LoadUp vs. College Hunks (2026)

College Hunks Hauling Junk is one of the most recognizable names in junk removal. They offer junk removal and moving under one roof, a well-documented charity giving program, and a franchise network across 40 states. If you are comparing LoadUp vs. College Hunks, you are really deciding whether you need a full-service moving company or a junk removal specialist, and what you are willing to pay.

College Hunks can do more. LoadUp costs less and tells you exactly how much before anyone arrives. Founded in 2014 by Greg Workmon, LoadUp was built around one goal: a guaranteed, item-based price before the truck shows up. College Hunks, founded in 2003 by Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman, built its reputation on full-service convenience and a strong brand culture.

Which one fits depends on what your project actually requires.

Side-by-Side: LoadUp vs. College Hunks

LoadUp guarantees your price at booking and covers all 50 states. College Hunks confirms the price on-site and operates in 40 states. College Hunks offers full moving services. LoadUp offers furniture assembly. Depending on your project, that distinction matters.

Pricing: Two Very Different Models

The two pricing models here work in opposite ways, and the difference shows up directly in your final bill.

LoadUp: Price Set Before Anyone Shows Up

LoadUp charges per item. You visit the website, enter your ZIP code, select what needs to go, and receive a guaranteed price on the spot. No appointment needed. No crew visit to size up the load. The number you see at booking is the number you pay.

Single-item pickups start around $90 depending on location. An automatic volume discount applies as you add items, with each additional piece typically adding only $10 to $30. Sofa removal averages around $90, compared to $150 or more at volume-based competitors. Appliance removal starts at $75, and a refrigerator runs around $120, under the $140 industry average according to Move.org.

For customers looking to spend even less, curbside pickup is an option. Place items outside, pay a lower rate, and there is no need to be home when the loader arrives.

Real-world example: Clearing out a spare room? Enter a mattress, a dresser, and a couch on LoadUp’s site and you will see a guaranteed total before booking, typically around $170 or less depending on your location. The automatic volume discount means each item after the first adds only $10 to $30, so the more you remove in one visit the more you save. That number does not change on service day.

College Hunks: Volume-Based, Confirmed on Arrival

College Hunks prices based on how much space your items take up in their truck. The company does not list prices on its website. An online estimate is available during the booking process, but it is a rough ballpark. The binding price is given by the crew on-site after they assess the load.

Based on published data from HomeGuide and This Old House, a half truckload runs $350 to $500 and a full truckload comes in at $600 to $800 or more. Rates vary by franchise location, so the same job can cost significantly more in one city than another. Before scheduling, confirm the all-in total in writing, as some locations include additional service or dispatch fees not reflected in the initial estimate.

For moving services, College Hunks charges $110 to $140 per hour for a two-person team with a two to three hour minimum.

Coverage: Where Each Company Operates

LoadUp operates in all 50 states through a network of licensed and insured loaders across more than 18,000 cities. From a single couch removal to a full estate cleanout, LoadUp can typically reach you regardless of market size.

College Hunks operates across 40 states with more than 200 franchise locations. Coverage is strongest in Florida, Texas, and California. States without current College Hunks service include Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, and others. Availability also varies by franchise territory within served states, so checking your ZIP code before booking is worth the extra step.

For customers in unserved states or smaller markets, LoadUp is the most accessible full-service alternative.

Services: Where Each Company Specializes

This is the section that matters most if your project involves more than hauling items out.

College Hunks offers full-service local and long-distance moving alongside junk hauling. That dual-service model is a genuine advantage for customers downsizing or relocating, and it allows you to move furniture to a new home and clear out what is left behind in a single booking. That is something LoadUp does not offer.

Where College Hunks falls short is furniture assembly. If you are removing old furniture and setting up new pieces, College Hunks cannot complete that loop. You would need a separate service.

LoadUp handles the other side of that picture. In addition to junk removal, customers can book:

Furniture and product assembly: Beds, sectionals, office desks, gym equipment, outdoor furniture, and more. Assembly starts at $99 and scales with complexity, with same-day availability when booked before noon.

Moving and hourly labor: LoadUp offers hourly labor starting at around $150 per hour for a two-person team. It covers jobs that fall between handling it yourself and hiring a full moving company, including moving furniture between rooms, loading a rental truck, or carrying items to storage.

Bundled bookings: Assembly, removal, and moving labor can be combined in a single appointment. Old items go out, new ones get assembled, and anything that needs to be relocated gets handled in the same visit.

