MileIQ is, without a doubt, one of the best mileage-tracking apps for valid reasons. It tracks mileage accurately and offers unique features such as the one-swipe drive classification, which streamlines employee remuneration and tax deduction claims.
But, the highlights aside, the notable chinks in the app’s armor may compel you to choose one of the best MileIQ alternatives.
To begin with, MileIQ offline mode doesn’t work. In addition, the app occasionally disregards drives shorter than one mile. As a result, the app doesn’t cut it for door-to-door sales reps or delivery drivers who make frequent stops over short distances. However, that’s the tip of the iceberg; read our MileIQ review to learn more.
We’re not here to dissect MileIQ. Instead, we’ll zero in on the features of the MileIQ alternatives to help you understand why you should pick these SaaS tools over MileIQ. If you’re short on time, Timeero is the best MileIQ alternative — learn more in our full Timeero review.
Learn how Timeero features improve mileage tracking for fair employee reimbursement and accurate tax deduction claims.
The best MileIQ alternative should match MileIQ’s strengths while making up for its shortcomings. Therefore, we rigorously tested numerous mileage tracking tools to whittle down our list of the best alternatives to MileIQ.
Here’s a sneak peek at the best MileIQ alternatives:
Timeero — Best MileIQ Alternative With Route Replay
Everlance — Mileage Tracker With Expense Management
TripLog — Mileage Tracker With Route Planning
Driversnote — Mileage Tracking App With iBeacon
Zoho Mileage Tracker — Mileage Tracker for Self-employed Taxes
We picked these tools because they track mileage accurately. We look at accuracy from two perspectives — mile covered and purpose (business, charity, or personal). Remember, the IRS offers different mileage rates for various purposes.
Besides tracking the miles covered, the app should also classify the miles to simplify employee remuneration and tax deductions.
In addition, the offline mode is indispensable for accurate mileage tracking. The apps we picked come with a functioning offline mode. The apps should continue tracking mileage even when you traverse areas without network coverage or running out of mobile data.
We also considered usability. A mileage tracking app can sport all the essential features, but all that will count for nothing if employees can find a way around it. So we picked apps with intuitive interfaces so employees won’t have to fumble around trying to track miles.
5 Best MileIQ Alternatives
We are not pulling the results out of the hat. But, as always, we took these apps for a test ride to see how they work.
We’ll reveal our test results and use real-world examples to help you understand how each app works, starting with Timeero — the best mileage-tracking app.
Timeero: Best MileIQ Alternative With Route Replay
Besides mileage tracking, the Timeero app is apt for GPS location and time tracking.
Pricing: 14-day free trial, from $4 per user per month.
Integrations: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, API
Pros:
Budget-friendly mileage tracker app
Accurate, IRS-compliant mileage tracking
Route replay with breadcrumbs
Real-time GPS location tracking
Cons:
Timeero is the best MileIQ alternative, for good reasons. The mobile app has intuitively placed tracking features and a clutter-free user interface (UI). Tracking mileage is child’s play — you only need to select the assigned job and clock in.
The app will track mileage in the background when you hit 4 mph speed. The minimum speed threshold ensures the app doesn’t log a mile when an employee walks or runs. It also enables the app to track trips regardless of how short, making it a great mileage-tracking app for door-to-door delivery drivers and sales representatives.
During our testing, Timeero logged 77.89 km out of 80.21 recorded on our odometer, working with 97.1% accuracy. Therefore, if your company vehicles log 100,000 km per year for business, Timeero will generate IRS-compliant mileage logs for 97,000 km and claim more than $63,535 in tax deductions.
Mileage Classification
Timeero embraces a pre-drive classification model. You see, with MileIQ, you can classify drives only after you have completed them. On the contrary, Timeero lets you create jobs based on the type of mileage you want to track.
Let’s say your business has a department for charity work. First, you’ll create business-related tasks for delivery drivers, site managers, and sales representatives and assign predefined mileage rates. And then create a separate task for the charity department with different mileage rates.
