2024 SMARTBOX Moving & Storage Review

Bottom line: SMARTBOX is an affordable moving company and lower than other moving container companies. The problem is it's available in only 23 states, and it has low customer review scores. But it’s not all bad. SMARTBOX’s strengths include low and transparent pricing, a pay-for-what-you-use policy, and a college student discount.

SMARTBOX costs approximately $3,107 for an average move. Costs range from about $1,645 for a small, local move to around to $4,927 for a large, cross-country move. SMARTBOX’s prices are about $760 lower than the industry average.

Move.org collected 154 quotes from the industry’s leading moving container companies. We compared estimates for four home sizes across six distances. While SMARTBOX says it offers moving container services for five-bedroom homes, we couldn’t get quotes for this home size from the company.

Several factors affect your SMARTBOX costs:

• Home size. SMARTBOX uses square footage to estimate how many containers you need.

• Distance. It generally costs more the farther you travel.

• Season. Costs are higher during peak moving season.

Want a moving company with lots of discounts?

SMARTBOX offers coverage during transit but doesn’t have any insurance options for storage. SMARTBOX includes $10,000 worth of protection for long-distance moves (it doesn’t provide coverage for local moves), and you can purchase up to $70,000 worth of coverage per container for an additional fee.

SMARTBOX provides moving container services for local and long-distance moves (although it’s available in only 23 states). SMARTBOX has one container size that includes a weatherproof vinyl cover to protect against damage.

The company calculates the number of containers you need based on square footage. A studio apartment requires only one moving container, while a three-room home needs up to four containers. Customers should contact SMARTBOX directly to obtain estimates for homes with more than three rooms.

SMARTBOX lets you keep your portable storage containers at its warehouses or your home. Your estimate includes the first 30 days of storage costs (beginning the day your container arrives at your new home). Fees vary widely by location (each SMARTBOX franchise sets its own prices). Monthly costs to leave your containers at a SMARTBOX facility range from $49 to $109 per container while storing things at your home ranges from $59 to $159.

SMARTBOX makes it easy to understand how much you pay. Many other container companies break down your final costs into multiple line items across several payments and often have costs not included in your initial estimate. SMARTBOX gives you a single clear total (tax included). It’s easily the company’s biggest selling point.

SMARTBOX goes the extra mile to make college more affordable. It gives students the chance to put more cash towards tuitions or books, and even works around class schedules for container deliveries. The company offers a $20 moving container discount for college students and staff:

• Dormitory students
• Faculty and staff
• Individual students
• International students
• Off-campus students
• Sororities / Fraternities
• Study abroad students

For those college students moving one container’s worth of stuff, SMARTBOX is likely about $10 cheaper than the competition (after the discount).

SMARTBOX charges you only for the containers you use. The company understands it can be hard to know exactly how many containers you need. Rather than charge for each storage container you order, SMARTBOX charges only for what you need. So if you order eight SMARTBOX containers (the max you can get) but use only three, you pay for only three. The SMARTBOX pay-for-what-you-use policy takes the stress out of determining exactly how many containers you need—and can lower your bill at the same time.

SMARTBOX isn’t easy to find. While the company boasts a service area of 60 million people,¹ SMARTBOX is available in select cities in only 23 states. The limited availability can make it tough to find a location in your area. You can also expect a long hold time (around 30 minutes) because SMARTBOX has fewer employees than national companies like U-Pack and PODS. It’s likely one reason the company gets low reviews compared to other moving container companies.

SMARTBOX says that it can provide quotes for all kinds of home sizes. The company provided us with quotes for small and midsize homes (one to three rooms) when we posed as customers, but we could never get quotes for larger homes (five rooms). For the home sizes we could verify, SMARTBOX’s lowest prices were for small apartments.

SMARTBOX may have customer review scores that are on the lower side, but its pricing sure is low-cost and transparent. The company doesn’t hide its pricing or reel customers in with low initial rates that last only one month. And the company’s pay-for-what-you-use policy helps you stay within your budget. On top of that, its discounts for college students and staff mean you can probably save a few dollars if you need only one container. For everyone else, SMARTBOX is pricier and harder to find than other companies on our Best Moving Container Companies list.

Want to pay for only the space you need?

Can’t find a SMARTBOX in your area? Try one of these container companies:

• PODS Review
• U-Pack Review
• 1-800-PACK-RAT Review
• U-Box Review
• Zippy Shell Review

Customers who leave SMARTBOX reviews say the company is not the best at delivering fast and efficient communication. Those who like the company often praise a problem-free moving experience. At the same time, those who leave negative reviews tend to mention how difficult it is to reach SMARTBOX representatives to deal with problems.

SMARTBOX works by delivering moving containers to your home. Once you load the containers with your belongings, SMARTBOX picks them up and delivers them to your new home or a temporary storage facility.

SMARTBOX costs approximately $3,107 for an average move. Costs range from about $1,645 for a small, local move to around to $4,927 for a large, cross-country move.

SMARTBOX pricing is similar to other companies. Its average cost of $3,107 is less expensive than other moving container companies.

SMARTBOX dimensions for moving containers are approximately 8 x 5 x 7 feet. The company says you can fit belongings from one room with less than 600 square feet in each container.

SMARTBOX customer service is friendly and professional, but its representatives are often difficult to reach. The company has a relatively low average customer review rating of 1.9 out of 5 stars.

Move.org follows a five-step process to identify the nation’s best moving container companies:

1. Compare quotes. We collected over 100 quotes from seven of the nation’s largest moving container companies to identify pricing trends.
2. 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.
3. Analyze reviews. We read dozens of reviews for each company to see what most impresses (and turns off) customers. We also ran the numbers for more than 7,000 total reviews to calculate an industry customer review average.
4. 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.
5. Annual review. Every year, we repeat the process to ensure that our list of the best moving container companies stays current. That means things like our top recommendations and industry prices may change from year to year.

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1. SMARTBOX Moving and Storage, “Service Areas." Accessed December 20, 2021.