Hiscox vs Pie Insurance Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance

Pie names four covered claim types and a criminal-prosecution exclusion; Hiscox's page centers on its claims-made structure instead.

What Is Hiscox?

Hiscox is a U.S. small-business insurance brand whose website is operated by Hiscox Inc., a Delaware producer that does business in California as Hiscox Insurance Agency. Eligible firms can quote general liability, professional liability, cyber and a business owner’s policy online; other advertised lines are often placed with partner insurers, so the issuing company on each quote still has to be checked. ^1,^2,³

Read the Hiscox profile

What Is Pie Insurance?

Pie Insurance sells and administers small-business commercial insurance, with affiliated carriers writing its workers’ compensation program and outside carrier partners supporting selected other products. Businesses can start a workers’ compensation quote online or use an agent, then manage documents, certificates, billing, audits and claim reporting through Pie’s service channels. ^7,^8,⁹

Read the Pie Insurance profile

What Is Professional Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance?

Professional errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, also called professional liability insurance, addresses claims that professional services or advice caused a client financial loss. What's covered depends on the services actually scheduled in the policy, not the product label alone. ^11,^12,^13,¹⁴

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance

Who Carries the Risk

Hiscox names Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. as the underwriter of its admitted professional liability policies and sells the product directly online. ⁶ Pie says it helps small businesses get E&O coverage from unnamed insurance carrier partners rather than underwriting the policy itself. ¹⁰

What the Policy Names as Covered

Pie's page describes the specific claim types its coverage responds to and one thing it explicitly does not cover:

Pie describes errors and omissions insurance, also called professional liability insurance, as covering legal fees, costs, and damages for claims that a business's advice or services caused harm, including claims of inaccurate advice, misrepresentation, negligence, or violation of good faith, but says it does not protect against criminal prosecution. ¹⁰Company-reported. Errors and Omissions product page as read on 2026-09-23; the issued policy controls actual insuring agreements and exclusions.

Hiscox's coverage description centers on the claims-made structure of the policy, meaning a claim is covered only if it's made while the policy is active, without naming specific claim types or exclusions. ⁵

Which Professionals Each Names

Pie names architects, contractors, attorneys, engineers, consultants, marketers, counselors, and real estate agents as professionals who often carry E&O insurance. ¹⁰ Hiscox instead targets small businesses buying online broadly, licensed for sale in 49 states and Washington, D.C., excluding Alaska. ⁴

What to Confirm in Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Quotes

Ask Pie which of its unnamed carrier partners would underwrite your specific policy. ¹⁰
Confirm whether Hiscox sells this product directly in your state, since it excludes Alaska. ⁴
Ask Pie whether the coverage extends to regulatory or licensing-board proceedings, given its stated criminal-prosecution exclusion. ¹⁰
Ask both firms for the policy limit and retention, since neither publishes figures. ¹⁰ ⁵

