Cowbell vs Liberty Mutual: How Do They Compare for Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

Cowbell states its Zurich Select Plus EPL module targets private companies with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets, including retail, hospitality and manufacturing. ^4,⁷

What Is Cowbell Insurance?

Cowbell suits small and midsize businesses seeking cyber options by company size, with technology E&O and Zurich management-liability options also available; firms needing broad commercial coverage should compare a full-service broker. Some security services cost extra. ^1,^2,³

Read the Cowbell profile

Read the Cowbell Employment Practices Liability Insurance page

What Is Liberty Mutual Business Insurance?

Liberty Mutual spans small-commercial, commercial, specialty, surety, and reinsurance businesses. The insurer and distribution route depend on the product, so check the offer and policy before you compare terms. ^5,⁶

Read the Liberty Mutual profile

Read the Liberty Mutual Employment Practices Liability Insurance page

What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

EPLI can help pay covered defense costs and losses when applicants or workers allege discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or other workplace wrongdoing. If you employ people, check the claim definition, defense costs and prior acts. ^8,^9,¹⁰

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Claim scope and policy terms

Cowbell states its Zurich Select Plus EPL module targets private companies with fewer than 250 employees and under $50 million in assets, including retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Liberty Mutual identifies private-company and not-for-profit ProShield options without a matching threshold. Businesses near Cowbell’s stated boundaries should confirm eligibility and the ProShield class used for their quote. ⁴ ⁷

Coverage structure and buyer impact

Zurich names Cowbell’s module “Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability,” and Cowbell says access is through appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers on its platform. Liberty Mutual likewise mentions third-party coverage but presents EPL inside ProShield. Buyers should compare how each form defines third-party discrimination and arrange access through the appropriate broker or wholesaler. ³ ⁴ ⁷

What to Confirm in Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes

Does the company meet Cowbell’s employee and asset thresholds, and which wholesaler will access the module? How does ProShield define third-party discrimination? Compare insurer, exclusions, limits and package aggregates.

Cowbell and Liberty Mutual Review Scores for 2026

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.

Cowbell Review Score

2.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Cowbell has one public rating we could find: 1.0 out of 5 on SourceForge from three reviews in 2023. That's too few and too old to say much.^[8]

Read Cowbell reviews

Liberty Mutual Review Score

7.2/ 10

Review Score

2 rated sources

Customers give Liberty Mutual 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 3,836 reviews, but that page mixes auto, home and life customers with business ones. For business insurance specifically, NerdWallet gives 3.0 out of 5 and reports more complaints than expected.^[4]^[1]

Read Liberty Mutual reviews

Cowbell vs Liberty Mutual Employment Practices Liability Compared

Cowbell vs Liberty Mutual: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Employment Practices Liability	Liberty Mutual ProShield Employment Practices Liability
Role in This Line	Employment practices liability (EPL) is one module within Cowbell's distribution of Zurich's Select Plus management liability product; Cowbell operates the platform, Zurich underwrites. Zurich's own page names this module 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability,' broader than the plain 'EPL' shorthand Cowbell's FAQ uses. ^4,³Company-reported. Management liability page intro and module list; Zurich page module-name section.	Liberty Mutual includes employment practices liability in its ProShield management-liability package. ⁷Company-reported. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.
Issuing Insurer	Cowbell and Zurich both say the Select Plus modules, including EPL, are written on Zurich admitted paper. Zurich's site footer names 'Zurich American Insurance Company' in its copyright notice, but neither page states that entity is the specific policy issuer for this EPL module. ^4,³Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.	Confirm in your quote.
Who It’s For	Cowbell targets this EPL module at private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, across industries such as retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and Target industries list.	The source scopes the package to private and not-for-profit organizations and lists coverage for certain workers and volunteers; a quote is needed to establish applicant eligibility. ⁷Company-reported. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.
Coverage Features	Cowbell describes EPL as covering claims related to employment practices, including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and other employment-related issues. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'. Cowbell says EPL claims are the most common type of management liability claim overall, most frequently alleging discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, or retaliation for a legally protected activity such as filing a complaint or whistleblowing. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?'.	The page describes protection for the financial impact of employment-related lawsuits and lists selected features including third-party coverage; exact definitions and exclusions depend on the policy. ⁷Company-reported. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.
Limits and Retentions	Neither the Cowbell page nor Zurich's own Select Plus page, both read in full, publishes EPL limit or retention amounts. ^4,³Not publicly disclosed. Cowbell page and Zurich page, both read on 2026-09-23.	The cited public overview does not establish the limits, deductibles, exclusions or form terms that would apply to a specific buyer. ⁷Not publicly disclosed. Ask for the quote and specimen or issued policy forms before treating a listed feature as covered.
Risk Services	Confirm in your quote.	Liberty Mutual describes ProShield as one package policy that combines multiple management-liability coverages and is designed to reduce the need for separate endorsements. ⁷Company-reported. Liberty Mutual’s cited product or program overview documents this description. It does not establish the issuing insurer for an individual quote, exact state or provincial availability, the policy form, complete exclusions, or terms offered to a particular buyer; confirm those in the quote and policy documents.
How to Apply	This EPL module is accessed only by appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers through the Cowbell platform's API; it is not sold directly to businesses. ⁴Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.	Confirm in your quote.

