SmartFinancial
SmartFinancial is a digital insurance comparison marketplace founded in 2012 that connects U.S. consumers with 200+ insurance carriers and 6,500+ agents across all 50 states, earning revenue from agents and carriers who pay for leads, calls, and clicks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersCosta Mesa, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What SmartFinancial does
SmartFinancial is a digital insurance comparison marketplace that operates a two-sided B2B2C platform connecting U.S. consumers shopping for insurance with a network of 200+ insurance carriers and 6,500+ licensed insurance agents. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Newport Beach, California (with a secondary office in Columbus, Ohio), the company is privately held as SmartFinancial.com Insurance LLC, an Ohio LLC. The platform is free for consumers, who answer questions through a single digital intake and receive quotes across multiple lines including Auto, Home, Renters, Life, Health, Medicare, Commercial, and Motorcycle insurance, with coverage available across all 50 U.S. states.
The underlying technology consists of a proprietary matching and lead-routing engine that processes consumer applications and distributes leads, phone calls, and clicks to agents and carriers in real time based on geography, demographics, budget, and coverage type. The consumer-facing SmartFinancial.com site is supported by an Agent Portal (agents.smartfinancial.com) and a Pro portal (pro.smartfinancial.com) that provide partners with campaign controls, CPC bidding, performance analytics, and billing. A large SEO-driven content library (insurance guides, company reviews, state-by-state pricing data) functions as the primary top-of-funnel acquisition channel.
Revenue is generated on the supply side from agents and carriers who pay on a cost-per-lead, cost-per-call, and cost-per-click basis via a bid-based marketplace with no long-term contracts. Agents make non-refundable deposits, set their own CPC bids, and auto-rebill when balances drop. Pricing includes a 2.95% credit card convenience fee and inactivity fees on dormant positive balances. The company serves an estimated 15 million+ consumers annually. Leadership includes founder and CEO Lev Barinskiy, COO Brad Cooper, CFO Ryan Lockwood, CRO Michael Foster, CTO Nathan Kropp, and SVP Marketing Michael Orefice. The company has received the WebAward for Best Insurance Website and has been recognized multiple times as a Best Place to Work in Southern California.
SmartFinancial firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmartFinancial
- Legal name
- SmartFinancial.com Insurance LLC
- Website
- https://smartfinancial.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- SmartFinancial is a digital insurance comparison marketplace founded in 2012 that connects U.S. consumers with 200+ insurance carriers and 6,500+ agents across all 50 states, earning revenue from agents and carriers who pay for leads, calls, and clicks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmartFinancial industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Insurance Comparison Marketplace
- NAICS
- Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Distribution & Comparison Platforms (Aggregators/Marketplaces) (FSAGAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Medicare Plan Distribution & Brokerage (Captive, Independent, FMOs) (FSAIAGAH)
Keywords
Where SmartFinancial is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Costa Mesa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SmartFinancial business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Lead/Call/Click Sales to Agents: Insurance agents and carriers pay for leads, phone calls, and clicks generated from consumers actively shopping for insurance. Pricing is bid-based with agents setting their own CPC bids. Payment is made in advance via credit card with auto-rebilling when balance is low.
- Marketplace Commission: SmartFinancial acts as an insurance comparison marketplace receiving payment from insurance companies and agents when consumers are connected through the platform.
- Insurance Carrier Network Fees: Revenue generated from the network of 200+ insurance companies and 6,500 insurance agent partners who pay for access to consumer leads.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-per-Lead/Call/Click Model for Agents |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free for Consumers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
SmartFinancial product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SmartFinancial operates a digital insurance comparison marketplace that lets U.S. consumers enter information once and receive quotes from over 200 insurance carriers across auto, home, renters, health, life, Medicare, commercial, and motorcycle insurance. The service is free for consumers and generates revenue by selling leads, phone calls, and clicks to a network of 6,500+ licensed insurance agents and carriers through a dedicated B2B Agent Portal with real-time bid-based pricing and analytics.
Product overview
SmartFinancial operates as a digital insurance comparison marketplace offering a unified platform for consumers to compare insurance quotes across multiple categories. The core offering is the SmartFinancial Insurance Marketplace, which aggregates quotes from over 200 insurance companies through a single digital intake process. The platform is complemented by the SmartFinancial Agent Portal, a partner platform for insurance agents and carriers providing lead generation, real-time analytics, and campaign management tools. The product portfolio includes specialized comparison tools for Auto, Home, Health, Life, Medicare, Renters, Commercial, and Motorcycle insurance, along with educational content resources to help consumers understand coverage options. SmartFinancial serves all 50 U.S. states and connects consumers with a network of licensed insurance carriers and agents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SmartFinancial Insurance Marketplace Digital insurance comparison marketplace where U.S. consumers answer a single set of questions and receive quotes from 200+ insurance carriers across auto, home, renters, life, health, Medicare, commercial, and motorcycle insurance lines in all 50 states. Free for consumers; revenue generated from agents and carriers who pay for leads, calls, and clicks.
