6 Best Moving Companies in North Carolina of 2024

If you’re planning a move, hiring a professional moving company can help you have a stress-free relocation process.

We’ve identified the best North Carolina moving companies for various move types and needs. These companies stood out for their moving options, strong customer reviews and availability within the state — and, in a few cases, its most populated areas.

Here are the leading North Carolina moving companies and information to help you choose the best one for your upcoming move.

Our top picks for the best moving companies in North Carolina

• Best for Local Moves in Charlotte: You Move Me Charlotte
• Best for Local Moves in the Triangle Region: Athens Moving Experts
• Best for Moves Within North Carolina: Two Men and a Truck
• Best for Storage: PODS Moving & Storage
• Best for Corporate Relocation: United Van Lines
• Best for International Moving: North American Moving Services
• Other companies we considered
• A guide to moving companies in North Carolina
• Moving companies in North Carolina FAQ
• How we found the best moving companies in North Carolina
• Summary of the best moving companies in North Carolina of 2023

Why we chose it: You Move Me Charlotte offers local moving services in the city and surrounding areas. It’s highly regarded in reviews and offers customizable packages with transparent pricing.

You Move Me Charlotte is a locally owned and operated moving company that’s an excellent option for local moves. Their local expertise may benefit older adults needing knowledgeable and supportive professional movers.

The “Senior Movers” section of the company’s website highlights that they have the best movers for the job because knowing the communities it serve allows them to offer older adults a “personalized and compassionate service that they can rely on.” In addition, “Senior Movers” can provide additional services to older adults moving to/from retirement homes, including contacting retirement facilities to check moving day guidelines and coordinate scheduling details.

You Move Me offers a few different packing options to choose from:

• The Full Pack: You Move Me will pack your whole house and, if you want, unpack at your new home.

• The Kitchen Pack: Packing up your kitchen can be challenging. This pack covers everything in your kitchen, including dishes and other breakables.

• Single Item Pack: This option may be helpful if you have an item that needs extra care, needs a truck with climate control or is awkward to pack. You can use it for large or unique items and antiques.

If you leave your hanging clothes in your closet, the company will pack them in wardrobe boxes and unpack them at your new home. If you’d prefer to handle the packing yourself, You Move Me offers supplies for purchase, including boxes, wardrobe boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, tape, floor runners and more.

You Move Me doesn’t provide car shipping and does not usually move cumbersome or extremely heavy objects like safes or grand pianos. However, you can contact the company to discuss your needs.

You can request a free quote online from the website and a representative will contact you. You Move Me charges an hourly rate and a one-time, flat-rate travel fee. You Move Me claims there won’t be any hidden charges and your representative will explain the travel fee beforehand.

You Move Me Charlotte reviews

You Move Me Charlotte is well-regarded on varying review platforms. It’s an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and holds an A+ rating. Among customer reviews submitted to the organization, the average rating is 4.94 out of 5 stars. In the last four years, no complaints have been filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA), the federal agency that oversees interstate moving.

Why we chose it: Athens Moving Experts is a full-service moving company catering to North Carolina’s greater Triangle area, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. It offers a range of moving and packing services and receives high scores in online reviews.

Athens Moving Experts has locations in Raleigh and Charlotte and serves the areas of Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Morrisville, Apex, Wake Forest and surrounding cities and towns. The company’s Charlotte location serves areas including but not limited to Concord, Matthews, Huntersville, Lake Norman, Mooresville and Mint Hill. It’s a full-service mover for local and long-distance moves from these areas.

Its full-service long distance moving option is excellent for people who need help beyond basic transportation. The service includes many perks such as packing/unpacking, assembling/disassembling furniture and appliance servicing.

Athens might also be a good choice if you have big or bulky items. The “Specialized moving services” accommodate difficult-to-move things that other companies may leave behind, such as pianos, gun safes, appliances, aquariums, hot tubs, statues and heavy, solid wood furniture.

Task-specific options are also available. Aside from professional packing services, you could hire Athens to load/unload items, which is excellent for maximizing truck space — and avoid carrying heavy book boxes! If you need help arranging the furniture in your new home, they can also help.

