If you own a business, you know firsthand just how expensive it is to be your own boss. From worker’s compensation insurance coverage to the tools that you and your employees depend on, most businesses have a laundry list of expenses. While it can be tempting to move your business on your own to save money, working with a commercial moving company benefits you in multiple ways. Expert labor movers know how to carry heavy items safely — an essential skill if you own cumbersome equipment or merchandise. You can even hire commercial movers to pack your things in a way that limits the possibility of damage during transit.
4.5
One month of free storage included with your move
Provides moves in all 50 states
Offers air & ocean freighting
4.0
Flat rate pricing for all moves
Offers price matching
Expedited moves between big cities
4.2
Top-notch packing services
Nationwide partner network
Comprehensive moving calculator
While there are many commercial moving companies operating throughout the country, it’s important to choose one that offers the benefits you need for your business’s moving day. Read on to learn more about the best commercial moving companies, where they operate, and what they do best.
The 7 Best Commercial Moving Companies
Our top recommended commercial moving companies for 2023:
Compare The Best Commercial Moving Companies
The table below outlines data for the best moving companies on the market. We constantly update these ratings and price estimates to reflect industry changes. Continue reading in-depth reviews of several top providers.
Company | Best For | Our Rating | BBB Rating | Local Cost | Long-distance Cost |
Best Full-Service | B | $650–$1350 | $2,100–$5,400 | ||
Most Transparent Pricing | B- | $550–$1,100 | $2,550–$5,700 | ||
Best Cost Estimation Tools | B | $700 - $1,250 | $1,800 - $4980 | ||
Best Flat-Rate | Not Rated | Not available for local moves | $2,200–$5,500 | ||
Most Moving | B | Call for a quote | $2,750–$5,200 | ||
Most Customizable | A+ | Call for a quote | $2,750–$6,000 | ||
Best Vehicle | A+ | $800–$1,500 | $2,000–$5,000 | ||
Best Pricing | A+ | $800–$1,500 | $2,000–$5,000 | ||
Best Technology | A+ | Call for quote | $2,000–$5,000 | ||
Best Container Service | A+ | Not available for local moves | $1,350–$2,400 | ||
Best Valuation Coverage Options | A+ | $1,200-$2,750 | $3,100-$8,400 |
*Quote and cost data are updated and monitored continuously.
International Van Lines
4.5
Our Rating
International Van Lines (IVL), as the name suggests, is an experienced team of professional movers that can move you nearly anywhere in the world.
From small, local moving services to major relocations abroad, their team can handle anything. You can even claim a free ballpark estimate for your office moving processes online using the company’s MoveOne software program, which was designed in-house to provide you with a moving quote remotely. This can be a major source of peace of mind if you’re continuing to work remotely because your office has older employees or you work with immunocompromised patients or customers.
IVL can be an excellent choice if this is the first time that you’re hiring movers for your business thanks to the company’s stellar customer reviews and service team. IVL’s customer service team has received numerous awards from nationwide publications by Forbes and Newsweek. If you’re planning your first business move and you don’t know where to start, be sure to get a quote from International Van Lines.
International Van Lines is a full-service moving company, which means that their team is able to provide more services than those which you’d expect from a standard moving company. You can currently book the following add-on options and specialty moving services through the team at IVL:
- Packing and unpacking services
- Loading and unloading services
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Crating
- Specialized packing services for fragile items
- Storage solutions for both short-term and long-term periods
- Packing supplies
- Auto transportation services
- Military moving services
If you’ve ever completed a long-distance moving process for your personal property, you’re likely already familiar with the major factors that moving companies consider when they price your commercial moving package. The two primary factors that movers consider when pricing your commercial moving services include the following.
- The type of business you’re moving and its size: The structure and size of your business will play a major role in the price you pay to move your business. If you own a ton of office furniture or you have more employee things to relocate, you’ll pay more to move.
- The distance you’re traveling: If you need to make a long-distance move, you can expect to pay more for your relocation services than if you’re only moving locally.
While commercial moving prices vary significantly based on the structure of your business, examining pricing for residential moving services can help you predict what you’re likely to pay for your office movers. Below, you can view a summary of pricing data from previous IVL customers who used the company to move to their new home.
<250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
Two-bedroom home | $1,400 to $4,400 | $1,900 to $4,900 | $2,100 to $5,100 | $2,400 to $5,400 |
Four-bedroom home | $3,200 to $6,200 | $5,100 to $8,100 | $5,700 to $8,700 | $6,200 to $9,200 |
American Van Lines
4.0
Our Rating
American Van Lines (AVL) can be the right choice for your company if you have a large number of fragile items you’re moving to your new corporate space. For example, if you run an office space, you might be bringing multiple modems and computer monitors that must be packed and handled delicately.
