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PTV alternative

Optivo and PTV Route Optimiser compared: routes, tracking and driver app from one vendor

With OptivoRoute, Optivo's route optimization software, routes are planned in 5-30 minutes instead of half a day, and tracking and the driver app sit in the same contract. PTV Logistics sells Route Optimiser (desktop) and OptiFlow (cloud); the driver app and on-board devices come separately. If you are weighing the move to the cloud, here is what changes.

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Why people look for a PTV alternative

Companies looking for a PTV alternative usually want optimization that holds its own without an enterprise project, tracking from the same vendor, and a more direct onboarding. PTV addresses organizations with enterprise budgets and an IT team ready to make several products work together.

  • No public price list, enterprise negotiation
  • Optimization and visibility are separate PTV products, and on-board hardware has to come from a telematics vendor
  • Implementation projects built for mid-to-large fleets with a dedicated IT team
  • Industry operators using Route Optimiser report technical staff turnover and slower support than in the past

Key differences

How Optivo is different

1

One platform or separate products

Optivo combines in a single platform OptivoRoute for the routes, OptivoTrack, Optivo's tracking system (Optivo-branded OBD or CAN devices or hardware-free Cloud OEM), the driver app with proof of delivery and the Control Tower: one contract, one vendor and one point of contact when a route goes wrong. At PTV, route optimization (OptiFlow or Route Optimiser) and visibility with driver app and proof of delivery (Axylog) are separate products, and vehicle positions come from the telematics systems the customer already has or buys separately.

2

Onboarding in a few weeks or an enterprise project

Optivo is usually operational in a few weeks: the cloud platform is ready immediately, constraints are configured with the team during onboarding, and plug & play devices take minutes per vehicle to fit. PTV sells through enterprise negotiation. Route Optimiser is desktop software to install and configure; OptiFlow, in the cloud, avoids the installation but is still sold on quote, with integrations to build through APIs.

3

Who runs the onboarding

With Optivo, onboarding is run by a team that configures your industry's constraints and stays your point of contact afterwards: retail delivery sequences, time windows, owner-drivers and eFTI-compliant transport documents are its everyday work. PTV is a German group with customers worldwide and an office in Italy.

4

Data import and integration with existing systems

Optivo has APIs for ERP, WMS and management systems and adds Magic Order, the chat inside OptivoRoute where orders come in: Excel, CSV, PDFs including scanned ones, photos and pasted text become deliveries ready to plan, and when a value is missing the AI looks it up in the history or asks for it. Companies that plan by hand today start from the files they already have, without waiting for an integration project. PTV relies on integration through APIs and standard interfaces with ERP, TMS, WMS and telematics.

5

One engine for tomorrow's routes and for fleet decisions

With Optivo, the engine that builds your daily routes also lets you review fixed routes and test a decision before you make it: how many vehicles you really need, what it costs to serve a new customer or open an area, what happens with one vehicle fewer. The scenario is built on your own data and constraints, and compared with today's plan on distance, hours and cost. PTV sells these horizons through OptiFlow, which plans on three levels: strategic, tactical and operational.

At a glance

Who it is built for Companies planning delivery routes every day, with guided onboarding Companies with several countries, several depots and an IT team
Optimization products OptivoRoute (cloud), in the same contract as tracking and driver app Route Optimiser (desktop) and OptiFlow (cloud)
Route optimization Multi-constraint, with industry constraints ready to activate and scenario simulation for fleet decisions Multi-constraint; with OptiFlow, network and territory design too
Vehicle tracking Plug & play OBD, CAN bus or hardware-free Cloud OEM (30+ brands) PTV Axylog, a separate product, on the customer's telematics data
On-board hardware Optivo-branded devices on free loan or purchased; Cloud OEM Not sold by PTV
Driver app Driver app in the browser, nothing to install: three taps to close a delivery App with ePOD in PTV Axylog
Time to activate Usually a few weeks Enterprise project
Contract Usually a subscription; on request an installed licence On quote, enterprise negotiation
Price Quote on planned volumes On quote, no public price list
Presence in Italy Italian team, onboarding in Italian International organization with an office in Italy
Transport documents eFTI-compliant, generated by the system eCMR and electronic waybill in PTV Axylog

Want to see this comparison on your own routes? Thirty minutes with your data, no strings attached.

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Commercial models compared

Optivo sizes the quote on the volumes you plan and includes devices, driver app and onboarding. PTV does not publish list prices: pricing is built case by case with a sales rep, based on products, modules and integrations.

Optivo

The quote is sized on the volumes you plan, agreed upfront, not on the individual deliveries executed. Optivo-branded OBD or CAN devices are usually provided on free loan, or purchased if you want them on the balance sheet; hardware-free Cloud OEM where the vehicle allows it. Usually a subscription; on request also a licence installed on the company's systems, with a separate fee for services. Book a demo for a quote on your routes.

