We analyzed hundreds of quotes and thousands of reviews over three years to pick PODS as the best moving container company.
PODS Moving Review 2024: Pricing & Services
PODS is our favorite moving container company. It offers significant discounts, high-quality container and storage options, and nationwide availability.
How does PODS compare to other companies?
PODS is the best overall moving container company we’ve seen. While some competitors do certain things better, none of them score as highly in as many categories. For example, no company has more containers or storage options than PODS. Similarly, PODS met increased COVID-19 moving demand better than the competition. It has extra insurance coverage. The list goes on and on.
Notably, there’s one company, U-Pack, that has better customer reviews. Technically, Zippy Shell has the lowest moving container prices. But with the PODS Move.org reader discount, you can expect considerable savings for your move that rival Zippy Shell prices (in some cases).
PODS compared to other moving container companies
Data as of 7/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Median cost calculated by comparing moving costs for four home sizes across six distances.
PODS pricing
The average cost to move with PODS is approximately $5,709. Prices vary depending on your home size and moving distance. Keep in mind that our average is affected by the higher quotes for bigger moves, such as 2,000-mile 5-bedroom moves.
For small to mid-sized moves, PODS pricing is still competitive across the industry (see chart above). However, larger moves can become expensive very quickly if you use PODS.
PODS moving container prices
Data as of 7/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Average cost calculated by comparing moving costs for three home sizes across six distances.
PODS fees
PODS has low prices for smaller moves, but they come with a drawback: confusing invoices. The company charges a laundry list of fees at various stages of your move.
We recommend you focus on the total amount to ensure that PODS is the right fit for your move. After that, you can work with the customer service rep to sort out the different fees:
- Delivery fee
- Redelivery fee
- Monthly rental
- Taxes
- Coverage
You have two coverage options when moving with PODS:
- Container only. Insure your PODS container (but not your personal belongings) against loss or damage for $10 per month.1
- Contents protection. For a monthly fee, you can protect your PODS container and personal belongings against mishaps like burglary, vandalism, and delivery snafus. Depending on the value of your household items, the cost ranges from $34.95 to $469.95.
PODS Contents Protection coverage pricing
Data as of 7/15/2024. Pricing for US Contents Protection only and subject to change. Individuals should review their rental contract—including addendums—for a complete description of the policy’s terms, conditions, and exclusions.
What to know about PODS
It’s the best moving container company
PODS is our pick for the number one moving container business. Some companies do certain things better. For example, U-Pack has coverage in 50 states (4 more than PODS). But no other company is near the front of the pack for as many reasons:
- Low prices for smaller moves. PODS costs less than average for local moves. On top of that, you can use your Move.org discount to get even more savings.
- Solid reviews. PODS has the second-highest customer review scores in the moving container industry. Customers frequently praise the company for its helpful customer service, timely delivery, and affordability.
- Wide availability. PODS is available in 46 states (some companies have locations in fewer than 30). It also kept up with moving demand during the pandemic better than any container moving service.
- High-quality containers. PODS has three different sizes of steel-framed containers, while some companies have only one model made of flimsy plywood. Containers are weather-resistant and have a good track record of keeping belongings safe and dry.
- And more. PODS has top-tier storage options, provides moving services for all home sizes, and can handle both local move and long-distance moves. No matter which way you slice it, PODS continually provides flexible moving solutions to customers.
PODS has a special discount for Move.org readers. The company already has below-average prices, but they get even better with the special deal. For example, the average cost of moving with PODS is around $5,709. The price plummets approximately $600 after applying the discount.
That's money back in your pocket. The savings come in handy if you need to hire a mover by the hour to help with things like packing, moving boxes, or loading the PODS container.
The average customer saves around $400 with a PODS discount.
Few companies get better customer reviews
PODS has the second-highest customer reviews in the moving container business. Our analysis of over 16,000 reviews from five different companies reveals that customers prefer PODS over virtually every container company. Customer reports repeatedly highlight PODS’ good prices, fast service, and friendly customer reps.
Features and services
PODS at a glance
Local and long-distance moves
PODS can help you move no matter the distance. The real win here is the local availability. Virtually every moving company handles long-distance moves, but some don’t offer in-town options. That’s a pain if the company’s prices match your budget and features resonate with your moving situation, but you can’t hire it for the job.
Thankfully, PODS doesn’t make you sweat it out. The moving container company provides local and long-distance moving services in 46 states.
Moving containers
PODS’ specialty is moving containers. The company is so well-known that some competitors violate the PODS® trademark by referring to moving containers as moving pods. It sets the industry standard in many ways.
Here’s how moving containers work:
- PODS delivers a container to your home.
- You load the PODS container and then call the company to pick it up.
- PODS then transports your container and belongings to your new home and drops them off.
- You unload the container, and then PODS picks it back up.
Note: PODS can deliver containers to most homes. However, your PODS rep can help you ensure that you have enough space and that local HOA and city regulations allow for the delivery and storage of moving containers.
Video: How to Load a PODS Container
PODS has three container sizes. The smallest 8-foot option can fit belongings from a studio apartment. The company’s largest 16-foot portable storage container can often accommodate four-bedroom homes. And PODS’ 12-foot shipping container can fit up to three rooms for moves under 50 miles.
