Spot vs Lemonade
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 currently advertises a 30-day orthopedic wait, including cruciate injuries (check your state policy). As of August 2026, Lemonade is not sold in Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming; quote your ZIP. If yours is one of those eight states, Spot is the natural fallback. For other states, compare current quotes; choose Spot if you want fine-grained control over the cap.
Get a Lemonade quote
Lemonade is the one insurer on this site we can send you to for a live quote. That does not make it the right plan for every pet. As of October 2, 2026, Lemonade Pet is not yet available in Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming.
Get a quote from LemonadeSide by side
| Spot | Lemonade | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score (dogs) | 8.3/10 | 9/10 |
| 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) | Current marketing: no accident wait from the effective date, at 12:01 AM the day after purchase. State and policy terms can differ; check your policy |
| Illness wait | 14 days | 14 days |
| Orthopedic / cruciate wait | No separate orthopedic or cruciate wait , the standard 14-day illness period applies | Current marketing: 30 days, including cruciate injuries. The general FAQ also describes policies with a 6-month cruciate wait; your state and policy documents control |
| Wellness add-on | Available | Available |
| Direct vet pay | No, reimbursement only | No, reimbursement only |
Compare current quotes for the same pet and ZIP code, using the same deductible, reimbursement rate, annual limit, and add-ons. Older catalog price examples do not establish which insurer costs less today.
Pre-existing conditions
Spot: Not covered, standard exclusion for signs shown before enrollment or during the waiting period.
Lemonade: Base accident-and-illness coverage excludes conditions that showed signs before enrollment or during the waiting period. In most states, temporary or curable pre-existing conditions or injuries can be covered again after 12 consecutive months without recurrent symptoms or continued treatment. Chronic conditions and knee or ligament conditions cannot be covered as curable pre-existing conditions. Where offered, the separate Dental Care add-on covers pre-existing dental conditions; Dental Illness excludes them. The end-of-life add-on can cover vet-recommended euthanasia due to a pre-existing condition, subject to its terms.
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
You want an app-based claims process and optional add-ons. Check state availability first (as of August 2026 Lemonade is not sold in Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming; quote your ZIP) and remember the 30-day orthopedic wait currently advertised for new coverage (check your state policy).
The exclusions cheat sheet
A plain-English guide to waiting periods and key exclusions across eight insurers, with links to the full reviews.
Questions
Keep reading
Written by the WhichPetPlan editorial team. Scores are our own editorial ratings, not an industry standard. See our methodology for how scores are set.