AAA Movers vs.
Collegiate Power Movers

If you're searching for movers in the Twin Cities, AAA Movers is probably one of the first names that comes up. They've been around since 1964, they're a second-generation family business, and they've built significant name recognition over six decades in the market.

We're Collegiate Power Movers — a newer company founded in Farmington in 2022 and now based in Woodbury, MN. We're not going to pretend we have 60 years of history. What we can do is lay out an honest, side-by-side comparison of both companies so you can make an informed decision before you hand anyone your keys.

We've pulled from publicly available review data, federal carrier records, and what customers on both sides actually say. Ratings and review counts below were checked in June 2026 and will change over time, so check the live numbers yourself too. We'll let the facts do the talking.

This is where the two companies are most different — not in what they charge, but in how they charge it.

At Collegiate Power Movers, our pricing is fully public. Our White Glove and Red Glove tiers are flat quotes that do not change once we start. Our Basic Hourly tier is $150/hour for two movers, $225/hour for three, and $300/hour for four, plus a flat $175 truck fee, a $35 materials fee, and $1.29 per mile, with a 3-hour minimum. No stair or fuel surcharges. You can calculate a rough estimate before you ever call us, and we've laid out the full math here.

AAA Movers does not publish their rates publicly. They offer a quote-based model, which means pricing is determined during the estimate process. That's standard in the industry — but it creates room for the kind of discrepancy that shows up repeatedly in their reviews.

We're not saying this represents every AAA Movers experience — they have thousands of reviews and many satisfied customers. But pricing surprises are one of the most common frustrations people report in moving. Knowing your rate structure before moving day matters.

AAA Movers has an enormous review footprint — over 3,000 Google reviews with a 4.6 average, which is genuinely impressive for a moving company at that volume. When they're good, customers describe efficient crews, friendly service, and a smooth experience.

The Yelp picture is different. When we checked in June 2026, their Yelp rating sat at 2.3 stars across 203 reviews — a meaningful gap from their Google average. The complaints on Yelp and BBB tend to cluster around three things: pricing surprises, damage that wasn't properly resolved, and scheduling issues.

The $0.60-per-pound rate is called Released Value. It's the lowest level of mover liability, and on most moves a customer only ends up with it by signing for it on the paperwork. It's legal, but customers often don't realize that's what they agreed to until something breaks. We explain how it works in what "licensed and insured" actually means. It's worth asking any moving company — including us — exactly what their damage coverage looks like before your move begins.

At Collegiate Power Movers, we currently carry 140+ five-star Google reviews with no significant damage or pricing complaints on record. We're a newer company with less volume — but our track record is clean, and we intend to keep it that way.

Yes — both companies are licensed to operate in Minnesota. AAA Movers holds USDOT #1140502, which also lets them handle moves across state lines, and has been operating in Minnesota for decades. Collegiate Power Movers holds MN DOT #385610 and is licensed through the Minnesota Department of Transportation for moves within Minnesota.

Licensing is the floor, not the ceiling. Both companies meet it. What varies is the operational standard on top of that — and that's where reviews, pricing transparency, and how damage claims are handled tell you more than a license number ever will.

AAA Movers has 44 vehicles registered with the FMCSA and locations beyond Minnesota. That scale is a genuine advantage — they can handle multiple moves simultaneously, have more scheduling flexibility for large or complex jobs, and can take you out of state. If you're moving to another state, that matters.

Collegiate Power Movers is smaller by design. Every job gets a dedicated crew briefed on your specific move before arrival. Your Lead Mover is your single point of contact for the entire day. No handoffs, no crews being rotated between multiple jobs mid-day, and no one showing up without knowing what they're walking into.

Bigger isn't always better when it comes to moving. The question is whether the scale advantage translates to a better experience for your specific move — and some reviews suggest the experience varies from crew to crew. In our view, consistency is harder to maintain across a fleet that size than across a focused local operation.

That depends on what matters most to you.

If you want established scale, a large fleet, a move out of state, and a company with six decades of Minnesota history, AAA Movers has that. Their best crews deliver a genuinely good experience. Just go in with your eyes open — get your quote in writing, ask specifically about damage coverage, and understand that your experience may vary based on which crew you're assigned.

If you want transparent pricing you can calculate before you call, a dedicated crew from start to finish, and a company where every job gets the same standard of care, Collegiate Power Movers is built for that. We're newer, but our track record is consistent — and our pricing is never a surprise.