For US Small Businesses
Independent comparison of the services small businesses and self-employed pros actually buy.
The US has 33 million small businesses (SBA 2025) covering everything from solo consultants to 500-employee manufacturers. Most of the services they need — insurance, internet, phone, payroll — are offered by the same national vendors who also sell to consumers, but with different products, different contracts, and different pricing logic. Below: the categories we cover for small business, and the rules that differ from consumer versions.
What would you like to compare?
Coming soon
- Business credit cards — rewards, 0% intro, charge card options
- Business loans — SBA 7(a) & 504, lines of credit, equipment financing
- Payroll software — Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks, OnPay comparison
- Business checking — online vs traditional, no-fee options
If there's a category you'd like us to cover, email [email protected].
Why business products are different from consumer products
The same insurer or ISP often sells to both consumers and businesses, but the products are not the same product. Three categorical differences shape what a small business needs to know before signing a contract.
Insurance: BOP, GL, professional liability, workers' comp
A homeowner buys one homeowners policy and is mostly done. A small business typically buys four or five separate covers, each addressing a specific exposure. General Liability (GL) covers third-party injury and property damage on business premises. A Business Owners Policy (BOP) bundles GL with property insurance for owned equipment and inventory; most small service businesses start here. Professional liability (errors & omissions, or E&O) covers claims of negligence in professional services — consultants, accountants, architects, IT contractors all need it. Workers' compensation is mandatory in every state except Texas for employers above a state-specified employee threshold; rates are based on payroll and industry class code. Cyber liability is increasingly required by enterprise clients and by some industry-specific regulators.
Internet: SLA, static IP, symmetric speed
Business internet from the same ISP that sells to consumers usually costs 50-150% more for the same headline speed — what you're paying for is the SLA, not the bandwidth. A consumer Comcast plan offers "best effort" delivery with no guaranteed uptime; a Comcast Business plan includes a 99.9% uptime SLA with credit issued for outages. Other business-only features: static IP addresses (needed for VPN, remote-access servers, or hosting), symmetric speeds (upload as fast as download, important for video conferencing and cloud backups), 24/7 priority support, and the absence of data caps that some consumer plans still impose.
Contract structure
Business contracts run longer (24-36 months is common, vs 12-24 for consumer) and contain different exit terms. Early termination fees for business internet typically equal the remaining months of the contract rather than the prorated consumer ETF. Business insurance policies are auditable post-policy — the carrier reviews actual payroll, sales or class-code data at year-end and adjusts the premium upward or refunds downward. Understanding that audit step matters; ignoring the audit request can trigger a default policy at maximum class rate.
Brokers vs direct, and when each makes sense
For business insurance, an independent commercial broker who shops multiple carriers usually delivers a better total cost than going direct, particularly for businesses with non-standard exposures or above $5,000 in annual premium. For consumer-grade GL ($500-1,500/year) and simple BOPs, going direct through Next, Hiscox or Travelers Small Business is usually fine. For internet, you'll deal directly with the ISP either way — the broker channel doesn't exist for SMB internet at any meaningful scale in the US market.
Common US small business product questions
What's the minimum insurance every US small business needs? It depends on legal form and headcount. A solo consultant with no employees needs at minimum General Liability ($500-1,000/year for low-risk professional services) and professional liability if you're advising clients. Add a BOP once you have business property worth more than a few thousand dollars. Add workers' compensation the moment you hire your first W-2 employee in any state except Texas. Add commercial auto if any employee drives for business in their personal vehicle — personal auto policies exclude business use.
Is a Business Owners Policy (BOP) the same as General Liability? No. A BOP bundles GL with commercial property insurance (covering owned business equipment, inventory and furniture) at a discount to buying them separately. Most BOPs include business interruption coverage too. The catch: BOPs are available only to businesses meeting certain criteria (typically under $5m in revenue, low-to-medium-risk class codes, fewer than ~100 employees). Larger or higher-risk businesses need a Commercial Package Policy instead.
Why is business internet so much more expensive than residential? What you're paying for is the Service Level Agreement, not the bandwidth. A residential plan offers "best effort" with no uptime guarantee. A business plan typically guarantees 99.9% uptime (8.7 hours of allowable downtime per year), with credit issued when missed. For an e-commerce business or any operation that loses money during an outage, the SLA usually pays for itself. For a coffee shop with WiFi as a courtesy amenity, residential is fine.
Can I write off business insurance and internet? Yes — both are ordinary and necessary business expenses deductible in the year paid. Business insurance is line 15 of Schedule C for sole proprietors. Business internet is partial-deductible if you use the same connection for personal use (the typical split is 30-50% business). Keep contemporaneous records of the split. The home-office deduction also has its own simplified method ($5/sq ft up to 300 sq ft) which may be easier than itemising actual expenses.