For a small business that wants to deal with an insurer online, Thimble is worth a quote if the work arrives in short engagements or one-off jobs, and an annual policy is the more natural shape if the work runs year-round. Thimble publishes no premium and quotes per business, and its distinguishing feature is short-term and by-the-job cover. Annual policies come with published starting points to measure against: Hiscox states that general liability starts at $30 a month, and NEXT Insurance (now branded ERGO NEXT) says its starts at $19 a month for some businesses. Neither structure changes what a general liability policy excludes.
Is Thimble or an annual policy easier for a small business to work with online?
That question has two halves, and this page answers only one. The process half, meaning how fast a quote returns, whether certificates can be downloaded and how much happens on a screen, is not covered here. This page does not rate Thimble or any annual-policy provider on those points, and it does not claim to have used any of them.
The half that can be checked is how each route structures cover and what each company publishes about price. Thimble builds cover around short periods and individual jobs and says nothing about price on its site. The annual-policy providers covered here mostly publish a starting figure, an average or a range, and several say plainly that an exact price needs a quote.
The fair test is to describe the same business to Thimble and to at least one annual-policy provider and compare what comes back. Look at three things: whether a price is shown or the company says it quotes per business, whether the policy issuer is clearly stated, and whether the exclusions are explained before purchase.
What is the real difference between a short-term policy and an annual one?
It is the period the cover is built around. An annual policy runs for a year and suits a business with steady work, a fixed location and a regular payroll. A by-the-job structure suits a business whose work arrives as separate jobs, events or short contracts, where a year of cover would pay for months of no activity.
This page does not state how Thimble's short-term products are priced, how long a policy can run, what any of them covers or how they differ from an annual policy in wording. What can be said is that the structure is the point of difference, and that a buyer should ask for the wording in writing.
The table below sets out what the sources do and do not establish.
| Question | Thimble | Annual policy providers |
|---|---|---|
| What is the distinguishing feature? | Short-term and by-the-job cover | Cover built around a year |
| Is a premium published? | No, quotes per business | Some publish a starting figure or average, some do not |
| Who suits it? | Occasional or short engagements | Steady, year-round work |
| Can the prices be compared? | No figure exists to compare | Figures describe each company's own customers |
The providers, in alphabetical order
The order is alphabetical, not a ranking. Prices are as of October 13, 2026, were read at each provider's own pages, and move over time. Every figure belongs to the company that published it, describes its own customers or products, and is not a market rate.
Chubb. Chubb does not publish a small-business premium, and it quotes per business. Nothing here implies a figure exists. A business that wants Chubb in the comparison has to request a quote for the same cover as the others.
Hiscox. Hiscox states that general liability starts at $30 a month. Its page lists business size, industry, location and coverage amount as what moves it, so the figure is a floor and not a typical price. It gives an annual-policy buyer a stated starting point to measure a quote against.
Insureon. Insureon is a broker, not a carrier, so a policy bought through it is issued by an insurer it places the business with. It reports an average general liability premium of $45 a month, with 22% of its customers under $30 and 41% between $30 and $60, and annual policies from $265 to $3,030. Those figures are the median of policies sold to roughly 100,000 of its own small business customers, and they describe its book of business, not the market.
NEXT Insurance. The company now brands itself ERGO NEXT. It says general liability starts at $19 a month for some businesses, and it reports that 45% of its customers pay $45 a month or less. Its trade examples run from about $20 a month for a personal trainer to about $245 a month for a restaurant, and the page says an exact price needs a quote.
The Hartford. The Hartford publishes an average of about $810 a year, or about $67 a month, for general liability. That is the carrier's own average across its customers. Its page says costs vary by state and that a specific premium could be higher or lower.
Thimble. Thimble publishes no premium on its site and quotes per business. Its distinguishing feature is short-term and by-the-job cover, so it should be compared on that and not on price. This page does not state any figure for it.
| Provider | What it publishes | What the figure describes |
|---|---|---|
| Chubb | No premium published | Quotes per business |
| Hiscox | General liability from $30 a month | A starting floor |
| Insureon | Average $45 a month; annual policies $265 to $3,030 | Median of policies sold to its own customers |
| NEXT Insurance | From $19 a month for some businesses; trade examples about $20 to about $245 a month | Its own customers and examples |
| The Hartford | About $810 a year, roughly $67 a month | Its own customers' average |
| Thimble | No premium published | Quotes per business |
Can Thimble be compared with an annual policy on price?
No, and a page that tried would be inventing a comparison. Thimble publishes nothing to set against the annual figures, so any claim that it is cheaper or dearer than an annual policy would have no source.
