Meal delivery means many short stops in a tight window, food that can't wait, and customers who want to know when it will arrive. Volume often swings by day, and many businesses take orders online. The right tool depends on your volume and on where your orders come from.
Dozens of drops per driver in a few hours.
Food has to arrive within a set time.
An arrival notice so someone is home to take the food in.
Orders often come from an online store.
A photo at the door for contactless drops.
More drivers on busy days, fewer on quiet ones.
Five tools for meal delivery, in the order we'd suggest them.
Best for
Larger prepared-meal operations
Names prepared meals among the deliveries it powers, with photo and signature proof, ETA notifications and unlimited users from its first plan, which starts at $619 a month.
Pricing: From $619 a month for 2,500 tasks; unlimited users
Best for
Meal businesses selling through Shopify
Free up to 100 orders a month, then per order, with unlimited drivers, a Shopify connection, email updates and a tracking link. SMS is a paid add-on.
Pricing: Free up to 100 orders a month; $150 a month flat up to 1,000; then per order
Routes & Maps vs RoutificBest for
Meal businesses that want SMS included
Priced by stops with unlimited drivers, with SMS and email notifications, a tracking page and Shopify on every plan.
Pricing: From $125 a month for 1,000 stops, billed monthly; unlimited drivers
Routes & Maps vs CircuitBest for
Meal businesses that import orders and want a flat price
Import orders from CSV or Excel, optimize with time windows, and give customers a live tracking page. Unlimited drivers and users, so busy-day drivers cost nothing extra. No SMS or Shopify connection today.
Pricing: Monthly plans by stops, from $150 a month billed annually ($187 monthly); unlimited drivers and users on every plan
See Routes & Maps plansBest for
Meal businesses with more than one kitchen
Lists multiple hubs and depots, SMS or email notifications, and photo, signature and scan proof.
Pricing: $49 per driver a month billed annually ($59 monthly), minimum 3 drivers; or from $510 a month for 3,000 orders
| Tool | Pricing model | Proof of delivery | Customer notifications | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onfleet | Per task | Photo and signature | Status and ETA notifications | 14 days |
| Routific | Per order | Photos, signatures, barcodes, notes | Email and tracking link; SMS add-on | Free plan up to 100 orders |
| Spoke Dispatch (Circuit for Teams) | Per stop | Signature and photos | SMS and email | Yes (length not stated) |
| Routes & Maps | Flat monthly plan by stops | Photo, signature and notes | Tracking page; email from Growth plan and up; no SMS | 7 days |
| Track-POD | Per driver or per order | Photos, signatures, scans | SMS or email | Yes (length not stated) |
If you sell on Shopify, a tool with a Shopify connection saves an import each day. Otherwise, a spreadsheet import works.
Many meal customers expect a text. Check whether SMS is included, a paid add-on, or not offered.
Tools charge per driver, per user, per order or per stop. Work out the monthly cost at your current volume and at the size you expect to be, including any add-ons you would need, such as SMS.
Use the free trial with your own addresses, time windows and drivers. Compare the drive time, how long planning takes each morning, and how drivers get on with the app.
For a large prepared-meal operation, Onfleet is built for it. For a smaller business, Routific (with Shopify) and Spoke Dispatch (with SMS included) are strong choices; Routes & Maps suits teams that import orders and want a flat monthly price.
From free (Routific, up to 100 orders a month) to $619 a month and up (Onfleet). Small team? We price by stops, not drivers. If our standard plans are more than you need, talk to sales about a Custom plan sized to your monthly stops.
Routific and Spoke Dispatch list Shopify connections. Routes & Maps does not; orders come in by CSV or Excel import, and the column layout is remembered.
Yes, with all five tools in some form. Routes & Maps gives customers a live tracking page showing where the driver is and when to expect them.
Routes & Maps, Routific, Spoke Dispatch and Onfleet don't charge per driver, so extra drivers on busy days don't add to the bill.
Import your stops and plan an optimized route with your real addresses.
Competitor details checked October 2026 on each company's own website. Verify on their website before buying.
Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