Employees must choose their assigned tasks before clocking in. However, come the month’s end, and it will be easier to distinguish between mileage driven for business and charitable purposes. As a result, you’ll reimburse employees fairly and create IRS-compliant logs to claim the correct tax deduction.
Unique Features: Route Replay and Suggested Mileage
The route replay feature on the Timeero web dashboard enables you to recreate your day’s route.
Beyond mileage tracking, Timeero’s route replay instills a culture of accountability within your company. The tool helps recreate a driver’s exact route during the day — employees can’t lie where they have been.
The driver’s route has breadcrumbs with timestamps. Breadcrumbs are helpful, especially if you want to know how long a sales rep or delivery driver has stopped by at the customer’s location. To that end, you only need to calculate the time difference between the two breadcrumbs most-proximate to the customer location.
Moreover, Timeero helps enforce your speed policy. For example, if you require drivers to maintain certain speeds to lower fuel costs, breadcrumbs’ speed data will be helpful. You can use the data to pinpoint drivers violating the policy and advise them accordingly.
Lastly, driving is a time waster for many employees. For example, sales reps spend 14% of their work time driving. The suggested mileage recommends the shortest route, helping employees spend less time behind the wheel and more doing meaningful work. It also facilitates faster delivery, which improves customer loyalty and chances of repeat business.
Everlance: Mileage Tracker With Expense Management
Like Timeero, the Everlance mobile app is available on Google Play and Apple app stores in many countries worldwide.
Pricing: Free plan (doesn’t support automatic mileage tracking), $10 per user per month
Integrations: QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks
Pros:
Accurate mileage tracking
Expense management module
Straightforward drive classification
Cons:
Occasionally misses trips
Even though the Everlance mobile app UI looks cluttered, it’s still easy to use. Like Timeero, Everlance uses motion detection technology to track mileage. However, employees don’t have to clock in to start recording miles.
Instead, Everlance automatically logs mileage when you hit 5 mph. The app tracked 77.91 km during our testing, resulting in a 97.13% accuracy. We experienced no hitch, but that doesn’t mean the app is without a flaw. We’ve had cases where Everlance failed to record part of our journey, as you can read in our full Everlance review.
By default, Everlance stops recording your trip when the vehicle is stationary for more than five minutes.
As a result, it divides your day’s trip into multiple drives. Consequently, if you’re on the free version, you could quickly use up the 30 monthly trips.
Thankfully, you can switch Everlance to track trips in long session mode. Everlance will record a continuous trip in this mode even when you stop for minutes. However, the app may automatically end your trip when you stop for several hours.
Drive Classification
Everlance breaks your trip into numerous drives depending on the stop you make.
When it comes to driving classification, Everlance mirrors MileIQ’s one-swipe tool. For example, you can swipe a drive card left for personal or right for business mileage. Beyond manual classification, there are several auto-classification options.
For example, if you manage a team of delivery drivers, you can configure Everlance to categorize all their drives as ‘delivery.’ Other auto-classify options include:
Work
Personal
Charity
Medical
Moving
Commute
Still, these options leave room for rogue drivers to classify their drives to claim a higher reimbursement wrongly. That could also lead to inaccurate mileage deductions. Picture a scenario where a 10,000 business drive is classified as charity miles. Then, per the current standard IRS rates, you’ll lose tax deduction worth: (65.5-14)*10,000 = $515,000.
Thankfully, Everlance work hours minimize manual work during classification. When you set the team’s work hours, the app categorizes all drives during the predefine timeframe as business miles. Remember that you must subscribe to a premium plan to use work hours.
Unique Features: Favorite Trips
Everlance allows you to add your favorite trips to simplify drive classification. For example, you add a starting point and destination and the trip’s purpose (e.g., business). This way, all future trips along that predefined route will be classified as business miles.
