 59 points): Allied offers all moving services that most customers care about, including vehicle shipping and piano moving.
• Insurance Coverage (8 out of 8 points): The company offers multiple levels of protection for your belongings. Therefore, you can adjust coverage to match your budget and desired level of security.
• Scheduling (8 out of 8 points): You can contact Allied via phone, online chat, or email. The company’s website is one of the more user-friendly ones we’ve encountered.
• Additional Benefits (8 out of 13 points): Allied doesn’t provide any financing or moving truck rentals. Also, its website doesn’t provide a moving calculator.
• Customer Service (12 out of 12 points): We found Allied to have an overall positive reputation online, and it responds to more than 90% of the complaints it receives on its BBB profile. While the company’s FMCSA profile features fewer failed inspections than average, it has more injuries, crashes, and tows than other companies, with 39 incidents.

Allied Van Lines offers a variety of full-service moving options. Like IVL, Allied provides full packing, custom crating, and partial packing services. It also offers a fragile-only packing service. With this service, Allied will handle any difficult items or rooms, such as your kitchen, while you pack the rest independently. This is a great middle ground between full-service and partial-service packing. The company even sells packing supplies and offers a DIY, portable storage container service called Allied Express.

Allied also offers the following:

• Corporate relocation services
• Temporary and permanent storage
• Third-party cleaning services

Allied Van Lines provides binding estimates, which are prices that don’t drastically change during your move despite unexpected events or setbacks. You must conduct an in-home or virtual survey with Allied to obtain a binding estimate. Allied provided us with a ballpark quote.

• Sample quote: $7,649–$8,453 (three-bedroom move from Dallas, Texas, to San Diego, California)
• Deposit: Up to 50% up-front
• Payment accepted: Cash, cashier’s check, credit card, money order, and traveler’s check

Allied has more than 500 locations, so the service quality of these locations can vary significantly. We suggest you closely examine local reviews instead of relying solely on the nationwide consensus. The company’s headquarters BBB page shows a rating of 1.09 out of 5 stars, but other Allied locations fare better. Regardless, Allied has an A+ rating from the BBB and has been accredited since 2012.

• Availability: 50 states
• USDOT #: 070851

North American Van Lines (NAVL) provides many standard packing options for a full-service mover, such as packing and furniture disassembly. Services include full-service packing, fragile-only packing, and assistance with self packing via a personal move coordinator and NAVL’s online packing tips blog.

NAVL provides further support for your packed items through its detailed and accessible claims process. The company provides access to claims forms for domestic and international movies across its website. NAVL assigns a claim adjuster to your case and notes that you shouldn’t proceed with any repairs or dispose of damaged items, as all damaged items are subject to inspection. It also uses two separate customer support lines for domestic and international moves to streamline the claims process further.

NAVL received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. The moving company offers various comprehensive moving options, including packing and storage assistance, for various distances. However, the company lost some points due to its limited booking procedures, which require you to contact a moving representative over the phone.

• Moving Services (59 out of 59 points): NAVL provides all possible packing and moving services, including full-pack and partial-pack for local, long-distance, and international moves. 
• Insurance Coverage (8 out of 8 points): NAVL offers superior protection plans and insurance compared to competitors. The company provides a basic carrier liability protection program called No-Cost Released Value Protection. This program is part of NAVL’s full-valuation protection program and offers a minimum shipment value of $6,000 and a value of $6 per pound. The coverage amount is calculated by multiplying your shipment’s total weight by $6. This is significantly more than the standard 60 cents per pound required by federal law.
• Scheduling (4 out of 8 points): NAVL only offers over-the-phone communication methods.
• Additional Benefits (10 out of 13 points): NAVL offers many additional benefits, such as storage services and GPS tracking, but doesn’t provide any DIY moving services or financing.
• Customer Service (9 out of 12 points): NAVL has a concerning FMCSA profile, with a failed inspection rate of 27.1%, which exceeds the national average of 22.26%. It also reports 28 total crashes in the past two years. The customer review score on its BBB profile is also much lower than other companies on this list, but we noticed that company representatives are responding to many of the reviews.

NAVL offers many popular full-service packing and moving options. On top of packing and crating options, NAVL helps install appliances. It offers debris removal, such as getting rid of empty boxes. This helps the unpacking process go faster.

NAVL also provides custom contents protection plans through its detailed Valued Inventory Forms. These forms help you determine the appropriate level of coverage for your belongings, and you then create a coverage plan with an NAVL representative based on this information.

You can also count on NAVL for the following:

• Packing supplies
• Temporary and permanent storage options
• Vehicle shipping services

Similar to Allied, NAVL uses binding estimates to provide accurate pricing that doesn’t get greatly altered. It also requires conducting an in-home or virtual survey to obtain one. We got a ballpark estimate for a move with packing services from an NAVL representative by working with them over the phone and email.

• Sample quote: $7,620–$8,420 (three-bedroom move from Dallas, Texas, to San Diego, California)
• Deposit: None
• Payment accepted: Cash, certified check, money order, check

NAVL’s headquarters has an A+ rating and accreditation on its BBB page but also shows a low customer review rating of 1.13 out of 5 stars. We recommend you check the customer feedback for your local NAVL branch before booking.