Even among the annual providers, the figures do not line up. A starting price is the bottom of a range, an average sits somewhere inside it, and a median is the middle policy a company sold. Setting $19, $30, $45 and $67 side by side says little about which is cheaper for a given business.
The more useful comparison is about fit. If the business is active for only a few weeks a year, paying for twelve months of cover may be the larger cost, and a by-the-job quote is worth requesting. If the business works all year, an annual policy is likely the simpler arrangement. Neither judgement is a price claim, and only quotes for the same business can settle the numbers.
Who might lean toward each?
Editorial judgement can be given in words, though no ranking is implied. A freelancer, a seasonal operator, an event vendor or a trade that takes occasional engagements may find that Thimble's structure matches how the work actually arrives. A business with steady work, a regular payroll and a fixed location may find an annual policy the more natural fit, with Hiscox's stated floor or The Hartford's average as a reference point.
One concession is worth making plainly. Where a business knows it needs cover only for a short, defined period, a by-the-job structure is the more direct answer than an annual policy, whatever the annual providers' floors look like.
What does general liability cover, whichever structure is chosen?
The Insurance Information Institute says bodily injury and property damage cover protects against liability for harm to others arising out of non-professional negligent acts. Personal and advertising injury covers libel, slander, false arrest, infringing on another's copyright and malicious prosecution. Medical payments cover can be triggered without legal action.
This page does not state whether Thimble's by-the-job cover includes general liability, or which risks it addresses. That is a question for each quote, and the answer should be obtained in writing.
What does a short policy still leave out?
Brevity does not change the exclusions. The table below sets out what the Institute says about a standard general liability policy.
| Exclusion | What the Institute says |
|---|---|
| Workers' compensation | Excluded, can be bought as a separate policy |
| Employment practices liability | Excluded, can be bought as a separate policy |
| Pollution liability | Excluded, can be bought as an endorsement |
| Liquor liability | May be excluded; without extra cover, liquor-related claims are not protected |
| Professional liability | May be excluded |
The Institute adds that other risks may also be excluded. This page does not state which of these either structure can add, or at what price. Ask both the same questions before buying.
What about a business owners policy?
A business owners policy bundles property insurance for buildings and contents the company owns, business interruption insurance for lost income after a fire or other catastrophe, and liability protection. The Institute says it is aimed at small and mid-sized businesses that generally face the same kind and degree of risk.
Its limits are plain: "BOPs do NOT cover professional liability, auto insurance, worker's compensation or health and disability insurance." This page does not state whether Thimble sells a business owners policy.
What does the law require?
The U.S. Small Business Administration states that the federal government requires every business with employees to carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance. It adds that some states require additional insurance and that laws requiring insurance vary by state. A general liability policy satisfies none of those three, and a short-term policy should not be assumed to either.
This page does not state a requirement for any particular state. The place to confirm one is that state's own insurance department. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners publishes a small business insurance shopping tool, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner has a guide to how business insurance works, and the Texas Department of Insurance has a page on general liability insurance.
Does an LLC remove the need for short-term cover?
No. The SBA says limited liability protects personal assets in most instances, but that the protection has limits. The entity and the policy do different jobs, and one does not stand in for the other.
If someone runs a single-member LLC, the entity separates the business from the owner in most instances, while a policy pays for covered claims the business faces. ZenBusiness is the entity half of that pairing. It sells no insurance of any kind and is not part of this comparison, so choosing a policy is a separate decision.
How should a small business choose between them?
Write a plain description of the work: what is done, how long each engagement lasts, how many months a year the business is active, who is on site, the revenue, the payroll and the location. Give the same description to Thimble and to at least one annual-policy provider.
Ask each for the same coverage amount, the limit and the deductible in writing, because this page does not state typical figures for either. Put the named exclusions to each as questions, and ask whether workers' compensation, pollution liability and professional liability can be added and at what price.
Ask who issues each policy and who handles claims. Then check the state insurance department for anything legally required, and compare totals last, once coverage types, limits, deductibles and exclusions match. A lower premium that leaves a required cover unfilled, or an exclusion that matters to the work, is not a saving.
Sources
- Insurance Information Institute, "Commercial general liability insurance"
- Insurance Information Institute, "What does a business owners policy (BOP) cover"
- U.S. Small Business Administration, "Get business insurance"
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "Small business insurance shopping tool"
- Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Learn how business insurance works"
- Texas Department of Insurance, "General liability insurance"
This is general information rather than legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary and change.