VerdictLab
Categories
🚗 Auto Insurance🏦 Business Banking💼 Business Loans📶 Cellular Carriers💳 Business Credit Cards🔒 Home Security🛡️ Business Insurance🌐 Internet Providers🧾 Payroll Software📱 Phone Plans

Updated September 2026 · 12 compared

The best business insurers, ranked.

12 business insurers compared across 51 evidence-checked head-to-heads.

Every matchup is scored round by round on what matters most: financial strength, buying experience, pricing & affordability.

  1. 1TravelersTravelers7.5
  2. 2NationwideNationwide7.3
  3. 3The HartfordThe Hartford7.3

At a glance

Top rated7.5
Travelers
Travelers
See price
Jump to review ↓
Best for buying experience7.2
NEXT Insurance
NEXT Insurance
See price
Jump to review ↓
Best for financial strength7.1
biBERK
biBERK
See price
Jump to review ↓
Best for pricing5.8
Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual
See price
Jump to review ↓

Top 12 business insurers

Ranked by overall score

1Travelers
Top rated

Travelers

Best for: Growing business needing property, liability, comp and cyber as one program

Pick Travelers if you need five or six coverage lines — property, liability, comp, cyber — working as one program.

Financial Strength
A++ (Superior)
Buying Experience
4.7 / 4.6
Head-to-head record
7–1
  • Still the #2 commercial auto writer in the U.S.
  • One carrier, one claims department for the whole program
  • Packaged programs for contractors and retail businesses
  • Agent can structure a genuinely complex multi-line program
  • Auto isn't Travelers' specialty the way it is Progressive's
  • No instant online bind for most small businesses
  • No instant online quote — priced through an agent
  • Trustpilot pattern of disorganized claims after a catastrophic loss
2Nationwide

Nationwide

Best for: Farm, agribusiness or cyber-exposed operator

Pick Nationwide if you have employees, premises, or specialized exposure like cyber or a farm.

Financial Strength
A / A2 / A+
Buying Experience
Agent-tailored, slower to bind
Pricing & Affordability
$81–$146/mo
Head-to-head record
8–3
  • Right fit for continuous, year-round operations
  • Cyber, EPLI, equipment breakdown, agribusiness all under one carrier
  • Ranked #1 by U.S. News for combining strength with breadth
  • One of few carriers still writing agribusiness
  • No hourly or daily option for a single job
  • Slower than instant online bind
  • Not the cheapest for the simplest risks
  • Not the cheapest option for simple, low-complexity risks
3The Hartford

The Hartford

Best for: Contractor with a real crew and heavy workers' comp exposure

Pick The Hartford if you have employees, premises, or real workers' comp exposure.

Financial Strength
A+ (Superior)
Buying Experience
Online + agent
Pricing & Affordability
Priced above biBERK across the board
Head-to-head record
9–2
  • An agent can structure coverage and catch gaps
  • 200+ years, 1.3M+ small-business customers insured
  • ~86% five-star on a Trustpilot business-insurance sample
  • Fewer GL & commercial-property complaints than expected (2022-2024)
  • Slower — most policies still finish with an agent
  • One tier below biBERK's top A++ grade
  • GL ~$68/mo, BOP ~$141/mo, workers' comp ~$81/mo
  • Premiums vary further by trade, payroll, location and claims history
4NEXT Insurance
Best for buying experience

NEXT Insurance

Best for: Solo consultant needing liability, no vehicles

Pick NEXT Insurance if Vehicles are a side risk and your core exposure is liability, property or workers' comp.

Financial Strength
A+ (Superior)
Buying Experience
Bound and certified in minutes
Pricing & Affordability
MoneyGeek's #1 for cost and experience
Head-to-head record
7–4
  • Fine for one incidental work vehicle
  • One digital account, one carrier
  • Covers 1,300+ professions, including hard-to-place trades
  • Good fit for sole proprietors and hard-to-place trades needing one vehicle
  • Not a vehicle specialist
  • Not built for specialty or multi-truck fleets
  • Shorter claims track record than a specialist
  • Limited hand-holding for complex risk
5Progressive

Progressive

Best for: Owner-operator trucker hauling for hire

Pick Progressive if your business lives on its wheels — trucking, for-hire, delivery, or a real fleet.

