BizInsuranceCompare

The Hartford vs Pie Insurance: Small Business Insurance Compared (2026)

Compare The Hartford vs Pie Insurance for small business insurance: scores, pricing, coverage, claims, AM Best ratings, and who each carrier is best for.

Updated

Head-to-head comparison

Comparing The Hartford (7.9/10) and Pie Insurance (7.6/10) for small business owners choosing between two of the carriers we review at BizInsuranceCompare.

Sub-threshold = fewer than 20 NAIC complaints in 3 years (data is too sparse to score reliably). N/A (broker) = not a carrier. See full methodology →

The Hartford vs Pie Insurance side-by-side
CarrierOur scorePositioningStarting priceCoverageClaimsAM BestNAIC indexStatesQuote channel
7.9Single-carrier program for SMBsGL $68/mo9.0/108.0/10A+ Sub-threshold 50 statesDirect online
7.6Workers comp specialist8.0/107.5/10A- Sub-threshold 39 statesDirect online

About complaint index data: Values are 3-year averages from NAIC Consumer Information Source for commercial liability. Carriers with fewer than 20 complaints in the 3-year window are labeled "sub-threshold". A reliability call about data volume, not a finding about the carrier. Brokers (Category D) are structurally N/A. See our complete methodology.

Quick verdict

The Hartford edges out Pie Insurance by 0.3 on our 10-point scale, scoring higher on financial strength while Pie Insurance pulls ahead on pricing. The Hartford is best for Growing small businesses that need a single-carrier program across five or more commercial lines — especially those needing D&O, EPLI, commercial umbrella, native workers' comp, or commercial auto in the same placement; contractors, trades, and field-services businesses needing GL + WC + commercial auto + umbrella on one carrier; buyers who value 215-year claims-relationship depth over lowest premium.; Pie Insurance fits Small businesses whose primary insurance need is workers' compensation — restaurants, trades, light contracting, fitness studios, service businesses with hourly employees — especially those with variable headcount that benefits from pay-as-you-go payroll billing, and buyers who value instant AI-driven quote-to-bind over broker-channel WC placement..

Where The Hartford wins

  • Financial strength: The Hartford 9.0 vs Pie Insurance 7.5
  • Coverage: The Hartford 9.0 vs Pie Insurance 8.0
  • Coverage breadth: The Hartford 9.0 vs Pie Insurance 8.0

Where Pie Insurance wins

  • Pricing: Pie Insurance 7.5 vs The Hartford 6.5
  • Customer experience: Pie Insurance 8.0 vs The Hartford 7.5

Pricing comparison

Policy line The Hartford Pie Insurance
General liability$68/mo
Business owners policy$141/mo
Workers comp$86/mo
Cyber

Starting prices reflect carrier-published "from" rates and don't include your business's actual underwriting. Quote both for a usable comparison.

Coverage comparison

The Hartford

  • bop
  • commercial auto
  • commercial property
  • cyber liability
  • d and o
  • epli
  • general liability
  • professional liability
  • umbrella
  • workers comp

Pie Insurance

  • bop
  • commercial auto
  • commercial property
  • cyber liability
  • d and o
  • epli
  • general liability
  • professional liability
  • umbrella
  • workers comp

Claims experience

The Hartford scores 8.0/10 on claims vs 7.5/10 for Pie Insurance. The gap is small enough that an individual carrier's claims experience can swing your judgment. For NAIC-reported complaint volumes that fall below the threshold (typically <20 complaints in the reporting window), the index is suppressed by NAIC and shown as ", ". That's not the same as zero complaints.

Verdict. Which should you choose?

The Hartford fits if Growing small businesses that need a single-carrier program across five or more commercial lines — especially those needing D&O, EPLI, commercial umbrella, native workers' comp, or commercial auto in the same placement; contractors, trades, and field-services businesses needing GL + WC + commercial auto + umbrella on one carrier; buyers who value 215-year claims-relationship depth over lowest premium.. Pie Insurance fits if Small businesses whose primary insurance need is workers' compensation — restaurants, trades, light contracting, fitness studios, service businesses with hourly employees — especially those with variable headcount that benefits from pay-as-you-go payroll billing, and buyers who value instant AI-driven quote-to-bind over broker-channel WC placement.. The fastest way to settle it: get bound quotes from both for the same coverage limits, then compare premium and the policy form, not the marketing.

Compare The Hartford, Pie Insurance, and 8 other carriers in 2 minutes.

Find your coverage →

For deeper trust assessments: Is The Hartford worth it? · Is Pie Insurance worth it?

Frequently asked questions

Is The Hartford or Pie Insurance cheaper for small business insurance?
The Hartford's lowest published starting price is $68/mo; Pie Insurance doesn't publish a comparable figure. Quote both to compare directly.
Which has better customer service, The Hartford or Pie Insurance?
The Hartford scores 8.0/10 on claims vs 7.5/10 for Pie Insurance. The gap is small enough that an individual carrier's claims experience can swing your judgment.
Does The Hartford or Pie Insurance offer broader coverage?
The Hartford scores 9.0/10 on coverage breadth vs 8.0/10 for Pie Insurance. Coverage breadth captures policy types offered and the depth within each, weighted at 20% of our overall score.
Can I switch from The Hartford to Pie Insurance?
Yes. There's no carrier-side restriction on switching small business insurance. The right time is at renewal so you avoid mid-term cancellation fees, but a serious price or coverage gap can justify switching mid-term. Quote both before your renewal date and compare apples-to-apples on coverage limits, not just premium.

Last updated: 2026-04-29