- SmartFinancial Agent Portal B2B partner platform connecting insurance agents and carriers with 6,500+ agent partners and 15M+ annual insurance shoppers. Agents and carriers create accounts, set budgets, configure demographic, geographic, and insurance-type filters, bid on leads/calls/clicks on a CPC basis, and receive real-time lead delivery, analytics, and campaign performance tracking. No long-term contracts required.
Companies that use SmartFinancial
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SmartFinancial technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
SmartFinancial partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ProgressivecoreMajor insurance carrier partner in SmartFinancial's marketplace network. Consumers can compare Progressive auto insurance quotes alongside other carriers on the platform.
- AllstatecoreInsurance carrier partner in SmartFinancial's marketplace. Allstate coverage options are available for comparison through the platform.
- NationwidecoreInsurance carrier partner enabling consumers to compare Nationwide insurance rates on SmartFinancial's platform.
- Liberty MutualcoreInsurance carrier partner whose products are featured in SmartFinancial's insurance comparison marketplace.
- 21st CenturycoreInsurance carrier partner in SmartFinancial's marketplace network offering auto insurance products.
- MetLifecoreInsurance carrier partner featured in SmartFinancial's marketplace for insurance comparison.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SmartFinancial competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Zebra: The Zebra is a digital insurance comparison marketplace that lets consumers compare auto, home, and other insurance quotes from multiple carriers. It is the closest direct competitor to SmartFinancial, operating the same B2B2C agent/carrier-funded marketplace model.
- PolicyGenius: PolicyGenius is an online insurance marketplace (owned by Zillow Group) that aggregates life, home, auto, disability, and renters insurance from multiple carriers. It overlaps directly with SmartFinancial across the multi-line consumer comparison use case, especially in life insurance.
- EverQuote: EverQuote (NASDAQ: EVER) operates an online insurance marketplace that connects consumers with insurance providers, monetizing via leads sold to agents and carriers. It is a publicly traded direct peer in the insurance lead-generation marketplace category.
- SelectQuote: SelectQuote (NYSE: SLQT) is a direct-to-consumer insurance distribution platform specializing in life, auto, home, and Medicare policies. It competes with SmartFinancial in the senior and life insurance verticals and shares the marketplace/lead-gen monetization model.
- Insurify: Insurify is an AI-driven insurance comparison and shopping platform offering auto, home, life, and other lines across multiple carriers. It is a direct competitor to SmartFinancial in the digital insurance aggregator space.
- GoHealth: GoHealth (NASDAQ: GOCO) is a Medicare-focused health insurance marketplace connecting consumers with Medicare Advantage and Supplement plans via a network of agents. It directly overlaps with SmartFinancial's Medicare comparison vertical and the agent-funded lead model.
- CoverWallet: CoverWallet (acquired by Aon) is an online commercial insurance marketplace that helps small businesses compare quotes for liability, workers' comp, and other coverages. It directly parallels SmartFinancial's commercial insurance comparison offering for the SMB segment.
Broad incumbents
- LendingTree: LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE) operates a broader financial services marketplace that includes insurance (auto, home, life) comparison via its QuoteWizard and ValuePenguin brands. It is a larger, more diversified incumbent competing with SmartFinancial in insurance comparison and lead generation.
- MediaAlpha: MediaAlpha (NYSE: MAX) operates a customer acquisition marketplace powering real-time bidding for insurance, health, and other verticals. It serves the same insurance agent/carrier demand side that SmartFinancial addresses, but as a broader B2B platform rather than a consumer-facing comparison site.
- QuoteWizard: QuoteWizard (a LendingTree company) is an insurance comparison marketplace connecting consumers with auto, home, and other insurance carriers. It overlaps directly with SmartFinancial's auto and home comparison verticals under a larger parent organization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SmartFinancial social profiles
Digital presenceSmartFinancial financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmartFinancial leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
SmartFinancial funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmartFinancial M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmartFinancial
What does SmartFinancial do?
SmartFinancial operates a digital insurance comparison marketplace that lets U.S. consumers enter information once and receive quotes from over 200 insurance carriers across auto, home, renters, health, life, Medicare, commercial, and motorcycle insurance. The service is free for consumers and generates revenue by selling leads, phone calls, and clicks to a network of 6,500+ licensed insurance agents and carriers through a dedicated B2B Agent Portal with real-time bid-based pricing and analytics.
Is SmartFinancial a public or private company?
SmartFinancial is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SmartFinancial founded?
SmartFinancial was founded in 2012. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is SmartFinancial based?
SmartFinancial is headquartered in Costa Mesa, United States, in the North America region.
How does SmartFinancial make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Lead/Call/Click Sales to Agents are the primary driver. The others are marketplace Commission and insurance Carrier Network Fees.
Who are SmartFinancial's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Zebra, PolicyGenius, EverQuote, SelectQuote, Insurify, GoHealth and CoverWallet. Broad incumbents are LendingTree, MediaAlpha and QuoteWizard.
Does SmartFinancial have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmartFinancial.
What industry is SmartFinancial in?
SmartFinancial's product category is Insurance Comparison Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAGAA, Digital Distribution & Comparison Platforms (Aggregators/Marketplaces), with a secondary code of FSAIAGAH, Medicare Plan Distribution & Brokerage (Captive, Independent, FMOs). Its NAICS code is 5242 and its SIC code is 6411.