Best Apartment Moving Companies for Small Moves in 2024

Apartment movers are the best solution for getting into or out of an apartment. If you're faced with steep stairs, narrow doors, or oddly-shaped spaces, hiring pros can protect your stuff (and your security deposit)

A full-service apartment moving company can maneuver your futon through a narrow doorframe and provide the moving truck to it in. We’ve put together the best small moving companies to help you with your apartment move.

We divided the best apartment moving companies for small moves into three different categories:

• Full-service movers
• Moving containers 
• Moving truck rentals

Read on to see if you should roll up your sleeves and rent a truck or container or fork over some extra cash for full-service movers.

Moving distance
Whether you're moving into a one-bedroom apartment across town or a one-bedroom apartment across the country, distance is the factor for pricing. While it's not the only thing weighing on cost, you'll spend more money per mile for a larger move than a local one.  

Size and number of items
The size of your rental truck or the amount of stuff apartment movers need to haul is another cost factor. If you have large bulky items or lots of furniture, you'll need a larger rental truck, storage container, or more moving help. 

Additional services
Apartment moving companies of all types offer add-ons and extra services like packing, storage, insurance for your stuff. These are awesome features if you're moving into an apartment far away all by yourself, but they aren't always necessary if you have help and plenty of time. 

Seasonality
Did you know that summer is the busiest season for moving? And because of that, apartment movers are in high demand. If you're able to move between October and April, you're likely to get a lower price to counter the drop in demand. 

If you have a load that’s too large to move on your own, if you’re on a time crunch, or if you need help carrying your furniture up and down multiple flights of stairs, a full-service moving company is the best place to start.

Although hiring a full-service mover is the most expensive option on our list, it’s also the most convenient. Plus, with add-ons like packing and storage services, it allows for customization. You can scale back the services you don’t want so you don’t have to break the bank—or your back.

The folks at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK live by the mantra “Movers Who Care,” and with a reputation of killer customer service backed by consistently positive reviews, we believe them.

This apartment moving company also takes its service offerings to the next level. For example, the background-checked movers will carefully pad wrap all your furnishings before carrying them out of your house to prevent them from getting damaged on the way to the truck.

With over 380 locations across North America—covering a total of 46 states—TWO MEN AND A TRUCK can lend you a hand no matter which ZIP code you call home.

Each TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location is free to set its own rates, but they typically price long-distance moves based on overall weight and mile count. Meanwhile, local loads are typically priced by the hour.

If you have a studio apartment-sized load, this is great since you could probably pull off the move in a couple hours anyway.

Fair warning, though, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s quote generator isn’t as seamless as we’ve seen elsewhere—it forces you to jump through one too many hoops before giving you a concrete estimate.

In addition to your move, you can opt for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s door-to-door pickup and delivery service on any item you order to your new area.

So if you need your new sectional picked up and delivered to your new apartment, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK saves you a trip to the store (and from having to ask your friend with a pickup truck for help).

If you want to compare TWO MEN AND A TRUCK to a similar company, give our College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving review a read—the apartment moving company has a knack for small local moves.

Want to learn more about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK?

Read Our Review

If you’re down to do your own packing and loading but need something to move your belongings in, renting a moving and storage container is a great option—especially if you’re moving a long distance and don’t want to drive the truck yourself.

Portable On Demand Storage (a.k.a. PODS) is a key player in the moving container game. With its wide availability and sturdy containers, PODS is the happy medium between full-service convenience and DIY costs.

Most container companies take a one-size-fits-all approach, but PODS has three size options: eight feet, twelve feet (for local moves only), and sixteen feet. Each container holds anywhere from one to four rooms, so you can find a combination of containers that matches your apartment load.

Plus, since PODS is in all but six US states you have plenty of locations to choose from. So if your location doesn’t have the container size you want it’s likely another location nearby will.

Simply put, PODS containers are as strong as moving containers come. They’re weather-resistant, they feature easy-to-use roll-up doors, and they’re built on steel frame foundations, which is a stark difference from other containers on the market that are made of wood.

With PODS—as with any other moving container company—you can expect to pay more than you would for a rental truck but less than the cost of a full-service move.

And if you still want more options, check out our 1-800-PACK-RAT review. 1-800-PACK-RAT boasts the most robust moving containers in the industry and lets you choose from multiple sizes. Plus, 1-800-PACK-RAT price matches with PODS.

Want to get a quote or learn a little more about PODS first? 

Read Our Review

If you’re prepared to pack and haul your belongings yourself and just need something to transport your stuff in, a moving van or truck rental is the way to go.

U-Haul is one of the most recognizable names in the moving world in part because its services are available almost everywhere. And with a wide range of truck sizes it’s also a great option for small local apartment moves.

Boasting the largest moving rental truck company fleet, U-Haul's availability stretches from coast to coast. Much like PODS, if the closest U-Haul location doesn’t have your truck size available, you’ll more than likely be able to go to another nearby location and find what you need there.

U-Haul offers a whole host of truck sizes to choose from, beating out the industry standard of only small, medium, and large sizes. And U-Haul’s in-between sizes keep you from overpaying because you can match your truck’s capacity more closely to the load you’re moving.

Here’s the full list of the truck sizes U-Haul offers:

• 10-foot truck
• 15-foot truck
• 17-foot truck
• 20-foot truck
• 26-foot truck

The 26-foot truck doesn’t apply as directly to apartment moves since most apartments don’t have more than four bedrooms, but when you’re estimating your load, it’s worth considering extra stuff you might have lying around in storage.

U-Haul also offers pickup truck and cargo van rentals, so if you’re moving out of a studio apartment, you may be able to fit everything you own into one of these instead of a fully-fledged moving truck.

It may also be worth checking out our Enterprise Truck Rental review—like U-Haul, the company has an impressive lineup of truck sizes to choose from.

Ready to rent a moving truck from U-Haul?

Read Our Review

While exact prices will vary based on when, where, and how much you're moving into your apartment, one thing we can say for sure is we highly recommend these three companies for apartment moves. 

Click the links below to read reviews on each of our favorite companies for moving to a new apartment. 

• TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
• PODS
• U-Haul

Apartment moves are also called small load moves for an obvious reason: they tend to be on the smaller side. More often than not, apartment moves involve no more than three bedrooms (unless you have a swanky 6-plus room penthouse in the middle of Manhattan).

Whatever the size of your apartment, if you’re moving out and want to hire help, here’s what to look for in a small load mover.

Generally speaking, long-distance apartment moves are less cost-effective than local apartment moves. Local movers charge by the hour—and since apartment moves typically have less stuff than full-home moves (and take less time to load, haul, and unload), paying by the hour can work in your favor.

If you’re making an apartment-sized long-distance move, expect to pay significantly more than you would for a local move. Rates for long-distance moves are based on the combined weight of your load and mile count, which can add up quickly.

Most moving companies charge extra based on how many flights of stairs movers have to hike. Every company handles this differently, so asking around and comparing prices can help you find the company with the most reasonable costs.

There’s no sense paying for the largest available truck on a smaller job like a one-bedroom apartment. The more options a moving company offers beyond just small, medium, and large sizes, the more opportunity you have to get the most bang for your buck.

A company’s availability in your area for your moving dates determines whether or not you can do business.

Usually, moving companies will have a page on their website that lists their locations, offerings, and operating hours.

Move.org evaluates and identifies the moving industry’s best 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, 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.