Thimble vs Next Insurance for Freelancers 2026

Affiliate disclosure: Dareable earns a commission when you purchase coverage through links on this page. Both Thimble and Next Insurance are affiliate partners. This does not affect our analysis.

Thimble and Next Insurance both write insurance for freelancers. The practical difference is how they handle the way freelancers actually work. Thimble was built for the gig model: short projects, variable workloads, coverage you buy when you need it. Next Insurance runs on annual or monthly policies better suited to freelancers with consistent ongoing client work.

Quick Verdict

	Thimble	Next Insurance
Best for	Gig freelancers, project-based work, one-time events	Freelancers with ongoing client engagements
Starting price	~$5/day (event) or ~$25/mo	~$25/mo
Online quote	Yes, instant	Yes, instant
AM Best rating	A-	A-
Policy minimum	By the hour, day, or month	Monthly or annual
Our pick	Intermittent gig work, event photography, short-term projects	Full-time freelancers with regular clients

Thimble Overview

Thimble was designed specifically for the gig economy. Coverage is available by the hour, day, week, or month. A freelance photographer can buy a day of GL coverage for a wedding, get a certificate in 60 seconds, and cancel at midnight when the job is done. An event AV contractor can buy a one-day policy, add the venue as an additional insured, and pay less than $20.

Coverage options: GL, professional liability, workers comp, tools and equipment. Short-term and annual options for most coverage types.

Pricing: Single-event GL from $5 to $25 depending on the type of work and duration. Monthly GL policies for regular freelancers run $25 to $65. Annual policies are available and priced competitively for lower-revenue freelancers.

Pros:

• Only carrier that offers hourly and daily coverage. Ideal for irregular work schedules.
• Certificate in under 60 seconds at purchase.
• Pay only for the coverage you actually use. No annual premium for a freelancer who works 6 months of the year.
• Flexible cancellation. Monthly policies can be canceled without penalty.

Cons:

• Some client contracts require a continuous annual policy, not event or short-term coverage. Confirm the certificate format required before purchasing.
• A- AM Best rating. Newer infrastructure than established carriers.
• Professional liability is available but less deep than specialty carriers for high-revenue service businesses.
• Not built for freelancers with full-time equivalent ongoing workloads.

Affiliate link: Get flexible freelancer coverage from Thimble

Next Insurance Overview

Next Insurance writes freelancer coverage as part of their broader contractor and professional service platform. Coverage is available monthly or annually. They handle a wide range of freelance professions: photographers, event planners, personal trainers, graphic designers, IT consultants, writers, and many others.

Coverage options: GL, professional liability, workers comp, commercial auto, tools and equipment. Monthly and annual policies.

Pricing: Freelancer GL starts around $25 per month. Professional liability for knowledge-work freelancers runs $30 to $65 per month. Bundled GL and professional liability is available.

Pros:

• Competitive monthly pricing for full-time freelancers with regular client work.
• Wide classification library covering most freelance professions.
• Strong mobile app with COI sharing.
• Pay-monthly with no penalty for cancellation.

Cons:

• Not designed for gig or project-by-project work. Monthly minimum means you pay for coverage during slow months.
• No hourly or daily coverage option.
• Professional liability for complex service businesses is thinner than specialty carriers.

Affiliate link: Get a Next Insurance quote

Head-to-Head Comparison

Coverage flexibility: Thimble wins clearly. No other carrier offers hourly and daily coverage for freelancers. For photographers shooting a single wedding, AV techs doing one-day events, or musicians playing a venue, Thimble's short-term model is the only product designed for how the work actually happens.

Cost for full-time freelancers: Nearly equal. Both start around $25 per month for GL. For freelancers with consistent year-round client work, annual pricing from either carrier is competitive. Monthly pricing is similar. The difference is negligible for steady-work freelancers.

Cost for variable-workload freelancers: Thimble wins. A freelancer who works 6 months a year and is dark the other 6 pays half as much with Thimble's monthly billing than with an annual policy. A gig photographer who shoots 20 events a year can buy event-specific coverage for each and pay far less than a monthly policy.

Certificate format: For clients requiring a continuous annual policy rather than event-specific coverage, Next Insurance's annual policy meets the requirement; Thimble's event policy may not. This matters primarily for freelancers working with corporate clients or GCs who specify annual certificates.

Professional liability: Both are adequate for freelancers with standard E&O needs. Neither is the right choice for high-revenue knowledge work businesses where serious E&O exposure exists. For freelancers earning above $150,000 annually from professional services, Hiscox or Embroker provide more complete professional liability programs.

AM Best rating: Both A-. No difference here.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Thimble if:

• You work project-to-project rather than maintaining continuous ongoing client engagements.
• You are an event photographer, AV technician, musician, or other freelancer doing discrete engagements.
• Your workload is seasonal or variable. You do not want to pay for coverage during months you are not working.
• Your clients accept short-term or event-specific certificates of insurance.

Choose Next Insurance if:

• You have regular ongoing client work year-round or close to it.
• Your corporate clients or retainer contracts require a continuous annual policy certificate.
• You want to bundle GL and professional liability from one carrier at a combined monthly rate.
• You prefer a single ongoing policy rather than buying coverage event by event.

For physical work freelancers: Either carrier works for GL. The flexibility question is the deciding factor. For knowledge work freelancers (design, writing, marketing): consider adding professional liability from either carrier or switching to Hiscox for stronger E&O coverage.

Alternatives to Consider

Hiscox: For freelancers in design, writing, consulting, or marketing where professional liability is the primary need, Hiscox's professional service programs provide more complete E&O coverage than either Thimble or Next Insurance. See our review of best business insurance for freelancers.

Simply Business: For freelancers who want to compare multiple carrier options simultaneously, Simply Business aggregates quotes from several carriers on a single application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Thimble for ongoing monthly freelance work instead of project-by-project?

Yes. Thimble offers monthly policies that work the same as any monthly GL policy. If you have enough ongoing work to justify continuous coverage, Thimble's monthly policy pricing is competitive with Next Insurance's.

What happens if I forget to buy Thimble coverage before a job?

Thimble can issue a certificate in under 60 seconds from their app. In practice, most freelancers buy coverage on-site or in transit. For work that requires a certificate before arriving on premises, buy coverage the morning of the job or the night before.

Does either carrier cover freelancer professional liability for design work?

Yes. Both Next Insurance and Thimble offer professional liability that covers design work: claims that your design caused a client financial harm. For higher-revenue design businesses, Hiscox's professional service programs are more complete.

Do I need both GL and professional liability as a freelancer?

It depends on what you do. If you do physical work at client locations (photography, event services, personal training), GL is your primary need. If you provide professional advice or creative work product (design, writing, consulting), professional liability is your primary need. If you do both, both coverages apply.

Can I add the client's venue or company as an additional insured on Thimble?

Yes. Thimble allows additional insured additions at purchase and after. This is standard for event and gig work where the venue or client wants to be named on your certificate.

Disclaimer

AM Best ratings: Thimble (A-), Next Insurance (A-). Pricing estimates are illustrative based on representative freelancer profiles. Actual premiums vary by work type, revenue, state, and coverage selections.

Sources

• Thimble freelancer insurance: thimble.com/freelancers
• Next Insurance freelance coverage: next.insurance
• AM Best ratings: ambest.com
• Freelancers Union: freelancersunion.org