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Best Digital Insurance Providers

Buy insurance online faster and cheaper

Nowadays, everything can be done online, from visiting your doctor via video to ordering groceries in an app. Buying insurance is no different. Many digital insurance companies offer online and app-based services. For many customers, there is no need to speak with an agent anymore—even for specialty coverage like motorcycle insurance. 

The age of insurtech has proven to be very informative, as well. Consumers can get answers to their biggest questions and be seamlessly guided through the insurance-buying process, from determining how much coverage they need to set up a policy in just minutes.

We researched the best digital insurance companies available today to help you find the right coverage, no matter what type of policy you need.

The 6 Best Digital Insurance Providers of 2024

Best Business Insurance : Next Insurance


Next Insurance

Next Insurance

Whether you have 20 employees or are a sole proprietor, protecting your small business with insurance can be very important. Next Insurance offers online business insurance coverage for a variety of companies and industries, and buying a policy can take just minutes.

Pros
  • Seven types of coverage to choose from

  • Currently available in 50 states

  • Coverage is offered for 1,300+ different types of businesses

  • Buying coverage online usually takes less than 10 minutes

Cons
  • Not all products are available in every state

Next Insurance was founded in 2016 and offers a variety of small business insurance options to keep you and your company safe whether you have one employee or 20. The company has innovated complicated commercial insurance while making it affordable, helping it secure its title as best business insurance in our review.

Through Next Insurance, you can get a quote online in just minutes for general liability insurance, business insurance, business owner’s policy (BOP) coverage, property insurance, commercial truck/auto insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, or professional liability/E&O coverage. All policies are backed by Munich R.E., which holds an A+ (Excellent) rating from AM Best.

Whether you are a photographer, DJ, contractor, fitness instructor, educator, consultant, or hold one of the 1,300+ professions that Next Insurance covers, you can buy coverage online or over the phone at potentially very low rates. Unfortunately, not all business insurance products may be offered in your state.

Best Homeowners Insurance : Lemonade


Lemonade

Lemonade

Lemonade takes much of the sting out of the homeowners insurance process, giving you the ability to buy coverage online in a few minutes and even paying out approved claims immediately, to a connected bank account. Lemonade offers a long list of additional coverage options, making it easier to build the policy that suits your exact needs.

Pros
  • Get a quote in seconds and have a policy in minutes

  • Leftover funds are donated to charity

  • Robust mobile app makes managing coverage and filing claims simple

  • Simple claims are often paid immediately, and directly into a connected bank account

  • Lemonade boasts an A rating for financial stability

Cons
  • Not currently rated by AM Best

  • Lemonade received more than twice the expected number of consumer complaints last year, according to NAIC

Though Lemonade was only launched in 2015, they have generated some buzz in the property insurance world over the years. The company offers homeowners, renters, and condo coverage, with homeowners policies being available in all states plus the District of Columbia. 

All policies can easily be purchased online or through Lemonade’s mobile app; in fact, getting a quote only takes a few seconds and buying a new policy takes only a few minutes, which helped make it our choice as best for homeowners insurance. If you have questions, are ready to buy coverage, or need to file a claim, customer service is available by phone, email, or through the company’s robust mobile app.

Lemonade takes a flat percentage of your monthly premiums to cover operating expenses and pay claims with the rest. Anything left after that goes to the charity of your choice. Because Lemonade doesn’t make an additional profit by denying homeowners’ claims or making smaller payouts, it gives many policyholders added peace of mind that they’ll have the coverage they need when they need it most. 

While Lemonade has not been evaluated by AM Best, the company does hold an “A” (Exceptional) financial stability rating from financial analysis firm Demotech.

Best Auto Insurance : Root


Root is a tech-savvy auto insurance company set on directly rewarding good drivers for their good driving habits. The app is feature-rich and often allows drivers to cut their premiums in half (or more).

Pros
  • Good drivers are rewarded for being good drivers

  • Customers can save more than half on their auto insurance rates

  • Roadside assistance is included with every policy (California drivers excluded)

  • Everything can be managed through Root’s feature-rich mobile app

Cons
  • Currently only available in 41 states

  • You’ll need to participate in a two- to three-week test drive before qualifying

  • Root doesn’t yet cover motorcycles, ATVs, commercial vehicles, etc.

Founded in 2015, Root has been steadily growing its auto insurance presence. The app-based platform allows drivers to save money on premiums based on their driving habits, by utilizing an innovative “test drive” before a quote is ever calculated, which is why it wins our best auto insurance category.

Root’s test drive is a two- or three-week digital trip tracker, performed through the Root mobile app directly. Through this, Root is able to gauge and evaluate your everyday driving habits, including speed, aggression, and even the times of day you most often drive. With this data, Root is able to better calculate the risk you pose behind the wheel and, in turn, reward you with lower premiums

Once the test drive is complete and a quote is offered, you can easily buy coverage through the app via credit card or even Apple Pay.

Currently, Root’s reach is a bit limited; they do not insure ATVS, motorcycles, or other special vehicles and they are only operating in 41 states. However, the platform is expanding all the time and they expect to be in more states soon.

Best for Multiple Lines : Esurance


Esurance

Esurance

Whether you’re looking to insure your home, car, motorcycle, pet, or even your life, Esurance offers the coverage. With multiple lines of insurance to choose from (depending on your state), you can pick the policy you need or bundle coverage together to save. With an easy-to-use mobile app and plenty of discounts to choose from, Esurance is worth a look no matter what your coverage needs are.