Offering Details

Hiscox vs Pie Insurance Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Hiscox Professional Liability Insurance	Pie Errors and Omissions Insurance
Role in This Line	Hiscox Inc., a licensed insurance intermediary, sells professional liability (errors and omissions) coverage directly online to small businesses as part of its Hiscox NOW admitted small-business catalogue. ^3,⁴Company-reported. Company-stated online small-business channel.	Pie says it helps small businesses get the best errors and omissions coverage 'from our insurance carrier partners,' identifying itself as an intermediary rather than the underwriter for this line. ¹⁰Company-reported. Errors and Omissions product page as read on 2026-09-23.
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 professional-liability policies. ^6,³Company-reported. Admitted small-business professional liability as described in company materials; the exact contracting entity for a particular state or channel should be confirmed on the quote.	The reviewed page refers only to 'our insurance carrier partners' and does not name a specific insurer for Pie's errors and omissions product. ¹⁰Not publicly disclosed. Errors and Omissions product page as read on 2026-09-23.
Who It’s For	Hiscox says professional liability is licensed for sale in 49 states and Washington, D.C., excluding Alaska, and that if it does not sell the product online in a buyer's state, a specialist broker may be able to help instead. ^4,⁶Company-reported. Company-stated jurisdiction for the online small-business catalogue; the appetite guide's technology classes (IT consultants, software development) illustrate typical buyers but do not guarantee acceptance for any one applicant.	Pie names architects, contractors, attorneys, engineers, consultants, marketers, counselors, and real estate agents as professionals who often carry E&O insurance, and notes some states or clients require proof of coverage. ¹⁰Company-reported. Errors and Omissions product page as read on 2026-09-23; not an exhaustive eligibility list.
Coverage Features	Hiscox describes professional liability as a claims-made policy, meaning a claim is covered only if it is made (and typically reported) while the policy is active, rather than an occurrence policy covering incidents regardless of when the claim surfaces. ⁵Company-reported. Product FAQ description; exact triggers, retroactive dates, exclusions and wording are set by the issued policy.	Pie describes errors and omissions insurance, also called professional liability insurance, as covering legal fees, costs, and damages for claims that a business's advice or services caused harm, including claims of inaccurate advice, misrepresentation, negligence, or violation of good faith, but says it does not protect against criminal prosecution. ¹⁰Company-reported. Errors and Omissions product page as read on 2026-09-23; the issued policy controls actual insuring agreements and exclusions.
Limits and Retentions	The professional-liability pages reviewed do not publish standard limit, retention or deductible amounts; specific figures are shown only on a quote. ^4,⁵Not publicly disclosed. Public product and FAQ pages as previously reviewed.	The reviewed page does not publish limits, deductibles, or premium ranges for errors and omissions coverage. ¹⁰Not publicly disclosed. Errors and Omissions product page as read on 2026-09-23.
How to Apply	Hiscox says eligible buyers can quote and buy professional liability online, with licensed advisors available by phone during posted hours for questions during the process. ⁴Company-reported. Company-described online application; eligibility and binding conditions require confirmation on the actual application.	Pie directs errors and omissions buyers to contact the company to start a quote through its website. ¹⁰Company-reported. Errors and Omissions product page as read on 2026-09-23.
Claims Support	A professional-liability FAQ tells current customers that the claims phone line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, separate from the general claims-center hours listed elsewhere on the Hiscox site. ⁵Company-reported. Company-described claims-reporting availability for this product's FAQ; does not establish claim outcomes or turnaround time.	Not described in the reviewed sources.

Full Comparison

More Hiscox vs Pie Insurance Comparisons

Other Professional Liability (E&O) 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.
Professional Liability Insurance for Small Businesses. Hiscox; Professional liability/E&O product; licensed in 49 states and Washington, D.C. (Alaska excluded); specialist-broker assistance if not licensed in a state; licensed-advisor hours. Accessed 2026-09-16.
What is Professional Liability Insurance? Hiscox; Claims-made description; current-customer claim number described as open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Hiscox US Agent Appetite Guide. Hiscox; Hiscox NOW admitted GL, PL, cyber and BOP underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Inc.; technology classes including IT consultants and software development. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Pie Insurance

Legal. Pie Insurance; State Licenses; footer disclosure naming producer and workers’ compensation versus third-party underwriting roles. Accessed 2026-09-15.
Workers’ Comp Insurance For Small Businesses. Pie Insurance; Get a workers’ compensation quote online; insurance made for your small business; quote inputs; coverage description; quote-time and savings qualifications; AM Best link. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Online Account Tutorial. Pie Insurance; Payment-method updates; instant and custom certificates; policy information; document access; agent-handled custom certificate qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
Errors and Omissions Insurance. Pie Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance hero: also known as professional liability insurance...; professions that often carry E&O; What's typically covered by errors and omissions insurance? Inaccurate advice, Misrepresentation, Negligence, Violation of good faith; Make sure you're covered: Start now. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Guide

FAQ: Professional liability insurance. Texas Department of Insurance; What’s professional liability coverage?; What types of damages…; What’s general liability insurance?; Do I need professional liability… if I have general liability…?; Is professional liability insurance required?; Can a client require…?; What’s the difference between occurrence policies and claims-made policies. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Professional liability insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening paragraphs (professional services/advice and E&O name); Claims not covered by general liability; What types of businesses need professional liability insurance?; What’s covered… and what’s not (claims-made versus occurrence, defense and judgments, non-financial/intentional limits, BOP/in-home exclusion). Accessed 2026-09-16.
Get business insurance. U.S. Small Business Administration; Six common types of business insurance table. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Professional Liability – US Direct Errors and Omissions Insurance. Hiscox Inc. specimen; About this Policy / Coverage for Claims Made Against You; I.A Insuring Agreement; I.B Defense; I.C Settlement; II.A Notice of Claims; II.C Optional Extended Reporting Period; III.A, III.K, III.M, III.R, III.S Exclusions; IV.A–B Limits and Deductible; VI.O Professional Services; VI.U Wrongful Act. Accessed 2026-09-16.