Top 10 PODS Competitors in 2023

PODS is a moving and storage company, that was founded in 1998. The brand names PODS stands for the acronym Portable on Demand Storage. It was launched by the entrepreneur Peter Warhurst, in his quest to grow his company’s storage business. Based in Florida, US PODs offers its services across the entire country and helps customers pack and move their goods to most of the towns in the US.

The company offers three different types of portable containers i.e. Large – 16 foot, Medium – 12 foot, and Small – 8 foot which customers can select from based on their requirements. Customers can hire PODS to either store or move their goods in these containers as and when they need to do so.

As of today, PODS provides services in 46 US States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. It has helped more than 1.2 million people move their goods over long distances. It currently has more than 225,000+ PODs in active service.

PODS is owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which acquired it from Arcapita in 2015 for more than $1B. The current President & CEO of PODS is Kathy Marinello who has more than two decades of experience across various industries. She is supported in the management of PODS Simon Gregorich who is the SVP and CFO of PODS. He has been associated with PODS since 2005.

NAME	PODS
FOUNDED	1998
HEADQUARTERS	Florida, US
SIC CODE	4214
STATUS	Private
INDUSTRY SECTOR	Moving & Storage
EMPLOYEES	2000
Website	https://www.pods.com/

PODS similar companies:

ABF U-Pack, 1-800-Pack-Rat, SMARTBOX, ZippyShell, U-Haul U-Box, ARNOFF, Life Storage, Doortodoor, Extra Space, Moving Place.

Who is PODS biggest competitor?

The biggest competitor of PODS is Zippy Shell as it is less expensive and more competitively priced in comparison to PODS. Zippy Shell also offers 30 days of free storage as a part of their services, which is very convenient for customers who need a temporary storage space till they settle in.

For customers looking for a good bargain or deal, Zippy Shell runs many promotions, such as free packing and unpacking help. Zippy Shell was launched in 2007, in Australia, and set up its operations in the US in 2010. In 2018, Zippy Shell merged with 1-800-PACK-RAT, which was a leading company in the moving and storage solutions industry.

Zippy Shell offers custom, on-demand portable self-storage and moving solutions. Customers using its services do not have to pay truck rentals or plan long trips to storage facilities. The company gives customers ample time to both load and unload their containers, without worrying about doing the same in a single day itself.

How the company makes money

Products

The company has different product & service modules to make money. In products, it offers temporary storage solutions, wherein it offers on-demand containers that can be stored at their PODS storage center. It runs many discount offers, such as one-month free rentals, to attract more customers and generate higher revenue.

Alternatively, you can opt for at-home storage wherein it offers secure storage containers that are delivered to your location as and when you need them, for as long as you need them. For storage, the company offers 3 convenient PODS portable containers.  The PODS available sizes are Large, Medium, and Small, so that you can select the best size based on your requirements.

Services

Moving services are the primary revenue stream for the company, wherein it helps you move your storage container anywhere across the country. The company offers flexible moving solutions based on a self-moving DIY model or full-service solution. It also connects customers with local packing and loading experts to help them package their goods securely and efficiently.

To ensure that, the moving services contribute substantially to PODS revenues, the company has established moving and distribution centers in most of the US cities.

u-Pack

u-Pack which was founded in 1997 in Arkansas, United States, has 35 employees. Its CEO is Judy R. McReynolds.  The company has an estimated revenue of $12M. A worthy competitor to PODS, u-Pack is a much more economical option when it comes to long-distance moves. What also gives this customer-focused company a distinctive advantage is its pay-as-you-use feature, wherein you pay for the space you actually use and not for the whole container.

This is an amazing feature, especially when you are not sure about the exact amount of space you require.

In comparison to PODS, u-Pack scores considerably as it has better pricing packages, nationwide coverage, and faster delivery time frames. However, it does not offer local moving facilities, which can be a bit negative for people who want to move their goods over short distances. It also does not offer on-site storage facilities similar to PODS.

1-800-Pack-Rat

One of the closest competitors of PODS, 1-800-Pack-Rat was founded in 2001 in North Carolina, United States. It currently has 384 employees who helped achieve a revenue of $168M thanks to the leadership of its CEO Mark Kuhns. It has been able to gain an edge due to its larger containers, free insurance, and 30 days of storage being included in the base price. 1-800-Pack Rat offers its services for both local and long-distance moves.

When it comes to container quality, 1800-Pack-Rat has the strongest containers in the field, which have been designed to handle even the toughest weather conditions. The founder of 1800-Pack-Rat is credited with the design of portable containers, which were named Pack Rats due to their compact design.

The special discounts offered by it, from time to time through different promotions and events, reduce the price levels of using their services considerably. In comparison with PODS, 1-800-Pack-Rat offers very competitive and sometimes even lower prices, as its field reps promise to beat the lowest price offered by PODS.

1-800-Pack-Rat has been acquired by Zippy Shell.

SMARTBOX

Smartbox was launched in the year 2002 by Ned Goepp and is based in Richmond, VA. The employees of SMARTBOX are estimated to be above 50. If you are looking for all-inclusive, transparent pricing, then SMARTBOX is the perfect storage and moving company for you.

Its clean and ethical pricing has won it many loyal customers over the years. To protect your goods from harsh weather conditions, Smartbox also offers weatherproof covers for its containers.

The pricing of SMARTBOX is very competitive, and it also offers discounts for college students, veterans, etc. Unlike PODS it has pay for only what you use policy, with no extra charges being levied for unused containers. Smartbox has only one container size for all customer needs, which can be troublesome at times.

