Pie and Cerity both let a small business buy workers' compensation online without a broker meeting, and both lean on data and a modern front end. But they got there from opposite starting points: one is a venture-funded insurtech that became its own carrier, the other is a century-old carrier that built a modern direct channel. Here's how they actually compare.
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: Both sell small-business workers' comp direct and digitally. Pie is a data-driven, full-stack carrier that underwrites its own workers' comp (through The Pie Insurance Company, AM Best A- rated), quotes in about three minutes, sells direct and through agents, and is expanding into BOP, auto, GL, and E&O via partners. Cerity is a direct digital workers' comp brand of EMPLOYERS Holdings (NYSE: EIG), a 100+ year specialist carrier, with an instant quote, monthly payments, and no long-term commitment. Choose Pie for speed, an agent channel, and breadth; choose Cerity for an established carrier behind a low-commitment buy.
The one-line difference
- Pie is a venture-scale, data-driven workers' comp carrier that prices with its own model, underwrites its own WC policies, and is expanding into a broader small-business lineup.
- Cerity is the direct digital front end of EMPLOYERS Holdings — the insurtech buy experience, with a century-old workers' comp specialist standing behind the policy.
Model and coverage
Both quote workers' comp online and price premium from your business details rather than a single published rate. The difference is what sits behind the policy and how many lines each one writes.
- Pie: 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). Its WC is priced by a proprietary data model rather than broad class-code averages, which is how it can quote in roughly three minutes. Beyond workers' comp, Pie also places BOP, commercial auto, general liability, and professional liability / E&O through third-party partner carriers.
- Cerity: a workers'-comp-only brand of EMPLOYERS Holdings (NYSE: EIG), a publicly traded carrier that has specialized in small-business workers' comp for over a century. The pitch is an instant online quote, monthly payments, and cancel-anytime — with the financial strength of an established carrier behind it. Cerity also acts as an embedded workers' comp engine, powering coverage inside partner platforms (for example, through Simply Business).
The practical split: Pie is a standalone insurtech carrier broadening beyond WC; Cerity is a focused direct channel that trades startup product velocity for the backing of a large, established specialist.
How they compare
| Pie | Cerity | |
|---|---|---|
| Core line | Workers' compensation | Workers' compensation (only) |
| Other lines | BOP, auto, GL, E&O (via partners) | None |
| Who underwrites WC | The Pie Insurance Company (AM Best A- rated) | EMPLOYERS Holdings (NYSE: EIG) |
| Backing | Venture-scale insurtech; ~$615M+ raised (per reporting) | Corporate-funded brand of EMPLOYERS; not venture-backed |
| Quote & buy | ~3-minute quote; direct + through agents | Instant quote; monthly pay, cancel anytime; direct + embedded |
| Availability | WC in 39 states + DC | US small businesses (EMPLOYERS' footprint) |
| Founded / launched | 2017 | 2019 |
| Pricing | Quote-based; no published flat pricing | Quote-based; no published flat pricing |
Both come off well on QuoteSweep's profile scores. On ease of buying, Cerity rates 5/5 and Pie 4.5/5; on coverage breadth, Pie rates 4/5 versus Cerity's 3/5 (Cerity writes a single line). Both score 4.5/5 on carrier backing.
Who each one fits
- Choose Pie if you want a fast, data-priced workers' comp quote, the option to buy direct or through an agent, and a carrier that can also bring you BOP, commercial auto, GL, or E&O over time. It's the best-capitalized workers' comp insurtech and, per reporting, holds 55,000+ policies in force.
- Choose Cerity if you want an instant, low-commitment buy — monthly payments, cancel anytime — and you'd rather have an established, publicly traded specialist carrier behind the policy than a young startup's capacity panel. It fits standard small-business risk, and it's also the natural pick if your WC is embedded inside a partner platform.
For most buyers the deciding factors are whether you value an agent channel and a broader lineup (Pie) or carrier pedigree behind a bare-bones direct buy (Cerity), and whether you need any line beyond workers' comp — only Pie offers that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Pie and Cerity carriers?
Pie underwrites its own workers' comp through The Pie Insurance Company (AM Best A- rated) and places its other lines through partner carriers. Cerity is a direct digital brand of EMPLOYERS Holdings (NYSE: EIG), an established, publicly traded workers' comp carrier — so both have real carrier strength behind the workers' comp policy, just from different structures.
Which one is faster to buy?
Both are built for a quick online purchase. Pie advertises a quote in about three minutes; Cerity offers an instant online quote with monthly payments and no long-term commitment. Cerity rates 5/5 and Pie 4.5/5 on ease in QuoteSweep's profiles.
Which is cheaper?
Neither publishes flat pricing — premium is quote-based on your business details. Cerity emphasizes affordable, monthly-pay coverage; Pie prices workers' comp from its own data model. Compare quotes for the same coverage before deciding.
Where can I compare more workers' comp options?
See the workers-comp hub for side-by-side ratings and facts on the workers' comp insurtech field.
Get a quote
The bottom line
Pie and Cerity agree that small-business workers' comp should be quick to buy online, and differ on what stands behind it. Pie is the venture-scale, full-stack insurtech carrier — fast, data-priced, with an agent channel and a widening lineup. Cerity is the lean direct channel of a century-old specialist — instant, low-commitment, and backed by EMPLOYERS. Match the choice to whether you want breadth and an agent path, or an established carrier behind a no-strings direct buy.
Compare both, plus the rest of the field, on the workers-comp hub, or read the full Pie and Cerity profiles.