Athens lacks a few of its competitors’ services, such as car shipping, storage facilities and international moves.

You can get a moving estimate by calling Athens or contacting the company via a form on its website so someone can review your information and contact you.

Athens Moving Experts reviews

Athens’ positive reputation is among the reasons it landed among our top picks for North Carolina movers. The Better Business Bureau accredits the company and draws an A+ rating. No complaints have been filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) in the last four years.

Why we chose it: Two Men and a Truck is one of our best North Carolina moving companies because of its availability and breadth of moving, storage and junk removal options in the state. There are 15 locations in North Carolina.

Two Men and a Truck is a national moving company, but each location is independently owned and operated. All North Carolina locations offer local and long-distance moving.

Two Men and a Truck offer professional packing services charged by the hour. The company can pack as much as you need, whether your whole house or just one room. If you bundle packing with moving, you could get a discount.

The availability of all other services varies by location. Check Two Men and a Truck’s website to see what services are available in your location.

The junk removal service is a hassle-free alternative to renting a dumpster to dispose of what you don’t want. Junk removal is charged by the volume of truck space your waste occupies, and you can book it either alone or as part of your moving package.

For the belongings you want to keep, Two Men and a Truck offers two storage options: warehouse and portable storage. The warehouse option provides a storage vault in the company’s storage facility. These vaults can hold up to 2,000 to 2,500 pounds. On the other hand, portable storage allows you to keep the storage unit in your house and use it for as long as you need it, which makes it an excellent option for anyone unable to move into their new home yet because of renovations, for example.

You can get a North Carolina moving quote by filling out a form online, after which a representative will call to review it. Local moves are charged hourly rates, while long-distance moves depend on the distance and weight of your items.

Two Men and a Truck reviews

Customer reviews vary by location because Two Men and a Truck locations are independently owned. Many North Carolina locations hold A+ ratings with the Better Business Bureau, but many are not BBB-accredited. Looking at the three largest cities in North Carolina, the BBB ratings are A for Charlotte, A- for Raleigh and A+ for Greensboro.

Why we chose it: PODS is a portable storage moving company located in 22 places in North Carolina. We chose it as the best storage option because it is conveniently close to customers in multiple locations.

Hiring a moving company that also offers storage solutions is a great decision if you aren’t ready to move into your new home immediately after you move out of your old one. PODS delivers a portable storage container to your house for you to fill. Once full, they pick up the container and take it to your new home or one of their storage facilities for safekeeping until you’re ready to unload it. You can pack and unpack at your own pace while renting the storage unit monthly.

The savings of choosing DIY over a full-service mover can be significant, especially if you can empty the unit soon to avoid extended monthly fees. That said, remember that you will need a place to store the unit. Typically, a driveway is best, but certain cities may allow you to park it in the street with a permit.

There are 22 PODS storage facility locations in North Carolina. You can choose from a small (8-foot), medium (12-foot) or large (16-foot) container, though 12-foot containers are only available for in-town moving and storage. The cost of PODS varies based on the unit size you need and the time you rent it. Add-on options include expanded protection plans for your belongings, security locks and moving blankets. You can get a quote for your PODS move easily and quickly on the company’s website.

The budget-conscious customer will be happy to know that with PODS you don’t need to pay for your entire move upfront. You only pay for each stage at a time, allowing you to avoid large upfront fees.

PODS reviews

PODS is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating with the institution. PODS is not registered as a moving carrier and broker with the FMCSA; therefore, complaint data is unavailable for PODS or Portable On Demand.

Why we chose it: United Van Lines is a full-service local, long-distance and international moving company that provides customizable corporate moving services. It’s a top North Carolina moving company because of its corporate relocation options and large fleet size. Additionally, United Van Lines is a leading pick on many of our other moving company rankings, including the best moving companies in the U.S. and the best long-distance moving companies.

United Van Lines offers corporate relocation services that are entirely customizable for your company and employee(s). Its moving services include local, interstate and international moves to more than 150 countries.

