Best Local Moving Companies of 2024: Full-service, Hybrid, and DIY

There are literally thousands of local moving companies across the country. We compared the best local movers and broke them into three categories: hourly labor & full-service movers, moving and storage containers, and rental trucks.

Whether you need full-service movers or just hourly labor to help you pack, move furniture, or load/unload boxes, here are our top picks to help you find local movers near you.

When you're moving 50 miles or less, Thumbtack is our top pick for local movers. Search by your zip code to find top rated professionals, see their work history and see real customer reviews so you can book online with confidence.  

If you’re considering a hybrid move, renting a moving and storage container is the way to go.

You’ll find renting a moving and storage container is less expensive than a full-service move but will cost you more than renting a moving truck.

Zippy Shell has the lowest moving container prices in the nation. It also has a sizable 15-foot steel container and lets you choose between at-home and facility storage options. 

Zippy Shell has the industry’s lowest moving container prices. We looked at nearly 140 quotes and found that Zippy Shell can save you an average of around $390.

The only exception is if you have a small living space like a one-bedroom apartment. That costs about $250 more than other companies. But every other home size highlights what Zippy Shell brings to the table: the best portable storage prices in the United States.

Zippy Shell makes it easy to use your moving container for portable storage. The company offers two standout storage features:

1. At-home storage. You can keep Zippy Shell containers on-site at your home for as long as you need. (Monthly storage fees vary by location.) The indefinite option is a big win if you have a big remodel in the works or your new home isn’t move-in ready.
2. Facility storage. Zippy Shell has company storage facilities scattered across 100 different cities. While limited availability is a drawback (some companies serve thousands of municipalities), having a built-in storage unit in your back pocket is nice. Zippy Shell charges a monthly facility storage fee, including temperature controls to keep belongings, like paperwork and antiques, safe in extreme temperatures.

Zippy Shell would score higher in our rankings if it were more widely available. The company has locations in 34 states—the second fewest of companies on this list. Its low prices are only helpful if there’s one available in your neighborhood. .

In situations where city streets are narrow, parking is limited, or city permits are required, Zippy Shell can make difficult moves to or from a major city much easier. Its containers are street legal, including parking spaces and street curbs, so you can easily pack, load, and access your container. If that is not an option, you can arrange for a truck and professional loaders to load your container quickly, safely, and securely.

Looking for the lowest moving container prices?

Renting a moving truck is definitely the most DIY approach to a local move. Truck rentals are the least expensive way to move to your new home, but they require you to be behind the wheel during every phase of your move—literally and figuratively.

True to its name, Budget Truck Rental is one of the most economical options for renting a moving truck. Budget offers several discount codes to help you save on your local move, which makes it a good option for local movers on a budget who don’t need too many extras with their truck rental.

While Budget Truck Rental isn’t quite as widely available as U-Haul, you can still find a Budget rental location in the lower 48 states and Washington, D.C.

Availability aside, Budget is a great option if you’re hoping to save some money on your local move. Although you may have to pay more for add-ons like appliance dollies and furniture pads, you’ll likely pay less at Budget than another truck rental company if you forego these options.

Ready to learn more about Budget?

Read Our Review

College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving is the only national full-service mover that also specializes in junk and donation removal, giving it a leg up over other standard full-service movers.

In addition to offering a comprehensive list of packing and moving services, it offers what we think is the best solution if you need to dispose of some junk or donate any unwanted belongings during your move.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is a full-service mover with over 380 locations worldwide. Although it started as an after-school business by two high school students in the 1980s, it has become one of the most well-respected and customer-focused movers in the country.

Customer service is important when you’re dealing with any moving company, but it’s especially important during a full-service move.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK understands this, so it has “THE GRANDMA RULE.” Put simply, this means every employee is told to treat you the way they would want their grandma to be treated.

Although this might just seem like a marketing gimmick to make you feel better about choosing TWO MEN AND A TRUCK for your move, our research finds it generally lives up to high customer service standards—while other professional movers may fall a bit short in this area.

We also like TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s pickup and delivery service. It’s especially helpful if you’re turning to the classifieds to replace an appliance or two in your new home and the seller doesn’t offer delivery.

On top of all of this, we have found that TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the perfect company if you're looking for a full-service apartment moving company.

Want to hire TWO MEN AND A TRUCK for your local move?

Read Our Review

All My Sons Moving and Storage is a family-owned-and-operated moving company with more than four generations of moving know-how at its disposal. Although its locations are limited, we feel that its comprehensive list of moving services, commitment to customer service, and long history in the moving business make it a good option to consider for your local move.

