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Insurance · head to head

Bold Penguin vs Root Insurance

Bold Penguin logo

Bold Penguin

Insurance

Business insurance marketplace for brokers

From
Free
Rated
-
R

Root Insurance

Insurance

Car insurance priced primarily on driving behavior measured through an app test drive

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Bold Penguin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bold Penguin sold to brokers, carriers and MGAs rather than to the businesses buying insurance; Root Insurance telematics based pricing is not used in California and Maryland, where the core driving-behavior pricing model does not apply, as of August 2026

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bold Penguin and Root Insurance actually diverge.

Attributes where Bold Penguin and Root Insurance differ
AttributeBold PenguinRoot Insurance
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modeltransactionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded2019Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Insurance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bold Penguin

  • Multi-carrier quoting
  • Instant quotes
  • Online binding
  • Customer portal
  • Commission tracking
  • Mobile app
  • API access
  • Reporting

Only in Root Insurance

Nothing recorded that Bold Penguin does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bold Penguin

  • Routing and triaging commercial insurance submissionsnot Root Insurance
  • Automating submission to bind through the Terminal platformnot Root Insurance
  • Handling complex middle market submissions with SubmissionLinknot Root Insurance
  • Policy checking with ClauseLinknot Root Insurance

Root Insurance

No use cases recorded yet. See the Root Insurance review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bold Penguin

  • Sold to brokers, carriers and MGAs rather than to the businesses buying insurance
  • Pricing is not published

Root Insurance

  • Telematics based pricing is not used in California and Maryland, where the core driving-behavior pricing model does not apply, as of August 2026
  • No base premium is published; quotes require completing a several week app-based test drive before a rate is shown, as of August 2026

Pricing, plan by plan

Bold Penguin

Free
  • Broker AccessFree
    • Multi-carrier quotes
    • Instant quoting
    • Commission tracking

Root Insurance

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Root Insurance review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Bold Penguin if

  • You need multi-carrier quoting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want instant quotes.

Choose Root Insurance if

Nothing in the data separates Root Insurance from Bold Penguin on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Questions people ask

Is Bold Penguin or Root Insurance better?
Neither clearly leads. Bold Penguin starts at Free and Root Insurance at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bold Penguin or Root Insurance?
Bold Penguin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bold Penguin and On request for Root Insurance.
Does Bold Penguin or Root Insurance run on more platforms?
Bold Penguin runs on Web, Ios, Android. Root Insurance runs on Web.
Can I use Bold Penguin for free?
Yes. Bold Penguin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Root Insurance starts at On request.
What is Bold Penguin best used for?
Bold Penguin is most often used for routing and triaging commercial insurance submissions, automating submission to bind through the terminal platform, handling complex middle market submissions with submissionlink, policy checking with clauselink. Of those, routing and triaging commercial insurance submissions and automating submission to bind through the terminal platform are not what Root Insurance is typically brought in for.
What can Bold Penguin do that Root Insurance cannot?
Bold Penguin covers Multi-carrier quoting, Instant quotes, Online binding, Customer portal.

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