Related Pages for Cowbell vs Liberty Mutual

Employment Practices Liability Pages for Cowbell and Liberty Mutual

Other Coverage Lines Compared for Cowbell vs Liberty Mutual

Other Employment Practices Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons

Sources for Cowbell vs Liberty Mutual

Sources About Cowbell

Cowbell. Cowbell; What We Do; Assess, Insure, Respond and Improve; U.S. navigation; footer legal disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-15.
Prime Tech Product Overview. Cowbell; PDF pp. 1–4: non-admitted combined Technology E&O and cyber for technology businesses up to $1 billion; up to $5 million; surplus lines in 50 states; edition PRIME TECH US0001 1025. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Small and Midsize Business Management Liability | Zurich Select Plus. Zurich North America; Intro on the Zurich/Cowbell collaboration; module name 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability'; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' and 'What is the most common management liability claim?' (identical to Cowbell's page); Targeted industries list; footer copyright. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Management liability coverage for small & medium enterprises. Cowbell; FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?' (EPL definition); FAQ 'What is the most common management liability claim?' (EPL claim types); Target industries list. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Sources About Liberty Mutual

Company Profile. Liberty Mutual Group; Strategic business units paragraph: US Retail Markets (individuals/small businesses; small commercial; countrywide) and Global Risk Solutions (mid-size/large businesses; commercial, specialty, reinsurance, surety; worldwide). Accessed 2026-09-29.
Commercial Insurance Solutions. Liberty Mutual Business Insurance; Commercial solutions index names commercial auto and fleet, cyber, environmental liability, equipment breakdown, excess and surplus, general liability, healthcare liability, inland marine, management liability, multinational, ocean marine, professional liability, property, reinsurance, surety, umbrella/excess and workers compensation. Disclosure says policy insurer is named when offered, may be an affiliate/subsidiary or surplus-lines insurer; states/jurisdictions and actual policy terms vary. Accessed 2026-09-29.
ProShield. Liberty Mutual Business Insurance; Opening paragraphs identify package combining directors and officers, employment practices, fiduciary, and crime coverages; D&O and crime sections describe examples of exposures and selected coverage features. Examples are not policy terms. Accessed 2026-09-29.

Sources for the Employment Practices Liability Insurance Guide

Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening; What EPLI covers; Steps to limit employment liability risk. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Employment Practices Liability Coverage. Travelers; I.A/II.A p.1; III.A.4–6 p.7; II.F Employment Claim, PDF p.2; I.B p.1; II.U–V p.5; II.L p.3; III.A.9 and A.13, pp.7–8; III.B.2 p.8; IV.A Settlement, PDF pp.8–9. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Liability Coverage Terms and Conditions. Travelers; III.F–H p.6; III.O pp.8–9; III.F p.6; III.B–D, PDF pp.3–5; III.E–F, PDF pp.5–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.