Financial Strength
A+ (Excellent)
Buying Experience
Add a fleet online, easy to manage
Pricing & Affordability
~$260/mo
Head-to-head record
8–2
  • Undisputed market leader in commercial auto
  • Deep underwriting expertise across contractors, for-hire and trucking
  • Still offers easy bundling through its large agent network
  • Direct underwriting tuned to every vehicle class
  • Service and claims vary by which partner carrier is assigned
  • Heavier process than a pure self-serve app
  • Rates climbing industry-wide
  • BOP, GL, workers' comp and cyber placed through partner carriers
6biBERK
Best for financial strength

biBERK

Best for: Solo consultant or freelancer who just needs cheap GL or E&O

Pick biBERK if you're a lean, low-hazard solo or micro-business that wants cheap, fast essential coverage.

Financial Strength
A++ (Superior)
Buying Experience
Fully self-serve, every line
Pricing & Affordability
~$105/mo
Head-to-head record
5–2
  • Instant online quote-and-bind, no agent required
  • Backed by Berkshire, which paid ~$62B in claims in 2025
  • AM Best's single highest financial-strength grade available
  • All essentials from one A++-backed carrier
  • No local agent relationship if you want one
  • Higher-than-expected state regulator complaint volume relative to market share (NerdWallet)
  • Long hold times and AI phone systems reported
  • No cyber, management liability or group benefits
7Chubb

Chubb

Best for: Funded tech startup needing cyber and D&O coverage

Pick Chubb if your business is established, complex, specialty-heavy, or has overseas operations.

Financial Strength
A++ (Superior)
Buying Experience
~$2M income threshold
Pricing & Affordability
~$118/mo average, and customers notice
Head-to-head record
2–4–1
  • Built for specialty and professional liability
  • Scales well as a business grows
  • #1 in J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study, 773/1,000
  • Genuine multinational capability
  • Not optimized for comp-heavy, crew-based businesses
  • Can feel like more carrier than a very small business needs
  • ~3.01 BBB rating with 100+ complaints in three years
  • Larger accounts must go through a local agent
8Thimble

Thimble

Best for: Wedding photographer or event vendor working a few gigs a year

Pick Thimble if you work in bursts — events, single jobs, seasonal gigs — with simple liability risk.

Buying Experience
Certificate in minutes
Pricing & Affordability
~$94/mo
Head-to-head record
1–6
  • No premium wasted between jobs
  • Instant certificate for a single hour, day, or event
  • Deep enough for straightforward freelance risk across ~130 professions
  • No agent required at any point
  • No cyber, EPLI, workers' comp or agribusiness lines
  • Zero coverage for these specialized risks
  • Not built for larger or more complex risk profiles
  • Claims handled by the underwriting partner, not Thimble
9Hiscox

Hiscox

Best for: Solo IT or software consultant whose main risk is bad advice

Pick Hiscox if you're a solo or sub-10-employee professional-services firm whose main risk is your advice.

Financial Strength
A (Excellent)
Buying Experience
Set up online in minutes
Pricing & Affordability
~$109/mo
Head-to-head record
1–8–1
  • No. 2 in U.S. News small-business insurance ranking
  • Deep specialization purpose-built for E&O risk
  • General liability also priced from ~$30/mo
  • A (Excellent) AM Best rating, century of specialty underwriting
  • Narrow appetite — not built for trades or field work
  • No workers' comp
  • No commercial auto
  • Trustpilot rated 'Bad' — claims-speed and renewal-price complaints
10Simply Business

Simply Business

Best for: Niche tradesperson who's been hard to quote elsewhere

Pick Simply Business if you run a niche or hard-to-place trade that struggles to get quoted elsewhere.

Pricing & Affordability
~$97/mo avg — 3rd-most-affordable
Head-to-head record
2–5
  • One application compares many insurers' prices at once
  • Partners with A-rated carriers like Travelers and CNA
  • Cheap, easy initial purchase
  • Multi-carrier shopping can surface a lower quote for niche risks
  • Final carrier and premium vary by which partner you're matched with
  • Claims experience depends entirely on which partner you're matched with
  • Recurring reports of auto-renewal at higher prices with little notice
  • Final premium depends on which partner carrier is matched
11State Farm

State Farm

Best for: Owner who already bundles personal auto and home with a trusted State Farm agent

Pick State Farm if you already bundle personal auto or home with a trusted local State Farm agent.

