Insureon vs Simply Business

Verdict

Insureon and Simply Business are insurance agencies, not insurers. Each runs an online application that sends your answers to several carriers, shows the quotes that come back and lets you buy and download a certificate of insurance. Neither has an AM Best or other financial strength rating, and neither adjusts claims; the rating and the claims handling that matter belong to the issuing insurer on your policy. Because they are agencies, neither appears in the NAIC premium rankings.

The differences are ownership, panel and menu. Insureon has been owned since 2022 by HUB International, through its Specialty Program Group unit, and says it has access to more than 100 insurance companies. Its featured carriers include The Hartford, Chubb, Hiscox, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, Philadelphia Insurance, AmTrust, Acuity, The Hanover and Nationwide. Its agents also place commercial auto, umbrella, D&O, EPLI, crime and surety bonds, and it can reach some surplus lines markets. Simply Business has been owned by Travelers since 2017, lists 18 carriers as of October 2026, and quotes a narrower menu: general liability, professional liability and E&O, BOP, workers' comp (including sole proprietor comp), inland marine, business personal property and cyber. Commercial auto, umbrella and surety bonds are not on its U.S. menu.

Both are paid by commission built into the premium. Insureon may also charge a disclosed technology service fee where states allow it and earns contingent and supplemental commissions. Simply Business discloses commission only. Neither is cheaper in general; the best price comes from whichever carrier appetite fits your class, so you can quote both.

Choose Insureon if

• You need more than the basics: commercial auto, umbrella, D&O, EPLI, crime or surety bonds from the same agency.
• You are a technology or professional services firm; Insureon began as TechInsurance in 1997 and built on E&O and cyber.
• You want a broader carrier panel and an account manager who re-markets your policy at renewal.
• Your business is larger or more complicated than a sole proprietor and may need some surplus lines options.

Choose Simply Business if

• You are a sole proprietor, freelancer or micro business, including a contractor whose clients demand a workers' comp certificate.
• You want a fast online purchase in about 10 minutes, with certificates in your online account and self-service additional insureds.
• You like that the agency has a stable parent; Travelers bought it in 2017.
• Your independent agent may place you through a platform it uses: Agentero or SIAA MarketFinder.

Key differences

Before choosing, check the carrier and its AM Best rating on each quote, because the same agency can show you A++ and much smaller paper side by side. Read the exclusions, confirm claims-made terms on E&O and cyber, and remember that claims go to the insurer, not the agency. See buying business insurance online: what works and what to watch, how commercial insurance brokers get paid, independent agent, broker, captive agent or direct? and the business insurance quote comparison worksheet.