Best Moving Companies in Pennsylvania (2023)

Whether you’re moving to Pittsburgh or moving out of Philadelphia, a moving company helps make the moving process stress-free. A professional moving company can handle tasks like packing, crating, and unloading for your Pennsylvania move.

After reviewing the best movers nationwide, we’ve focused on the top moving companies in Pennsylvania. From container delivery services to full-service movers who take care of every step of the moving process, there are dozens of reputable local movers in the Keystone State.

After in-depth research, here are the best moving companies in Pennsylvania:

• International Van Lines: Best Overall Full-Service Mover
• American Van Lines: Most Experienced Moving Labor
• Moving APT: Best Customer Service
• JK Moving Services: Most Customizable Full-Service Mover
• Allied Van Lines: Best for Vehicle Relocation
• North American Van Lines: Best for Claims
• 1-800-PACK-RAT: Best Overall Self-Service Mover

International Van Lines

Our Rating: Best Overall Full-Service Mover

International Van Lines (IVL) provides a comprehensive selection of services, including furniture disassembly, packing, loading, transportation, unloading, unpacking, and furniture reassembly. It is a great choice for anyone who wants a mover to handle as much of their move as possible. The company allows you to mix and match your services to create either a full-service or partial-service package.

IVL is a large freighting company, which makes it ideal for long-distance moves. Though IVL offers local moves for customers moving within the state, this option requires a minimum of a two-bedroom home.

Pros & Cons

✓ Offers both full-service and partial-service packages
✓ Provides free, online estimates
✓ Offers specialty moving services for antiques, pianos, artwork, and more
✘ Prices can be higher than DIY moving options, especially for local moves
✘ Better suited for long-distance moves rather than local ones

Services

International Van Lines offers a wide variety of service options. Customers are able to pick these services based on their specific moving wants and needs. Learn more about IVL Services.

Cost

International Van Lines’ moving quote for a two-bedroom home from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in roughly two months is $2,015–$3,445. This includes loading and transportation services.

To learn what services International Van Lines can include in your residential move, fill out this quick online form.

Learn More: International Van Lines Review

American Van Lines

Our Rating: Most Experienced Moving Labor

American Van Lines (AVL) is a full-service mover with some of the most experienced and well-trained moving teams. AVL’s movers can dismantle furniture, pack, transport, and reassemble your furniture at your new home. A unique benefit of AVL is its fixed pricing structure. As long as you don’t change your move after you receive your quote, you can depend on your rate staying the same. Like other full-service movers on this list, American Van Lines proves to be a better long-distance mover.

Pros & Cons

✓ Has on-site private storage and personal storage vaults
✓ Has piano and antique moving specialists on its team
✓ Full-time movers have an average of 10 years of moving experience
✘ Prices can be higher than some competitors
✘ Up-front deposit can range from 10%-50% of your total moving cost

Services

American Van Lines provides skilled labor for a wide variety of full-service options, including:

• Full or partial packing and unpacking
• Loading and unloading
• Specialty services for difficult items like antiques, musical instruments, recreational equipment, and expensive artwork
• Transportation and delivery
• Custom crating
• Furniture disassembly and reassembly
• Storage solutions
• Moving and packing supplies
• Commercial moves
• Military moves
• Vehicle relocation services
• Contents protection plans

Cost

American Van Lines does not provide online quotes, but it does provide some cost information on its moving cost page. For example, a two-bedroom move (or 6,000 pounds) from New York City to Washington D.C. costs $3,873. This quote is the average price of this move with AVL, so it includes a variety of service options. If you’re interested in more accurate pricing from American Van Lines, complete this easy-to-use survey.

Learn More: American Van Lines Review

Moving APT

Our Rating: Best Customer Service

If you want to simplify your moving process, Moving APT is a great option. Using its network of movers, the company can find the right mover for your needs, location, and budget with its extensive nationwide network of independent providers. All the third-party movers in Moving APT’s network are properly licensed and insured.

Once matched with a moving company, you can still reach out to Moving APT’s customer service representatives with concerns or questions, and they will follow up with your mover for you. Moving APT representatives are available 24/7.

Pros and Cons

✔ Offers deals for early reservations
✔ Has a national network of more than 2,500 moving companies
✔ Conducts annual reviews and rankings for the top movers in its network
✘ Has gotten complaints from customers through the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding surprise charges
✘ Maintains a strict cancellation policy
✘ Has pop-up chats on every page of its website, which can be distracting to browsers

Services

Moving APT provides full-service and partial-service relocations in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. You can customize your moving experience with add-on options that include appliance disconnection and reconnection, storage, and car and boat shipping.

Cost

Using Moving APT’s online tool, it would cost $6,500 to relocate the contents of a two-bedroom home from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Harrisburg, Pa., in early summer. Moving APT can give you a binding estimate, which is the amount you’ll pay on moving day, after completing a virtual review of your home and household goods.

Take Moving APT’s easy online survey to find the right moving company for you. 

Learn More: Moving APT Review

JK Moving Services

Our Rating: Most Customizable Full-Service Mover

JK Moving is a great option if you want tailor-made full-service packages customized to your budget and moving needs. In conjunction with an array of moving services, the company provides the rare perk of financing your move through its partnership with Enhancify.

Pros & Cons

✓ All movers are full-time employees
✓ Financing available via Enhancify
✓ Offers 24-hour customer support with a personal moving coordinator
✘ Accurate cost information is hard to find online
✘ In-transit storage is only available in two states
✘ No local moves in Pennsylvania

Services

The company will assign a moving coordinator, who will create an itemized list of your possessions before the team of experienced, full-time movers load the moving truck. Learn more about JK Moving’s services.

