Pets Best vs. Trupanion: Which Is the Best for Your Pet? (2025)

Pets Best and Trupanion are two of the largest pet insurance companies. While both offer accident and illness policies for cats and dogs, Pets Best also offers wellness plans and accident-only coverage. Compared to Trupanion, Pets Best is much more affordable, offering comprehensive and customizable coverage at a fair price. But Trupanion stands out for its smooth claims process.

The best pet insurance company for your furry friend depends on your pet’s health, coverage priorities, and budget. Comparing costs, coverage, customer satisfaction scores, and claims processes across a handful of insurers can help you find the best policy for your needs.^[1]

Pets Best vs. Trupanion: The verdict

Pets Best may be the better choice for most pet owners since the company offers comprehensive coverage and customizable policies at an affordable price and has a 24/7 vet helpline.

If you’re looking for preventative care coverage or a budget-friendly accident-only plan, Pets Best is likely the better choice. Trupanion only offers an accident and illness policy. 

Compared to Pets Best, Trupanion’s premiums are very high. The company doesn’t increase premiums due to your pet’s age, but customers say Trupanion hikes up premiums for other reasons.

But if budget isn’t a concern, and you want a stress-free claims process, Trupanion could fit the bill with its reputation for fast, easy claims and a wide network of vet partners that accept direct payment.

Pets Best vs. Trupanion

Compare quotesCompare	Compare quotesCompare
Reimbursement % The percentage of costs your provider will pay for a covered event, after you’ve paid your deductible. 70%–90%	Reimbursement % The percentage of costs your provider will pay for a covered event, after you’ve paid your deductible. 90%
Payout limits The maximum amount your provider will pay for covered events. $5,000–Unlimited	Payout limits The maximum amount your provider will pay for covered events. Unlimited
Deductibles The amount you must pay towards a covered event before your coverage kicks in. $50–$1,000	Deductibles The amount you must pay towards a covered event before your coverage kicks in. $0 to $950
Curable pre-existing conditions Pre-existing conditions refer to conditions your pet has shown documented symptoms of before your policy’s waiting period is over. Some companies still cover these conditions if they’re deemed “curable” and haven’t shown symptoms for a specified period of time that varies by insurer. Covered	Curable pre-existing conditions Pre-existing conditions refer to conditions your pet has shown documented symptoms of before your policy’s waiting period is over. Some companies still cover these conditions if they’re deemed “curable” and haven’t shown symptoms for a specified period of time that varies by insurer. Not covered

Data in this table has been sourced from Insurify users who received a pet insurance quote from our partner Fletch.

Pets Best

Trupanion

How Pets Best and Trupanion compare

When choosing a pet insurance policy for your dog or cat, it’s important to consider your pet’s health needs alongside the company’s coverage and exclusions. And you’ll need to choose a pet insurance company that offers policies that fit your financial situation. Here’s how Pets Best and Trupanion compare in several different categories.

Cost of pet insurance

Pets Best charges an average monthly premium of $22 for dog insurance and $13 for cat insurance, while the average monthly cost of a Trupanion policy ranges from $47 to $137 for dogs and $28 to $45 for cats.

Pets Best offers more options for customizing your policy, including three levels of coverage and a range of reimbursement options and annual limits, while Trupanion only lets you choose your deductible.

When comparing similar policy parameters and coverage options for a 2-year-old dog, the quote for a Trupanion policy was roughly triple Pets Best’s rate. But unlike Pets Best and many other insurers, Trupanion rates don’t increase due to age.

Unfortunately, Trupanion customers say their rates still increase due to the rising cost of care. Plus, Trupanion doesn’t offer discounts for multiple pets. So generally speaking, Pets Best likely has the best overall value for the price.

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4.8/5 (7,669+ reviews)

Coverages and plan features

Both companies offer a comprehensive accident and illness policy, including coverage for dental illness and hereditary and congenital conditions. The Pets Best Elite plan is affordable and includes coverage for exam fees and rehabilitative care, like chiropractic and acupuncture. But Trupanion doesn’t offer exam fee coverage, and its rehabilitation policy rider is pricey.

While Trupanion only offers accident and illness coverage, Pets Best also offers wellness plans that cover routine care along with an affordable accident-only policy.

Trupanion offers an accident and illness policy that reimburses 90% of eligible vet care costs with unlimited payouts, and you can choose your deductible. Trupanion’s deductibles are lifetime, per-condition deductibles, while Pets Best uses annual deductibles.

Pets Best also allows you to customize your reimbursement level and coverage limit, which helps you control your premium. And the company has better digital tools than Trupanion, like a highly rated mobile app and a 24/7 vet helpline.

The comparison chart below shows how common features differ between Pets Best and Trupanion.

Feature	Pets Best	Trupanion
Mobile app	Yes	No
Direct vet pay	Yes	Yes
24/7 pet helpline	Yes	No
Online policy management	Yes	Yes
Live customer support	Yes	Yes
Accident-only coverage	Yes	No
Exam fee coverage	Yes	No
Multi-pet discount	Yes	No

Policy exclusions

Accident and illness coverage from both Pets Best and Trupanion excludes the following conditions and treatments:

• Pre-existing conditions

• Parasites and other preventable conditions

• Elective or cosmetic procedures, like tail docking or ear cropping

Trupanion also excludes coverage for vet exam fees, while Pets Best includes coverage for exam fees with most pet insurance plans. Pets Best doesn’t cover prescription food, herbal therapies, vitamins, or supplements. But Trupanion provides some coverage when your vet recommends those items.

Pets Best doesn’t have upper age limits, so senior dogs and cats are welcome to enroll. Trupanion, on the other hand, caps enrollment at age 14. But the company will continue to cover your pet for life as long as you enroll before your pet’s 14th birthday.

Claims process

Pets Best and Trupanion are two of a handful of pet insurance companies that offer direct vet payment. Most pet insurers require you to submit your invoice with a claim for reimbursement, so you need to cover vet costs in the meantime. Both insurers also allow you to use a traditional claims process for vets who don’t accept direct payment.

Trupanion stands out for offering a quick and easy claims process relative to Pets Best. A quick search using Trupanion’s veterinarian search tool in major cities reveals many options for vets that already accept VetDirect Pay. Even if your vet doesn’t accept direct payment, you can receive speedy reimbursement — Trupanion pays more than 70% of claims within 24 hours.

Customer reviews

Trupanion has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on nearly 9,000 customer reviews. Customers praise the direct payment option and the quick claims process, and comments about the customer support team are generally positive. But some customers complain about premium hikes and claim denials. Others find the per-condition deductibles to mean more out-of-pocket costs.^[2] 

Pets Best has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on more than 5,500 customer reviews. Many customers cite the comprehensive coverage, affordable pricing, and excellent mobile app as reasons for their positive reviews. But some customers complain of slow claims processing, premium increases, or poor communication from the support team.^[3]

Pets Best fares better than Trupanion with the Better Business Bureau. The company has an average rating of 3.11 out of 5 stars, while Trupanion’s average rating is 1.16 out of 5 stars.

Pets Best vs. Trupanion FAQs