What Is Hiscox?
Hiscox suits eligible small businesses that want online GL, professional liability, cyber or BOP quotes; businesses needing other specialty products should compare brokers. Core Hiscox NOW policies are usually issued by its own insurer, while some products use partners. 1,2,3
What Is Nationwide?
Nationwide’s commercial catalogue includes common small-business policies and separate specialty products. A catalogue listing does not establish eligibility or policy terms; confirm the issuing company and coverage for your state and business. 7,8,9
What Is Cyber Insurance?
Cyber insurance can help pay covered response costs and claims against your business after a cyber incident. If your business relies on data, software or outside providers, compare response limits, vendor outages and approval rules. 11,12
Key Differences in Cyber Insurance
Hiscox Names the Underwriter for Its Admitted Online Product
Hiscox’s appetite guide and company information identify Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. as the underwriter of admitted Hiscox NOW cyber policies. Nationwide’s overview describes its cyber line but does not identify the issuer for a specific risk. This gives Hiscox buyers a named starting point for the admitted route; check the declarations because the actual insurer and policy route must match your quote. 3 10
Hiscox Publishes a Direct Online Quote Option
Hiscox says eligible small businesses can get a cyber quote online, with a licensed-agent phone line available for questions. Nationwide directs prospective buyers to an agent or quote request and does not describe a direct online bind flow. Compare whether each route supports your business size and complexity, and ask whether an agent must review or complete any part of the submission. 4 10
Hiscox Calls Out IT Consultants and Technology Firms
Hiscox markets cyber to small businesses broadly and specifically describes tailored coverage for IT and technology consultants facing data-handling and security exposures. Nationwide’s overview addresses businesses with cyber and data-breach risks without naming technology firms as a distinct segment. If your company serves clients through software or handles sensitive data, ask both providers how their forms address those operations and resulting obligations. 5 10
What to Confirm in Cyber Insurance Quotes
- Ask Hiscox whether your quote is on admitted Hiscox NOW paper and whether you qualify for its online route; ask Nationwide to identify the exact issuer and application channel. 6 10
- Compare breach-response costs, technology exposures, limits, retentions and any optional cyber coverage within a business-owner policy. 4 10
Review Scores
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.
Hiscox
Review Score
4 rated sources
Hiscox’s review results are sharply divided: low Trustpilot and ConsumerAffairs scores contrast with strong Feefo feedback. Service quality deserves closer scrutiny before purchase.[1][4][5][6][7]
Read Hiscox reviewsNationwide
Review Score
4 rated sources
Experts like Nationwide more than customers do. NerdWallet gives it 4.5 out of 5 for business insurance, while small-business customers on ConsumerAffairs give it 2.5 out of 5 from 19 reviews.[1][10]
Read Nationwide reviewsOffering Details
Hiscox vs Nationwide: Cyber Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Hiscox Cyber Security Insurance | Nationwide cyber (official overview) |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Hiscox Inc. sells cyber insurance directly online as a standalone product for small businesses, separate from its business owner's policy, which also offers an optional cyber add-on. 4Company-reported. Company-stated standalone small-business cyber product; the BOP cyber add-on is a distinct package option described on a different page. | Nationwide describes offering cyber for the audience stated on the cited product page. 10Company-reported. cyber marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Issuing Insurer | Hiscox's appetite guide and About Hiscox US page name Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. (NAIC 10200) as the underwriter of admitted Hiscox NOW cyber policies. 6,3Company-reported. Admitted small-business cyber coverage as described in company materials; the exact contracting entity for a particular state or channel should be confirmed on the quote. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Who It’s For | Hiscox markets cyber insurance to small businesses broadly and specifically to IT and technology consultants, describing itself as customizing coverage for the technology sector's data-handling and security exposures. 4,5Company-reported. Company-stated audience across the standalone cyber page and the IT-insurance page. | Businesses addressing cyber and data-breach risks; specific eligibility and coverage depend on quote and policy. 10Company-reported. cyber marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Coverage Features | Hiscox describes cyber coverage as responding to data breaches, cyberattacks and related losses, and its IT-insurance page shows an illustrative breach-response example describing notification and related costs after a data incident. 4,5Company-reported. Product-page description; the illustrative example is explicitly a hypothetical scenario, not a specific limit or claim outcome, and actual coverage terms are set by the issued policy. | The cited product page describes cyber liability and data-breach insurance addressing expenses associated with a cyberattack or data breach. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 10Company-reported. cyber marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
