Insurance is the one startup cost people shop by price alone, which is exactly why so many small businesses end up holding a policy that does not cover the thing that actually goes wrong. The carriers below all sell to small businesses; they suit very different ones.
This guide is about who to buy from. For what the coverage itself costs by business type — general liability, workers' comp, commercial auto, professional liability — see business insurance costs.
8
Providers compared
<1 hr
Online quote to certificate
3
Quotes worth getting
15–30%
Typical BOP bundle saving
Before the list: provider details were checked in August 2026. Note that NEXT Insurance now trades as ERGO NEXT following its acquisition by the Munich Re subsidiary ERGO — same product, different name on the paperwork, and older comparison articles still use the old one. Nothing here is a quote; premiums are individually rated and any figure you see quoted publicly is a starting point for the cheapest possible customer.
Why "Cheapest Insurer" Is the Wrong Question
What you pay is almost entirely a function of who you are, not which carrier you pick. Trade classification, state, payroll, revenue, claims history, whether you drive for work, whether customers come to your premises — those move the premium far more than the brand.
Which is why the same carrier tops the price rankings for one trade and sits mid-table for another. The practical approach: shortlist two or three carriers that fit your type of business, quote all of them for your actual details, and compare the numbers you get rather than the numbers in anyone's table.
Buy Direct: Five Online Carriers
ERGO NEXT (formerly NEXT Insurance) — fastest path to a certificate
Fully online, quotes in seconds after a short questionnaire, and coverage tailored to over a thousand specific trade classifications rather than a generic small business template. General liability, workers' comp and commercial auto in one place. The default recommendation for a service business that needs proof of coverage today.
Hiscox — professional liability and E&O
The specialist for businesses that sell advice or deliverables: consultants, agencies, IT, design, bookkeeping. Their errors and omissions cover is written around the claims those trades actually get — missed deadlines, bad advice, scope disputes, mishandled client data — rather than slip-and-fall. Also writes general liability and BOPs; some lines come through partner carriers, which is worth reading on the policy schedule.
biBERK — direct from Berkshire Hathaway
Sells straight to the business with no agent commission in the price, which is where the savings come from, and carries the financial strength rating that a startup carrier cannot. Less hand-holding, plainer interface, but a strong choice if you know what coverage you need and want it underwritten by a heavyweight.
Thimble — coverage by the hour, day or month
Genuinely useful for a narrow case: one-off events, seasonal work, a single contract that demands a certificate, or a side business operating a few weekends a year. Paying for a year of cover to work three market days makes no sense; Thimble is the answer to that. Note it does not underwrite its own policies and claims are handled entirely online.
The Hartford — a full relationship, including workers' comp
Traditional carrier with the whole small business range: BOPs, workers' compensation, commercial auto, agent support if you want it. The pick when your business has employees, a location, and enough moving parts that you would rather talk to someone than fill in a form.
Or Let Someone Shop It: Marketplaces and Brokers
Marketplaces such as Simply Business and CoverWallet collect your details once and return quotes from several carriers. Embroker leans towards funded and technology companies. Progressive Commercial is the usual reference point if vehicles are central to the business.
Worth using when your risk is not standard — trades with ladders or heat, businesses with employees, anyone previously declined, or anyone who simply does not want to fill in the same questionnaire five times. The comparison is free to you because carriers pay the commission, which also means the recommendation is not neutral. Ask which carriers were not quoted and why.
Match by Business Type
| If you run | Start with | Core coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting, design, bookkeeping | Hiscox | Professional liability + GL |
| Cleaning, lawn care, handyman | ERGO NEXT, biBERK | GL + tools / equipment |
| Food truck, catering | The Hartford, marketplace | GL + auto + product liability |
| Salon, barber shop, spa | ERGO NEXT, The Hartford | BOP + professional liability |
| Retail or any leased premises | The Hartford, biBERK | BOP (GL + property + income) |
| Events, seasonal, weekend side business | Thimble | Short-term GL |
| Funded startup, software | Embroker | E&O + cyber + D&O |
Each of our 53 business cost breakdowns lists the insurance line item for that trade in your state, which is a better starting figure than a national average.
Six Rules for Buying It Well
- Get three quotes, always. Spread between carriers for the same business is routinely large enough to pay for a month of rent. Fifteen minutes of form-filling is the best-paid work you will do that week.
- Bundle into a BOP if you have property. Liability, property and business interruption together generally costs meaningfully less than the same three bought separately.
- Describe the business accurately. Understating revenue or misclassifying the trade lowers the quote and voids the claim. That is the whole trade-off, and it is a bad one.
- Check the deductible, not just the premium. A cheaper policy with a $2,500 deductible is worse than a dearer one at $500 if your realistic claims are small.
- Confirm the certificate arrives instantly if a landlord, venue or general contractor is waiting on it. Some carriers take days.
- Re-quote every year. Renewals drift upward quietly, and your risk profile changes as revenue and payroll change. This is a fifteen-minute annual task, not a set-and-forget.
One thing insurance cannot do is stand in for the legal structure. Forming the entity is a separate protection with a separate job — see the LLC formation guide for what it does and what it costs in your state. The same separation applies to money: personally guaranteeing a card can pull business debt back onto you, which is covered in business credit cards for startups.