Route planning for gig drivers
Batched orders and multi-drop offers are where gig drivers make or lose money. SoloRoute helps you put the drops in a smart order, keep track of which bags go where and move on to the next offer sooner.
Last reviewed
| Feature | SoloRoute | Spoke (formerly Circuit) | RoadWarrior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free stops per route | 20 per route | 10 per route | About 8 per route |
| Free stops per day | 20 new stops a day | No daily cap listed | Daily cap not confirmed |
| Paid price | $7.99/mo or $71.99/yr | $9.99/mo Lite, $19.99/mo Standard | $14.99/mo |
| Paid stop limit | 100 per route | Unlimited stops per route | Higher limits on paid plan |
| Stop order optimization | Yes; time windows with Pro | Yes | Yes |
| CarPlay / Android Auto | Through Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps | Yes, in the app | Not confirmed |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | iOS, Android, web |
Most gig drivers only need a few stops at a time, so the free plan matters. Prices checked October 2026. Sources: Spoke (formerly Circuit), RoadWarrior, Spoke App Store listing, Spoke Route Planner features, Spoke help center. Prices change; check before you buy.
Where gig drivers lose time
When you accept a batch on Instacart, a multi-drop order on Walmart Spark or a stacked DoorDash offer, the app hands you a set of addresses. Sometimes it suggests an order. Sometimes the order it suggests is not the one you would pick if you looked at the map.
The time you lose is rarely on one big mistake. It is a few minutes per batch from:
- driving past a drop you will come back to later,
- digging through the car for the right bags,
- re-reading messages for a gate code at the door.
Over a full shift those minutes add up to fewer offers you can take.
A simple routine for batched orders
- Accept the offer and pick up. Do what the platform app asks first.
- Add the drops to SoloRoute. Type the addresses or paste them. Your start is the store, your end is wherever you want to be for the next offer.
- Tap Optimize. You get a driving order in seconds.
- Load in reverse order. Last drop in the back, first drop in reach.
- Navigate stop by stop. Each one opens in Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps.
For two drops this may feel like overkill. For four or more, or for a Spark route with ten or more drops, it is where a planner pays off.
Keep bags straight
Grocery and retail batches are bag-heavy. Mixing up two customers’ orders costs you a return trip and a bad rating.
Use the package count and package location on each stop:
- “4 bags, trunk left, 1 cold”
- “2 bags, back seat”
The stop card shows this when you arrive, so you pull the right bags the first time.
Notes and customer details
Put the useful details where you will see them:
- Notes for gate codes, building numbers, “leave at side door”.
- Phone so you can call from the stop card if you need to.
- First stop for a drop with frozen items or an older customer you want to reach first.
- Time windows (Pro) for scheduled deliveries, so the plan respects them.
You can edit any stop while you drive. Change the note or the time window and the route re-times itself.
Mark stops and keep a record
Mark each drop delivered, or failed with a reason, in SoloRoute as you go. Take a photo at drop-off if you want your own proof of delivery. This is separate from any photo the platform app asks for, so do what the platform requires too.
Route history keeps every route you ran, so you can look back at which store areas gave you the tightest batches.
When the plan changes
Gig work changes fast. A customer adds a message, a store gives you one more order, traffic jams the bridge.
- Add a stop at any time and re-optimize the rest.
- Drag a stop to a new spot in the list.
- Reverse the route in one tap with Pro if heading the other way makes more sense.
Mixing platforms in one shift
Many drivers run more than one app. A morning of Spark, an afternoon of DoorDash. SoloRoute does not care where the address came from. Each new set of drops is just a new route, and your history keeps them all.
The free plan gives you 20 stops per route and 20 new stops per day, which covers most single-app shifts. If you run long Spark routes or stack several apps, Pro is $7.99 a month for up to 100 stops per route, plus unlimited saved addresses for places you visit often, like your usual stores.
A note on platform rules
Each platform has its own rules about how you deliver, communicate and confirm drops. SoloRoute is only there to help you plan the driving order and keep your stop details tidy. Always follow the platform app for anything it requires.
Try it
Install SoloRoute (free for 20 stops per route), paste the addresses from your last batch and compare the order with what you drove. Bag counts and notes are included. Pro adds time windows and photo proof of delivery.
Questions
Does SoloRoute connect to DoorDash, Instacart or Walmart Spark?
No. SoloRoute has no connection to any gig platform. You add the drop-off addresses yourself. Keep using each platform's app for accepting offers, customer messages and confirming deliveries.
Is it worth using a route planner for only 3 or 4 drops?
Often, yes. With 4 drops there are 24 possible orders, and the obvious one is not always the fastest. On larger Spark or grocery batches the difference grows quickly.
Is SoloRoute free for gig work?
Yes, for up to 20 stops per route and 20 new stops per day. That covers most gig shifts. Pro is $7.99 a month for up to 100 stops per route.
Can I note which bags belong to which customer?
Yes. Each stop has a package count and a package location field, plus notes. Write the bag count and where they sit, like 3 bags, back seat, cold bag.
Can I take a photo at drop-off?
Yes, with Pro. SoloRoute lets you take a photo as proof of delivery for your own records. The platform app may also require its own photo, so do both when asked.