Pros
  • Offers a range of insurance products to choose from

  • Available in all 50 states and DC

  • Numerous discounts offered to drivers

  • Robust mobile app and website make buying and managing policies simple

Cons
  • High number of consumer complaints

  • Auto insurance is only offered in 43 states

  • Customers are charged an installment fee on monthly premium payments

Esurance was chosen as best overall provider for how simple the platform is with many insurance products available without the need to speak to an agent unless you want to.

Owned and backed by Allstate, the largest publicly held personal insurer in the country with a AM Best rating of A+ (Superior), Esurance has been writing policies since 1999. It operates in most states, though not all products are offered in each state.

Many of Esurance’s products can be quoted, bundled, and purchased online or through the mobile app, without ever needing to speak with an agent. If you don’t plan to pay your premiums online in full at the start of your policy, just be aware that Esurance does charge a monthly installment fee. Depending on your coverage, you can expect this to range anywhere from $3 to $10 per month.

Esurance does not have any brick-and-mortar locations, though they encourage you to reach out by phone, by email, or even through their social media channels.

Best Health Insurance : Oscar Health


Oscar Health

Oscar Health

Oscar Health helps easily connect consumers to doctors and providers within their growing healthcare network. Though the program is only available in a few states right now, it offers participants access to cutting-edge facilities while giving them a 24/7 link to the care they need.

Pros
  • Telemedicine is available for free, 24 hours a day.

  • HSA-compatible plans available in some states

  • Four coverage tiers offered, in accordance with the Affordable Care Act

Cons
  • Only available in select states

  • Their in-network provider network was recently reduced

  • Some benefits are limited to participants in specific areas

Health insurance looks much different today than it did a decade ago, especially with the passing of the Affordable Care Act. Buying coverage for yourself or your family with Oscar Health can be simple and straightforward, which is why we chose Oscar as the best health insurance of the options we reviewed.

Oscar offers healthcare coverage for individuals and families, as well as business and Medicare advantage plans. They are currently only available in limited states but are expanding all the time. 

With Oscar, you have immediate access to the care you need, especially when it comes to telemedicine. Day or night, you can schedule a visit with a board-certified doctor in as few as 15 minutes (whether you need a diagnosis or just want to refill a prescription), with no copay or out-of-pocket cost.

The Oscar app lets you find and visit with healthcare professionals, see lab results, access bills and prescriptions, and even review claims. Plus, you can track your daily steps within the app and earn up to $100 a year in Amazon credits just for meeting your health goals.

Some of Oscar’s key benefits are limited to plan participants in specific areas.

What Is Digital Insurance?

As the name implies, digital insurance is an insurance product offered online or through a mobile app. These platforms use a combination of live customer service and digital algorithms to write and price policies. A variety of coverage options and products is available through digital insurance companies, from auto insurance to home and renters coverage, life insurance, and even healthcare policies.

While some of these companies are newer, standalone startups, many digital insurance providers are actually owned and backed by existing, trusted, and established names in the insurance industry.

What Is Insurtech?

With nearly every aspect of life today trending more and more toward tech, it’s no surprise that insurance is doing the same. These innovations—designed to save consumers time, energy, and money on their policies—are often referred to as insurtech.

Today’s insurtech companies make it easier than ever to shop for coverage, compare prices, manage policies, and even submit claims, no matter where you are in the world. Of course, they also eliminate much of the human touch involved with the industry and they raise some concerns about privacy and the intrusiveness of some insurtech companies’ mobile platforms.

What Are the Expected Costs of Digital Insurance?

Each insurance company will still have its own underwriting processes and algorithms, in addition to the personalized nature of insurance as a whole. So it’s hard to say how much you can expect to pay for digital insurance.

With that said, insurtech does tend to result in cost savings for many consumers. That’s because most of these companies use digital platforms and algorithms to underwrite their policies, reducing much of their overhead. Additionally, since many of these companies have few brick-and-mortar offices (if any), their operating expenses are substantially cut.

How We Chose Digital Insurance Companies

We looked at between three and 10 digital insurance companies for each category before deciding on the best one. Factors considered included financial stability ratings, consumer reviews, and consumer complaint indexes compared to the national average. We also considered mobile access, availability across the country, and pricing when making our determinations.

Midsection Of Person Using Mobile Phone to purchase insurance digitally

Songsak Paname / EyeEm / Getty Images

Article Sources
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.
  1. Next. "We’ve Raised New Funding to Bring Small Businesses More Access to Digital Insurance."

  2. AM Best. "Munich American Reassurance Company."

  3. Next Insurance. "Next Insurance Covers 1300+ Types of Business."

  4. Lemonade. "World’s First P2P Insurance Company."

  5. Demotech. “Lemonade Insurance Company.”

  6. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. "Root S-1."

  7. Esurance. "About Us."

  8. AM Best. “AM Best Takes Various Credit Rating Actions on The Allstate Corporation and Its Key Subsidiaries.”

  9. Esurance. "Policy Management FAQs," Click "What Is an Installment Fee? Why Do I Need to Pay It?"

  10. Oscar Health. "What's Special About the Oscar App."