You can customize your United Van Lines move with the following services:

• Full packing
• Partial packing
• Unpacking
• Trash and debris removal
• Crating for specialty or fragile items
• Storage services

The packing services can help remove some of the stress of corporate relocation. The full-value packing services are a comprehensive option to have all your belongings packed by United. Or, if you’d rather opt for only a select number of rooms or items, United can accommodate that with partial packing, and you can pack the rest. Unpacking your belongings at your new location is also available.

Other services United offers include cleaning, technology installation, car transport and moving specialty items. United can move oversized items such as hot tubs, golf carts, boats, pianos, large sofas, extra-large screen TVs, foam mattresses and smart beds.

Moving often results in a lot of trash and debris, especially involving packing materials and boxes. You can have United Van Lines return to your new home within 30 days after delivery of your belongings to haul away this waste.

You can request the trash and debris removal service when you book your move or any time before completing the move. The flexibility of adding different services at different times of the moving process is a feature that can help you reduce moving costs because you can get premium services for less than higher-priced full-service plans.

United Van Lines’ MyUnited moving portal is an online feature that lets you keep track of your move, moving contacts and more. You can use an interactive move checklist and a library of other resources to help make your move go smoothly.

United Van Lines reviews

United Van Lines’ parent company, UniGroup, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which gives it an A+ rating. United Van Lines hires local contractors in each state. You can search for a local company in the ‘Location’ section of the website. United had 12 FMCSA complaints in 2023, a very small number for its fleet size.

Why we chose it: North American Moving Services (also known as North American Van Lines) has an international branch called North American International. North American handles international moves with a network of companies and 380 international agents. It has customizable moving options and is highly rated compared to other international movers.

Items need extra attention when packing for overseas or air travel. North American packers say it uses a wide variety of boxes like wardrobe boxes, dish packs, mirror boxes, mattress boxes and custom crates. Your packers will also disassemble any furniture or other things before shipping and reassemble them at your new home. You also have the option to receive extra-cost help with unpacking to the extent you want.

Beyond the transporting of your belongings, North American offers the following international moving services:

• Home purchase
• Temporary living assistance
• Assistance finding financial and insurance providers
• Cross-cultural training
• Language training
• Childcare and school referrals
• Medical care and prescription replacement
• Car purchase and other vehicle services
• Driving lessons

North American International offers short-term and long-term storage solutions, but the company may not be available everywhere. Discuss this option with your moving agent if you need storage for your items in your new country before moving into your new house.

North American International reviews

Customer service ratings may vary because international moves are serviced by local movers. North American works with a network of companies worldwide and may provide your move through one of them, depending on coverage in your area.

North American is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau, boasting an A+ rating. The company is registered with the FMCSA and received 17 complaints in 2023.

Other companies we considered

We evaluated the following companies in North Carolina that didn’t quite fit the bill of being the “best” for various reasons, including reputation, services offered and availability. However, they may still be worthy of your consideration.

• American Van Lines: American Van Lines is an interstate and long-distance mover that fulfills residential and corporate moves.

• Miracle Movers: Miracle Movers is a company option for moves within North Carolina. However, our top choice beat it out because that company has a larger fleet.

• International Van Lines: International Van Lines is a national moving company that handles domestic and international moves from North Carolina. We considered it for the best North Carolina international mover, but it has a lower BBB rating than our top pick (though the rating is still a solid A).

• All My Sons Moving & Storage: All My Sons is a moving and storage company located in North Carolina. It’s a popular mover but didn’t make our best companies list because its website is not as user-friendly as those of some competitors.

• Best American Movers: Best American Movers is a full-service moving company for local and long-distance moves in Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and California. It offers transparent pricing estimates online, but its services didn’t stand out as much as other companies in the moving industry.

• Chapel Hill Moving Company: Chapel Hill Moving is a small, locally owned and operated moving company servicing Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Graham, Hillsborough and Pittsboro. It has great moving offerings but we didn’t include it in the top list because of its limited service area.

• Little Guys Movers: Little Guys Movers is a local and long-distance moving company available in a handful of states, including North Carolina. It has an impressive A+ BBB rating but only three locations in North Carolina.

A guide to moving companies in North Carolina

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, North Carolina had the sixth-highest population gain in 2023. Many people move to the Tar Heel State because of its generally agreeable weather, robust job opportunities and varied geography.