| Limits and Retentions | The cyber product page does not publish standard limit, retention or deductible amounts; figures shown elsewhere on the site are illustrative examples rather than quotes. 4Not publicly disclosed. Public product page as previously reviewed. | The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 10Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred. |
| Risk Services | The reviewed cyber product page does not describe ongoing security-monitoring or risk-prevention services made available to policyholders; it describes post-incident breach-response coverage rather than a monitoring service. 4Not found in reviewed sources. Standalone cyber product page as previously reviewed. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | Hiscox says eligible buyers can get a cyber insurance quote online, with a licensed-agent phone line available for questions during the process. 4Company-reported. Company-described online application; eligibility and binding conditions require confirmation on the actual application. | The page directs prospective customers to contact an agent or request a quote. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 10Company-reported. cyber marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement. |
Full Comparison
More Hiscox vs Nationwide Comparisons
Other Cyber Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Hiscox
- Website Terms & Conditions of Use. Hiscox; Last modified May 28, 2024; Hiscox Inc. as Delaware corporation headquartered in Atlanta, d/b/a Hiscox Insurance Agency in CA, licensed intermediary for admitted and surplus-lines business with Hiscox Insurance Company Inc., other domestic insurers, and Lloyd’s syndicates; small-business online path distinguished from broker-only site sections. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Get A Small Business Insurance Quote. Hiscox; States that Hiscox offers general liability, professional liability, cyber security and business owner’s policies online; zip-code quote field; licensed-agent hours Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10 p.m. ET and Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. ET. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Cyber Insurance for Small Businesses. Hiscox; Standalone cyber security/cyber liability product with online quote; data-breach, cyberattack and related-loss descriptions; licensed-agent phone number. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- IT Professional & General Liability Insurance. Hiscox; IT/technology professional audience; illustrative cyber breach-response example. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Hiscox US Agent Appetite Guide. Hiscox; Hiscox NOW admitted GL, PL, cyber and BOP underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Nationwide
- Small Business Insurance. Nationwide; Small business products and solutions, lines 185–214: BOP, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, umbrella, EPLI, cyber and surety; purchase guidance lines 235–247. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Small Business Insurance Solutions for Agents. Nationwide; Specialized small commercial solutions: BOP, auto, workers’ compensation, cyber, EPLI, umbrella, inland marine and professional liability; page states appetite varies by state, lines 129–163, 191–193. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Terms and Conditions for Nationwide.com. Nationwide; P&C products not offered by all companies/states; policy/declarations control; NMI and affiliates may underwrite; each underwriter responsible for own products, lines 358–368 and 391–394. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Cyber Liability & Data Breach Insurance. Nationwide; Cyber liability page; cyberattack/data-breach coverage overview and response resources. Accessed 2026-09-30.
Cyber Insurance Guide
- Cyber Insurance. Federal Trade Commission; Opening; First-Party and Third-Party Coverage; First-Party Coverage; Third-Party Coverage; What Should Your Cyber Insurance Policy Cover. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- CyberEdge specimen policy. AIG; General Terms §§4–6, PDF pp.3–6; Security and Privacy §1 p.11, §2(l)/(p) p.14, §3 pp.15–18, exclusions p.18; Event Management §1 and §2(h), PDF pp.19–20. Accessed 2026-09-16.
