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Insurance · head to head

INSTANDA vs Novidea

INSTANDA logo

INSTANDA

Insurance

No-code product builder that lets underwriters configure and launch insurance products themselves

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Novidea logo

Novidea

Insurance

Broker and MGA management platform built natively on Salesforce

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: INSTANDA it is a product and policy layer, not a full core suite, so claims, finance, commissions and reporting are integrations you pay for separately and the total is well above the licence quote.; Novidea salesforce licences are a separate recurring cost on top of the Novidea subscription, and for a broker with many occasional users that second bill changes the comparison against standalone systems entirely.
  • They diverge on capability: INSTANDA covers Browser-based product build, Novidea covers Native Salesforce architecture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which INSTANDA and Novidea actually diverge.

Attributes where INSTANDA and Novidea differ
AttributeINSTANDANovidea
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 INSTANDA

  • Browser-based product build
  • Rating configuration
  • Document generation
  • Distribution portals
  • API access
  • Product versioning

Only in Novidea

  • Native Salesforce architecture
  • Placement and submission tracking
  • Multi-currency and multi-entity
  • Commission and revenue management
  • Analytics
  • Client and broker portals

What people use each for

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

INSTANDA

  • An MGA launching a niche product in weeks and iterating rating without a development cyclenot Novidea
  • A broker building an own-brand scheme on top of a capacity agreementnot Novidea
  • A carrier running product experiments away from the core policy systemnot Novidea
  • An embedded insurance programme where the product must be exposed through a partner APInot Novidea

Novidea

  • An international broker consolidating offices that each run a different local agency systemnot INSTANDA
  • A speciality wholesaler placing non-admitted and Lloyd's business that national agency systems handle poorlynot INSTANDA
  • An MGA that needs binder, bordereaux and commission tracking in the same place as the client recordnot INSTANDA
  • A broker group that already standardised on Salesforce and does not want a second client databasenot INSTANDA

Where each one falls short

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

INSTANDA

  • It is a product and policy layer, not a full core suite, so claims, finance, commissions and reporting are integrations you pay for separately and the total is well above the licence quote.
  • No-code configuration puts product logic in the hands of underwriters, which is fast but also means product changes can bypass the change control and testing discipline an IT-owned release would enforce.
  • Complex rating that needs external models, machine learning scores or intricate referral hierarchies pushes past what browser configuration handles cleanly.
  • Market presence is concentrated in the United Kingdom and Europe, so North American buyers will find fewer local references and less familiarity with state filing workflows.
  • As configuration grows across many product versions it becomes its own maintenance burden, and without discipline you accumulate variants nobody remembers the reason for.

Novidea

  • Salesforce licences are a separate recurring cost on top of the Novidea subscription, and for a broker with many occasional users that second bill changes the comparison against standalone systems entirely.
  • It is not built around United States personal lines carrier download, so an agency whose daily work depends on automated policy download from dozens of carriers will find the connectivity thin.
  • Because it inherits Salesforce, it also inherits Salesforce administration; you need someone who knows the platform, and that skill is priced by the Salesforce market rather than the insurance market.
  • Implementations involve mapping an existing book with its history into Salesforce objects, and brokers consistently underestimate how much data cleansing that exposes.
  • Salesforce platform changes and release cycles are outside the vendor control, so an upgrade that alters behaviour you depend on arrives on someone else calendar.

Pricing, plan by plan

INSTANDA

On request
  • INSTANDA Platform$undefined/year
    • Product configuration environment
    • Policy administration
    • Distribution portals

Novidea

On request
  • Novidea Platform$undefined/year
    • Broker management on Salesforce
    • Placement and revenue tracking
    • Analytics dashboards

Which should you pick?

Choose INSTANDA if

  • You need browser-based product build.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want rating configuration.
INSTANDA review

Choose Novidea if

  • You need native salesforce architecture.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want placement and submission tracking.
Novidea review

Questions people ask

Is INSTANDA or Novidea better?
Neither clearly leads. INSTANDA starts at On request and Novidea at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, INSTANDA or Novidea?
INSTANDA starts at On request and Novidea at On request.
Does INSTANDA or Novidea run on more platforms?
INSTANDA runs on Web, API. Novidea runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is INSTANDA best used for?
INSTANDA is most often used for an mga launching a niche product in weeks and iterating rating without a development cycle, a broker building an own-brand scheme on top of a capacity agreement, a carrier running product experiments away from the core policy system, an embedded insurance programme where the product must be exposed through a partner api. Of those, an mga launching a niche product in weeks and iterating rating without a development cycle and a broker building an own-brand scheme on top of a capacity agreement are not what Novidea is typically brought in for.
What can INSTANDA do that Novidea cannot?
INSTANDA covers Browser-based product build, Rating configuration, Document generation, Distribution portals. Novidea covers Native Salesforce architecture, Placement and submission tracking, Multi-currency and multi-entity, Commission and revenue management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

INSTANDA: Can underwriters really build products without developers?

Yes for mainstream product structures, and this is worth testing in a proof of concept with your own staff. Complex rating that calls external models still needs engineering.

Novidea: Do we need to buy Salesforce as well?

Yes. Novidea runs on Salesforce and the underlying platform licences are purchased separately. Include them in every cost comparison.

INSTANDA: Is it a complete core system?

No. It covers product, quoting and policy administration well. Claims, finance and commissions are separate systems you integrate.

Novidea: Is it suitable for a United States retail agency?

Only if your book is commercial or speciality. If you depend on personal lines carrier download, an established agency management system is the better fit.

INSTANDA: Where is it strongest geographically?

The United Kingdom and Europe, particularly among MGAs. North American deployments exist but the reference base is younger.

Novidea: What does it replace?

The broker management system and usually a separate CRM, plus the spreadsheets used for commission and receivables tracking.

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