Free route optimization for multiple stops
Sort My Stops uses route optimization to keep your chosen start and finish fixed while reordering the stops between them by estimated drive time. Review the result and send it to your navigation app. It is free and does not require an account.
What is route optimization?
Route optimization compares estimated road drive times and searches for an efficient order. It does not use live traffic or guarantee a mathematical optimum, so the result remains editable.
When do you need it?
A simple example
Take a stop list spread across a metro area. In administrative order it may cross the same interchange repeatedly; in a geographic sweep it may avoid those loops. The actual difference depends on the addresses, road data and the order you started with.
How does route optimization work?
From address list to navigation in three clear steps
Add your start and stops
Type, paste or import up to 100 addresses total, then choose the route's start and finish.
Optimize the stop order
Sort My Stops keeps the endpoints fixed and uses estimated drive times to reorder the intermediate stops.
Review and start navigating
Check the map, miles and estimated drive time, then open the order in Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze or OsmAnd for navigation.
What changes after optimization
Reduce backtracking
A geographic stop order can remove repeated loops and unnecessary miles.
Keep the day in one route
Review one driver's complete order and estimated total before leaving.
Built for long address lists
Paste or import up to 100 addresses total instead of sorting them one at a time.
Who is route optimization useful for?
Why route order gets difficult
Ordering a list of stops is the traveling salesman problem. With the endpoints fixed, ten entered addresses leave eight intermediate stops and 40,320 possible orders. Twenty entered addresses leave eighteen intermediate stops and about 6.4 quadrillion possible orders. No practical planner checks every order. This one searches for an efficient order, not a mathematically proven optimum.
Route quality depends on the address pattern, start and end constraints, road data and the original order. Review the map and compare the estimated total with your input order rather than relying on a universal savings percentage.
Drive time beats distance
The input that matters most is how the tool measures the gap between two stops. Two addresses can sit half a mile apart and be twenty minutes apart if there is a river, a rail yard, an interstate or a one-way grid in between. Sort My Stops orders stops on road drive time, not straight-line distance, which is why the result sometimes looks slightly wrong on a map and drives noticeably better.
Round trips change the stop order
If you finish back at the depot, the optimizer can sweep out and loop home. If you finish at your last customer or at home, the efficient order can change completely. Set the start and finish before you optimize; both remain fixed while the intermediate stops move.
When optimization will not help much
Optimization has little to offer when your stops are already in a tight cluster, when hard appointment times determine most of the order, or when the route is short enough to judge at a glance. It also cannot know about a loading dock that is blocked at noon, a customer who is only available after 3:00 PM, or a school zone you avoid every afternoon. That is why the finished order stays editable.
Frequently asked questions
What is route optimization?
Route optimization compares estimated drive times and searches for an efficient stop sequence. Sort My Stops keeps your chosen start and finish fixed and reorders the intermediate stops.
Who is optimization useful for?
Couriers and gig drivers, service techs, sales and territory reps, home health aides and real estate agents. It is useful for anyone whose day is a list of addresses.
How many addresses can I optimize?
Up to 100 entered addresses total, including the start and finish. There is no published daily route quota, although fair-use and rate limits apply.
Is optimization free?
Yes. Sort My Stops is free and does not require an account.
Is this a better solution than just Google Maps?
They do different jobs. Google Maps provides navigation and traffic but follows the stop order you give it and supports 10 locations total. Sort My Stops optimizes up to 100 addresses first, then hands the order to Google Maps or another supported navigation app.
Related pages
Ready to optimize your stop order?
Add up to 100 addresses, choose the fixed start and finish, and review the result before opening it in your navigation app.