How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Despite the keyword, these are home warranty service contracts, not insurance: they pay to repair or replace appliances and systems that fail from wear and tear, under contract terms.
- American Home Shield is the market standard, with plans roughly 36 to 100 dollars a month, service fees of 100 to 125 dollars a claim, and rare cover for undetected pre existing conditions.
- Choice Home Warranty holds combo plans under 70 dollars a month with a 100 dollar fee, while First American offers the highest appliance limits, up to 7,000 dollars, at the highest prices.
- Read the exclusions before the brochure: payout caps per item, maintenance and misuse clauses, and claim denials are where these contracts are won and lost.
Quick comparison
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best home appliance insurance companies
#1
American Home Shield
Best for: Broad coverage and older homes
Visit ahs.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- American Home Shield is the category's benchmark, with about 2 million customers, a contractor network of more than 16,000 providers, and three plan tiers across systems and appliances in 49 states. Buyers choose their service fee, 100 or 125 dollars, trading it against the monthly premium, quoted roughly 36 to 100 dollars a month. Its distinguishing cover includes undetected pre existing conditions and failures from lack of maintenance on its terms, and HVAC cover up to 5,000 dollars per system, which is why older homes gravitate to it.
Watch out for- Workmanship is guaranteed for only 30 days, trailing Choice's 60. Per item caps still apply under the headline term limit, so a premium appliance can be underpaid against replacement cost. Premiums at the top of its range are among the highest here, and claim experience varies by local contractor quality, which no national brand fully controls.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Choice sells simplicity: two plans bundling systems and appliances at consistent prices regardless of location, quoted at 60 to 68 dollars a month, with a fixed 100 dollar service fee, cover up to 3,000 dollars for most items, a 90 day parts guarantee, and a 60 day labour guarantee that beats the market standard. It operates in 49 states, excluding Washington. For a homeowner who wants one predictable number, Choice is the value pick of the big brands.
Watch out for- The Basic plan excludes air conditioning, the refrigerator, and laundry appliances, so most buyers need the Total plan. Monthly payments carry a 2.50 dollar fee. Choice also carries regulatory history worth knowing: it settled with Arizona for 11.8 million dollars in a settlement announced in February 2026, while denying the allegations, and with New Jersey in 2015. Read its current contract terms with that context.
#3
First American Home Warranty
Best for: High value appliances and high limits
Visit firstam.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- First American is the limits leader: top tier plans cover up to 7,000 dollars per appliance, the highest here, with no total term cap on higher plans in published comparisons, and its Advantage upgrade covers code violations and improper installation or modification, two of the standard denial reasons elsewhere. Plumbing cover reaches stoppages up to 125 feet from the home. Service fees run 75 to 125 dollars by plan. Homes with premium appliances and older plumbing get the most from it.
Watch out for- It is also among the most expensive, quoted at 77 to 130 dollars a month. Availability covers only 36 states. Its workmanship guarantee is 30 days. For a newer home with standard appliances, the extra limits insure against losses that were never likely, and a cheaper plan or a savings fund does the same job.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Liberty Home Guard sells in all 50 states with appliances, systems, and combo plans quoted around 57 to 68 dollars a month and a long optional add on list, so a plan can be shaped around the home you actually have, pool, well pump, second refrigerator, rather than a fixed bundle. Service fees are set inside your quote, typically 65 to 125 dollars. Its customisation suits owners whose risk sits in specific extras.
Watch out for- Per item cover is around 2,000 dollars, below First American and Choice on the items that matter most. Its BBB rating in October 2026 comparisons sits at D plus, the weakest shown among the big names here, which deserves a question during purchase even though a rating is not a claims record. Add on pricing means the headline quote grows as the plan becomes useful.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Cinch, part of the Cross Country Home Services family, offers three combo plans with a published term limit of 10,000 dollars in current comparisons, above several rivals, plus bundled extras such as locksmith reimbursement and a home insurance deductible reimbursement feature on some plans. Service fees run 100 to 150 dollars. Its plans suit owners who think in annual exposure rather than per item arithmetic.
Watch out for- Its service fees are the highest band here, at up to 150 dollars a visit. Per item caps still exist under the term limit, so read the item table, not the headline. Brand recognition trails AHS and Choice, which matters less than contractor density in your ZIP, which you should ask about directly before buying.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- AFC Home Club breaks the category's most disliked rule: members can choose their own licensed technician instead of accepting the assigned contractor, and be reimbursed under the claim terms. It offers four plans across appliances and combos, service fees of 75 to 125 dollars, and longer workmanship guarantees than the 30 day standard in its marketing. Homeowners in areas with thin contractor networks, or with a trusted local firm, get real value from the choice.
Watch out for- Per item cover sits around 2,000 dollars, and you front the coordination yourself, scheduling, paying, and claiming back, which is work the full service brands absorb. It is not sold in California, Hawaii, or Washington. Reimbursement models pay after the fact, so cash flow matters during a breakdown.
