American Van Lines vs. Bellhop (2025 Comparison)

Quick answer: In our American Van Lines vs. Bellhop comparison, American Van Lines (AVL) steals the show. With their competitive flat-rate pricing, nationwide coverage, and specialty handling for valuable items, AVL delivers better value for most customers.

While Bellhop shines for their flexible labor-only services, they’re better suited for smaller local or regional moves and lack AVL’s comprehensive services and consistency for long-distance moves.

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  • Certified crews
  • Flat-rate pricing
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  • Online booking
  • Move Concierge
  • Affordable

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Compare customer experiences

At moveBuddha, the Better Moves Project highlights real customer experiences, providing an in-depth look at how leading movers stack up. Here’s how American Van Lines and Bellhop compare:

American Van Lines

American Van Lines has earned high marks from customers for their affordable pricing, attentive communication, and careful handling of belongings.

That said, some customers shared concerns about higher-than-expected costs, scheduling frustrations, and delivery-day mix-ups.

Customer praises

  • Cost-effective services: After shopping around, Allison found that American Van Lines offered reasonable rates, making them the most affordable option for her move.
  • Constant updates: Jen valued the regular communication from her moving coordinator and crew, who kept her informed with calls and text messages.
  • Safe handling of items: Phoenix praised the team for treating her belongings with exceptional care, ensuring everything arrived without damage.

Customer complaints

  • Unexpected cost increases: Phoenix encountered a higher final bill than anticipated due to an inaccurate weight estimate for her move.
  • Delivery confusion: Jen noted issues with the third-party movers AVL hired on delivery day, saying they were confused about which items belonged to her.
  • Scheduling challenges: Jen had to pay a $500 fee for American Van Lines to store her belongings to meet her preferred delivery date, which was an unexpected expense.
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moveBuddha logo iconrating starstarstarstarstar 4.5 / 5

89% of users select this mover

Bellhop

The customers we spoke to praised Bellhop for their clear communication, professional staff, and straightforward claims process. However, we saw a few areas where Bellhop could improve, like protecting fragile items and sticking to scheduled moving times.

Customer praises

  • Frequent updates: Madisen appreciated Bellhop’s consistent communication, keeping her informed throughout both her move and the claims process.
  • Skilled professionals: Sam was highly impressed with the expertise of Bellhop’s crew and thought they executed his move flawlessly.
  • Effortless claims process: Although Madisen’s move wasn’t perfect, she valued Bellhop’s fairness and customer-first approach when it came to compensating her for damages.

Customer complaints

  • Insufficient item protection: Madisen noted that while some items were carefully wrapped, others, like her couch and bed frames, were unprotected and ended up damaged.
  • Last-minute scheduling changes: She also expressed frustration over unexpected changes to her moving day schedule, which left her scrambling to adjust.
  • Need for more oversight: Madisen felt the moving crew could have done a better job if there had been more supervision to ensure her items were wrapped and packed properly.
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moveBuddha logo iconrating starstarstarstarstar 4.3 / 5

89% of users select this mover

Compare company reputation

American Van Lines

  • BBB rating: A
  • moveBuddha rating: 4.5/5
  • Average Better Moves rating: 3.3/5

American Van Lines is widely respected for their affordability, reliability, and specialty handling. The company’s high BBB rating reflects their ability to resolve complaints effectively, making them a trusted name in long-distance moving.

They also fared well in our in-depth review, while a few of our Better Moves participants had mixed feelings about their experience with AVL.

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Phoenix's Move with AVL
“While I felt that there could have been better communication between myself and American Van Lines, the communication I did have was courteous and informative.”
From
WI
To
CA
Cost
$4,140
Size
2 bdrms
Read The Full Story

Bellhop

  • BBB rating: C
  • moveBuddha rating: 4.3/5
  • Average Better Moves rating: 5/5

Bellhop gets a lot of praise for their quick booking process, affordability, and professional crews, especially for local moves.

While the company’s poor BBB rating suggests they could do a better job responding to complaints lodged on the platform, their solid moveBuddha and Better Moves ratings speak to their positive reputation.

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Madisen's Move with Bellhop
I wouldn’t change a thing about Bellhop’s communication and found their pricing to be affordable and transparent. While there were some issues with the loading team, and some of my stuff was damaged, the delivery was lightning-fast, and Bellhop was quick to reimburse me for the damage and inconvenience.
From
FL
To
TN
Cost
$3,600
Size
2 bdrms
Read The Full Story

Round winner: American Van Lines has the edge here, scoring higher against our thorough methodology and earning an excellent BBB rating for their responsive customer service.


Compare services

American Van Lines

American Van Lines offers comprehensive local and long-distance moving services in 48 states. They specialize in handling delicate and high-value items, such as pianos and antiques, and they provide packing, unpacking, storage, and custom crating services.

Bellhop

Bellhop focuses on offering flexible, labor-only moving services, providing assistance with packing, loading, and unloading for customers who have their own truck. In some locations, they also offer the option to hire a truck and driver for a more conventional moving experience.

All in all, we found that Bellhop’s range of services can’t keep up with the full-service offerings American Van Lines offers.


Round winner: American Van Lines takes this round for their comprehensive service offerings and expertise in handling specialty moves.


Compare state availability

American Van Lines

American Van Lines operates in 48 states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, making them a reliable option for long-distance and cross-country moves​. You can hire the company for local moves if you live in parts of Florida, North Carolina, or the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.

Bellhop

Bellhop operates across more than 30 states and mostly handles local and regional moves. They’re a suitable pick if you only need help with labor and are making a short-distance move.


Round winner: American Van Lines is the clear winner here, with more widespread nationwide availability.


Compare cost structure

American Van Lines

American Van Lines uses flat-rate pricing, while there are some mixed reviews about their accuracy. The company also offers discounts for seniors and military families, making AVL an affordable choice for moving on a budget.

Bellhop

Bellhop provides hourly pricing for local moves, and their prices are pretty competitive. However, these rates can add up quickly for more complex moves.


Round winner: American Van Lines wins again for their overall value and flat-rate pricing model.


Compare quote process

American Van Lines

American Van Lines offers virtual and in-home walkthroughs to generate binding estimates. Customers generally find AVL’s quoting process to be reliable and straightforward, while a few customers have complained about rate increases.

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moveBuddha logo iconrating starstarstarstarstar 4.5 / 5

89% of users select this mover

Bellhop

Bellhop provides instant online quotes based on the size and scope of your move. Customers appreciate the convenience of the process, but their quotes can sometimes be less accurate for larger moves, which may lead to unexpected additional costs​.

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moveBuddha logo iconrating starstarstarstarstar 4.3 / 5

89% of users select this mover


Round winner: It’s a tie. Both companies have a straightforward quote process that provide quick and mostly accurate estimates.


AVL vs. Bellhop: Final score

While Bellhop excels at offering affordable, quick local moving assistance, American Van Lines wins overall. AVL’s comprehensive lineup of services, nationwide coverage, and expertise in specialty handling make them the better choice for most long-distance and complex moves.

If you’re making a smaller moves in an urban area and mostly need help with labor, Bellhop is a solid alternative, but American Van Lines is our top pick for comprehensive long-distance moving services.

Comparison category Round winner
Company reputation American Van Lines
Services American Van Lines
State availability American Van Lines
Cost structure American Van Lines
Quote process TIE

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