PODS container sizes
Data as of 7/15/2024. PODS container sizes are estimates. Customers are responsible for assessing the container capacity for their belongings.
Containers often save you money because you do much of the work (like packing and loading). PODS handles the big stuff like container delivery, pickup, and transportation.
Storage services
PODS also rents moving containers for storage purposes. Monthly fees vary but always come with the same flexible options:
- At-home storage. Park the PODS container at your home and keep it as long as needed. It comes in handy for short-term remodels and decluttering projects. You can walk right out the front door and into your PODS container (no driving to a self-storage facility like Extra Space Storage or CubeSmart).
- PODS facility storage. Keep your container at a PODS storage center. The company lets you access your belongings anytime you want, so long as you call ahead to schedule an appointment. PODS recommends its warehouses if you need storage for more than a few weeks or don’t have enough space in your driveway.
PODS needs a space about twice the size of two parking spaces to drop off a storage container (about 40 x 12 x 15 feet).
It’s important to note that PODS has the best storage options in the country. Some companies offer only at-home or facility storage (PODS does both). Similarly, some container services keep your belongings at a storage center but won’t allow you to access them (PODS will). PODS even has climate-controlled storage facilities for sensitive items like photographs and books. You simply can’t find better portable storage options.
Car shipping
PODS is one of the only moving container companies to offer auto transport services. It partners with an online marketplace (ACERTUS) where truck drivers bid on your shipment. While ACERTUS is a different logistics platform than the one used by the best car shipping companies, we suspect the price and quality are similar to what you see elsewhere.
PODS international services
PODS offers international moving services between Canada and the United States. It also has in-country moving container services in Australia and the United Kingdom. We recommend contacting one of our best international moving companies if you need to move to a country other than Canada.
PODS long-term review
PODS is even more impressive when you look at how the container company has changed over time. We regularly review moving container companies, and PODS’ trajectory keeps going up. It handled moving during COVID-19 better than any of its competitors and managed to keep price hikes to a minimum. On the downside, PODS’ customer review scores dropped—but that trend applies to every similar moving service during the pandemic.
- COVID-19. The pandemic created sky-high moving demand. Every company struggled to keep pace, but no one handled the twists and turns like PODS. It ensured you had a moving container, even if everyone wanted one. For example, PODS hired a third-party company to help keep scheduling on pace when its employees were out sick with COVID-19.
- Price hikes. The pandemic’s high demand had a ripple effect across the entire moving industry. The average moving container company jacked its rates by 30% during COVID-19.
- Customer reviews. Customers rated moving container companies lower than normal during the pandemic. Our analysis of 16,000-plus reviews shows that the average container company’s review score went down about 0.5 stars over the last three years. PODS followed suit with review scores that dropped from 3.8 to 3.1 out of 5 stars.
Our recommendation
We recommend PODS for local and mid-distance moves of all sizes. For a higher price, they offer long-distance. PODS beats the competition in nearly every category, including storage options, insurance, and generous discounts.
And the company has only gotten better with time. PODS rose from our third-place company in 2020 to our overall top pick in 2024. There are still issues with high prices for bigger interstate moves, but if you're moving within 500 miles, PODS pricing will likely be close to the rest of the industry.
Save with a PODS discount for Move.org readers
PODS FAQ
PODS stands for Portable on Demand Storage. The moving company is so popular that competitors sometimes violate its trademark by referring to generic storage containers as moving pods.
PODS costs about $5,709 for the average move. Prices are much lower for small local moves, while you can expect to fork out three times as much for big long-distance moves.
PODS charges approximately $4,690 for long-distance moves of over 1,750 miles. That’s roughly half as much as you’d spend hiring a professional moving company.
PODS is better than U-Box. Both companies are industry leaders, but PODS has lower prices, higher quality, and better customer service.
Methodology
Move.org follows a six-step process to identify the nation’s best moving container companies:
- Compare quotes. We obtained and analyzed nearly 300 quotes from 7 of the nation’s largest moving container companies over 3 years.
- Mystery shopping. We do a top-to-bottom analysis of each company’s website and even call posing as customers. It helps us get a feel for what real-life customers experience.
- Analyze reviews. We read dozens of reviews for each company to see what most impresses (and turns off) customers. We also conducted a meta-analysis of more than 16,000 reviews to calculate an industry customer review average.
- Pay real-life customers for honest feedback. Move.org routinely gives away $500 moving grants in exchange for candid feedback about using moving container companies.
- Site visits. We invite industry experts and company executives to visit our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT. We grill them on everything from pricing and customer reviews to insurance coverage and the latest industry trends.
- Annual review. Every year, we repeat the process to ensure that our list of the best moving container companies stays current. That means our top recommendations and industry prices may change each year.
Recommended resources
People also asked
Other moving container picks
Sources
- PODS. “Contents Protection Option,” March 3, 2015. Accessed August 7, 2024.
- PODS. “PODS Partners with ACERTUS to Expand Moving Services to Include Auto Shipping,” April 12, 2022. Accessed August 7, 2024.