June 4, 2026
biBERK vs NEXT Insurance — the data, side by side
These are the two heavyweight-backed digital carriers: biBERK is Berkshire Hathaway's direct-to-small-business brand; NEXT is Munich Re's (via ERGO, fully acquired July 2025). Both sell cheap, fast, online-first coverage to the same micro-business buyer — and both, on the regulator's data, generate more complaints than their size predicts.
So the choice isn't "the good one vs the bad one." It's which trade-offs fit your business. Here's the full data table, then where each one actually wins.
The numbers, side by side
All figures as compiled June 2026; full sourcing on each review page.
| biBERK | NEXT Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Berkshire Hathaway | ERGO / Munich Re (100% since Jul 2025) |
| AM Best | A++ (Superior) — top rating | A+ (Superior, upgraded Sep 2025) |
| NAIC complaints | Far more than expected, GL & property 2022–24 (NerdWallet's lowest complaint score) | Index 1.63 in 2025 — 63% above expected (our NAIC CIS pull, cocode 16285) |
| Trustpilot | 3.7 / 5 (~2,460 reviews, sharply split) | 4.4 / 5 (~1,400 reviews) |
| BBB | A+ accredited | A+ accredited |
| GL from | ~$27.50/mo | ~$25–45/mo (+$3.99/mo service fee) |
| Availability | PL nationwide; BOP/GL ~28 states; auto ~21 | All 50 states + DC |
| Commercial auto | Yes (in ~21 states) | Placed via Progressive |
| Dominant gripe | Billing/collections friction, slow human follow-up | Denial-by-exclusion, renewal hikes, no phone path |
Where biBERK wins
The balance sheet and the price. A++ is AM Best's highest grade — nobody doubts a Berkshire company can pay — and the direct-purchase discount makes biBERK one of the cheapest quotes for professional liability and workers' comp specifically. If your need is a straightforward PL or WC policy and you'll never call support, biBERK is hard to beat on cost-per-unit-of-solvency.
Where NEXT wins
Breadth and onboarding. NEXT writes every line in every state, issues certificates of insurance instantly (its single most-praised feature), and its 4.4 Trustpilot reflects a genuinely better buying-and-managing experience than biBERK's 3.7. For contractors who live on COIs or businesses needing several lines in one place, NEXT is the more usable product — with eyes open about its exclusion-heavy fine print at claim time.
The shared weakness
Both carriers' complaint records run worse than their size predicts (2022–24 NAIC data; NEXT's 2025 index 1.63). The themes differ — biBERK's complaints cluster on billing and collections, NEXT's on claim denials tied to exclusions and per-project caps — but neither is the carrier you pick *because* of its claims reputation. If claims behavior is your deciding criterion, The Hartford's sub-1.0 complaint index is the benchmark both fail to meet, at a higher price and an older-school buying experience.
Our verdicts are opinion on the disclosed data — check the compare tool to weigh all eight insurers on the criteria that matter to you.
Common questions
Is biBERK really part of Berkshire Hathaway?
Yes — biBERK is the direct-to-small-business retail brand of Berkshire Hathaway's insurance group, writing on Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company paper with an AM Best A++ rating.
Is NEXT Insurance still independent?
No — Munich Re's ERGO Group completed a 100% acquisition in July 2025 at a $2.6B valuation, and AM Best upgraded NEXT to A+ that September. The brand operates as ERGO NEXT.
Which is cheaper, biBERK or NEXT?
They overlap: biBERK advertises GL from ~$27.50/mo with a direct-purchase discount; NEXT runs ~$25–45/mo but adds a $3.99 monthly service fee and ~2% card fee. For professional liability and workers' comp specifically, biBERK often quotes lower; quotes vary by business, so the only real answer is both quotes side by side.
Keep reading
Disclosure: some links to insurers may be affiliate links — if you get a quote through them we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. That never changes the data: complaint figures, ratings and review themes are reported as published, sources cited and dated. We are not an insurance agent or broker, and nothing here is advice. How we score