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Let me open this review the way I open the conversation with every business owner I advise: Simply Business is not an insurance company. It markets like one, it ranks like one, and plenty of its customers believe they are insured “by Simply Business.” They are not. It is a licensed insurance broker, a very well-built marketing and comparison brand that places your policy with one of about 18 actual carriers behind the scenes. That is not a scandal, it is a business model, but after years of comparing providers for my own companies and for the small and medium-sized businesses I work with across the US, I can tell you that knowing whether you are buying from a carrier or a broker changes how you should use each one.
So this review answers the questions that actually matter with a broker: who really underwrites the policy, what the middleman layer costs or saves you, where service breaks down, and when a broker like this beats going direct. And as always, my standing advice applies: compare at least three offers before you buy. A broker can be one of the three; it should never be the only one.
Simply Business at a glance
| Company type | Licensed insurance broker/agency, NOT a carrier; your policy is underwritten by one of ~18 partner insurers |
|---|---|
| Founded / ownership | Founded 2005 (UK); in the US since 2016, Boston HQ; owned by Travelers since 2017 (~$490M acquisition) |
| Partner carriers include | Hiscox, CNA, Markel, Travelers, Arch, Berkley, Coterie, RLI, Liberty and others |
| Coverage quoted | General liability, workers’ comp, professional liability/E&O, BOP, inland marine, business personal property |
| Pricing claims | GL from $20.75/month, PL from $25.83, BOP from $33.75, workers’ comp from $38.91; ~$97/month blended average (independent 2026 analysis) |
| Ratings | ★★★★☆ 4.8/5 Trustpilot (1,500+ reviews) · A+ BBB, accredited |
| Availability | 48 states + DC, 400+ business types |
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The part most reviews skip: you are buying through a broker
Here is what I find when I look into the back end, and what I make sure every client understands before they click buy. Simply Business operates as “Simply Business Insurance Agency, LLC” (the name varies by state). When you complete its slick quote flow, the policy you end up holding is issued by Hiscox, CNA, Markel, Coterie, or another of its partner carriers. Simply Business earns a commission from that carrier. Even the ownership loops back into the industry: Travelers, itself a major carrier, has owned Simply Business since 2017.
Why does this matter in practice? Three ways I have seen it play out for owners I work with. First, claims: Simply Business does not pay your claim, the underwriting carrier does, so your claims experience depends on which insurer you were matched with, not on the brand you remember buying from. Second, billing: customers sometimes get confused when invoices or documents arrive from an insurer they have never heard of. Third, service: after the sale, the broker sits between you and the carrier, which can add a step exactly when you want fewer steps. None of this makes brokers bad. It makes them a different tool, one that is excellent for comparison and less excellent for ongoing service.
What Simply Business quotes
- General liability, from a claimed $20.75/month, the core product for most small businesses.
- Professional liability / E&O, from about $25.83/month.
- Business owner’s policy (BOP), from about $33.75/month.
- Workers’ compensation, from about $38.91/month.
- Inland marine and business personal property for tools and equipment on the move.
Because the shelf is really the combined shelf of 18 carriers, coverage breadth is a genuine strength: one independent 2026 analysis ranks Simply Business first nationally for coverage options across 79+ industries in 48 states plus DC.
What it costs in 2026
| Coverage | Advertised from | Independent average |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | $20.75/month | ~$95/month |
| Professional liability | $25.83/month | ~$76/month |
| Business owner’s policy | $33.75/month | ~$143/month |
| Workers’ compensation | $38.91/month | ~$71/month |
| Blended average | ~$97/month, third-cheapest nationally in one 2026 study | |
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Note the gap between the “from” prices and the averages: the advertised floors are real but apply to the lowest-risk profiles. High-risk trades see very different numbers through this platform, think several hundred dollars a month for roofing, excavation, or pressure washing. That is not Simply Business gouging you; it is the underlying carriers pricing real risk, surfaced through one storefront.
