Hiscox vs Simply Business: Which Is Better?
A professional-liability specialist carrier versus a Travelers-owned marketplace that shops twenty-plus insurers for you. Six rounds. Real numbers. One honest scorecard.
The verdict
Simply Business takes it, 4–2 on rounds.
Hiscox wins if you want one rated carrier standing behind your claim; Simply Business wins if you want the whole market shopped for the lowest price.
Choose Hiscox if…
- • You want a single, directly AM Best-rated carrier that owns your E&O policy and claim end to end
- • You're a professional-services firm and want to avoid surprise renewal charges
Choose Simply Business if…
- • You run a trade or niche business some carriers won't write directly
- • You want one application to compare 20+ carriers and chase the lowest price
Round by round
- Round 1One Carrier or Twenty? The Buying ModelSimply Business winsHiscox6/10
Bought Hiscox online in minutes
- Direct relationship, no middleman
- Only ever see one carrier's price
Simply Business8/1020+ carriers
Insurers shopped per application, including Hiscox
- One application compares the whole market
- Includes Hiscox as one of the options
- One extra layer between you and the underwriting carrier
Source: Simply Business dossier
This round goes to Simply Business.
- Round 2Pricing & AffordabilitySimply Business winsHiscox6/10
~$109/mo
Average Hiscox policy; E&O starts near $22.50/mo
- Low direct-online E&O entry price
- No competing quote to check it against
Source: Hiscox dossier
Simply Business8/10~$97/mo avg — 3rd-most-affordable
- ~$97/mo avg, 3rd-most-affordable in MoneyGeek's study
- 20+ carriers competing keeps the price down
This round goes to Simply Business.
- Round 3Business Types & AppetiteSimply Business winsHiscox5/10
<10 employees, advice-based
Consultants, IT, marketing, accounting, real estate — a narrow specialist lane
- Deep specialist rankings in its lane (No. 2 U.S. News overall)
- Not built for hands-on, physical-job trades
Source: Hiscox dossier
Simply Business8/10400+ types
Contractors, cleaners, landscapers, retail, home-based businesses, and more
- Finds carriers willing to write trades others won't
- Coverage breadth still narrower than full-line carriers for complex risk
Source: Simply Business dossier
This round goes to Simply Business.
- Round 4Who Actually Pays Your ClaimHiscox winsHiscox9/10
A (Excellent)
Directly rated carrier, affirmed November 2025; handles its own claims
- Single entity underwrites and pays claims
- A (Excellent) AM Best rating, affirmed November 2025
Source: AM Best via Hiscox dossier
Simply Business5/10No own rating — carrier varies by quote
- Owned by Travelers; only partners with A-rated insurers
- No control over claims once placed with a partner carrier
So this round goes to Hiscox for giving you one clear company to claim from.
- Round 5The Renewal ExperienceHiscox winsHiscox6/10
Renewal price jump, slower claims
- Price increase comes from the same known carrier, not a surprise charge
- Renewal price increases and claims-speed complaints reported
Simply Business4/10Auto-renewed, card charged with no notice
- Recurring reports of auto-renewal charges with little or no notice
- Renewal quotes reported higher than the original policy price
This round goes to Hiscox — at least they warn you.
- Round 6Ratings & ReputationSimply Business winsHiscox4/10
4.8 Feefo / 1.5 Trustpilot
Strong on its own service platform, 'Bad' on independent Trustpilot
- A- BBB rating
- 'Bad' ~1.5/5 on independent Trustpilot
Source: Hiscox dossier (Feefo/Trustpilot)
Simply Business8/104.2-4.5 Trustpilot
'Great'-'Excellent' independently, plus A+ BBB and 4.5/5 MoneyGeek
- Consistent strong scores across independent platforms
- A+ accredited BBB rating since 2020
Source: Simply Business dossier
This round goes to Simply Business.
Which one is for you?
Solo consultant who wants specialist E&O from one rated carrier
→ Hiscox · Hiscox is a directly rated carrier that owns its own E&O claims
Business wary of surprise auto-renewal charges
→ Hiscox · One direct carrier, versus Simply Business's flagged auto-renewal complaints
Contractor, cleaner, or landscaper wanting the cheapest policy across carriers
→ Simply Business · Simply Business shops 400+ business types and 20+ insurers to find a fit
Price-shopper who wants competing quotes from one application
→ Simply Business · One application compares 20+ carriers, including Hiscox itself
Side by side
- 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
- 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
- Narrow appetite — not built for trades or field work
- No workers' comp
- No commercial auto
- Trustpilot rated 'Bad' — claims-speed and renewal-price complaints
- 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