The Best Long-Distance Moving Companies of 2023

Moving is stressful as it is, let alone moving long distance. While there are thousands of moving companies to choose from, it makes a difference choosing one with fair prices and a proven track record of quality service. What's more, many customers fall prey to moving scams. That's why we vet our top movers for things like binding estimates, strong customer reviews, affordability, and proper industry credentials. 

Our top pick: International Van Lines’ long list of services, worldwide availability, and unbeatable customer service make it the best long-distance moving company in the biz. All of our top picks are excellent, though, and some of them may be a better fit than IVL for your residential move.

1. Reasonable prices. You want your full-service move to be expensive. Maybe not Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous expensive. But pricey enough to feel confident your movers didn’t skip steps that could lead to late delivery or damaged items.
2. Binding estimates. Pay special attention to nationwide companies like American Van Lines that offer binding quotes. The guarantee means your price won’t change after signing on the dotted line—as long as you don’t add any more items to the home inventory you and the movers agreed on during the quote process.
3. Affordable deposit. Most moving companies charge a deposit of up to 50%. Do your homework (or let Move.org do it for you) to know whether you can afford the upfront fee.
4. Perks. Look for companies like International Van Lines that go the extra mile by giving you 30 days of free storage. Other worthwhile perks include real-time GPS tracking, supplemental insurance, and special discounts.

International Van Lines is our pick for the #1 long-distance moving company. It offers nationwide moving services, transparent pricing, car transport, and even throws in 30 days of free storage. International Van Lines can also trim hundreds of bucks off car shipping services if you can be flexible about timing. On the downside, the company gets lower-than-average customer reviews and has a lot of distracting online pop-up ads that can take away from the online experience.

Safeway Moving gets positive customer review scores unheard of in the moving industry. For example, its 4-star rating is a full star higher than some of the companies on this list. The company also claims to offer price-matching services and 30 days of free storage. In addition, we love how it advertises that a portion of your moving cost will be donated to St. Jude’s in an effort to defeat childhood cancer. On the downside, company information is difficult to verify.

American Van Lines is our pick for high-quality moving services. These long-distance movers don’t skimp on the costs necessary to keep your belongings safe. American charges a flat rate and lets you use all of its many moving services (including piano moving). The company also background checks its workers (including drug tests and background screenings). The catch? American doesn’t have GPS tracking, and its customer service reps are available only on weekdays.

Mayzlin Relocation is the best customer-reviewed company on our list. Their sales agents provide helpful tips, like how to avoid common moving scams, their movers are dependable, and they do what they can to pass along discounts to customers. They also have a low deposit at only 25%. If customer service is your priority, Mayzlin Relocation is tough to beat. Because you can't get an online quote with Mayzlin, you'll need to give them a call or fill out the new customer form on their website.

Move.org evaluates and identifies the moving industry’s best full-service movers using a fivefold research approach:

• Compare pricing transparency. We gather quotes, check for binding estimates, and read customer reviews about pricing to ensure each moving company’s prices are trustworthy. 

• Review accreditation. We check every company’s records in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s database to confirm companies are properly authorized to transport household goods.

• Mystery shopping. We review every company’s website, use first-hand experience to pose as customers in calls to companies, and read customer reviews to analyze every company’s moving services, transit protection, and customer service. We also interview actual customers to learn how their moves went from start to finish.

• Site visits.  We invite moving companies to our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, to share data and expertise. We verify the information they provide by comparing it to data gathered through independent research and interviews with other movers.
• Regular review. We routinely repeat this process to update our recommendations to reflect current data and trends. We also revise each review annually and make updates throughout the year.