Removal comparison sites promise to save you time and money by gathering multiple quotes in one place. Names like Compare My Move, Shiply, AnyVan, and URemovals have become familiar to anyone researching a house move. But do these platforms actually deliver better value than finding a removal company yourself?
This guide examines how comparison sites work, what they’re good at, where they fall short, and whether you should use them for your move.
How Removal Comparison Sites Work
Not all comparison sites operate the same way, and understanding the differences helps you use them effectively.
Lead Generation Sites
Platforms like Compare My Move work primarily as lead generators. You enter your move details once, and the site passes your information to several removal companies in their network. Those companies then contact you directly with quotes.
The site earns money by charging removal companies for these leads—either a flat fee per enquiry or a percentage if you book. The service is free to you as the customer, but the companies bidding for your business have factored that lead cost into their pricing.
Marketplace Platforms
Shiply operates differently, functioning more like an auction or marketplace. You post your job, and transport providers bid competitively. You can see each provider’s reviews, compare their quotes directly, and choose based on price, ratings, or both.
This model creates downward pressure on prices because providers are visibly competing against each other. Shiply claims savings of up to 75% compared to standard rates, though this varies significantly depending on the job.
Booking Platforms
AnyVan and similar services operate as booking platforms with their own pricing algorithms. You describe your move, receive an instant price, and book through the platform. They then match you with a driver from their network.
These platforms take a cut of each booking, but handle the entire transaction—you’re not contacted by multiple companies or negotiating directly with drivers.
The Genuine Advantages
Comparison sites do offer real benefits that make them worth considering.
Time Savings
Getting quotes from multiple removal companies traditionally means calling each one, explaining your move repeatedly, waiting for callbacks, and keeping track of different prices and terms. Comparison sites compress this into a single form that takes a few minutes to complete.
For busy people juggling work, family, and the stress of moving, this convenience has genuine value. You might receive five or six quotes within hours rather than spending days chasing individual companies.
Price Discovery
Most people have no idea what a removal should cost. Is £800 reasonable for a two-bedroom house? Is £1,200 too much? Without reference points, you can’t judge whether a quote represents good value.
Comparison sites solve this by showing you what multiple companies charge for the same job. Even if you don’t book through the platform, you gain useful information about market rates in your area.
Competitive Pressure
When companies know they’re competing directly against others for your business, they’re more likely to offer competitive prices. Marketplace platforms like Shiply make this competition explicit—providers can see other bids and adjust their pricing accordingly.
This dynamic can work in your favour, particularly for straightforward moves where price is the main differentiator.
Access to Reviewed Providers
Good comparison sites include reviews and ratings for the companies they list. This gives you some basis for judging quality beyond just price. A company with hundreds of positive reviews and a 4.8-star rating offers more confidence than an unknown name from a Google search.
The Significant Drawbacks
Comparison sites aren’t without problems, and some of these can significantly affect your experience.
The Contact Bombardment
With lead generation sites, entering your details triggers an immediate flood of contact. Multiple companies call and email within minutes, sometimes simultaneously. Reviews frequently mention feeling “hounded” or “overwhelmed” by the volume of approaches.
If you’re at work when you submit an enquiry, you might return to find a dozen missed calls and voicemails. Some people find this aggressive contact off-putting enough to abandon the process entirely.
Quality Inconsistency
The companies competing for your business through comparison sites vary enormously in quality. Some are excellent professionals; others are inexperienced operators attracted by the prospect of easy leads.
Platform vetting varies too. Some sites have rigorous verification processes; others accept almost anyone willing to pay for leads. The cheapest quote might come from someone whose only qualification is owning a van.
Hidden Platform Costs
While comparison sites are free for customers, the costs don’t disappear—they’re embedded in provider pricing. A removal company paying £30 to £50 per lead (whether you book or not) factors that cost into their quotes.
This doesn’t necessarily mean platform prices are higher than going direct, but it does mean providers have additional costs they need to recover. The “savings” comparison sites advertise are often calculated against inflated baseline prices rather than what you’d actually pay booking directly.
Lowest-Price Bias
Comparison sites naturally encourage price-focused decisions. When you’re looking at five quotes side by side, the cheapest one stands out. But the cheapest option isn’t always the best value—it might reflect corners cut on insurance, equipment, or experience.
Experienced movers warn that quotes significantly below others often indicate problems. As one industry guide puts it, quotes that seem too good to be true usually are. The company might underestimate the job intentionally, then inflate the price on moving day when you have no alternatives.
Subcontracting Uncertainty
With booking platforms like AnyVan, you don’t know who will actually turn up on moving day until they arrive. The platform matches you with whichever driver is available from their network. Reviews show this creates inconsistent experiences—excellent service from one driver, poor service from another, same platform.
What Comparison Sites Are Good For
Certain situations suit comparison sites well.
If you need multiple quotes quickly, these platforms deliver exactly that. For straightforward, price-sensitive moves where you’re primarily looking for the cheapest option, the competitive environment works in your favour. If you have no idea what your move should cost, comparison sites provide valuable market information even if you don’t book through them.
Single-item deliveries and part-loads—furniture collection, marketplace purchases, items going to storage—often get excellent prices through auction-style platforms where drivers bid on work that fits their existing routes.
What Comparison Sites Aren’t Good For
Other situations suit direct booking better.
For full house moves where you want consistency and accountability, knowing exactly who will handle your belongings matters more than saving £50. When you have specific requirements—fragile items, difficult access, tight timing—direct communication with the company doing the work ensures nothing gets lost in translation.
If you value the relationship with a local business you can return to and recommend, comparison sites’ transactional nature works against this. And if you find aggressive sales contact stressful, lead generation platforms will make your moving preparation more unpleasant.
Using Comparison Sites Effectively
If you decide to use comparison sites, some strategies improve the experience.
Use a separate email address for enquiries to contain the flood of marketing that follows. Be prepared for immediate phone contact if using lead generation sites—have your phone ready or submit enquiries when you can take calls. Look beyond price to reviews, accreditations, and how professional each company’s communication seems.
Treat the quotes as a starting point for negotiation rather than final prices. Once you know the market rate, you can approach preferred companies directly and ask if they’ll match or beat what you’ve been quoted elsewhere.
Consider using comparison sites for research—understanding what your move should cost—then booking directly with a well-reviewed local company. You get the price discovery benefits without the subcontracting uncertainty.
The Alternatives
Direct booking with local services offers a different experience. You research companies yourself, contact them individually, and build a relationship with the specific business handling your move.
This takes more time but gives you direct accountability. If something goes wrong, you know exactly who to contact. If the service is excellent, you know who to recommend and use again. Reviews you read online apply to the actual team who’ll turn up, not a random selection from a network.
Word-of-mouth recommendations remain valuable. Asking neighbours, colleagues, or local social media groups who they’ve used produces suggestions from people with first-hand experience—often more reliable than anonymous online reviews.
The Bottom Line
Comparison sites offer genuine convenience and useful price information. They can deliver good value, particularly for single items, part-loads, and straightforward moves where price is the priority.
For larger moves where quality and accountability matter more, the convenience comes with trade-offs. The cheapest quote isn’t always the best value, and not knowing who will actually handle your move creates uncertainty that direct booking eliminates.
The most effective approach might be using comparison sites to understand market rates, then making your final decision based on direct research into specific companies—whether discovered through platforms or found independently.
If you’d like to see what a direct quote looks like for your move, you can get an instant quote and compare it against whatever comparison sites offer.