Cost

JK Moving doesn’t provide instant estimates on its website, but you can fill out a short form and expect a call from an agent shortly thereafter. Your price will depend on the services you choose, the distance and weight of your move, and your point of origin. Start the quote process with JK Moving by completing this online form.

Learn More: JK Moving Review

Allied Van Lines

Our Rating: Best for Vehicle Relocation

As the oldest moving company in the U.S., Allied Van Lines is one of the most experienced in the industry. Allied offers full-service moving packages and custom add-on options, as well as DIY support like moving kits and online moving resources. Allied Van Lines operates its own fleet of vehicle carriers for the transport of cars, SUVs, trucks, vans, motorcycles, boats and snowmobiles. Customers can choose from open car carriers to enclosed semi-trailer trucks that provide added protection for rare, vintage cars and high-value vehicles.

Pros & Cons

✓ Guaranteed quotes with an in-home visit
✓ Offers vehicle coverage of up to $100,000 with no deductible
✓ A la carte-style packages allow customers to pick and choose the services they want without extending their budget
✘ Doesn’t offer 24/7 claims support
✘ Add-ons can increase your moving costs to beyond competitor pricing

Services

Allied’s list of moving services includes:

• Local moving
• Long-distance moving
• Interstate moving
• International moving
• Packing and unpacking
• Crating of electronics
• Appliance disconnection and reconnection
• Moving kits for DIY packing

Cost

Allied estimates that moving a two-bedroom home from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Salt Lake City, Utah, in late June would cost between $5,563 and $6,363. You can request an instant quote through Allied’s website, which will provide you with an approximate cost range for your move based on the size of your apartment or home, where you’re relocating, what time of year you’re planning to move, the size of your move, and the layout of your home. We recommend getting a more detailed quote from Allied Van Lines by filling out this quick online form.

Learn More: Allied Van Lines Review

North American Van Lines

Our Rating: Best for Claims

North American Van Lines is available in all 50 states and more than 130 countries, and it has an extensive network of more than 500 local movers. The company handles local, long-distance, and international relocations, and it offers numerous add-on services, including electronics crating and vehicle transport, allowing customers to create customized moving packages. North American customers can quickly file domestic or international claims directly from the homepage of the company’s website. Dedicated claims support lines are also available for those who have additional questions or prefer to file their claims over the phone.

Pros & Cons

✓ Provides flat-rate pricing
✓ Uses interactive driving simulators to train drivers
✓ Offers a Not-To-Exceed Pricing package that allows costs to fall below estimates but not above
✘ Consumers may have to wait longer for open in-home estimate appointments than with competitors
✘ Storage options are based on local availability

Services

North American’s list of moving services includes:

• Mobile storage containers
• Fragile-only packing
• Short- and long-term storage
• House cleaning
• Debris removal
• Disconnection and reconnection of appliances
• Crane vans for large items

Cost

North American’s prices are based on how many items you have to move and when and where you’re moving. The company also factors any special handling requests into a quote. Prices range from $4,716 to $5,389 to move a two-bedroom home with an average or medium-sized quantity of items from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Montgomery, Alabama, in mid-May. For a free, personalized quote from North American Van Lines, complete this quick online form.

Learn More: North American Van Lines Review

1-800-PACK-RAT

Our Rating: Best Overall Self-Service Mover

1-800-PACK-RAT proves to be a great option for anyone looking to save money and take the DIY approach to their local or long-distance Pennsylvania move. The company also partners with HireAHelper to provide reliable partial-service options like loading and unloading. 1-800-PACK-RAT has branches in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Pros & Cons

✓ Drops off and picks up weatherproof container(s) on your schedule
✓ Includes $10,000 in contents protection
✓ Offers price matching with PODS
✘ No online booking options
✘ Availability for cross-country moves can be limited

Services

1-800-PACK-RAT offers three container sizes: eight feet (ideal for 1–2 rooms), 12 feet (ideal for 2–3 rooms), and 16 feet (ideal for 3–4 rooms). 1-800-PACK-RAT includes 30 days to use your container, which is a longer time frame than some other DIY-friendly services.

The moving process with 1-800-PACK-RAT allows you to schedule when the company drops off your container(s) at your point of origin. You load the container(s) at your own pace, and once loaded, you notify the company when to pick up and deliver the container(s) to your new home. Learn more about PACK-RAT’s services.

Cost

We received a quote from 1-800-PACK-RAT to move a two-bedroom home from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh within two months using a 16-foot container for $1,838.59. This quote includes all transportation, delivery and pick-up, a no-cut security lock, and $10,000 in contents protection. For a personalized, free moving quote from 1-800-PACK-RAT, fill out this short survey.

Learn More: 1-800-PACK-RAT Review

Our Conclusion

Every moving company fulfills a different kind of moving need. If you want to save time and focus on other important parts of your relocation, check out full-service movers like International Van Lines, Allied Van Lines, JK Moving, North American Van Lines, Moving APT, and American Van Lines.

Summary of the Best Moving Companies in Pennsylvania

Take some time to assess what you’re looking for and what you want to avoid in your Pennsylvania move. We ultimately recommend requesting a quote from a few different moving companies to compare costs and services.

Our Rating Methodology

The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our moving company ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each company. We conduct research by reading through the company websites, analyzing customer reviews, conducting consumer surveys, requesting quotes, and speaking with customer representatives. We then score each moving company against our review standards for services, contents coverage, scheduling, trailer and container options, additional benefits, and reputation to arrive at a final score out of 100.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.