If you need a full moving company, College Hunks is the stronger fit. If you need junk removal with optional assembly and labor at a guaranteed price, LoadUp covers that picture more completely.

What College Hunks Does Better

College Hunks has earned its reputation over more than two decades in business, and several of their advantages are worth acknowledging directly.

The combined moving and junk removal model is the most significant. No other company in this comparison handles full-service local and long-distance moving alongside junk hauling under one brand. For customers combining a move with a cleanout, that convenience simplifies what would otherwise require coordinating two separate companies.

Their charity program is also well developed. College Hunks partners with Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and U.S. Hunger, donating two meals per job and recycling or donating over 70 percent of what they haul. Same-day and next-day availability in most markets rounds out a strong overall offering for customers who want a full-service, nationally recognized brand.

What LoadUp Does Better

For most customers whose primary need is junk removal, LoadUp holds a consistent edge.

The price is guaranteed before you book. No crew visit, no estimate that shifts on arrival day. Move.org and Bob Vila both cite LoadUp’s pricing transparency as a primary differentiator, and Forbes named LoadUp a Best Value pick in the junk removal category.

Lower cost for smaller loads. LoadUp starts around $90 per item. College Hunks starts around $150 for the smallest load. Per-item pricing consistently comes out ahead for individual pieces or smaller loads.

All 50 states, no ZIP code check required. LoadUp reaches every market. College Hunks requires a territory check and leaves 10 states unserved.

Curbside pickup, live tracking, and price matching. LoadUp customers can place items outside for a lower rate, follow their loader live through the app, and request a price match against any legitimate written quote. College Hunks offers none of the three.

Furniture assembly in the same booking. LoadUp lets customers remove old furniture and assemble new pieces in a single appointment. College Hunks, despite offering moving services, does not offer assembly.

Eco Practices: How Each Company Handles Your Items

Both companies take responsible disposal seriously and neither defaults to landfill.

College Hunks recycles or donates more than 70 percent of everything they collect, with items going to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity ReStores, and local charity partners. Their partnership with U.S. Hunger donates two meals for every completed job. The company has surpassed five million meals donated, which adds a social giving dimension that goes beyond environmental impact alone.

LoadUp prioritizes donation and recycling before disposal and has diverted more than three million pounds of material from landfills. Every order on GoLoadUp.com also triggers a one-dollar donation to One Tree Planted and plants one tree automatically, at no extra cost.

Both companies handle appliance hauling and electronics responsibly in most markets. If specific charity partners matter to your decision, College Hunks’ named partnerships are more defined. LoadUp ties a direct environmental action to every single order without any opt-in required.

Which Service Fits Your Situation?

The right choice here is genuinely situational. Both companies are professional, well-run operations. What separates them is scope.

Choose LoadUp if:

• You need junk removed and want a guaranteed price before anyone shows up
• You are removing a smaller load and want to pay per item rather than by truck volume
• You want to combine furniture assembly and junk removal in a single booking
• You live in a state or market College Hunks does not serve
• You want real-time GPS tracking and an optional curbside pickup rate

Choose College Hunks if:

• You need both moving and junk removal handled by the same company
• You are downsizing or relocating and want full-service packing, moving, and hauling in one booking
• A named charity giving program with Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and U.S. Hunger matters to you
• You prefer a nationally recognized brand with a well-established service culture

For primarily junk removal projects, LoadUp’s guaranteed price, lower starting cost, and bundled assembly option make it the stronger fit. For customers combining a move with a cleanout, College Hunks’ dual-service model is hard to replicate elsewhere.

The Bottom Line

College Hunks is a legitimate, well-established company with a strong service culture, a meaningful charity program, and a dual moving-and-junk-removal model that is genuinely useful for customers in transition. If your project involves moving, they are worth serious consideration.

For junk removal on its own, LoadUp is the stronger choice for most residential customers. The guaranteed upfront price, per-item cost structure, and all-50-state coverage give it a consistent edge on value. Add real-time tracking, a price-match guarantee, and the ability to bundle furniture assembly with removal in one appointment, and it is hard to match on transparency and convenience. Both companies keep your items out of the landfill. LoadUp makes sure you know the cost before anyone shows up.

Frequently Asked Questions

By Marissa Allen | Published: June 2026

Sources: Move.org – LoadUp Junk Removal Review | Move.org – College Hunks Review | Bob Vila – Best Junk Removal Services | HomeGuide – College Hunks Pricing | College Hunks – Our Story | One Tree Planted | GoLoadUp.com