Software · head to head
Haven Life vs Bold Penguin
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Haven Life stopped accepting new applications on 12 January 2024. MassMutual wound the business down, citing low consumer adoption and high customer acquisition costs; Bold Penguin sold to brokers, carriers and MGAs rather than to the businesses buying insurance
- They diverge on capability: Haven Life covers No medical exam, Bold Penguin covers Multi-carrier quoting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Haven Life and Bold Penguin actually diverge.
| Attribute | Haven Life | Bold Penguin |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | transaction |
| Founded | 2016 | 2019 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Haven Life
- No medical exam
- Fast underwriting
- Multiple term options
- Online application
- Digital policy delivery
- Policy management portal
- 24/7 accessibility
- Payment processing
Only in Bold Penguin
- Multi-carrier quoting
- Online binding
- Customer portal
- Commission tracking
- Mobile app
- API access
- Reporting
- Multiple carriers
Both cover
- Instant quotes
- Data encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
- English language support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Haven Life
- Life insurance shoppingnot Bold Penguin
- Family protectionnot Bold Penguin
- Quick policy purchasenot Bold Penguin
- Financial securitynot Bold Penguin
Bold Penguin
- Routing and triaging commercial insurance submissionsnot Haven Life
- Automating submission to bind through the Terminal platformnot Haven Life
- Handling complex middle market submissions with SubmissionLinknot Haven Life
- Policy checking with ClauseLinknot Haven Life
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Haven Life
- Stopped accepting new applications on 12 January 2024. MassMutual wound the business down, citing low consumer adoption and high customer acquisition costs
- havenlife.com now redirects to massmutual.com
- Existing policies remain valid and are administered by MassMutual, but the product cannot be bought
Bold Penguin
- Sold to brokers, carriers and MGAs rather than to the businesses buying insurance
- Pricing is not published
Pricing, plan by plan
Haven Life
Free- Quote ToolFree
- Instant quotes
- No medical exam
- Coverage customization
- Term Life Insurance$undefined/month
- 10, 20, or 30-year terms
- Fast underwriting
- Guaranteed rates
Bold Penguin
Free- Broker AccessFree
- Multi-carrier quotes
- Instant quoting
- Commission tracking
Which should you pick?
Choose Haven Life if
- You need no medical exam.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want fast underwriting.
Choose Bold Penguin if
- You need multi-carrier quoting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want online binding.
Questions people ask
- Is Haven Life or Bold Penguin better?
- Neither clearly leads. Haven Life starts at Free and Bold Penguin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Haven Life or Bold Penguin?
- Haven Life starts at Free and Bold Penguin at Free.
- Does Haven Life or Bold Penguin run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Haven Life for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Haven Life best used for?
- Haven Life is most often used for life insurance shopping, family protection, quick policy purchase, financial security. Of those, life insurance shopping and family protection are not what Bold Penguin is typically brought in for.
- What can Haven Life do that Bold Penguin cannot?
- Haven Life covers No medical exam, Fast underwriting, Multiple term options, Online application. Bold Penguin covers Multi-carrier quoting, Online binding, Customer portal, Commission tracking. Both handle Instant quotes, Data encryption, Cloud deployment, Web support.