Embrace vs Pets Best
Embrace wins on coverage depth and score: 8.8 against Pets Best at 8.1 for dogs (8.7 vs 8.4 for cats), with a 12-month curable pre-existing reinstatement path that Lemonade also describes in most states, a wellness allowance covering even grooming and nutrition consults, and a deductible that drops $50 every claim-free year. Pets Best wins on price and speed to first cover: illustrative premiums start around $33/mo for a dog and $14/mo for a cat (the cheapest cat figure in our catalog) versus $41/$22 at Embrace, its accident wait is 3 days and waivable entirely with a qualifying exam, and its annual deductible floor is $50 against Embrace's $100 (Trupanion's per-condition deductible starts at $0). Both impose 6-month waits on cruciate events (Embrace cuts theirs to 14 days with an early orthopedic exam; Pets Best may waive via vet certification). Choose Embrace for depth and pre-existing history, Pets Best for budget and fast start.
Side by side
| Embrace | Pets Best | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score (dogs) | 8.8/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Illustrative starting price | dogs from $41/mo, cats from $22/mo | dogs from $33/mo, cats from $14/mo |
| Annual limit | $2k-unlimited | $5k-unlimited |
| Deductible | Annual, $100 to $1,000 ($100/$250/$500/$750/$1,000). Drops $50 for every claim-free year via the Healthy Pet Deductible. | Annual, $50/$100/$200/$250/$500/$1,000 |
| Reimbursement options | 70%, 80% or 90% | 70%, 80% or 90% |
| Accident wait | Covered as soon as the policy is effective | 3 days (waivable entirely with a qualifying vet exam submitted within 30 days of enrollment) |
| Illness wait | 14 days | 14 days |
| Orthopedic / cruciate wait | 6 months for cruciate ligament injury, IVDD and hip dysplasia , cut to 14 days if your vet performs an orthopedic exam and submits it within your first two weeks | 6 months for cruciate ligament events. Waiting periods may be reduced or waived when a participating veterinarian certifies the pet (exam up to 3 days before or 7 days after the effective date; form back within 30 days of the exam) |
| Wellness add-on | Available | Available |
| Direct vet pay | No, reimbursement only | No, reimbursement only |
Starting prices are illustrative estimates for a healthy one-year-old animal, not quotes. Your real premium depends on breed, age, ZIP code, deductible and reimbursement rate.
Pre-existing conditions
Embrace: Curable pre-existing conditions (like an old ear infection or a one-off bout of vomiting) can be re-evaluated and covered again after 12 consecutive symptom-free, treatment-free months. Chronic conditions (diabetes, ongoing allergies, chronic orthopedic issues) stay excluded for good. Few competitors distinguish curable from chronic this explicitly.
Pets Best: Not covered, standard exclusion for signs shown before enrollment or during the waiting period.
Choose Embrace if
Your pet has a curable condition in its past (an old ear infection, a single bout of vomiting), because Embrace re-covers curable pre-existing conditions after 12 consecutive symptom-free months while chronic and knee or ligament conditions stay excluded. Also choose it if you claim rarely (the Healthy Pet Deductible falls $50 per claim-free year) or want the broadest wellness allowance, $250 or $450 a year toward routine care including grooming and nail trims.
Choose Pets Best if
Budget leads and you want coverage live fast. Illustrative cat premiums start around $14/mo, the lowest in our catalog, with dogs around $33/mo. Deductibles run $50 to $1,000 annually, limits come in $5,000, $10,000 or unlimited, and the 3-day accident wait can be waived with a qualifying vet exam within 30 days of enrollment. Note that exam-fee coverage costs extra on the base Essential plan.
Questions
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Written by the WhichPetPlan editorial team. Rankings are editorial, not paid placement. Some links (currently Lemonade) may earn a fee; it never changes the premium and never changes a ranking. Other insurers listed here do not pay us. Scores are our own editorial ratings, not an industry standard. See our methodology for how scores are set.