TripLog: Mileage Tracker With Route Planning
When the app begins to track mileage, it displays numerous drive cards on the home tab, making the mobile UI look cluttered.
Pricing: Free plan (40 trips per month), $10 per user per month
Integrations: Some notable integrations include QuickBooks, ADP, Xero, Salesforce, Paychex, etc.
Pros:
Accurate mileage tracking
Route planning tools
Frequent trip classification rule
Cons:
Clunky offline mode
Like Everlance, TripLog’s mobile UI is crammed with information about your trip history, but it’s still easy to use. TripLog uses motion detection technology like other mileage-tracking apps, although with some unique tweaks.
The app uses motion detection with four modes: car Bluetooth, plug-n-go, gig economy apps, and MagicTrip, which we used during our testing. Interestingly, the app logged 78.7 km, resulting in a 98.1% accuracy.
TripLog accuracy was slightly higher than Timeero and Everlance, but that’s down to the lower minimum speed threshold. We had set the minimum speed to 2 mph, meaning TripLog tracked miles when driving at lower speeds. The slightly higher accuracy, proves that Timeero and Everlance minimum speed thresholds work.
Drive Classification
You can classify drives manually or automatically. By default, the app categorizes all weekday trips as business and weekend trips as personal. However, you can swipe trips to the right to classify them otherwise. For example, when you swipe a business trip to the right, you classify it as personal (and vice versa).
Alternatively, you can configure the app to classify all work-hours trips as business miles. Read our full TripLog review to learn more.
What’s more, frequent trip rules help simplify drive classification further. The feature is similar to Everlance’s favorite trip tool. You only need to set the starting point (A) and destination (B) and specify the purpose, e.g., business. This way, the app will classify all trips from A to B as business miles.
Unique Feature: Route Planning
While TripLog provides a map for each drive, the route doesn’t come with breadcrumbs.
The route planning feature sets TripLog apart from other apps on our list. With the tool, you only need to enter all your destinations and click the blue navigation button. Then, the app calculates your shortest route based on the destinations.
You can download the route if you’re traveling through areas with spotty connections. This makes route planning ideal for sales reps, delivery drivers, and site managers who must visit multiple locations daily.
Driversnote: Mileage Tracking With iBeacon
The Driversnote mobile UI is crammed with trip log details, but that doesn’t impact its usability.
Pricing: Free plan (15 trips per month), $9 per user per month
Integrations: Microsoft Excel
Pros:
Easy-to-use Android and iOS apps
Automatic drive classification
iBeacon Bluetooth technology
Cons:
Misses some trips
Mobile apps cause battery drain
Driversnote's intuitive app streamlines usability and drive classification. But, sadly, the app doesn’t impose a minimum speed threshold, a recipe for inaccurate tracking.
During our testing, Driversnote’s flaw came to the fore. The app missed the initial part of our journey, which isn’t unusual with mobile apps. Some mobile apps can take a few minutes to fire up. However, Driversnote stretches that allowance beyond the limit, so its accuracy is slightly lower than other apps at 83.7%.
Drive Classification
While Driversnote doesn’t come with a one-swipe drive classification, its manual classification is straightforward. Moreover, the app offers four automation options:
Based on the previous trip
Always as business
Always as personal
Based on work hours
The last auto-classification option is helpful for businesses, freelancers, self-employed, or rideshare drivers with regular work schedules. When you set work hours, the app classifies any trip during that timeframe as business miles.
Unique feature: iBeacon
Classifying trips on the Driversnote web dashboard is easy.
Driversnote iBeacon is a signal-transmitting Bluetooth device you place in the car. The device is synced with your smartphone (iPhone or Android) such that when you enter the car, the phone decodes the signal from iBeacon to start tracking your trip.
When you exit the car, the signal is cut, and the smartphone ceases to track your trip. This way, the app tracks mileage when using the designated vehicle and not when commuting or riding a bike. Learn more about iBeacon in our comprehensive Driversnote review.
