Best Moving Companies with Full-Service Options

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"Full service" is one of the loosest labels in the moving industry.

It means hiring a trained crew who packs every drawer, wraps every table leg, loads, drives, unloads and clears away empty boxes for one company. For another company it means a coordinator who books your job and hands it off to whichever licensed carrier has a truck in your area that week.

Both can produce an excellent move. They are not the same purchase.

It's not a question of full service or not — rather who is performing each service, and what happens to your items when dates don't match up on either end.

This guide evaluates four reputable companies that provide true door-to-door residential moves with storage included, analyses their pricing and staffing for a move, and pairs each with their best suited customers.

In This Guide

-       How to choose a full-service mover

-       Three Movers

-       International Van Lines

-       JK Moving Services

-       Allied Van Lines

-       Full-service movers compared

-       The bottom line

How to Choose a Full-Service Mover

Determine which aspects of the move you really want to outsource before shopping brands.

Four questions narrow the field fast:

-       Who provides the crew? An individual carrier provides their own crew. A network will pair you with background checked licensed carriers and handles the job on your behalf.

-       Where do your things go if closing slips? Stored in transit (SORT) is standard practice but terms and limits vary by provider.

-       How do you get the quote? Online quotes are quick. A firm binding estimate will typically require a virtual or in-home visit.

-       How much is due upfront? Deposits vary, ask (and get in writing) what the current policy is before booking with anyone.

Answer those four, and the shortlist gets short quickly.

1. Three Movers — Best overall for full-service moves with storage

Three Movers is built around matching rather than guessing.

Rather than crossing your fingers that the one local company you contacted is a good fit, you describe your move once and get connected with carriers from its network. Those carriers have been verified by the company as FMCSA-licensed, insured and background checked before they are allowed to provide quotes, which is what its vetted moving and storage services are all about.

What you can arrange in one place:

-       local, interstate and international household moves

-       packing and crating, including fragile and specialty items

-       temporary storage when the dates on either end do not align

-       commercial and office relocations

-       auto transport travelling alongside the household shipment

Here's how it works: you answer a few questions in the free cost calculator, compare the quotes you get back, and confirm your crew and move date before any deposit is due. That sequence matters more than it sounds. It eliminates a common point of friction early in the long-distance booking process, while your plans are still fluid.

Practically speaking, the same family moving out of a two-bedroom rental six weeks before their new closing will reserve the move, store shipment on hold and release delivery upon possession of the keys — all without needing to separately contract with a mover, storage rental and second crew at their destination.

Best suited to: buyers who prefer that the screening, coordination and price comparison be done for them rather than having to negotiate individually with each carrier. That's what gets you national coverage and competing quotes on the same shipment rather than a single take-it-or-leave-it number.

Best suited for an end-to-end move where storage is included under one contract.

2. International Van Lines — Best for moves that cross a border

IVL is a national carrier that also runs its own international desk.

That's what appeals. Packing, overseas transport, storage, customs clearance and car shipping all come under one roof. Your move from Ohio to Lisbon won't result in three contracts and a freight forwarder.

Included: domestic long distance, international delivery, packing to your desired level of service, and 1 month free storage with your move.

The downside? Booking usually requires a deposit that is refundable within the company's published cancellation period, so it requires commitment further in advance.

Best compared against when shipping overseas or across country where you need a car and household shipment to move simultaneously.

3. JK Moving Services — Best for high-value and complex households

JK rank at the high end of this list, and they proudly admit it.

Train crews at the company-owned training facility instead of on customers' jobs sites. Tracks shipments. Is its own carrier with company owned storage warehouses. When shipping antiques, art, pianos or when you have restricted access, that is the competitive advantage.

It provides move funding too, which few (if any) others in this class offer. The rates start at the advertised 0%.

Where it fits less well: local moving is restricted to the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia area. Prices are quoted from a consultation rather than an online estimator.

May be preferred by buyers who are transporting belongings long distances and have expensive items they wish packed by one carrier from beginning to end.

4. Allied Van Lines — Best for coast-to-coast reach

Allied works through a long-established agent network covering all 50 states.

That reach becomes handy when moving cross-country to a smaller market: you'll likely have an agent on either end. Storage in transit, shipment tracking, auto transport and international moves are all options and there is no deposit required for interstate bookings.

Virtual surveys provide an indicative quotation in a short space of time. However, a confirmed binding quotation still requires a physical visit.

Due to local agents performing the work, your day-to-day experience will be dictated by the agency your route is assigned to vs a single national crew.

Possibly the best option if you have a big family and are relocating to another state, especially if it is out of a major metro area.

Full-Service Movers Compared

Prices are relative, not quotes. All providers here price by distance, volume or weight, access and added services so compare apples-to-apples — and check current storage allowances, as they vary.

The Bottom Line

Full-service moving comes down to how much of the job you want to own.

JK is your go-to for high ticket contents. IVL would work well for a border crossing. Allied offers access to smaller markets.

If you're an average household relocating locally or across the country that needs storage somewhere in between, your logical default option is Three Movers: single point of contact, carriers prescreened before they provide you a quote, packing and temporary storage services booked together, and no deposit required until your crew and move date are confirmed.

Calculate, compare what you get back and hire the crew you feel good about.