Hippo vs Kin Insurance

Verdict

Hippo and Kin Insurance are both insurtechs that quote online, ranked within a few places of each other in 2025 (Hippo #46 with $540.6 million, Kin #51 with $473.6 million, per NAIC data). Beyond that, they are structured differently, and they have moved in different directions: Hippo paused and is now reopening, while Kin has kept expanding.

Hippo is a public company (NYSE: HIPO) whose carrier, Spinnaker Insurance Company, is rated A- (Excellent) by AM Best effective January 28, 2026. Spinnaker is also a fronting carrier for outside managing general agents, so part of its premium is not Hippo-branded homeowners. Hippo's homeowners program paused new business countrywide in 2023, selectively nonrenewed in 2024 and now sells in eight states through Progressive's in-house agency and HomeQuote Explorer: Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. In August 2026 it said the program would expand to 22 states in the fourth quarter of 2026. hippo.com is also an agency that quotes more than 40 partner carriers, so the policy you get may not be a Hippo policy. Kin is privately held and venture-backed. It sells only direct, online and by phone through its own agency, in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Its policies are issued by reciprocal exchanges it manages, rated Demotech A (Exceptional) in October 2026, with no AM Best rating.

Coverage terms differ. Hippo's program is an HO-3, but its site does not publish a full list of built-in coverages, so you must read the quote's coverage summary and roof settlement terms. Hippo+ in Texas and Virginia bundles insurance with a home warranty, written on a surplus lines basis. Outside Florida and Louisiana, Kin's "House & Property" policy uses a DP-3 landlord-style form with an owner-occupied endorsement, and in Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia and California it is written as surplus lines. Check for the endorsement on your declarations page.

Choose Hippo if

• You live in one of its program states, or in one of the 14 more it has said will open in the fourth quarter of 2026.
• You prefer an AM Best-rated carrier to a Demotech-rated one.
• You buy a newer home, where the program has been most active.
• You want an agent option: Progressive's agency or independent agents.

Choose Kin Insurance if

• You live in Florida, which is not among Hippo's program states, or in a Gulf state where Kin writes.
• You want direct service with a claims specialist who contacts you within 24 hours (Kin's stated standard).
• You have wind, hail or fire-resistant construction, a FORTIFIED designation or a Florida wind mitigation report that earns credits.
• You are comfortable with a reciprocal rated by Demotech and a form that may differ from a standard HO-3.

Key differences

Before you decide

Quote the same Coverage A, deductibles and endorsements from each, then confirm the insurer named on the quote and whether it is admitted or surplus lines. Ask for the wind and hail deductible and the roof settlement terms. insurtech home insurers: what they changed describes the model, Demotech ratings and Florida's insurers and Financial strength ratings: AM Best, S&P, Moody's and Demotech explain how to weigh the two rating agencies, and admitted vs surplus lines home insurers: what you give up covers the guaranty fund gap.