 ZippyShell

ZippyShell is an Australian company, based in North Carolina, US, led by its CEO Mark Kuhns. It has 500+ employees and has declared revenue of $182M. Tagged as one of the biggest competitors to PODS, ZippyShell has its presence in both Australia and the US, along with some other European countries.

ZippyShell offers unique cage design containers that can be parked easily even in busy city streets without incurring a fine, which says a lot about the quality and design of its containers.

Competitive pricing, guaranteed delivery options, insurance, and assistance with packing and loading help have made it a preferred choice to PODS for many customers. ZippyShell offers its services for both short and long-distance moves, which is a distinct advantage as not all movers offer both of these options. However, the number of cities it covers is quite limited at the moment.

 u-Haul

U-Haul has its headquarters in Arizona and is led by its CEO Edward J. Joe Shoen. It currently has 18,000 employees across the United States. The revenue of U-Haul is $2.1B. It is growing in popularity due to the three distinct services it offers in the moving and packing industry. It offers self-storage facilities with no deposit or admin fee and one month of free rentals in participating locations.

Apart from storage, U-Haul also provides moving services and containers that you can use for storage or for moving your goods across the world.

As a competitor in comparison to PODS, it is a full-service moving and storage agency, with very competitive if not more prices. You can also opt to pack and load your containers on a DIY basis or seek their assistance in hiring help to do the same even at the last minute.

You also get charged only for the containers you use, which is pretty good considering not many people are actually able to gauge their requirements properly. Customers can also rent the containers for as long as they need them, without incurring any delay charges.

ARNOFF

Established in 1924, ARNOFF is one of the oldest and most reliable companies in the storage and moving industry. It provides storage, moving, and rigging services for households as well as businesses for local, long-distance, and even international customers. Based in New York, the company has 58 employees and registers a revenue of $1.2M.

In comparison to PODs, ARNOFF may be a small company, but it still has more than 200 trucks and 650,000 feet of storage space. It also provides local, long-distance, and international moves with higher quality service levels thanks to its association with North American Van Lines.

LifeStorage

Based in New York, LifeStorage was launched in 1982. The company is led by its CEO Joseph V Saffire. The company, which has 1953 employees, declared revenue of $468.6M. Life Storage focuses more on storage solutions as compared to its local and long-distance moving business. It has many deals and promotions, including free storage for a month or no rental charges for trucks.

Apart from storage solutions it also offers packing supplies such as boxes, tape, furniture covers, etc. with free shipping on orders over $25. It also offers vehicle storage options at its outdoor or indoor facilities based on your preference. You can even rent its facilities on a monthly basis.

In comparison with PODS, it offers indoor and drive-up self-storage solutions for homes and businesses at very competitive rates. It offers climate-controlled storage units in different sizes so that you can select the best one suitable for you.

Door to Door

Launched in 1996, Door to Door was a pioneer in the storage solutions industry by launching portable, storage container solutions. The company also introduced DIY solutions in 1999. Door to Door provides its services across the nation and is proud of its exceptional customer service and satisfaction ratings. The company has its headquarters in Kent, Washington.

As compared to PODS, Door to Door offers limited services and coverage as it is focused more on the West Coast. However, it has a distinct competitive advantage when it comes to pricing. It also provides moving container solutions in some cities based on the West Coast.

ExtraSpace

Launched in 1977, ExtraSpace has its headquarters in Utah, United States. The company has 3624 employees who helped it achieve revenue of S1.4B. The CEO of the company is Joseph D. Margolis. ExtraSpace is one of the best storage and moving companies that offers all-inclusive, comprehensive solutions for storing and moving your goods.

It currently owns its own properties for storage and keeps acquiring and developing new storage areas. The tools available on its site help customers calculate the exact amount of storage space they need, thus avoiding high costs and unnecessary wastage.

If you compare ExtraSpace to PODS, there are significant differences in the storage and moving solutions they both offer, as ExtraSpace focuses primarily on offering different storage options such as vehicle storage, climate-controlled storage, RV & boat storage, and even business storage. It works with both households and businesses looking for storage solutions.

MovingPlace

MovingPlace was founded in 2011 and has its headquarters in Florida. It currently has less than 25 employees and has declared revenue of approximately $5M.

As the name suggests, MovingPlace focuses more on offering moving solutions to households, college students, and businesses. It prefers to operate on a DIY model, wherein the customer packs and loads the container, while it takes care of the moving. It offers a full range of services with special packages for military personnel and moving cars.

As compared to the PODS, their prices are cheaper, since they don’t include any packing and loading charges. For the convenience of its customers, it offers moving ramps and also a bulkhead wall to keep the goods secure while in transit. The company has packages that include 3 days of time each for both loading and unloading containers.

Conclusion

The Top 10 PODS competitors are: u-Pack, 1-800-Pack-Rat, SMARTBOX, ZippyShell, u-Haul, ARNOFF, LifeStorage, Door to Door, Extra Space, Moving Place. Together they have 24k employees. PODS has 2000 employees and is ranked 3rd among its top 10 competitors. 

Competitor Stats

NAME	FOUNDED	HEADQUARTERS	EMPLOYEES
u-Pack	1997	Arkansas, United States	35
1-800-PACK-RAT	2001	North Carolina, United States	269
SMARTBOX	2002	Richmond, VA	51 – 200
Zippy Shell	2007	North Carolina, United States	500
u-Haul	1945	Arizona, United States	18,000
Arnoff	1924	New York, United States	58
Life Storage	1982	New York, United States	1953
Extra Space	1977	Salt Lake City, Utah, United States	3624
Moving Place	2011	Florida, United States	<25
Door to Door	1996	Kent, Washington	177