Simply Business is an online insurance company. You can use it to get several business insurance quotes at once, then buy your policies. Simply Business has been owned by Travelers, a large global insurance company, since 2017.
Simply Business really does make it easy to get a quote and buy insurance. If you need basic business insurance coverage — like general liability insurance or a BOP — you can probably get coverage from a reputable insurer in just a few minutes. Prices are competitive, and unlike some of its competitors, Simply Business doesn’t charge extra fees at checkout.
But this is a one-size-fits-all approach that lacks the bells and whistles some competitors offer. You can’t file a claim through Simply Business. You can’t customize your policy limits or deductibles. You also can’t get more specialized types of coverage, like liquor liability or employment practices liability. Other online business insurance companies offer at least one of those features.
Simply Business is an insurance broker that sells policies from other insurance companies. It doesn’t underwrite policies itself. For that reason, we don’t give it a star rating.
Save up to 30% on business insurance
NerdWallet Small Business helps you get real-time quotes from 30+ insurers, and instant access to your Certificate of Insurance (COI) through our partner, Coverdash.
Simply Business insurance: Pros and cons
Pros
Get multiple quotes for general liability, professional liability, business owner’s policies and workers’ comp insurance with one application.
Pay premiums, access your certificate of insurance and change your coverage via Simply Business’s website.
Simply Business’s insurance partners include reputable companies like Hiscox, Travelers, Markel and Liberty Mutual.
Cons
Must file claims through your insurer’s platform, not Simply Business.
Does not sell commercial auto insurance.
Can’t modify policy limits or deductibles.
What Simply Business does well
Easy to compare quotes and buy coverage
Simply Business is, well, very simple. The quote process is quick (more on this below). Quotes appear side by side, and it’s easy to see differences in price. And Simply Business doesn’t tack on any surprise fees as you check out. If you need insurance fast, you’ll most likely be able to get it here.
Legit partners
Simply Business sells policies from about a dozen insurance companies. All of them are financially strong, according to credit rating agency AM Best — although one (Frank Winston Crum) has a relatively low “good” rating. The others have “excellent” or “superior” ratings.
Here are the companies on Simply Business’s platform:
- ABIC.
- Accredited America.
- Arch Insurance.
- biBERK (NerdWallet’s review).
- Cerity.
- Clear Blue.
- CNA.
- Coterie.
- Employers.
- Frank Winston Crum.
- Harborway.
- Hiscox (NerdWallet’s review).
- Liberty Mutual (NerdWallet’s review).
- Markel.
- RLI.
- Travelers (NerdWallet’s review).
Simply Business also works with other brokerages to find policies for shoppers. One is SolePro, which specializes in workers’ comp for sole proprietors. That company’s partners include some of our top-rated business insurers, like The Hartford and Chubb.
The other is USG, which offers some cyber liability policies.
Where Simply Business falls short
Limited policies
Simply Business sells common types of business insurance:
- General liability insurance.
- Business owner’s policies.
- Workers’ comp.
- Professional liability insurance.
- Business personal property coverage.
- Inland marine insurance.
For many small businesses, that’s enough coverage — it’ll protect you from most lawsuits, natural disasters and on-the-job injuries. But lots of businesses need other types of coverage too.
The biggest gap is probably commercial auto insurance. Anyone who drives to job sites or to make deliveries needs that. But Simply Business doesn’t sell employer’s liability insurance or liquor liability insurance either. For a more complete list of policies, get an online quote from Ergo Next.
Can’t modify limits or deductibles
Simply Business doesn’t let you adjust your policy limits or deductibles. You may want the option to increase your policy limits so you have more coverage in case of a large lawsuit. Or, if cash flow is tight, you may want a smaller deductible so your out-of-pocket costs are smaller. With Simply Business, you’re stuck with what insurers offer.
For most businesses, this is probably fine. But if you want more flexibility, try getting an online quote from Chubb Small Business instead.
Save up to 30% on business insurance
NerdWallet Small Business helps you get real-time quotes from 30+ insurers, and instant access to your Certificate of Insurance (COI) through our partner, Coverdash.
What do small-business owners think about Simply Business?
I read through online forums like Reddit and review sites like Trustpilot to get a sense of how users feel about Simply Business. I also used an AI tool to help analyze overall sentiment and identify common themes. Here’s what stood out.
👍 Good prices
Solopreneurs and small-business owners on Reddit recommend Simply Business for affordable coverage. In general, people say Simply Business had cheaper quotes than competitors and that they got insurance fast.
👍 Fast purchase process
On Trustpilot, users say Simply Business made getting insurance easy. They describe the process as “quick,” “efficient” and “logical.” Your policy can begin the same day and you can immediately access your proof of coverage, which is important to many business owners buying insurance to comply with contracts.
👎 Hard to cancel
Several online reviewers say they struggled to cancel policies they bought through Simply Business. One said canceling online “simply didn’t work,” and multiple people said they couldn’t get in touch with customer service when they tried to call and cancel their coverage.
👍/👎 Mixed customer service reviews
Some users say Simply Business phone support was efficient and helpful. Others say they were on hold for an hour or more or waited days for replies to emails.
Given the low prices other users described, it’s not surprising that Simply Business isn’t providing a high-end customer support experience. But getting the runaround is always frustrating.
Before you buy insurance from Simply Business, you might also want to learn how to contact the company that will underwrite your policy. That’s where you’ll need to file a claim.
Most of these companies let you file a claim online. But some, like Accredited America, require you to call, email or fax over information. It might be frustrating to find that out when you’re in the midst of dealing with a theft or natural disaster.
What policies does Simply Business sell?
Through its partners, Simply Business offers the following policies:
- General liability insurance.
- Business owner’s policies (BOPs), which include general liability, commercial property and business interruption coverage.
- Workers’ comp.
- Professional liability insurance.
- Business personal property coverage on its own.
- Inland marine insurance.
How to get insurance from Simply Business
Every time I review a business insurance company, I get an online quote. I say I operate a marketing consulting business that earns $10,000 per year. I use my home address in Chicago.
When I entered these details in Simply Business’s online quote system, it quickly invited me to continue with an E&O insurance quote.
I clicked “start quote.” Simply Business asked for more details, like my business structure, start date and location. I provided my estimated revenue and number of employees.
It also asked whether more than 50% of my revenue comes from a single client, whether I always use a written contract and whether I needed an additional insured endorsement or waiver of subrogation. These are standard questions in E&O insurance quotes.
After I entered my address, Simply Business generated three quotes.
I did not have the option to adjust limits or deductibles.
When I clicked “details,” I got a little more information to help me compare policies. For instance, Hiscox’s included a blanket additional insured endorsement. Arch required me to have a general liability policy in place too.
I chose the Hiscox policy. Simply Business uses Stripe, which means you have to pay with a credit or debit card. I didn’t see the option to pay with an ACH withdrawal.
There were no additional fees at the end of the process. (Some online brokerages, like Coverdash, charge transaction and platform fees.) I don’t think Simply Business has built fees into this quote, either. When I got a professional liability insurance quote from Hiscox in February 2026, it was actually more expensive — although that policy had higher limits and a lower deductible.
