Spot vs. Healthy Paws: Which is Better?

	4.5 View Rates	3.8 View Rates
Reimbursement	70%, 80%, or 90%	50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%
Reimbursement	Reimbursement
70%, 80%, or 90%	50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%
Benefit limit	$2,500, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, or unlimited	No maximum
Benefit limit	Benefit limit
$2,500, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, or unlimited	No maximum
Deductible	$100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000	$100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000
Deductible	Deductible
$100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000	$100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000
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About Spot and Healthy Paws

Spot and Healthy Paws are top choices in the pet insurance market, each offering robust coverage for pet owners. Spot is recognized for its customizable plans that cover routine and emergency care, along with optional wellness plans. Healthy Paws stands out for its comprehensive accident and illness coverage with unlimited benefits and no caps on payouts.

Pet owners consider Spot and Healthy Paws for their reliable and flexible insurance options. Spot appeals to those who want tailored coverage to fit specific needs, while Healthy Paws is favored for its straightforward, all-inclusive plans. Both companies aim to provide clear policies and peace of mind for pet owners.

When comparing the two, it’s important to evaluate coverage, flexibility, and benefits. Spot is ideal for those seeking customizable plans, whereas Healthy Paws is perfect for those who want comprehensive coverage without worrying about limits. Both ensure pets receive excellent care without financial strain.

Does Spot or Healthy Paws offer better coverage?

After reviewing a sample policy from each company, it was clear that Spot’s coverage included much more than Healthy Paws. While both companies cover the basics of accidents, illnesses, and emergency care, Spot stood out by also covering exam fees, behavioral issues, cosmetic procedures, and dietary supplements.

You can use the following table to see some things that are and aren’t covered under each company’s policy.

	Spot	Healthy Paws
Accidents	✅	✅
Alternative therapy	✅	✅
Behavioral issues	✅	❌
Boarding	❌	❌
Breeding	❌	❌
Cancer treatment	✅	✅
Chronic conditions	✅	✅
Congenital conditions	✅	✅
Cosmetic procedures	✅	❌
Dental injury	✅	✅
End of life expenses	✅	Unknown
Exam fees	✅	❌
Experimental treatment	❌	❌
Hereditary conditions	✅	✅
Illnesses	✅	✅
IV fluids and medications	✅	✅
Microchip implementation	✅	❌
MRI, CT scans, or X-rays	✅	✅
Pre-existing conditions	Only if curable	❌
Prescription food	✅*	❌
Prescription medications	✅	✅
Supplements	✅*	❌
Surgery and hospitalization	✅	✅
Tooth extractions	✅	✅

*Only to treat covered conditions.

Are policies from Spot or Healthy Paws more affordable?

We received several quotes through each company’s free online quote tool to determine whether Spot or Healthy Paws offered more affordable policies. After reviewing four quotes that included the same policy terms (benefit limit, reimbursement rate, and deductible), it was clear that Healthy Paws was able to provide more budget-friendly policies.

The cost difference between the two companies varied by $12.41 to $58.90 per month, depending on the quote submitted, but in all cases, Healthy Paws offered the more affordable policy.

It’s important to note that while Healthy Paws policies were more affordable when the terms were the same, Spot offered more customization allowing for pet owners to lower the price of a policy if needed. Spot policies also offer much broader coverage than Healthy Paws, likely explaining the reason for the higher price.

Here is a full breakdown of the different quotes we received and the monthly cost for each policy:

Quote one: A one-year old male Labrador Retriever in California

The policy details for this quote included unlimited payouts, an 80% reimbursement rate, and a $500 annual deductible.

Policy	Spot	Healthy Paws
Accident & illness	$88.34	$64.66*
Accident-only	$33.59	Not available
Wellness add-on	$9.95 or $24.95	Not available

*Healthy Paws added a note to this quote that said their policy may not be the best value and we should consider other options.

Quote two: A 10-month old female Australian Shepherd in New Jersey

The policy details for this quote included unlimited payouts, a 90% reimbursement rate, and a $250 annual deductible.

Policy	Spot	Healthy Paws
Accident & illness	$97.08	$38.18
Accident-only	$57.32	Not available
Wellness add-on	$9.95 or $24.95	Not available

Quote three: A two-year old male Persian in New Jersey

The policy details for this quote included unlimited payouts, a 70% reimbursement rate, and a $500 annual deductible.

