Best pet insurance 2026
By the WhichPetPlan editorial team · Last verified 2026-07-27 · 8 insurers reviewed · No paid placements
The best pet insurance for most dog owners in 2026 is Healthy Paws (9.3/10 in our editorial scoring) because it has no annual payout limit and reimburses quickly, with illustrative premiums from about $44/mo for a young dog. Its weaknesses are real: no wellness add-on, and premiums that climb steeply after age eight. If budget comes first, Lemonade (from about $28/mo for dogs, $16/mo for cats) is the cheapest decent cover we found and our top pick for cats. If you cannot float a $5,000 vet bill while waiting for reimbursement, Trupanion is the only insurer here that routinely pays the vet at the desk, and it is priced accordingly. Every premium on this page is an illustrative starting estimate, not a quote.
All 8 insurers at a glance
Ranked by our editorial score on the dog side of each book. “From” premiums are illustrative estimates for a healthy one-year-old dog. Scores are our own; see how we score plans.
| # | Insurer | Score | From / mo (dog) | Annual limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healthy PawsTop pick | 9.3/10 | $44 | Unlimited | Most dogs |
| 2 | Lemonade | 9/10 | $28 | $100k | Puppies and tight budgets |
| 3 | Embrace | 8.8/10 | $41 | $30k | Owners who rarely claim |
| 4 | Trupanion | 8.6/10 | $62 | Unlimited | Anyone who can't float a big bill |
| 5 | Spot | 8.3/10 | $38 | $2.5k to unlimited | Custom budgets |
| 6 | Pets Best | 8.1/10 | $33 | $5k to unlimited | Fast start |
| 7 | Figo | 7.9/10 | $40 | $5k to unlimited | Maximum payback |
| 8 | Fetch | 7.6/10 | $47 | $15k | Older dogs |
The rankings, with the catch for each
Healthy Paws
Best overall for most dogs9.3/10 · from $44/mo · limit: UnlimitedBest for: Most dogs.
The catch: Unlimited payout and fast reimbursement; but no wellness add-on and premiums climb steeply after age eight.
Think twice if: Skip it if you want a wellness add-on for routine care, or if your dog is already eight or older, because premiums climb steeply past that age.
Lemonade
Best budget option9/10 · from $28/mo · limit: $100kBest for: Puppies and tight budgets.
The catch: Best price in the category and claims settle in-app; but not sold in every state and dental is thin.
Think twice if: Skip it if it is not sold in your state, or if dental coverage matters to you, because its dental cover is thin.
Embrace
Best if you rarely claim8.8/10 · from $41/mo · limit: $30kBest for: Owners who rarely claim.
The catch: Your deductible drops $50 every claim-free year; but the annual cap is the lowest of our top picks.
Think twice if: Skip it if one bad year could mean a bill over $30k, because that annual cap is the lowest among our top picks.
Trupanion
Best if you cannot float a big bill8.6/10 · from $62/mo · limit: UnlimitedBest for: Anyone who can't float a big bill.
The catch: The only insurer that routinely settles at the desk; and by far the priciest month to month.
Think twice if: Skip it if month-to-month cost is your main concern. At $62/mo for a young dog it is by far the priciest plan we reviewed.
Spot
Best for custom budgets8.3/10 · from $38/mo · limit: $2.5k to unlimitedBest for: Custom budgets.
The catch: More limit and deductible combinations than anyone; which also makes it the easiest plan to accidentally under-buy.
Think twice if: Skip it if you do not want to think about limits and deductibles, because the sheer number of combinations makes it the easiest plan to accidentally under-buy.
Pets Best
Fastest accident cover8.1/10 · from $33/mo · limit: $5k to unlimitedBest for: Fast start.
The catch: Shortest accident waiting period going; but a six-month wait on cruciate injuries unless you pay for the waiver.
Think twice if: Skip it if cruciate injuries are your worry (common in Labradors and other big breeds) unless you are willing to pay for the waiver, because the standard wait is six months.
Figo
Best for maximum payback7.9/10 · from $40/mo · limit: $5k to unlimitedBest for: Maximum payback.
The catch: One of the few offering full reimbursement; priced accordingly, and the app is where all service happens.
Think twice if: Skip it if you want to phone a human, because all service runs through the app, and full reimbursement is priced accordingly.
Fetch
Best for older dogs7.6/10 · from $47/mo · limit: $15kBest for: Older dogs.
The catch: Covers dental disease and behavioural care others exclude; but sits mid-table on price with a middling cap.
Think twice if: Skip it if you want the highest annual cap, because $15k sits mid-table while the price does too.
Insuring a cat? The order changes
Cats are cheaper to insure, so price and claims speed matter more than raw payout limits. Our cat ranking puts Lemonade first (9.2/10, from about $16/mo, claims settle in the app) with Healthy Paws second (9.0/10, unlimited payout, which matters for long illnesses like renal failure). Pets Best is the cheapest cat cover we found (from about $14/mo) and our pick for outdoor cats, though its illness waiting period is a full 14 days. Trupanion drops to seventh for cats: desk settlement is genuinely useful for emergency-prone cats, but at around $35/mo it is the most expensive cat premium we found.
Fetch is the outlier worth knowing for senior cats: it genuinely covers dental disease, which most insurers exclude, though the $15k annual cap is modest.
Match your situation to a plan
- Tight budget or a new puppy? Lemonade, the lowest dog premium we found (from about $28/mo), with claims settled in the app. Check it sells in your state first.
- Cannot front a big vet bill? Trupanion. It is the only insurer here that routinely settles at the desk, and the premium reflects it.
- Rarely visit the vet? Embrace. Your deductible drops $50 every claim-free year, so a healthy pet gets cheaper to cover over time.
- Own a breed with orthopedic risk? Read the waiting periods before anything else. Pets Best has the fastest accident start but a six-month cruciate wait unless you pay for the waiver. If you have a Labrador or German Shepherd, see our breed guides for what those injuries actually cost.
- Own a flat-faced breed? Breathing-surgery cover varies enormously. Start with our French Bulldog guide and whether any plan actually covers BOAS surgery.
- Older dog or senior cat? Fetch, because it covers dental disease and behavioural care that most others exclude. Just know the $15k cap is middling.
The honest tradeoffs
- No plan covers pre-existing conditions. Not one of the eight. The best time to buy is while your pet is young and healthy; waiting until something is wrong means that thing is never covered.
- Unlimited is not always worth it. Healthy Paws and Trupanion have no annual cap, which matters for worst-case years. But Trupanion costs more than twice Lemonade month to month, and Healthy Paws gets expensive for senior dogs. A capped plan can be the smarter buy for a young, low-risk animal.
- Cheap premiums can hide thin cover. Lemonade is the budget winner, but its dental cover is thin and it is not sold everywhere. Spot’s endless limit combinations make it easy to under-buy without realising it.
- Waiting periods are where claims die. Accident waits are short almost everywhere; orthopedic and cruciate waits are not. If your breed is prone to cruciate injuries, the waiting period matters more than the premium.
- Our scores are editorial. Reputable outlets disagree about these same companies. We publish our methodology so you can judge the ranking rather than take it on faith.
Common questions
We currently earn no commission from any insurer listed, so no ranking on this page is paid placement. Every premium shown is an illustrative starting estimate for a healthy one-year-old animal; your real quote depends on breed, age, ZIP code, deductible and reimbursement rate. Facts on this page were last verified 2026-07-27.