We like All My Sons Moving and Storage because it has the full-service options that you might find with a much larger moving company, but it maintains the customer service of a family-owned business.

If your move includes a piano or if you’d rather not empty your dresser drawers before moving day, consider requesting an estimate from All My Sons.

Ready to see what All My Sons Moving and Storage can do for you?

Read Our Review

1-800-PACK-RAT is a moving and storage container company with well-constructed metal containers and good availability throughout the US and Canada. It doesn’t offer as many locations as PODS, but its steel containers offer more interior space than PODS’ offerings.

One of the best reasons to choose 1-800-PACK-RAT for your local move is for the moving containers themselves. Their steel construction and barn-style doors offer solid protection for your belongings while offering you more interior space than a container with roll-up doors (like those offered by PODS).

If you have a 1-800-PACK-RAT location near you, be sure to look at its containers in person and compare them with PODS’ before you make your final decision.

Ready to get the ball rolling on your local move?

Read Our Review

U-Haul is no stranger to the moving industry, but you may be surprised to learn it offers moving and storage containers as well. U-Haul’s U-Boxes are made of construction-grade plywood rather than metal, meaning they aren’t quite as sturdy as their metal counterparts—but nationwide availability means it’s one of the most accessible options for your move.

U-Haul is the only local moving and storage container provider that’s available in all fifty states. Not only that, but U-Haul makes reserving a U-Box easy by allowing you to go through the whole process online—that’s something neither PODS nor 1-800-PACK-RAT can say.

Although the U-Box is available in only one size and we prefer the metal-constructed containers of other companies, its simple online reservation process and nationwide availability make it a solid option for small- to medium-sized local moves.

Want to get the full scoop on U-Haul's U-Box?

Read Our Review

As we mentioned before, U-Haul is a household name in the moving industry—and for good reason. U-Haul is the oldest and most popular option for moving truck rentals and offers five box-truck sizes as well as moving vans and flatbed trucks to accommodate local moves of all sizes.

If you’re considering renting a truck for your local move, U-Haul should be the first company on your list.

Whether your in-town move is large or small, we’re sure U-Haul has a truck size that’ll fit your needs. U-Haul has the most variety of any moving truck rental company, offering five separate truck sizes:

• A ten-foot truck
• A fifteen-foot truck
• A seventeen-foot truck
• A twenty-foot truck
• A twenty-six-foot truck

All of U-Haul’s trucks feature low-height loading decks, making it easier for you to load and unload your belongings. We love how this feature isn’t exclusive to its smaller moving trucks, so your lower back is safe no matter which size truck you choose.

Moving trucks from many other companies feature loading decks that are much higher than U-Haul’s. This puts the loading ramp at a steeper incline, making it that much more difficult to get large items like furniture into the truck (which are difficult to move to begin with).

U-Haul is also the place to go if you need to rent dollies and straps like the ones we recommend in our moving equipment guide.

If you’re looking to rent a moving truck, odds are that you’re near a U-Haul location. U-Haul truck rentals are available in all 50 states, and you’ll often find multiple U-Haul locations in populated areas.

We love the fact that you’ll almost never need to wonder if there’s a U-Haul location near you. Not only is this convenient, but it also ensures you can secure a truck in your preferred size without having to make your reservation too far in advance.

Let's get you moving in a U-Haul truck!

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Penske Truck Rental is the third-largest truck rental company in the country and, coincidentally, it also lands at the third spot in our recommendations. Although its fleet of trucks is among the newest in the industry, we’ve found that local movers may end up paying a bit more with Penske than with either U-Haul or Budget Truck Rental.

If you’d rather not move with U-Haul and don’t mind paying a little extra for your rental, Penske’s trucks make it well worth considering.

Penske boasts one of the newest fleets in the truck rental industry, and its twelve- and sixteen-foot trucks offer better gas mileage than comparable trucks from U-Haul or Budget. Not only that, but Penske offers four truck size options compared to Budget’s three.

Penske is a good option for your local move if you care more about the quality of your moving truck than the cost of the reservation.

Are you ready to rent a Penske truck, or do you want to learn more first?

Read Our Review

• College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving
• TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
• All My Sons Moving and Storage

• PODS (Portable On Demand Storage)
• 1-800-PACK-RAT
• U-Box by U-Haul

• U-Haul
• Budget Truck Rental
• Penske Truck Rental

Whether you seek out an estimate from a full-service local moving company or rent a moving truck, share your experience with us in the comments below! Our readers would love to hear how your move went and whether or not you’d nominate your mover for our best local movers list.

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, 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.