AVL employs certified movers and packers so you can rest with the peace of mind that comes with knowing the tools you need for work are in the best hands possible.
You can currently book the following add-on options and specialty moving services through the team at American Van Lines:
- Packing and unpacking services
- Storage unit arrangement
- Specialty packing services for items like pianos and antiques
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Crating for large items (like pianos)
- Moving supplies
- Office moving services and corporate relocation
- Military moves
View the table below to learn more about what past customers paid for services from American Van Lines.
<250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
Two-bedroom home | $1,700 to $4,700 | $2,300 to $5,300 | $2,600 to $5,600 | $4,200 to $7,200 |
Four-bedroom home | $4,800 to $7,800 | $5,600 to $8,600 | $7,400 to $10,400 | $10,800 to $13,800 |
Moving APT
3.9
Our Rating
Moving APT is a moving services broker that can find you the best moving companies for your business or office, no matter where you’re located. You simply tell them your needs and your budget, your origin and destination, and they work to find the best movers in your area for the job.
You can currently book the following add-on options and specialty moving services in most areas through the team at MovingAPT:
- Commercial and residential moving
- Piano moving
- Auto shipping
- Packing services
- Packing supplies (included for some moves)
- Appliance connection services
- Limited furniture disassembly and reassembly
Remember that, because Moving APT is a broker, the specific services you’ll have access to might vary depending on the company you work with.
Unfortunately, Moving APT does not offer standardized pricing for office relocation services online, as many customers take advantage of their price-matching policy. In order to get a custom quote for your business, be sure to click on the link below and claim a free, custom estimate.
JK Moving Services
4.2
Our Rating
JK Moving Services has performed thousands of commercial moves in the almost 40 years they’ve been in business, and they have a 98% satisfaction rate. Not only do they curate their moving plans to your company’s exact needs, but they also have their own planning system to execute commercial moves.
JK will assign you a certified project management team to plan your office move so that you can have the most stress-free experience possible. They’re the experts; they will archive, label, and categorize each and every item in your office prior to the actual transportation of items.
You can currently book the following add-on options and specialty moving services through the team at JK Moving Services:
- Packing and unpacking services
- Loading and unloading services
- Long-term and short-term storage unit arrangement
- Transportation and delivery
- Freighting
- Crating
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly services
- Specialty services for items likes antiques and pianos
- Specialized services for commercial moves for law firms, hospitals and other specialized workplaces
- Government moving services
- Archive services
- Auto relocation services
Like Moving APT, JK Moving Services prefers to speak with its potential commercial customers before issuing an estimate. When we requested an estimate for a 500-mile move for a two-bedroom home, we found that pricing ranged between $2,500 and $5,500 on this route. This makes JK Moving Services a bit more expensive than competitors. However, if you have fragile items you’re worried about moving, be sure to click the link below to get a free quote.
Allied Van Lines
4.2
Our Rating
Allied Van Lines goes above and beyond when it comes to your corporate relocation. They have over 500 agent offices in over 30 different countries, and they can move your business to 130 countries around the world.
They can even provide different options for all types of vehicle transport–from boats to luxury sports cars, they can move anything you need. In fact, if your vehicle is late in arriving at its destination, Allied will provide you with a rental car free of charge until your vehicle makes it to you. This can make Allied an especially appealing choice for companies with commercial moving vehicles.
If you’re moving a small business office, you could also opt to use Allied Van Lines’ Allied Express service, which is a moving container service designed for smaller-scale moves. Packing services are not included, but Allied movers will load and unload the container for you and Allied drivers will drop your business materials off at their new destination.
You can currently book the following add-on options and specialty moving services through the team at Allied Van Lines:
- Packing services and unpacking services
- Fragile-only packing
- Storage for in-transit items
- Arrangement of long-term storage units
- Shipment tracking
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Auto and boat transport
- Basic liability coverage
- Full-value coverage
View the table below to learn more about what past customers paid for services from Allied Van Lines.
<250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
Two-bedroom home | $1,800 to $4,500 | $2,400 to $5,400 | $2,700 to $5,700 | $4,400 to $7,400 |
Four-bedroom home | $3,300 to $6,000 | $5,700 to $8,700 | $7,500 to $10,500 | $10,900 to $13,000 |
U-Pack
3.5
Our Rating
As a moving container service, U-Pack might be just the company to hire for your commercial move if it’s a small-scale move and you only have to relocate one or two workspaces. This is because, if you want to move a large office with tons of paperwork and machines, you’ll have to spend hours doing your own packing.