Financial Strength
A++ → A+
Buying Experience
"Your experience depends on your agent."
Pricing & Affordability
~$500/yr; 4.33/5
Head-to-head record
0–7
  • Ranked #1 among general-liability insurers in one industry study
  • A handful of states allow starting a quote online
  • Still holds a top-tier 'Superior' A+ rating despite the downgrade
  • Top price-satisfaction score among small-business customers, ~4.33/5
  • Business reputation is inherited from its personal-lines scale, not commercial specialization
  • Cannot purchase a policy online in any state
  • Experience varies heavily by which local agent you get
  • More complaints than expected for commercial property, auto & workers' comp (2018-2021)
12Liberty Mutual
Best for pricing

Liberty Mutual

Best for: Budget-focused sole proprietor who just needs cheap standard general liability

Pick Liberty Mutual if you just need the lowest price on a standard BOP or GL policy.

Financial Strength
'Excellent' (A-tier)
Buying Experience
3 marketplaces
Pricing & Affordability
~$45/mo
Head-to-head record
0–6
  • Deep workers'-comp heritage
  • Surety bonds & management liability for scaling firms
  • Deep comp expertise for payroll-heavy firms
  • BOP averages under $100/mo (~$1,200/yr)
  • No explicit agribusiness/farm line
  • Not ranked as a top small-business specialist
  • Premiums up ~8% into 2026 amid a claims surge
  • 16th of 16 in J.D. Power 2025 Small Commercial Survey

Compare every spec

Sort any column, tick products to go head-to-head · hover the edges or drag to see more

best in column · tick up to 4 to compare
1TravelersTravelersScore 7.5A++ (Superior)4.7 / 4.6—7–188 %65 %
2NationwideNationwideScore 7.3A / A2 / A+Agent-tailored, slower to bind$81–$146/mo8–373 %55 %
3The HartfordThe HartfordScore 7.3A+ (Superior)Online + agentPriced above biBERK across the board9–282 %53 %
4NEXT InsuranceNEXT InsuranceScore 7.2A+ (Superior)Bound and certified in minutesMoneyGeek's #1 for cost and experience7–464 %55 %
5ProgressiveProgressiveScore 7.1A+ (Excellent)Add a fleet online, easy to manage~$260/mo8–280 %50 %
6biBERKbiBERKScore 7.1A++ (Superior)Fully self-serve, every line~$105/mo5–271 %55 %
7ChubbChubbScore 6.7A++ (Superior)~$2M income threshold~$118/mo average, and customers notice2–4–133 %48 %
8ThimbleThimbleScore 6.5—Certificate in minutes~$94/mo1–614 %38 %
9HiscoxHiscoxScore 6.3A (Excellent)Set up online in minutes~$109/mo1–8–111 %38 %
10Simply BusinessSimply BusinessScore 6.1——~$97/mo avg — 3rd-most-affordable2–529 %36 %
11State FarmState FarmScore 6.1A++ → A+"Your experience depends on your agent."~$500/yr; 4.33/50–70 %31 %
12Liberty MutualLiberty MutualScore 5.8'Excellent' (A-tier)3 marketplaces~$45/mo0–60 %31 %

Popular head-to-heads

51 round-by-round comparisons — here are the top-ranked match-ups

TravelersvsNationwideTravelers vs Nationwide→The HartfordvsTravelersThe Hartford vs Travelers→The HartfordvsNationwideThe Hartford vs Nationwide→NEXT InsurancevsTravelersNEXT Insurance vs Travelers→ProgressivevsTravelersProgressive vs Travelers→NEXT InsurancevsNationwideNEXT Insurance vs Nationwide→ProgressivevsNationwideProgressive vs Nationwide→NEXT InsurancevsThe HartfordNEXT Insurance vs The Hartford→biBERKvsNationwidebiBERK vs Nationwide→
Build your own comparison →

How these are scored: our ranking method. We may earn a commission from links on this page — disclosure.