#7
America's Preferred Home Warranty
Best for: Low service fee option
Visit aphw.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- America's Preferred runs one combo plan with a service fee you choose at 50 or 100 dollars, the 50 dollar option being the lowest published fee here, and it also lets you choose your own licensed contractor for claims. Heating and cooling cover is published up to 2,250 dollars per system. For a homeowner whose main fear is frequent small claims, the low fee changes the annual maths.
Watch out for- That per system cap of 2,250 dollars is low against a full HVAC replacement, so the low fee pairs with low limits. A single plan shape means no cheaper systems only entry point. Its waiting period is confirmed at purchase rather than standardised, so read the confirmation terms before assuming cover dates.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Select advertises some of the lowest monthly prices in the category, around 60 to 64 dollars a month before the discounts it frequently promotes, with appliances, systems, and combo plans and a free roof leak add on in many offers. For a buyer comparing on premium alone, Select wins the first glance. Its plan structure is simple to quote online.
Watch out for- The caps explain the price: published comparisons put its appliance cover at about 500 dollars per item, a fraction of rivals, and HVAC at 3,000 dollars, with service fees ranging widely from 65 to 200 dollars. A 500 dollar cap on a refrigerator replacement is a discount coupon, not cover. Select is included here as the cautionary example of why this guide reads caps before premiums.
How we chose
We compared the national providers a US homeowner would realistically be quoted, using October 2026 published plan ranges, service fees, per item caps, state availability, and workmanship guarantees from independent comparisons that read the companies' own terms. Regulatory history and ratings are included where a matter of public record, because in a claims based product, how a company has behaved under complaint is product information. We judged every company on the same exclusions lens stated in the introduction.
How to choose the right home appliance insurance company
Do the arithmetic on your own house before reading brochures. List your systems and appliances with their ages: a home with a 15 year old HVAC system, a 12 year old water heater, and kitchen appliances past ten years is the profile these contracts exist for, and American Home Shield's pre existing condition stance or First American's limits fit it. A home under five years old, with manufacturer warranties still running, is usually better served by a savings fund you control, because the contract would exclude or duplicate much of its risk.
Then compare three numbers per finalist, not one: the annual premium, the service fee, and the per item cap on your two most expensive covered items, and read the exclusions page for maintenance, rust, and access costs against those same items. Ask how dense the contractor network is in your ZIP and what happens if no contractor is available, since the best contract fails at the dispatch step. Check your state regulator's complaint record, since states license and oversee these companies and publish the data. If you buy, diary the waiting period end date, keep maintenance records to defeat the easiest denial, and review at renewal like any insurance line. Prices and terms are October 2026 published figures and vary by state and home.
Frequently asked questions
Is a home warranty the same as homeowners insurance?
No. Homeowners insurance covers sudden, accidental events, fire, storm damage, theft, and liability to others. A home warranty is a service contract covering breakdowns from normal wear and tear of systems and appliances, paying for repair or a capped contribution to replacement. The California Department of Insurance makes the same distinction in its consumer guidance. Most owners who carry both use them for entirely different phone calls.
What do these contracts usually not cover?
Pre existing faults, damage from weather and disasters, cosmetic damage, routine maintenance, items still under manufacturer warranty, and failures the company attributes to neglect, rust, corrosion, or bad installation, though some plans sell upgrades that soften specific exclusions, as First American's Advantage does. Many also exclude the cost of getting to the problem, opening walls, permits, and hauling the old unit away. The exclusions page of your specific contract is the only version that counts.
Do I pay the service fee if the claim is denied?
Usually yes: the major companies here charge the fee for the technician's visit whether the repair is approved or not, per current consumer reviews of their terms. That makes the fee part of the price of finding out, and it is worth asking the question explicitly before buying, along with what counts as one claim when two things are broken.
What happens when a repair costs more than the cap?
The company pays up to the cap and you pay the rest, or in some contracts the company offers a cash payout at the cap instead of the repair or replacement. On a 3,000 dollar cap and a 9,000 dollar HVAC replacement, the contract has softened the bill, not covered it, which is why this guide treats the per item cap as the most important number in the contract. Some companies let you choose a replacement they supply instead, which can be better or worse than the cash.
Is a home warranty worth it for a rental property or a home sale?
It is commonly bought in both cases: sellers and agents include a year of cover to reassure buyers about ageing systems, with cover starting at closing and no waiting period, and landlords use plans to convert unpredictable repairs into a known premium plus fees. Judge it as the buyer of the risk would: read the caps against the property's oldest systems, and remember the tenant's experience of the contractor network becomes your reputation.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.
Choice Home Warranty
Liberty Home Guard
Cinch Home Services
AFC Home Club
Select Home Warranty