When it comes to services for storage spaces and moving containers, us Americans can consider ourselves blessed. We have some of the best companies that serve across the country. U-Pack and PODS can both be considered the crème de la crème of the industry in their specific niche. But then again, you might be wondering how you can choose one of these two when the need arises to make a decision?
| U-Pack | PODS | |
| Logo |  |  |
| Pricing | Cheaper | More Expensive |
| Availability | 50 States | 45 States |
| Customer Reviews | Mostly Positive | Moderately Positive |
| Our Rating | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Phone | 844-362-5303 | 855-706-4758 |
| Website | Get a Quote | Get a Quote |
So keep reading on for a detailed comparison in our feature U-Pack vs PODS. Let’s start by taking a look at what both the companies have to offer.
U-Pack vs PODS Comparison of Services Offered
U-Pack
- Small Distance Moves – Want to move locally? They got it covered. When you can DIY the packing but need someone to move your things, U-Pack can help.
- Cross Country Moves – Moving coast to coast is no challenge for U-pack thanks to their widespread availability. If you think you have too many things to handle, you can also take their help for their Loading and/or Labor service.
- Military Moves – U-Pack also serves veterans who need assistance in moving from one location of their posting to another. They handle PPM moves among other things too.
- Senior Moves – Be it moving the elderly to a different home or a retirement facility, U-Pack is well versed with carrying out Senior Moves.
- Student Moves – From dorm to dorm or back home for the winter break, U-Pack can ease your burden with Student Moves too.
- Job Relocation – A stressful process which could very well get in the way of you focusing on your work. This is where U-Pack comes in.
PODS
- Local Moving – Just like U-Pack, PODS also handle local moves. In fact, they do so pretty well.
- Long Distance Moving – Doesn’t matter if it’s an interstate move or a cross country move, PODS can help.
- Packing And Loading Assistance – This is one area specifically where PODS scores more, as U-Pack doesn’t offer packing services.
- Job Relocation – Once again, PODS holds its own by ensuring that those moving for a new job don’t have to worry about the challenges that come with a job relocation.
- Corporate Relocation – Be it business expansion or moving to a new office, PODS takes care of both with ease, all while being extremely streamlined and professional.
Process Of Moving
U-Pack
You probably must’ve heard often about U-Pack’s reputation for having a non-traditional approach, in the way that they give more control to their customers. What does this exactly mean? Let’s understand that in a few simple steps, by explaining what their procedure is:
- They bring the trailer to the assigned place. The customer will be responsible for packing his own things, giving him a chance to save money and time. They will have three days to pack and load the trailer. You will be provided the ReloCube containers, to pack your stuff. You will be charged as per the numbers of containers and amount of space you use.
- At the end of three days, once you have finished loading, they will drop-off your luggage to the new location.
- Once U-Pack reaches the new location with your stuff, you get three days to unload.
PODS
- They drop off the container at the customer’s current address where they may load it as per their schedule and convenience.
- Once the loading is done, they may choose to keep it with themselves for storage or hand that responsibility over to PODS, and they will take care of the storage process accordingly.
- As per your required date or convenience, the container holding your items are shifted to the new place.
- The details of the entire process from the packing to the storage to the moving, must be discussed beforehand, so that the price may be determined accordingly.
U-Pack vs PODS Comparison Of Equipment Offered
U-Pack
1. Trailer
When you are relocating with family or from a place you have lived in a long time, you need something with lots of space to load up the stuff accumulated over the years. This is when one would require a trailer. The dimensions of the trailer are 324x96x108 inches (length, width, height). The capacity of the trailer is approximately 1,944 cubic feet, which is the space occupied by a 3 to 4 bedroom house. Legally, a trailer can haul 22,500 lbs. But you would be happy to know that an average household has luggage weighing only up to 12,600 lbs. The ramp that the trailer comes with will help you load your things. You will be charged according to the space you occupy within the trailer, once you are done loading. You can secure the luggage with a locking divider wall that will be provided to you.
2. ReloCube
If the scale of your move is smaller, or if you don’t have much furniture that you want to carry with you, you would need a smaller and more compact container than a trailer. This is where the ReloCube comes into play. The ReloCube is 5’10” deep x 6’10” wide x 7’9″ high. They are made of steel and aluminium to ensure maximum safety of all your belongings. If you are opting for these, your fees would ultimately depend on the number of ReloCubes you end up using for your entire move.
PODS
PODS offers containers of different sizes as per the customer’s requirements. Unlike U-Pack, they don’t charge for space, but they do for the size and number of containers.
1. 7 Foot Container
The dimensions of this are 7x7x8 inches, which is an area of 385 ft3 and it can carry a weight of 5200 lbs. This is as big as a walk-in closet and is perfect for students looking to move to a new place or for people living in a studio apartment.
2. 12 Feet Container
The dimensions of this are 12x8x8 inches, amounting to an area of 689 ft3 with a capacity of 4700 lbs. This is ideal for a house shifting of 2-3 rooms. This is available for in-town moving or storage needs only. To envision it better, understand that it is in the same category as a 15 inches rental truck or a 10×10 inches storage unit.
3. 16 Feet Container
This is the ideal fit for bigger houses and families. With dimensions of 16x8x8 inches, holding an area of 835 ft3, these containers can hold a weight of 4200 lbs. It can hold as much as a 10×15 inches storage unit or a 20 inches rental truck.
On a whole, U-Pack is more flexible with its services than PODS, but it is PODS that one must turn to when it comes to local transport.
PODS has a wider range of container sizes, for both long and short distance moves. This plays a role of convenience when you are looking to pack together all your things in one go, at one place instead of in multiple containers. It just reduces the hassle of sorting and splitting. PODS also offers an interesting perk of a hydraulic no-tilt system for loading and unloading. This makes sure that nothing shifts in transport and all your belongings stay safe.
