Best Full-Service Long Distance Moving Companies of 2025

The best moving companies we found are Atlas Van Lines, United Van Lines, Allied Van Lines, Bekins, Safeway Moving and Mayflower. We rated moving companies based on 13 factors, including whether they offer reliable quotes online, have consumer-friendly payment policies, provide predictable deliveries and have low complaint rates.

Some common themes we think you should know:

• Most of the companies we reviewed offer additional services, such as packing, unpacking, car shipping, storage or junk removal.

• Most don’t require an upfront deposit. 

• All the companies take credit cards, but some charge a fee to do so. 

• None provide reliable quotes without first seeing the customer’s belongings and assessing the difficulty of the move.

We focused on the largest full-service moving companies by market share and number of monthly Google searches (as a proxy for interest). Several smaller moving companies also offer great service, but weren’t included in these results.

Atlas is our top pick for a full-service mover. It charges zero upfront deposits and no fee to pay with a credit card (though you’ll get a 1% discount if you pay via e-check). Customers can track deliveries and contact customer service through multiple channels.

The company offers virtual walkthroughs for compiling quotes, and its online move portal lets you see where your stuff is, get copies of moving documents, get notifications and make payments. Of the movers we surveyed, Atlas had one of the lowest rates of complaints with the Better Business Bureau and U.S. Department of Transportation when adjusted by fleet size.

United is owned by UniGroup, which also owns Mayflower. It’s a solid full-service contender that, like our top pick Atlas, delivered the goods on many of our evaluation hurdles.

People with narrow moving windows may find it problematic that it only provides day-certain delivery through its Snapmoves Priority service, which is only available for small moves and comes with an extra fee. (A small move, as United defines it, includes moving from an apartment with three bedrooms or fewer, a one-bedroom house or a dorm room.) Also, the company had slightly more customer complaints than Atlas when adjusted for fleet size.

Allied is a full-service mover, meaning that it will also pack and unpack your stuff, ship your car, store stuff and haul away empty boxes (for an extra fee) if you want. The company is owned by Sirva, which also owns North American Van Lines.

We like that the company doesn’t require a deposit before moving, but we don’t like that it charges a fee to pay with a credit card. It also doesn’t offer day-certain delivery unless you have a small shipment that qualifies for its Allied Express product. Its customer satisfaction scores are average compared to the other providers we reviewed.

Bekins is a well-known full-service moving company that does virtual walkthroughs for moving estimates and offers specialty moving services for seniors who are downsizing or moving to retirement communities.

It offers day-certain delivery for a fee and doesn’t charge a fee for paying with a credit card, but the company doesn’t offer a way to track the location of trucks in real time, which can make some customers a little tense. It also doesn’t do international moves (its parent company, Wheaton, has another subsidiary that does).

Safeway Moving Systems is a full-service mover that can also handle international moves, but you may be able to find better pricing policies elsewhere. The company requires a 15% deposit for local moves and 10%-18% for long-distance moves, which is unusual compared to other competitors we reviewed.

It also charges a fee (1% to 3%) to pay with a credit card, though the company told us that fee is waived on deposits. Safeway Moving Systems scored average in the customer ratings portion of our rubric.

Mayflower is owned by UniGroup, which also owns United Van Lines. Accordingly, it’s not surprising that the company’s offerings are very similar to United, though Mayflower had a noticeably higher rate of Better Business Bureau complaints. Like United, Mayflower offers virtual walkthroughs, making it easier to get a quote.

These companies scored below three out of five stars overall in our rating system but may still be a good fit for some customers. Here’s what we think you should know about why they didn’t make our top picks.

JK Moving Services

JK Moving Services doesn’t charge a fee to use a credit card and only charges a $250 flat-fee deposit for all moves, which is low compared to some competitors. JK will also reimburse you if they deliver your stuff late, with no additional fee. However, JK doesn’t offer binding quotes, and you have to call the company to get updated tracking information on your moving truck. The company also only offers storage in D.C., Virginia and Maryland, and only offers debris removal for commercial moves.

Bellhop

Bellhop is a moving broker, not technically a full-service mover itself. Because it’s a broker, the company doesn’t offer full-value protection for your stuff and works with third-party providers for services like car shipping and storage.

