Spot vs Lemonade
Lemonade wins this one for most buyers on price and score: illustrative dog premiums start around $28/mo versus $38/mo for Spot, and Lemonade scores 9.0 against Spot at 8.3 in our rankings. Spot counters with the widest menu of annual limits in this lineup, from $2,500 up to unlimited, and no separate orthopedic waiting period, where Lemonade makes you wait 6 months on cruciate injuries. Lemonade is not sold in twelve states; if yours is one of them, Spot is the natural fallback. For everyone else, Lemonade on price, Spot if you want fine-grained control over the cap.
Side by side
| Spot | Lemonade | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score (dogs) | 8.3/10 | 9/10 |
| Illustrative starting price | dogs from $38/mo, cats from $21/mo | dogs from $28/mo, cats from $16/mo |
| Annual limit | $2.5k-unlimited | $100k |
| Deductible | Annual, $100/$250/$500/$750/$1,000 | Fully customizable, $100 to $750 (up to $1,000 on some policies) |
| Reimbursement options | 70%, 80% or 90% | 70%, 80% or 90% |
| Accident wait | 14 days (next-day in select states) | 2 days (0 days in AL, AR, CT, DC, GA, IL, IN, IA, MD, MS, NE, NH, NM, OH, SC, TX, UT, WA) |
| Illness wait | 14 days | 14 days |
| Orthopedic / cruciate wait | No separate orthopedic or cruciate wait , the standard 14-day illness period applies | 30 days for orthopedic conditions generally, 6 months for cruciate ligament events specifically |
| 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
Spot: Not covered, standard exclusion for signs shown before enrollment or during the waiting period.
Lemonade: Not covered, standard exclusion for anything showing signs before enrollment or during the waiting period.
Choose Spot if
You want to tune the policy precisely. Spot offers more limit and deductible combinations than anyone here, with annual caps from $2,500 to unlimited, and it applies no separate orthopedic wait beyond the standard 14-day illness period. Be careful with the low caps: the same flexibility that makes Spot attractive also makes it the easiest plan to accidentally under-buy. Note that Spot treats both knees as linked, so a prior cruciate injury on one side excludes the other.
Choose Lemonade if
Price and simplicity matter most. Illustrative dog premiums start around $28/mo, claims settle in-app, and add-ons for wellness, dental illness and physical therapy are available piece by piece. Check state availability first (Lemonade is unavailable in twelve states) and remember the 6-month cruciate ligament wait.
Questions
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Written by the WhichPetPlan editorial team. We currently earn no commission from any insurer listed, so no comparison here is paid placement. Scores are our own editorial ratings, not an industry standard. See our methodology for how scores are set.