If you’re an aspiring North Carolina resident or perhaps already a resident who’s looking to move to a new spot in the state, here’s some helpful information about the state and hope to choose a reputable mover there.

Main things to know before moving in North Carolina

North Carolina’s diverse terrain creates weather that varies widely throughout the state. While the climate is generally less turbulent than other eastern seaboard states (notably Florida), it’s still at risk of hurricanes and tropical storms. At the other extreme, snow is possible — and most so in the state’s mountainous terrain.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, July and August are the wettest months, while October and November are the driest. Consult with your moving company if you are concerned about any hindering weather factors. (The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 through Nov. 30, so that period might be a little riskier than others in which to move in the state.)

What is the average cost of moving companies in North Carolina?

The cost of moving companies in North Carolina varies significantly by company and moving needs. The following factors may affect your cost:

• Distance
• Weight or number of items
• Services added
• Protection plan
• Moving date
• Duration of the move

Local and small moves can cost a few hundred dollars (as a ballpark estimate), but the cost rises the more items you have to move. Larger and longer distance moves will usually cost over $1,000.

International moves are unsurprisingly the most expensive, likely costing between $1,500 and $12,000. They can still get far pricier depending on the destination and the number (and weight) of items to move.

How to avoid moving scams in North Carolina

Unfortunately, scams in which companies try to take advantage of moving customers are all too prevalent in North Carolina and elsewhere.

Minimizing the risk begins with ensuring the prospective company’s website is sufficiently robust. It should list at least a physical address and information about the company’s services, along with identifying the areas they serve. Information about insurance and registration is also reassuring.

One warning sign is a requirement to put down a large deposit to secure your move. Some legitimate companies do require such a payment. Still, a request for one — especially a hefty one — should be one more trigger to check a company thoroughly. Resist agreeing to give any company a large deposit.

The FMCSA identifies other red flags to be concerned about, including movers demanding a large sum of money when they already have your items in their truck, basically holding your belongings hostage until you pay.

The FMCSA identifies other red flags to be concerned about, including movers demanding a large sum of money when they already have your items in their truck, basically holding your belongings hostage until you pay.

You should never sign blank documents and always receive a written contract. Additionally, be alarmed with a branded moving company if your items appear on a moving day in a rented no-name truck rather than a marked company truck.

Before choosing a company, check for reviews online. The Better Business Bureau accepts customer reviews and complaints and awards each company a rating. Check BBB for any red flags. You should also check with the FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB) for any reports on fraudulent contractors. The FMCSA also notes that you should check with the state attorney general and consumer affairs agencies.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) requires all intrastate movers to be registered. The Commission has a list of certified carriers, which it updates monthly.

Is there any special law for moving in North Carolina?

Moving companies in North Carolina must carry the appropriate licenses and insurance, as stipulated by the NCUC, the state regulator. The Commission requires all North Carolina moving companies to have a minimum of $50,000 in general liability insurance and $50,000 in cargo insurance coverage, and intrastate moving companies must get a certificate from the Commission.

According to the North Carolina Movers Association, the Commission doesn’t have jurisdiction over interstate moves that travel across state lines — federal guidelines and requirements take over. Interstate movers must register with the FMCSA — the federal agency regulating carrier safety. Certified moving companies will have a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number.

How we found the best moving companies in North Carolina

We evaluated popular moving companies available in the state to arrive at this list of the best moving companies in North Carolina. Some of the main factors we considered were the companies’ accessibility in North Carolina, service options and benefits (including those not offered), and reputation.

For coverage across the state, we ensured the services were available in at least the top three major North Carolina cities by population. For reputation, we scanned online review platforms, looked at the companies’ history/moving experience, and mined data from forums and databases, including the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, social media pages and more.

Summary of the best moving companies in North Carolina of 2024

• Best for Local Moves in Charlotte: You Move Me Charlotte
• Best for Local Moves in the Triangle Region: Athens Moving Experts
• Best for Moves Within North Carolina: Two Men and a Truck
• Best for Storage: PODS Moving & Storage
• Best for Corporate Relocation: United Van Lines
• Best for International Moving: North American Moving Services