+120 more){kind=small}
J.J. Starr is an insurance and personal finance expert who has been writing for Compare.com since 2022. Her work has been published across the web, appearing on sites such as Insurify.
Prior to writing for Compare.com, J.J. was a registered banker and life insurance consultant, holding a Series 6, FINRA, and life insurance license. She also earned a master’s degree in writing from New York University.
J.J. has a passion for helping people save money by explaining complex topics like car insurance in a way that is simple and easy to understand.
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10+ years writing and editing insurance content
Published in Washington Post, LA Times, and more
Nick leads Compare.com's editorial team in creating helpful, easy-to-understand content about insurance and personal finance.
){kind=small}
Triple-I's media relations director
20+ years in insurance
Mark serves as a national spokesman for Triple-I. An insurance expert, he's an impartial, independent reviewer for Compare.
Updated
The Zebra is an insurance-comparison website that lets you shop for multiple insurance products in one place. This includes auto, home, and more. But The Zebra didn’t provide any real-time, instant quotes in our tests, and you’ll have to share your phone number to get quotes.
The Zebra doesn’t sell policies directly. Instead, it acts as an insurance agency, which can confuse some customers.
Here’s what to know before using The Zebra.
Online process takes minutes
Compares many insurance products
Offers calls from insurance agents
Can’t adjust coverage options on the quote screen
Some The Zebra customers report spam calls
Results can bias towards ads more than comparable quotes
The Zebra offers calls from insurance agents should you need one. It offers comparisons for auto, home, renters, life, pet, recreational vehicles, and business insurance. You can also compare quotes that bundle auto and homeowners insurance or auto and renters insurance.
You can customize your coverage options before getting quotes or use default policies (which include the most common coverage options). The company publishes a privacy policy, but some customers say they received too many follow-up calls from third parties.
The Zebra requires a phone number to get quotes, but we didn’t get any real-time, instant quotes in our tests, even after providing a phone number and email.
The Zebra is an online insurance-comparison tool that provides quotes for car, home, renters, and other insurance policies. Founded in 2012, The Zebra’s mission is to “empower consumers.”
Positive customer reviews often mention its insurance agents. Negative reviews mention receiving few or no quotes, as well as unwanted spam calls from third parties.
See quotes from top companies side by side.
The quote process starts on The Zebra’s homepage. The form will require you to enter a ZIP code, driving record, and other details.
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The Zebra provides an outline on the left side of the screen showing the process.)
Select the coverage package, including the option to customize it, before getting the quote.)
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In this example, the lowest quote from Root Insurance is $100 per month. But because Root is a usage-based insurance company, that price may change over time as the company factors in real driving data.)
Not every user will see quotes. The Zebra didn’t provide any real-time, instant quotes in our tests.)
The Zebra receives 4.7 out of 5 stars from Trustpilot and 2.2 stars out of 5 from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Reviews are mixed. Positive reviews often say customers found a lower rate with a new insurer.
Many positive reviews mention specific Zebra insurance agents customers worked with to get their new policies.
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On the negative side, some reviewers report receiving only one quote (or none) — essentially, not enough quotes to actually compare. A more significant issue: Several reviews and complaints mention issues with spam — not only receiving spam, but also figuring out how to stop receiving phone calls from third parties.
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The Zebra and Compare.com offered fairly similar car insurance quote-comparison experiences. But The Zebra didn’t provide real-time, instant quotes in our tests.
Both companies allow you to customize the coverage options and coverage limits for your quote. Compare.com allows you to customize your options on the quote screen, which makes it easier to compare car insurance rates based on your coverage levels. You can do the same with The Zebra; you just need to use the back button and adjust there before rerunning your quotes.
The Zebra made it easier to contact or be contacted by an agent and pushes towards phone calls, but Compare.com lets you adjust your coverage on the quote screen so you can compare rates in fewer steps.
Here’s a side-by-side overview of the two quote-comparison companies.
Compare.com | The Zebra | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of quotes | 8 | 8 |
| Cheapest quote | $134 | $168 |
| Trustpilot rating | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| BBB accreditation | Accredited since 2015 | Accredited since 2025 |
Compare partners with top insurers for real-time quotes.
Though The Zebra may not immediately spam you with emails or calls, the company appears to have at least some spammy practices. Most of the complaints filed with the BBB website are about spammy practices, like nonstop phone calls and difficulty in getting the spam to stop.
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But The Zebra’s privacy policy states that it doesn’t share your phone number with third parties unless you initiate phone contact, and that follow-up outreach typically comes from insurers rather than The Zebra itself. As with most quote-comparison platforms, the amount of follow-up you receive may depend on your opt-in choices during the quote process.
If you’re considering using The Zebra for getting car insurance quotes, these quick answers to the most common questions should help you decide if The Zebra is a good option.
Yes. The Zebra uses a guided intake form to gather the important details needed to get quotes. But The Zebra requires a phone number to get quotes, and it didn’t provide real-time, instant quotes in Compare.com’s tests.
The Zebra is a legitimate auto insurance comparison site, but some users may not receive actual quotes. We got inconsistent results when testing The Zebra’s comparison tool, with some sample profiles receiving no real-time quotes at all, while others received just one or two. The company publishes a privacy policy, but using the site can lead to follow-up contact that some customers have called spammy.
Yes. The Zebra is a real company, but some users may not see real quotes after using it. The Zebra didn’t provide real-time quotes in some of our testing. While it doesn’t underwrite policies, it can help you secure a new insurance policy from a legitimate insurance company with or without the help of an insurance agent.
No. The Zebra doesn’t charge fees for using its comparison tool.
The Zebra itself doesn’t run your credit. But some insurers may perform a soft credit pull when generating quotes, which doesn’t affect your credit score.
Insurify is the better choice if you want real-time quotes. The Zebra didn’t provide real-time, instant quotes in one Compare.com test and only a limited number of quotes in another test. Insurify shows real-time quotes from its partner insurers.
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J.J. Starr is an insurance and personal finance expert who has been writing for Compare.com since 2022. Her work has been published across the web, appearing on sites such as Insurify.
Prior to writing for Compare.com, J.J. was a registered banker and life insurance consultant, holding a Series 6, FINRA, and life insurance license. She also earned a master’s degree in writing from New York University.
J.J. has a passion for helping people save money by explaining complex topics like car insurance in a way that is simple and easy to understand.
10+ years writing and editing insurance content
Published in Washington Post, LA Times, and more
Nick leads Compare.com's editorial team in creating helpful, easy-to-understand content about insurance and personal finance.
Triple-I's media relations director
20+ years in insurance
Mark serves as a national spokesman for Triple-I. An insurance expert, he's an impartial, independent reviewer for Compare.
At Compare.com, it’s our mission to give you the tools to find the best (and most affordable) insurance for your unique needs and budget. We strive to provide information that’s helpful, clear, and unbiased, and we believe that comparing insurance companies should never put you at risk of spam. Our editorial team — which is made up of experienced writers, editors, insurance agents, and data analysts — has spent thousands of hours researching and creating the coverage overviews, side-by-side comparisons, and detailed reviews you see across our site.
While we make money through partnerships with some of the brands we discuss in our articles, our editorial team operates 100% independently, and these partners never influence or affect the topics, reviews, ratings, or recommendations we provide. We never guarantee favorable reviews or mentions in exchange for compensation from any brands or partners, and we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure our content is always independent, truthful, and unbiased.