While U-Pack’s moving packages don’t include labor services, you do have the option of checking out U-Pack’s network of laborers called Moving Staffers. These are people you can hire to help you pack, load, disassemble furniture, disconnect and reconnect appliances, and any additional moving services you may need. You can find someone to help you with the actual heavy lifting of moving through that forum.
You can currently book the following add-on options and specialty moving services through the team at U-Pack:
- Long-distance container moving services
- Limited offsite storage
View the table below to learn more about what past customers paid for services from U-Pack.
<250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
Two-bedroom home | $600 to $1,600 | $1,200 to $2,200 | $1,600 to $2,600 | $2,100 to $3,100 |
Four-bedroom home | $800 to $1,800 | $1,800 to $2,800 | $2,800 to $3,800 | $4,100 – $5,100 |
North American Van Lines
4.0
Our Rating
If you’re looking to strictly limit the amount of money that you pay for your commercial moving company, you might want to consider working with North American Van Lines.
North American Van Lines offers its customers a number of unique, customizable pricing structures, including the following options.
- Not-to-exceed pricing: With not to exceed pricing, your movers place a strict upper limit on the amount that you’ll pay when your moving date arrives.
- Bottom line pricing: With bottom-line pricing, the quote you receive is binding, which means that unless you add other items to your move, the price you see is the exact price you pay.
- Customized per-item pricing: If you’re only looking to move a few items from your current office space, North American Van Lines also offers pricing based on your moving needs for each specific item you’re taking with you. This helps you avoid paying for packing, unpacking, or crating for all the items you’re moving to your new location.
Like other options on this list, North American Van Lines also offers a full range of add-on services and functions as a full-service commercial mover. This means that you can customize both your moving experience and your price.
You can currently book the following add-on options and specialty moving services through the team at North American Van Lines:
- Full-service packing
- Fragile-only packing
- Boxes and moving supplies
- Appliance disconnection and reconnection
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly
- Custom crates
- Loading and unloading
- Crane vans for large items
- Storage services
- Auto transport
- Basic liability coverage
- Full-valuation coverage
View the table below to learn more about what past customers paid for services from North American Van Lines.
<250 miles | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles | |
Two-bedroom home | $1,800 to $4,500 | $2,400 to $5,400 | $2,700 to $5,700 | $4,400 to $7,400 |
Four-bedroom home | $3,300 to $6,000 | $5,700 to $8,700 | $7,500 to $10,500 | $10,900 to $13,000 |
What To Look for In Commercial Moving Companies
How can you find the best mover for your commercial move? There are a few things you should be aware of so that you can make the best decision on who to hire to help you move your business elsewhere. Look for the following key characteristics to ensure that you’re working with a reputable and honest commercial moving team.
- Reasonable quotes: The best way to find out what a move the size of your business’ move would cost is to get quotes from at least three different moving companies. Reputable moving companies will give you a quote for free without any obligation to follow through. This can help you compare companies with similar services to each other to see whether they are within the same ballpark of price estimates. If a quote seems too good to be true, it’s likely that it is.
- Licensed and insured: You need to make sure that the company you choose to move your business has proper and up-to-date licensing with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Legitimate moving companies will be able to prove that they’re registered with the FMCSA by showing you an up-to-date USDOT number.
Movers are required to provide basic insurance coverage for moves; however, this required coverage only provides $0.60 for every pound of damaged items. This $0.60 rule doesn’t take the type of damaged item into consideration. So, for example, if your $750 laptop that weighs three pounds is destroyed, you’d receive $1.80 from your moving company ($750*3 is $1.80).You may want to ask your movers about their insurance coverage options, especially if your business is moving valuable equipment or other expensive items. .
- Customer reviews: Although some movers’ websites do not filter out negative reviews of their services, most do. It’s best to check out unaffiliated blogs or publications to read up on the companies in question so you can see what kinds of experiences other customers have had with them. Were the movers polite, punctual, and professional? Did they handle each item with care, or were they careless? How long was the quoting process? Did everything arrive on time? These are only a few questions to seek answers to through customer reviews. If you notice a pattern of negative or positive comments common across multiple reviews, take note.
What Costs Are Involved with Commercial Moving Companies?