Ratings and reputation
- ★★★★☆ 4.8/5 on Trustpilot across 1,500+ reviews, one of the best scores in the category
- A+ BBB rating, accredited
- Independent 2026 scoring ranks it near the top for price and coverage breadth, but 8th for claims handling and 6th for customer service, exactly the broker trade-off I described above
Pros and cons
Strengths
- One form, quotes from ~18 top-rated carriers: real comparison power
- Among the cheapest blended pricing nationally; strong coverage breadth
- Excellent buying experience: 4.8/5 Trustpilot, fast digital quoting
- Backed by Travelers ownership and A-rated partner carriers
Watch-outs
- Not an insurer: claims and servicing depend on the matched carrier
- Billing and paperwork can arrive from an unfamiliar insurer
- Post-sale service and claims scores lag the leaders
- High-risk trades get steep pricing through the platform
Who Simply Business fits (and who should skip it)
The advice I give every owner holds double for brokers: the provider has to understand your type of business. A contractor with crew and equipment, a boutique with foot traffic through the door every day, and a web design studio with nothing but laptops and client contracts are three different risk profiles, and they should not all shop the same way. Owners with real estate to insure or the public on their premises need carriers with property depth; advice businesses need E&O depth.
Simply Business fits you if: you are a service business, startup, or lower-risk operation that wants to see several carriers’ prices side by side without filling five separate forms. It is one of the fastest legitimate ways to execute my three-quote rule in a single sitting, and its Hiscox and CNA placements are real, solid paper.
Skip it (or use it only as a benchmark) if: you want a direct relationship with the company that pays your claims, in which case go straight to a carrier, or you are in a high-risk trade where a specialist agent who knows your industry will usually out-place an algorithm. For marketplace alternatives, compare it against Tivly, which works by phone matching, and against going direct with NEXT Insurance, and note that fellow broker InsuranceBee shows how the same model looks when focused purely on E&O.
How I would shop it: the three-quote rule
Used correctly, Simply Business is a comparison engine, so let it do that job inside a wider spread: pull its multi-carrier quote, add a direct digital carrier like NEXT, and add one specialist from our top business insurance companies roundup matched to your industry. If you are in a state we cover in depth, our local guides list regional specialists the national platforms miss, the Alabama and Florida guides are good examples. Background reading for first-time buyers: the Insurance Information Institute’s coverage guide and the IRS’s sole proprietorship primer if you are still unincorporated.
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Simply Business insurance: frequently asked questions
Is Simply Business a real insurance company?
No, and that is the key thing to understand. Simply Business is a licensed insurance broker (operating as Simply Business Insurance Agency, LLC) that places your policy with one of roughly 18 partner carriers such as Hiscox, CNA, Markel, or Travelers. The carrier, not Simply Business, underwrites your policy and pays claims.
Who owns Simply Business?
The Travelers Companies, one of America’s largest commercial insurers, acquired Simply Business in 2017 for roughly $490 million. Simply Business was founded in the UK in 2005 and entered the US market in 2016, with its US headquarters in Boston.
Is Simply Business legit and safe to buy through?
Yes. It is a licensed producer in the states where it operates, holds an A+ BBB rating, scores 4.8/5 on Trustpilot across 1,500+ reviews, and places coverage only with established, rated carriers. Just remember your ongoing relationship is partly with the underwriting insurer.
How much does business insurance cost through Simply Business?
Advertised floors start at $20.75/month for general liability, with independent 2026 analysis putting its blended average around $97/month, among the cheapest nationally. High-risk trades like roofing or excavation see substantially higher pricing.
Who handles claims if I buy through Simply Business?
The carrier that underwrote your policy handles and pays claims. Simply Business can point you in the right direction, but the claims decision and service standards belong to insurers like Hiscox, CNA, or Markel, whichever one your policy was placed with.
Simply Business vs going directly to an insurer: which is better?
Use both. A broker like Simply Business shows you several carriers’ prices in one pass, which is efficient. A direct carrier gives you one company that sells, services, and pays claims on your policy. Comparing one of each, plus a specialist for your industry, is the three-quote approach I recommend to every business owner.
Final verdict
I have helped a lot of owners untangle what they actually bought after clicking through a polished insurance website, so I will say it plainly: Simply Business is one of the best-executed insurance brokers in the US market, and it is still a broker. As a comparison engine backed by real carriers and Travelers ownership, it earns a place in your quote-gathering process, often the first place, because one form gets you multiple real prices. Just go in knowing the brand on the website is not the company that will pay your claim, keep your policy documents from the actual carrier, and make your final call the way I always advise: with at least three quotes on the table.
Amine Rahal is an entrepreneur and investor. He is passionate about alternative investments, Bitcoin, precious metals and startups. He enjoys covering US politics, retirement investing, alternative investing and geopolitics.