North American Van Lines

North American is owned by Sirva, which also owns Allied. The company has similar offerings to Allied but didn’t respond to our questions about whether it charges customers a fee to pay with a credit card (its sister company Allied does), or whether it offers day-certain delivery or truck tracking, which lowered its score.

International Van Lines

International Van Lines stands out for its ability to handle international moves, but the company requires a deposit that’s not refundable if you cancel within 48 hours of your move date. For domestic moves, you can pay the deposit with a credit card, but you can’t pay for the rest of the move with one (check, cashier’s check or ACH payment only).

Safe Ship Moving Services

Safe Ship Moving Services is also a moving broker, so service options can vary depending on the carrier, and deposits range from 15% to 30% of your move. Safe Ship does not coordinate local or international moves and only offers guaranteed delivery on a case-by-case basis. It charges a fee to pay with a credit card and doesn’t offer a way to track your truck in real time, which puts it lower on our list.

Two Men and a Truck

Two Men and a Truck is a franchise, which means local policies may differ for delivery schedules, binding quotes or the fee to take credit cards. The company overall has a high customer satisfaction score compared to competitors, but it doesn’t do international moves, provide a way to track the whereabouts of your truck in real-time online or offer day-certain delivery services.

College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving

College Hunks is also a franchise, so local policies may differ. For example, the company informed us that customers “more often than not” will be required to put down a deposit, and that rates and costs for credit card fees vary. College Hunks also doesn’t ship cars, do international moves or help with storage, and its customer satisfaction scores were worse than most other movers we reviewed.

American Van Lines

American Van Lines ranks near the bottom on our scoring system, largely due to its payment options, relatively limited service offerings and customer service. American Van Lines loads, transports and unloads for interstate and cross-country moves in all 50 states, but only offers local moving services in Florida, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina.

» MORE: Best container moving companies

How much does a move cost?

A long-distance move costs about $5,000 for 2-3 bedrooms, according to moving services website Moving.com. A local move typically costs around $1,000, but costs vary widely depending on the size of your move, the time of year and any add-on services such as packing and car transport.

To get an accurate pricing estimate for your move, you’ll need to schedule an in-person or virtual walkthrough with a moving company. None of the companies we reviewed provides binding, reliable quotes online — reputable movers need to consider total weight, object size, fragility, distance and the layout of your house before giving you a quote, especially if it’s binding.

» MORE: How much does it cost to move?

What other services do the best moving companies offer?

Many moving companies do more than load and unload trucks. For an extra fee, our top picks will also:

• Wrap and pack your stuff. 

• Unpack it all when it gets to where it’s going.

• Haul away the empty boxes and packaging. 

• Ship your car to your new place.

• Take some or all of your things to a storage unit, which can be helpful if, for example, you’re staying somewhere temporarily while you house hunt.

Tracking your stuff

Day-certain delivery. Often, movers give an estimated delivery window that can span several days, particularly with long-distance moves. This may work for some, but if your stuff has to be somewhere by a certain day or else, hearing “we’ll do our best” doesn't cut it. This is why some movers offer day-certain delivery, which guarantees that your stuff will show up on a specific day.

Truck tracking. If you want to know exactly where your truckload is, some companies let customers track their shipments in real-time, usually through the company’s app. This is a good tool because it can give you an early indication of whether your things are going to show up on time, which can prepare you to deal with any fallout from a delay. Bekins is our only top pick that doesn’t offer truck tracking.

How to know if a moving company is legit and avoid scams

Legitimate moving companies are registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is part of the Department of Transportation and regulates household movers. States also regulate household movers. You can see if a mover is registered with the FMCSA by searching its database.

When choosing a moving company, look for these red flags:

• The mover gives you a quote without inspecting your belongings. 

• The mover tells you they’ll give you the cost after they load the truck.

• The mover wants a big deposit before the move. 

• The mover wants you to sign forms that aren’t filled in.

• The mover doesn’t give you a copy of “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” and “Ready to Move,” which are brochures that federal laws require movers to supply to customers.

• The mover’s website doesn’t have a local address, registration information or insurance information.

• The movers tell you their insurance covers your stuff (“full value protection” is not insurance). 

• The movers don’t answer the phone with the name of the company you hired.

• The movers don’t have an office.

• The movers show up with a rented truck instead of one with the company logo on it. 

• The movers claim you have more stuff than what they put in the estimate. 

Methodology