What’s the Difference Between an Insurance Brokerage and a Captive Agent?
Flexible policies that scale with your business and your goals
Understanding Your Options in Personal Insurance
When you’re shopping for personal insurance—whether it’s home, auto, renters, or umbrella coverage—it’s important to understand the difference between working with an insurance brokerage
and a captive agent. The type of agency you choose can significantly impact your pricing, coverage options, and long‑term protection.
In this guide, we’ll break down how each model works, why it matters to you, and how choosing an independent insurance brokerage can help you get the right protection at the right price.
What Is a Captive Insurance Agent?
A captive insurance agent
represents one insurance company. That means they can only quote and sell policies from a single carrier. While captive agents are often very knowledgeable about their company’s products, they are limited when it comes to comparing prices or coverage across the market.
Key characteristics of captive agents:
- They work for only one insurance carrier
- They cannot shop rates across multiple companies
- Your options depend solely on what that carrier offers
- If your premium increases, they may not have alternatives
In short:
One agent, one company, one set of prices.
What Is an Independent Insurance Brokerage?
A brokerage
is an independent agency that partners with multiple insurance companies. This allows brokers to compare rates, coverage, and discounts from several carriers to help you find the best fit for your needs.
Because no single insurance company is the best option for every situation, having access to a variety of carriers gives you more flexibility and often better pricing.
Some of the carriers we work with include:
- Nationwide
- Travelers
- Progressive
- Allstate
- Plus several additional regional and national carriers
This wider marketplace access helps us match your coverage needs with the carrier that offers the strongest protection at the most competitive rate.
Benefits of Working With an Independent Insurance Brokerage
Choosing an independent brokerage comes with several advantages, especially for personal lines insurance like home and auto.
- More choices: We compare multiple insurance companies instead of being limited to one.
- Better pricing: Rates vary significantly between carriers—shopping around usually saves money.
- Customized coverage: Each carrier offers different endorsements and features, allowing us to tailor coverage.
- Long-term support: If your rate increases, we can move you to another carrier without you having to start over.
- Unbiased recommendations: Because we aren't tied to one company, our priority is finding what’s best for you.
- Stronger protection: We can compare liability limits, deductibles, discounts, and bundled policies to help maximize your coverage.
Which Should You Choose?
Both captive agents and brokerages offer value, but they serve customers differently. If you prefer simple, one-company communication and don’t need rate comparisons, a captive agent might work for you.
However, if you want the ability to compare pricing, explore multiple coverage options, and adjust carriers over time without switching agents, an independent brokerage is the best choice.
The Bottom Line
Working with a brokerage gives you access to multiple carriers, competitive pricing, and tailored coverage—all with a single point of contact. Whether you’re shopping for auto insurance, home insurance, or umbrella coverage, an independent agent can help you find the right protection while keeping your long-term costs in check.
If you’re unsure whether your current policy fits your needs or if you simply want to compare rates, we’re here to help you explore your options with confidence.