U-Pack offers moving trailers, which happen to hold four times the amount held by ReloCubes. So, a trailer can easily move a family of five. That’s not all, you can also opt for smaller multiple containers which the RoleCube can more than accommodate.
U-Pack ReloCube vs. PODS pricing
PODS sets its price depending upon the number of containers, their size, your point of origin and the amount of time you have used the equipment. This means that if you reserve a container that you don’t use, you would still have to pay for it. The cost is distributed across delivery, transport and equipment used. Adding labor or storage rides up the prices.
The payment for PODS is also broken down into first payment, payment five days before delivery and payment once your belongings reach their destination.
U-Pack prices include the equipment, delivery, transport and any liability insurance. Their flexibility ensures that you don’t have to pay for what you haven’t used, even if you did reserve it. Cost of storage and other help will be notified to you upfront.
U-Pack prices are the lowest in the moving industry and they have kept it so by dealing in the transport of commercial goods as well, which ultimately brings down the prices for the customer. U-Pack takes their money in a single payment, as soon as your belongings are in transit. Storage however, is billed every thirty days.
Another very specific difference regarding the pricing scheme of U-Pack and PODS is that U-Pack does not require a deposit whereas PODS does. In fact, it bakes the rental for the 30 days of keeping the container into its overall price.
Which is cheaper PODS or U-Pack?
With PODS, the average cost for a 1 bedroom when the move is over 250 miles is between $450 to $800. The same can be between $750 to $1900 for a house with 2-3 bedrooms.
On the other hand, the approximate cost for a 1-bedroom move would be around $900 to $1,300, while the price for 2-3 bedrooms would be about $1,100 to $1,700.
Similarly, U-Pack ReloCubes are believed to cost around $2,220 for long distance moves, while the average PODS moving container would cost approximately $3,300.
All in all, PODS isn’t majorly expensive or unreasonably priced, but U-Pack happens to be pleasingly affordable and cheap.
Accessibility And Convenience Of Service
- U-Pack is available in all 50 states and parts of Canada and Puerto Rico. PODS functions in 44 states, Canada, Australia and the UK. If you are in Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming or West Virginia, you would have to turn to U-Pack.
- With U-Pack, the customer receives 3 days to load and 3 days to unload their belongings. With PODS however, there is no such time limit and the customer may take as much time as they want, but the charges will also be accordingly.
- U-Pack guarantees delivery within 2-5 days. PODS deliveries depend on vehicle availability.
- With U-Pack, you get a quote immediately with no obligation to act on it. PODS would require you to finalize your price after you begin the process.
- U-Pack does moderate to long distance moves whereas PODS does short distance moves as well along with moderate and long distance.
U-Pack and PODS Comparison Of Coverage Options
Insurance is an important aspect of any moving plan that you may pick up. There is going to be a ton of expensive stuff, accumulated over the years, gathered in one place and getting transported over long distances. Everything about this screams insurance. Let’s look at the coverage plans offered by both the companies.
U-Pack
In the unforeseeable event of any damage to your belongings in transit, U-Pack takes responsibility for the damage caused directly and only by the transit or by any other act, that can be traced to being a case of negligence on their part. They are not responsible for damage caused by improper packing, loading and unloading as the company is not the one that takes up these tasks.
The types of insurance coverage that are provided are:
- Catastrophic Liability: This is in case your ReloCube catches fire or suffers from water damage or any other act of god that adversely affects your property, like a meteor hitting the trailer. You could get a coverage of up to $7,500 per ReloCube in this case.
- Carrier Negligence Liability: This is when there has been damage to your property in transit. In such a case, the compensation you get depends on the coverage plan you may have opted for. If you had opted for the no-charge coverage, the compensation you would receive would be 0.10x (the weight of the damaged items).
The coverage amount is calculated per pound per item. On a coverage of $7, you would receive an amount of $1x (weight of item) and a maximum of $2500 per ReloCube. The most expensive coverage, that is $175 will give you a compensation of $3x (weight of item) and a maximum of $7,500 per ReloCube.
PODS
- Container Only Insurance: This covers the container itself while it sits on your driveway or street. A Tsunami? No problem, it is covered. A meteor shower? Why wouldn’t that be considered? The earth opening up and swallowing it whole? They’ve got you. PODS doesn’t make you pay for dents, scratches, or other such damages.
- Content Protection Insurance: This policy covers damage to the container and your stuff inside. The only shortcoming, one that can’t be explained logically, is that it doesn’t cover flooding or water damage. Covering everything is the marker of a good insurance policy, but the fact that this is somewhat better than the ‘container only policy’ is a tiny source of comfort.
Bottom Line?
The more comprehensive coverage plan is offered by U-Pack. Plus its coverage plans are a lot better spelled out than that of PODS and that makes a world of difference in case one ever has to make the claim.
U-Pack offers two protection plans as part of the cost of every move. PODS mentions $10,000 worth of content protection in every long-distance move, but again, the specifics of it are not very clear. The coverage you end up receiving will depend on the details of your move.
See Also: PODS vs U-Box | PODS vs SMARTBOX
Conclusion
If you want to use a service that does the job in a time-efficient and flexible manner, U-Pack is the way to go. If you prefer something that can adapt to your schedule, then PODS is the answer. Either way, research thoroughly about the service you wish to take and be clear about the entire process and the money you will have to pay along the way.
Do not hesitate to ask questions and always reach out in case of any other queries or anticipate problems. After everything is said and done, as anxious as the thought of moving makes us, nothing soothes that anxiety more than a move well done. Both of these companies are great, but choose the one that fits your needs best.
