Cerity is what happens when a century-old workers' comp carrier builds a modern front end: instant online quote, monthly payments, cancel anytime, with EMPLOYERS Holdings (NYSE: EIG) standing behind the policy. It's a strong default for standard small-business risk — but it's workers' comp only, and it's a carrier-backed direct channel rather than an independent insurtech. If you want to compare, four other players attack the same problem from different angles.
This is an independent comparison from QuoteSweep, which maps the modern commercial insurance landscape. QuoteSweep does not compete with any of these companies.
TL;DR: The best Cerity alternatives depend on what you're optimizing for. Want fast, data-priced coverage direct or through an agent? Pie. Want workers' comp billed off real-time payroll? Hourly. Want the strongest possible balance sheet and more lines than just WC? biBERK. Run a higher-hazard, camera-equipped site and want prevention built into the policy? CompScience. All price coverage by quote, not a published flat rate.
The one-line difference
- Pie — a data-driven, full-stack workers' comp carrier that underwrites its own policies and quotes in about three minutes; the best-capitalized WC insurtech.
- Hourly — a payroll platform where workers' comp premium is billed off real-time wages each pay run, making it true pay-as-you-go.
- biBERK — a direct-to-business insurer backed by Berkshire Hathaway that sells six small-business lines, not just workers' comp.
- CompScience — workers' comp bundled with AI computer-vision safety that turns existing cameras into real-time hazard detection.
Like Cerity, each writes small-business workers' comp; where they diverge is the model, the backing, and who they fit. Compare the whole field on the workers-comp hub.
Model and coverage
Pie prices workers' comp with a proprietary data model rather than broad class-code averages, which is how it quotes a small business in roughly three minutes. Originally an MGA, Pie became a full-stack carrier in 2023 and now underwrites workers' comp itself through The Pie Insurance Company (AM Best A- rated), while offering BOP, commercial auto, general liability, and professional liability/E&O through partner carriers. It writes workers' comp in 39 states plus DC and sells both direct and through appointed agents. Per third-party reporting, Pie raised a $315M Series D in 2022 (co-led by Centerbridge Partners and Allianz X), roughly $615M+ in total, and reports 55,000+ policies in force.
Hourly runs payroll, time tracking, HR, and workers' comp in one platform. The workers' comp is the differentiator: instead of estimating annual payroll up front and reconciling at a year-end audit, Hourly uses real-time wage data so the premium is always accurate — no big upfront deposit, no year-end audit surprise. It's built for businesses that employ hourly workers across trades like construction, transportation, manufacturing, landscaping, and food service, and reports serving 500+ businesses. Per reporting it raised a $27M Series A in 2022 (led by Glilot Capital Partners), roughly $34M total.
biBERK is the breadth-and-balance-sheet option. It sells directly online with no brokers, positioning on savings of up to 20% by cutting out the middleman, and writes general liability, BOP, workers' comp, professional liability, commercial auto, and umbrella. Its trump card is financial strength: biBERK is part of the Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group and writes on carriers rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best, the top tier. It reports being trusted by 200,000+ small businesses. Because it spans more than workers' comp, biBERK also sits on the small-business insurtech hub.
CompScience treats workers' comp as a prevention problem. Its SafetyPulse technology turns a business's existing cameras into a safety system — AI video analysis flags hazards, live alerts fire in real time, and dashboards map safety hot-spots — and it prices coverage around that active prevention, what it calls Active Workers' Compensation Insurance. It targets higher-hazard industries like construction, manufacturing, and warehousing, cites a case study with a 35% reduction in claims frequency, and its Active Risk Management targets a 20-30% reduction in total cost of risk. Per reporting it raised a $27.6M Series B in 2025 (led by Sands Capital), roughly $37.6M cumulative.
