Like uShip Shipping large or bulky items has never been more convenient, thanks to online platforms like uShip. With its marketplace-style approach, uShip allows users to connect directly with carriers, negotiate rates, and schedule deliveries for anything from furniture to vehicles. However, while uShip remains a popular option, it’s not the only one. In fact, several other shipping services offer similar—sometimes even superior—features, pricing models, or niche benefits. If you’re searching for a solution like uShip, whether for personal or business shipping, this guide explores the best alternatives for 2025.
What Makes a Shipping Platform Like uShip?
Before diving into the alternatives, it’s important to understand the elements that define a service as similar to uShip. The key characteristics include:
- Marketplace-style bidding: Where shippers post their transport needs and service providers compete to offer the best price.
- Peer-to-peer or business-to-consumer format: Platforms that connect individuals or businesses with independent carriers or logistics companies.
- Diverse shipment support: Including vehicles, freight, furniture, pets, and more.
- Tracking and communication tools: Built-in systems to monitor the status of deliveries.
- Flexible pricing: Open bidding or instant quotes that allow users to compare rates.
These features make platforms like uShip incredibly versatile, especially for those who prefer to avoid traditional freight forwarding companies or want a more hands-on approach.
Shiply – A Sustainable Shipping Marketplace
Shiply is often mentioned in the same breath as uShip—and for good reason. Based in the UK and expanding globally, Shiply operates on a similar reverse-auction model. After you post a job, thousands of rated transport providers bid for it, helping you choose the best option based on price and reviews.
What sets Shiply apart is its eco-friendly approach. The platform promotes the use of empty return journeys, allowing transport providers to make use of space they’d otherwise waste. This not only cuts costs but also reduces carbon emissions.
Shiply supports a wide range of delivery categories, including furniture, cars, house moves, and even boats. It’s ideal for users in the UK, Europe, and North America who want an experience similar to uShip but with an environmental edge.
CitizenShipper – The Personal Shipping Experience
Next on the list of uShip alternatives is CitizenShipper, a U.S.-based platform that brings a personal touch to shipping. Specializing in pet transport, motorcycles, and small household items, CitizenShipper operates much like uShip by allowing carriers to bid on shipments.
The standout feature here is the focus on trust and safety. Pet shipping, for example, is a big part of their platform, and many of the drivers are pet lovers or even professional handlers. Real-time GPS tracking and driver background checks add an extra layer of assurance.
If you’re shipping items that require careful handling or a trusted companion, CitizenShipper may feel even more reliable than uShip.
Roadie – For Local and Same-Day Deliveries
While uShip excels at long-distance hauls, Roadie fills a niche that uShip doesn’t quite dominate—same-day and local delivery. Acquired by UPS, Roadie is a crowdsourced delivery service that connects users with gig economy drivers heading in the same direction.
Think of Roadie as the Uber of shipping. You post what you need delivered (a couch, TV, parcel), and a verified driver picks it up, often the same day. Roadie covers over 90% of U.S. zip codes, making it ideal for small businesses, retailers, or individuals who need fast, local delivery.
It’s not a direct replacement for uShip’s heavy-haul or international offerings, but for smaller, time-sensitive shipments, Roadie is unbeatable.
ShipSmart – Ideal for Small Moves
When it comes to small moves, like a one-bedroom apartment or a handful of bulky items, ShipSmart shines. Unlike uShip, which leaves most of the logistics to you and the carrier, ShipSmart handles every aspect, from pick-up to packing to delivery.
Though it’s not a bidding platform, ShipSmart offers transparent, upfront pricing, excellent customer support, and experience in long-distance moves across the U.S.. It’s especially useful for students, digital nomads, or anyone relocating with minimal furniture.
If you like uShip’s convenience but want a more hands-off, full-service experience, ShipSmart is a top contender.
GoShare – Reliable for Last-Mile and Local Business Shipping
GoShare is a modern solution tailored for businesses and individuals who need to move goods within city limits or short distances. Like Roadie, it taps into the gig economy by matching users with drivers who own pickup trucks, vans, or box trucks.
What’s impressive about GoShare is its focus on business clients—retailers, warehouses, and eCommerce brands that need on-demand delivery. The app offers real-time tracking, proof of delivery, and insurance, making it far more professional than a simple Craigslist delivery service.
For those looking for something like uShip but geared toward local logistics and commercial needs, GoShare is an efficient and scalable solution.
Lugg – Moving Help with Muscle
If your shipping needs lean more toward in-home furniture delivery, moving assistance, or assembly, then Lugg might be your best bet. This platform connects users with teams of movers and a vehicle, often within minutes.
Unlike uShip, which focuses more on shipment coordination and carrier selection, Lugg is service-first. You can schedule help with packing, loading, transporting, unloading, and even setting up furniture.
Though limited to certain cities in the U.S., Lugg is perfect for urban dwellers who need last-minute or scheduled help with big items—think IKEA runs or Craigslist purchases.
Freightera – Green Freight for Businesses
Freightera operates as a more commercial-focused platform compared to uShip. It’s a freight marketplace where businesses can get instant quotes for LTL (less-than-truckload), FTL (full truckload), and intermodal transport across the U.S. and Canada.
Unlike uShip’s bidding model, Freightera provides immediate pricing from pre-approved carriers. Their unique selling point? They’re working toward a zero-emissions freight future by prioritizing eco-friendly carriers.
If you’re a small business owner or shipper seeking consistent, transparent freight options, Freightera offers a professional and sustainable alternative.
AnyVan – Popular in the UK and Europe
For European readers, AnyVan is a household name. It follows a similar model to uShip—connect with vetted transport providers who bid on your job—but with a distinctly European footprint.
Services include home removals, vehicle shipping, parcel delivery, and piano transport, and pricing is often competitive due to route optimization. Drivers are encouraged to combine shipments, reducing empty return journeys.
If you’re located in the UK or Western Europe and want a platform like uShip that’s localized and trusted, AnyVan is a solid bet.
Comparing Platforms: Which One Fits Your Needs?
Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison:
| Platform | Best For | Bidding System | Local/Long-Distance | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uShip | General freight, cars, furniture | Yes | Long-distance | Heavy goods |
| Shiply | Eco-friendly, furniture | Yes | Long-distance | Sustainability |
| CitizenShipper | Pets, motorcycles | Yes | Long-distance | Pet transport |
| Roadie | Small, local deliveries | No | Local/same-day | Gig delivery |
| ShipSmart | Small moves | No | Long-distance | Relocation |
| GoShare | Retail, business delivery | No | Local/regional | On-demand |
| Lugg | Furniture + moving help | No | Local | Full service |
| Freightera | B2B freight logistics | No | Long-distance | Green freight |
| AnyVan | UK/EU deliveries | Yes | Long-distance | Furniture, moves |
Final Thoughts: Which uShip Alternative Is Right for You?
Choosing a shipping service like uShip depends entirely on your specific needs. If you value bidding flexibility, Shiply and CitizenShipper feel closest to uShip’s core model. For those who want immediate quotes and streamlined logistics, Freightera, ShipSmart, and GoShare offer professionalism and reliability.
Meanwhile, Lugg and Roadie dominate the on-demand, local delivery space, and platforms like AnyVan cater to European markets with strong service levels.
uShip may have pioneered the idea of shipping marketplaces, but in 2025, customers have plenty of powerful, trustworthy alternatives that offer better service, faster delivery, or more eco-conscious models.
