Pricing
Driving Route Optimizer was established in 2018 as a spinoff from our successful Driving Route Planner website. The primary difference between the two systems is that Driving Route Optimizer uses a Google-based optimization algorithm which returns only "the most optimal" route, whereas Driving Route Planner uses a proprietary algorithm that we have developed and which computes numerous route options including "fastest", "shortest", and "as entered". The resulting Google API costs associated with Driving Route Planner are significantly higher than those with the Driving Route Optimizer due to the different algorithms used. When we attempted to phase out the Driving Route Planner in late 2018, many customers informed us that they would be willing to pay to keep the system running, since they preferred to select from multiple route options.
Here are the pricing details and a comparison of both systems:
- shows the most optimal route only - no alternative routes are provided
- free version offers 6 stops
- paid version offers up to 23 stops
- all users are charged a one-time registration fee of $5/USD
- monthly fees are $9.99/USD/month which includes 999 stops, charged at the END of each calendar month
- monthly fees are not charged if you do not use the system during any given calendar month
- monthly fees for your first month are reduced if you sign up late in the month as described below
- additional stops above 999/month cost $.01 per stop rounded up to the nearest dollar as described in the example below
- each address in your route will count as a "stop", including your starting and ending addresses
- a running total of the number of stops you have used is provided in your login badge.
- Canadian users will be charged GST or HST as applicable based on your province
- Some international credit card providers may charge a small International Fee in addition to our monthly fees and this is beyond our control
Pricing Example - if your total monthly usage is 1430 stops, that equals 431 additional stops (over and above the 999 stops included in the Basic Fees) at a cost of $.01 per stop for a total of $4.31 which will be rounded up to $5.00. At the end of the month, your credit card will be billed $9.99 + $5.00 = $14.99 (the credit card charge will actually occur early in the following month).
Basic Monthly Fees for your first month will be $0.50 per day multiplied by the number of days remaining in the month (including the signup date) with a minimum of $1 and maximum of $9.99 and will include one stop for each $0.01 paid. For example, if you sign up on the 25th of September the basic monthly fee will be 6 (days) x $0.50 = $3.00 and this will include 300 stops. If your usage exceeds 300 stops during these 6 days, you will be charged an excess usage fee of $.01 per stop rounded up to the nearest dollar.
Registration Details for Driving Route Optimizer
- you can sign up for the paid version of Driving Route Optimizer here: https://paid.drivingrouteoptimizer.com
- registration requires a Google Account and credit card
- we recommend setting up a dedicated Gmail Account if you plan to share the Account among several different users
- each Account can only be running one instance of the system at a time. If a second user logs in, the first user's session will be terminated
Current customers of Driving Route Optimizer (DRO) are welcome to “upgrade” to Driving Route Planner (DRP) as follows:
- a one-time setup fee of $49 USD will be applicable. Credit will be given for your $5 DRO registration fee reducing this setup fee to $44 USD.
- if you are upgrading to the 25-stop version of DRP, you will not be charged monthly fees for DRP during the calendar month in which you upgrade. Monthly fees for DRP will commence at the beginning of the following month. At the end of the month in which you upgrade, you will be charged the appropriate fees for your DRO usage during that calendar month.
- if you are upgrading to the 50-stop version of DRP, your monthly fees for the month in which you upgrade will be the greater of: the prorated monthly fees for DRP ($19.99 x number of days remaining in month / total days in month) and the monthly charges that are applicable for your usage of DRO during the month in which you upgrade.
- shows up to 10 alternative routes including shortest, fastest, and "as entered"
- free version offers 3 stops
- paid version offers either 25 or 50 stops
- one-time setup fee of $49/USD to establish a unique domain for your copy of Driving Route Planner and assist you with the setup of your Google accounts
- our monthly fees are $9.99/USD/month for 25 stops or $19.99/USD/month for 50 stops charged at the BEGINNING of the month (pro-rated based on the number of days in your first month)
- our monthly fees do NOT cover Google Map API fees that are associated with your account as described further below
- Canadian users will be charged GST or HST as applicable based on your province
- Some international credit card providers may charge a small International Fee in addition to our monthly fees and this is beyond our control
Google Account
Driving Route Planner relies primarily on distance and mapping services provided by Google via their Google Maps API. In order to utilize Driving Route Planner, all users require a dedicated Google Account which provides a free credit of $200 USD/month of Google Maps API usage. We will create this Google Account as part of your setup fee. Once the Google Account is set up, we will provide you with instructions to add your credit card to the Google Account to cover any Google API usage exceeding $200/month.
Your Google Account will only be connected to your unique copy of the Driving Route Planner which will reside, for example, at yourbusinessname.drivingrouteplanner.com
This spreadsheet allows you to estimate your monthly Google API charges based on your expected usage: Google Spreadsheet
Registration Details for Driving Route Planner
- if you wish to proceed with this option, please complete the this form
- multiple instances of the system can be running at the same time