Comparison at a glance
| Insurer | Best for | Model | Lines beyond WC | Backing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerity | Instant, low-commitment WC from an established carrier | Direct digital WC + embedded channel | None (WC only) | Brand of EMPLOYERS Holdings (NYSE: EIG), 100+ year specialist |
| Pie | Fast, data-priced WC direct or via an agent | Full-stack data-driven WC carrier (~3-min quote) | BOP, commercial auto, GL, E&O (via partners) | ~$615M+ raised; The Pie Insurance Company AM Best A- rated |
| Hourly | Hourly-worker businesses wanting payroll + pay-as-you-go WC in one place | Payroll platform with WC billed on real-time wages | Payroll, time tracking, HR (platform) | ~$34M raised (Series A 2022) |
| biBERK | Direct buyers who want maximum financial strength | Direct-to-business, no brokers | GL, BOP, professional liability, commercial auto, umbrella | Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group; A++ (Superior) AM Best |
| CompScience | Higher-hazard, camera-equipped sites | WC bundled with AI computer-vision safety | None (WC, safety-bundled) | ~$37.6M cumulative (Series B 2025) |
Pricing is quote-based for every option here; none publishes a flat rate.
Who each alternative fits
Pick Pie if you're a small business that wants a fast, data-priced quote and the option to buy direct or through your agent — and you value a full-stack carrier that underwrites its own workers' comp. It's the category benchmark and the best-capitalized WC insurtech, though it's a small-business play, not for large or complex accounts, and it writes WC in 39 states plus DC rather than nationwide.
Pick Hourly if you employ hourly workers and want payroll and workers' comp in the same system. The pay-as-you-go billing removes the big upfront deposit and the year-end audit true-up — but the value is highest only if you actually run payroll on Hourly, and it's smaller and earlier-stage than the leaders.
Pick biBERK if you want to buy directly and care most about the balance sheet behind your policy, and you'd like more than workers' comp under one roof (GL, BOP, commercial auto, umbrella, and more). The trade-off: it's a direct-only channel with no agent relationship and less of the slick UX of newer digital-first players, and it's best for standard small-business risk.
Pick CompScience if you run a higher-hazard workplace that already has cameras — construction, manufacturing, warehousing, food processing — and want active loss prevention built into the coverage rather than a static annual policy. It's newer and smaller than the leaders, and the camera-based model fits camera-equipped sites best. You can start with a free risk assessment or come through an appointed broker.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Cerity for small-business workers' comp?
It depends on your priority. Pie is the category benchmark for a fast, data-priced quote and is the best-capitalized WC insurtech. Hourly wins if you want payroll-native pay-as-you-go billing, biBERK if you want Berkshire Hathaway's financial strength across more lines, and CompScience if you run a higher-hazard, camera-equipped site.
Which Cerity alternative offers pay-as-you-go workers' comp?
Hourly. Because premium is calculated from real-time payroll each pay run rather than an annual estimate, you pay on actual wages — no large upfront deposit and no year-end audit true-up.
Which of these alternatives sells more than just workers' comp?
biBERK writes general liability, BOP, workers' comp, professional liability, commercial auto, and umbrella. Pie leads with workers' comp but also offers BOP, commercial auto, GL, and E&O through partner carriers. Hourly adds payroll, time tracking, and HR alongside workers' comp, while Cerity and CompScience focus on workers' comp.
How much do these Cerity alternatives cost?
None publishes a flat rate — premium is quote-based on your business across all of them. Pie prices from your details with its data model, Hourly bills per pay run on real wages, biBERK positions on up to 20% savings by removing the broker, and CompScience prices around your hazards and safety posture after a free risk assessment.
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The bottom line
Cerity is a clean, low-commitment way to buy digital workers' comp from a century-old carrier, and for standard small-business risk it's a solid default. The four alternatives here each earn a look by doing one thing differently: Pie for data-priced speed and an agent channel, Hourly for payroll-native pay-as-you-go, biBERK for maximum financial strength across more lines, and CompScience for AI-driven loss prevention at higher-hazard sites. Because pricing is quote-based everywhere, the smart move is to compare a few on the same business details. Start on the workers-comp hub.