Policy	Spot	Healthy Paws
Accident & illness	$32.80	$20.39
Accident-only	$18.60	Not available
Wellness add-on	$9.95 or $24.95	Not available

Quote four: A six-year old female Scottish Fold in California

The policy details for this quote included unlimited payouts, a 70% reimbursement rate, and a $500 annual deductible.

Policy	Spot	Healthy Paws
Accident & illness	$54.61	$31.61
Accident-only	$21.31	Not available
Wellness add-on	$9.95 or $24.95	Not available

Scenarios in which Spot or Healthy Paws are better

Now that we’ve reviewed the coverage offered by each company, and the cost of that coverage, let’s take a look at some different scenarios in which Spot or Healthy Paws are better than the other. If one of these scenarios is important to you, then it could help you determine which provider is best for you and your pet.

If you …	Consider
Want to customize your policy	Spot
Want to be reimbursed for preventive care	Spot
Want exam fees to be covered	Spot
Want an accident-only policy	Spot
You find years in business important	Healthy Paws
Have multiple pets	Spot

If you want to customize your policy

When we say “customize your policy,” we’re referring to your ability to choose your benefit limit, reimbursement rate, and deductible, amongst a range of options. This ability allows you to adjust the terms of your policy so that you get the coverage you desire, at a price you can afford.

What made Spot stand out over Healthy Paws in this scenario is that Healthy Paws only offers one benefit limit (albeit a desired one), while Spot offers six different options, including the one offered by Healthy Paws. Additionally, in many quotes we received, Healthy Paws offered a limited selection of terms compared to its full offering. It seemed that factors such as breed, age, and location were impacting the options available to us.

Winner

Spot

If you want to be reimbursed for preventive care

Pet insurance offers coverage for unexpected accidents and illnesses. This does not include things like wellness exams, vaccinations, or blood tests. That’s because these are considered forms of preventive care, and to be reimbursed for this type of care, you’ll need to add a wellness plan to your pet insurance policy.

If you’re interested in this add-on, Spot is your option. While Spot’s wellness plan earned a high rating by our team, the reason it was selected over Healthy Paws is simple: Healthy Paws doesn’t offer a wellness plan.

Winner

Spot

If you want exam fees to be covered

You may have assumed that all pet insurance policies would cover exam fees, but that’s actually not the case.

When it comes to Spot and Healthy Paws, Spot’s the only one to include these costs in its plan. Any exam fees for accidents or illnesses related to covered conditions will be covered. However, annual physical exams are not covered as these are considered preventative care and are covered by wellness plans.

Winner

Spot

If you want an accident-only policy

While the most common form of pet insurance is an accident & illness policy, many providers offer an additional option, called an accident-only policy. This policy, as the name implies, only covers unexpected accidents to your pet. Any illness your pet suffers from will not be covered under this plan.

A reason why some pet owners consider an accident-only policy is the lower monthly cost. This lower cost provides a middle ground between having no coverage and full coverage.

If you’re interested in this type of policy, you’ll want to go with Spot. Healthy Paws doesn’t offer an accident-only plan. You can see the price difference between Spot’s accident & illness policy and its accident-only policy through its free online quote tool or the quotes we received above.

Winner

Spot

If years in business is important

If you value experience, Healthy Paws is your choice. Healthy Paws has been providing pet insurance to pet parents since 2009. Spot, on the other hand, has only been in business since 2019.

It’s worth noting that Spot’s insurance plans are underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, which has been offering pet insurance through other brands for many years.

Winner

Healthy Paws

If you have multiple pets

If you plan to insure multiple pets at the same time, Spot offers a 10% multi-pet discount. Unfortunately, Healthy Paws doesn’t offer a multi-pet discount, so you’ll be paying full price even with multiple pets.

Winner

Spot

How we rated Spot and Healthy Paws

LendEDU’s editorial rating system is designed to help readers find companies that offer the best pet insurance. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms.

Spot and Healthy Paws were compared to several pet insurance companies, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Our take on each company is represented in our ratings and best-for designations, recapped below.

Product	Our rating
Spot	4.5/5
Healthy Paws	3.8/5