Glossary

Insurtech

A company that uses software, data and automation to sell, price or service insurance, as a licensed insurer or as an agency or MGA backed by carriers.

Also called: insurance technology company, insurtech insurer, digital insurer, insurance startup

Insurtech means insurance plus technology. In homeowners insurance it describes newer companies built around apps, instant quotes, aerial imagery, third-party data and smart-home sensors rather than paper applications and branch offices.

The label covers different structures, and the difference matters to you. Some insurtechs are full-stack insurers that hold their own licenses and carry the risk. Others are agencies or managing general agents that sell policies issued by a fronting carrier, with reinsurers absorbing much of the loss. A third group sells software or data, such as roof analytics or claims tools, to established insurers and never writes a policy.

The tech can help: faster quotes, discounts for water leak sensors, photo-based claims. It does not change the basics of what protects a homeowner, which are the issuing company's financial strength, the policy form, and how it treats claims. Newer insurers have shorter claims histories, and several have cut back in catastrophe-prone states after heavy losses. Check the legal name of the issuing insurer on the declarations page, look up its rating and license, and read the roof, wind and water terms as closely as you would at any company.

The insurtech guide profiles what these companies changed, and buying home insurance online: what to watch covers what to check before you buy.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Managing general agent (MGA) An agency that a carrier authorizes to quote, underwrite, bind and often service policies for a defined book of business, paid by commission and profit share. Fronting carrier A licensed, rated insurer that issues policies for another company's program and passes most of the risk to reinsurers, keeping a fee for lending its license. Direct writer An insurer that sells straight to consumers by website, phone, app or its own employees rather than through independent agents who represent several companies. Underwriting How an insurer evaluates a home and its owner, decides whether to offer coverage and on what terms, and sets the price. Reinsurance Insurance that an insurance company buys from other companies, which reimburse part of its claim payments, especially after a large disaster. Admitted insurer A company licensed by a state to sell insurance there, with its rates and forms under regulator review and its claims backed by the state guaranty fund.

Related guides

Aerial imagery: how insurers inspect roofs from the sky How insurers use aircraft, satellite and drone images to judge roofs, where they mislead, what states have ruled, and how to contest a nonrenewal based on one. AI, drones and automation in home claims How insurers use photo estimating, drones, aerial imagery and fast-track payments on home claims, where automation errs, and how to keep a person in the loop. Buying home insurance online: what to watch Online quotes are fast, but pre-filled data, default coverage, lead-generation sites and look-alike websites can cost you. How to buy online and verify. Home cyber insurance and cyberbullying coverage Home cyber coverage is an add-on for ransomware response, data restoration, online fraud and cyberbullying costs. What it covers, published limits and the gaps. Insurtech home insurers: what they changed Lemonade, Hippo, Kin, Branch, Openly and other insurtechs changed how home insurance is sold, priced and claimed. What stayed the same and how to vet one. Parametric insurance for homeowners: how it works and its limits Parametric policies pay a fixed sum when a measured trigger, like earthquake shaking at your address, is hit, whatever your damage. What exists and its limits.

Related insurers

Branch Insurance Columbus, Ohio insurtech founded in 2017 that sells bundled home and auto insurance online and through agents, mostly via its member-owned reciprocal exchange. Hippo Publicly traded insurtech founded in 2015 whose carrier, Spinnaker, writes Hippo homeowners policies and fronts programs for other MGAs; rated A- by AM Best. Homeowners of America (Porch) Irving, Texas home insurer founded in 2006, sold through independent agents; since 2025 owned by a policyholder reciprocal that Porch Group manages. Kin Insurance Chicago insurtech founded in 2016 that sells home insurance online and by phone in 14 catastrophe-prone states through reciprocal exchanges it manages. Lemonade App-only insurer founded in 2015 that sells homeowners, condo and renters policies online in about two dozen states; Demotech-rated, with a charity Giveback.