Zoho Expense Mileage Tracker: Mileage Tracker for Self-employed Taxes
Zoho Expense mileage tracker isn’t easy to use, but the smartphone widget improves usability.
Pricing: Zoho has a free plan and three paid options, starting from $5 per user per month when billed monthly.
Integrations: Zoho suite products, Quickbooks Online, Quickbooks Desktop, Sage, Xero
Pros:
Excellent integration with Zoho products
Manage business expenses in one platform
Multiple mileage tracking modes
Cons:
Tracks mileage when walking
No automatic drive classification
Steep learning curve
Zoho Expense mileage tracker’s learning curve can be steep, especially for newbies. In addition, the mileage tracker tool is tucked away inside the Zoho Expense suite, complicating usability.
This is mainly a problem considering the Zoho mileage tracker doesn’t support automatic mileage tracking like other apps. So instead, you have to manually start and end the trip when you reach the destination.
Thankfully, Zoho allows you to add a mileage tracker widget on your smartphone to enhance user-friendliness. Alternatively, you can long-press the mobile app and select ‘track mileage using GPS’ to find the mileage tracker.
However, we’re not overly impressed with the Zoho mileage tracker because it doesn’t have a minimum speed threshold. That’s the root cause of Zoho’s incessant tracking inaccuracies, as you’ll learn in our Zoho Expense mileage tracker review.
Unlike Driversnote, which also doesn’t have a minimum speed, the Zoho Expense mileage tracker captures mileage when the employee is walking. During our testing, the app logged 86.62 km (6 km more than the distance driven).
Drive Classification
Zoho Expense tracker enables you to add a ceiling for mileage expenses to control fuel and mileage expenditures.
Zoho Expense drive classification is old-school. Remember that this app is built with expense tracking and invoicing in mind. As such, instead of requiring you to classify your drives as business or personal, the app lets you convert them into expenses and discard personal drives.
Unique Feature: Integration With Zoho Suite
Zoho Expense mileage tracker isn’t a standalone tool like Timeero or Everlance. Instead, it’s built into the Zoho Expense suite, which has pros and cons. The con is that the mileage tracker is limited in its ability.
On the other hand, it enables mileage trackers to integrate with Zoho products seamlessly. It works flawlessly with Zoho Projects, Zoho Books, Zoho People, and Zoho CRM. The app also works with rideshare apps, including Uber, Lyft, and Bolt.
Pick the Best MileIQ Alternative
We’ve highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the five best MileIQ alternatives. You have all the information you need to make an informed decision. If you’re still at a crossroads and can’t decide which app is cut out for your large or small business needs, we recommend getting Timeero.
As you’ve already seen, Timeero is an all-around mileage tracker. It prioritizes accuracy to help you create IRS-compliant mileage logs. In addition, Timeero is committed to employee privacy and has features you don’t get with MileIQ, such as offline mode, suggested mileage, and route replay.
Get a first-hand feel for Timeero’s mileage tracking functionality when you start a 14-day free trial.
FAQ
Is There a Free Version of MileIQ?
Yes, MileIQ has a free version allowing you to track 40 monthly drives.
Is MileIQ Worth It?
If you need to track mileage in areas with good network coverage, MileIQ is worth it. However, if you traverse regions with spotty networks, MileIQ’s lack of offline mode is a deal-breaker.
What’s the Best MileIQ Alternative?
Timeero is the best MileIQ alternative. It has better mileage tracking accuracy than MileIQ, and its offline mode works.
Do you want to take Timeero for a spin without paying a dime?
Start a 14-day free trial today. No credit card required.
Samson is a mathematician turned content marketer specializing in SaaS and Tech content. He focuses on the practical aspects of software systems while keeping abreast of the industry’s cutting-edge principles to create informative and engaging content. When he’s not writing, Samson spends time playing or watching soccer.
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