PTV

On quote, with possible implementation costs. Optimization (OptiFlow or Route Optimiser) and visibility with driver app (Axylog) are separate products, and vehicle positions require a third-party telematics system.

What changes with Optivo

With Optivo, kilometres drop by 10-20% and fuel by 10-15%, with 5-10% fewer vehicles needed; route planning takes 5-30 minutes. Payback comes in 3-9 months.
Results from Optivo projects

10-20%

fewer kilometres from the first months

When Optivo is the right choice

Optivo is for you if…

You plan routes every day with time windows, mandatory sequences and capacity per vehicle, and today it takes half a day: with Optivo, 5-30 minutes is enough. You want optimization, tracking and the driver app from one vendor, instead of holding together different products and contracts. You are about to move from Route Optimiser to the cloud and want to compare before redoing the work. You want a team that knows retail chains, pharmaceutical distribution and food and beverage and configures your constraints from day one, without you having to explain what a mandatory sequence or a customer time window is.

PTV at a glance

PTV Logistics is a German group with an office in Italy. It sells optimization through Route Optimiser, desktop software, and OptiFlow, a cloud service that plans on three levels (strategic, tactical and operational) and works with the PTV Mira AI agent. Visibility, driver app and ePOD live in PTV Axylog; PTV sells no on-board hardware and works on quotes.

Who PTV is built for

PTV addresses companies with several countries and several depots, with an IT team that runs the integrations with ERP and telematics. With OptiFlow it also addresses companies that design their depot network and territories.

How to move from PTV to Optivo

Migration preserves historical data and operating constraints already configured on PTV. The goal is service continuity for planners and end customers.

  1. 1

    Map current constraints

    The Optivo team works with your planners to reconstruct constraints, time windows and sequences already configured on PTV.

  2. 2

    Bring orders and master data as they are

    Customers, addresses and orders come in through Magic Order, the chat inside OptivoRoute: Excel, CSV, PDF, photos or pasted text. The AI extracts the orders, looks up what is missing in your history and asks for confirmation when a value does not add up.

  3. 3

    Activate tracking and driver app

    Optivo-branded plug & play OBD or CAN bus devices, usually on free loan or purchased for the balance sheet; hardware-free Cloud OEM for factory-connected vehicles. Drivers sign in to the app with email and password and close a delivery in three taps.

  4. 4

    Run in parallel for 1-2 weeks

    Optional overlap period to validate Optivo plans against PTV plans before the full switch.

We'll walk you through the switch on your own data: orders, vehicles and the end date of your current contract.

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FAQ

Does Optivo deliver the same optimization quality as PTV?

You can check it in two ways. On the public C1_10_1 benchmark (1,000 orders with time windows, from the Gehring and Homberger set), Optivo's engine comes within 0.04% of the best known solution in 34.5 seconds. And in a demo you see it work on your own routes, with the constraints PTV also handles and with those born from Italian cases: temperature compartments, paired pickups, transfers away from the depot. That is the comparison that counts most, because it starts from your data.

I use Route Optimiser on desktop: does it make sense to look at Optivo before moving to the cloud?

Yes. Moving from Route Optimiser to OptiFlow also puts data, constraints and planners' habits back on the table, so it is the moment when a comparison costs least. With Optivo the path is similar: constraints rebuilt with your planners, master data and history imported, a few weeks in parallel. At the end, tracking and the driver app sit in the same contract.

How does Optivo's cost compare to PTV?

Optivo works on quotes: the price is built on the number of vehicles, the modules you choose and the volumes you plan, agreed upfront, not on the individual deliveries executed, and includes devices, driver app and onboarding. Payback with Optivo is usually between 3 and 9 months. PTV publishes no list prices: the price is built with a sales rep based on products, modules and integrations, with possible implementation costs.

How long does it take to switch from PTV to Optivo?

Usually a few weeks: the platform runs in the cloud and is ready immediately, constraints are configured during onboarding, and devices take a few minutes per vehicle to install. The extra time goes into data migration and the parallel phase with PTV, if you choose one.

Is Optivo support in Italian?

Yes. Optivo is an Italian team that configures the constraints during onboarding and follows the customer directly, with knowledge of the operating constraints of retail chains, pharmaceutical distribution and food and beverage. The demo starts from your routes and your constraints; during onboarding time windows, sequences and capacity are configured together with the people who plan today.

I design my network and territories with PTV OptiFlow: can I run Optivo alongside it for daily routes?

Yes. Designing the depot network and territories can stay with PTV. Optivo adds the daily routes, with several depots and outside Italy too, plus the driver app, proof of delivery and tracking. With the same engine you test a decision before you make it: how many vehicles you need, a new customer, an area to open.

Updated on:

How this comparison was made

Comparison written by Optivo from the competitor's public sources, checked on the date shown.

Information about PTV was checked against the sources listed as of the update date. Prices, products and terms may change: check the official channels before deciding.

Bring your routes and the constraints you run on PTV today to a demo, and see the plan Optivo builds from them.

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