The quote a commercial moving company provides you includes labor hours, fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, packing supplies, cleaning fees, and other random things that may occur. Let’s take a look at some other costs involved with commercial moves and moving companies.
- Weight: Many moving companies charge hourly labor rates for packing, loading, and driving, but they also charge by weight of your items in the moving vehicle. It costs a certain amount per mile, and the cost per mile sometimes decreases as the distance increases. Some companies, like U-Pack, only charge for the square feet that your stuff occupies in the moving container you’re using.
- Destination and services: The further you’re traveling to get to your new property, the more your move will cost. The company may give you a flat rate when it comes to labor because they can estimate the length of time they will need to get the job done. But each workstation, file box, and desk adds weight to your moving truck. If you need movers with specialized packing knowledge, packing materials, tools for disassembly and reassembly, and each of these add-ons will increase the price of your move.
- Storage: Life is unpredictable; you never know if everything will go exactly according to plan on and after moving day. Many companies offer one month of free storage with many of their moving plans, but if you need longer or you need special accommodations, be mindful this could be another cost for your move.
Final Thoughts
Moving your business is a serious process. While it might be tempting to choose your quote entirely based on the price each moving team is offering, you should carefully consider which company is best for your unique line of work. For example, if you’re moving a medical office and you need archival services for patient data, JK Moving Services might be right for you. However, if you own an antique store and you have many fragile items to pack and transport, American Van Lines could be the best choice. We recommend getting a quote from each of our recommended moving services to find the best price or take advantage of the price matching policies offered by some companies.
FAQs About Commercial Moving
How far in advance should I book my commercial move?
Sometimes you can’t plan too far ahead due to the nature of your business or the items you’re transporting, but it’s best to plan your commercial move at least a month in advance. This gives the company time to plan and schedule all the parts of your move. The larger your move is, the more time you should give your moving company.
Can commercial movers move my office overseas?
Sure. Depending on the company, they can provide international services. Allied Van Lines and International Van Lines both offer international shipping services and can handle customs paperwork. Some companies only work locally or within the U.S., so make sure if you’re going overseas that your company provides international shipping.
Can I do a DIY commercial move?
You can always try to do a DIY move for your business, but DIY moves become more and more of a strain the more items you have to pack and move. If you have a simple home office or small shop, it would be easier to pack it up and move it than if you have a full-sized store or medium-sized business with several employee workstations.
What’s the best time of year to move?
Because many people move into new homes in the summertime, your commercial mover might be busy with residential relocations during that time. This means that you’ll pay more for service if you move your business during the summer season. The off-season for moving is in the fall and winter months and during weekdays. But don’t worry about missing out on your business routine — most companies will make sure to work within your schedule so you don’t lose out on much business time.
What should I move myself?
Any personal items (yours or your employees) need to be packed up separately. Sensitive documents such as identifications and background checks should be moved by you as well. Depending on the size of your business, you might want to bring client and customer contact information with you to prevent damage.
Today's Homeowner Rating Methodology
At Today's Homeowner, our primary goals are to be a reliable source of information and to be totally transparent to our readers. With that in mind, we’ve developed the following formula to render objective ratings – on a scale of 10 points – for the moving companies we review.
- Transparency (3.0): Communication and being fully straightforward regarding company policies and licensing are incredibly important. A given mover’s willingness to display these, to supply quick quotes, and to provide clearly-worded moving contracts all factor into the three points within this single rating criteria.
- Cost (2.5): A mover’s cost relative to industry averages, as well as accessibility to cost data play a role in the customer experience as much as anything else. We know that being sure of what you’re paying – and being confident that you’re not overpaying – will ultimately make for a positive move. We’ve weighted cost factors accordingly in our ratings.
- Customer Service (2.0): Establishing an easy line of contact with your movers during the booking process or during the move itself is a huge asset for any moving client. The stress of moving, in general, can be greatly eased by knowing you can talk to a licensed professional whenever you need to, which is why we’ve listed this as a key rating category. This is where customer reviews come into play; since the majority of complaints stem from poor customer service, feedback from BBB, Yelp, Google, and other review platforms factor into this criteria.
- Services Offered (1.5): This rates lower on our priority list than many would think, simply due to the fact that many movers provide a similar line of services. However, breadth of service offerings does still vary to a degree.
- Customization Options (1.0): Having the autonomy to fully customize your move should rate highly on any moving checklist. Here, we’ve taken moving package customization ability, as well as pricing for more involved add-ons. Steep pricing for such services can provide something of a soft barrier for clients looking to add to their move, and we’ve taken this into consideration.