Certificial vs 1099Policy

Certificial tracks certificates. 1099Policy gets them for contractors who have none.

Certificial connects to your vendors' agents, so a certificate updates when the policy behind it changes. That depends on the vendor having a policy and an agent. Independent contractors often have neither. Eligible contractors can pick up coverage for the assignment through 1099Policy, in their own name, with the certificate issued before work starts.

Book a walkthrough →How COI tracking works

What each tool doesWhere they differPricingUsing both

Side by side

What each one does.

Feature	CertificialTracks certificates	1099PolicyPlaces coverage
What it's for	Tracking and monitoring certificates from vendors and suppliers	Getting US contractors insured for the work, and proving it
Checks certificates?	Yes: requests, reads, and monitors them, with endorsement tracking	Yes, automatically during onboarding, against each assignment's requirements
How it stays current	Connects to the vendor's agent or broker through their agency management system	Holds the policy it issues, so the status is known without a third party
Contractor has no policy?	No agent to connect to. Fixing it is up to you	Eligible contractors get covered for the assignment before work starts
Provides insurance?	No, software only	Yes: workers' comp, general liability, and specialty lines, per assignment
Pricing (Sep 2026)	Not published	Two costs, two payers. The contractor pays the premium as the named insured; you pay for platform access, quoted at program setup
Best fit	Suppliers who already carry annual policies and work with a broker	Contractor rosters where some people show up uninsured

The honest version

When Certificial is the better tool.

If the people you hire are established businesses with annual policies and a broker, Certificial keeps a live line to that broker and we do not. If your problem is stale certificates from suppliers who already carry insurance, Certificial is the better tool. The two also run together: certificates issued through 1099Policy can be tracked wherever you already track certificates.

Certificial details on this page are from what the company publishes, September 2026.

How 1099Policy handles it

Two kinds of contractors, one onboarding.

Already insured

They upload their certificate. We check limits, dates, and named parties against the assignment. Pass and they're cleared; fail and you know why.

See automated COI review →

Not insured

Eligible contractors pick up coverage for the assignment while they onboard, in their own name, with the certificate issued before day one.

See how it fits together →

About the coverage. Written per assignment in the contractor's own name and backed by a licensed carrier. Available to eligible contractors, subject to underwriting, the type of work, and the state. Workers' comp covers 46 states; North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming run their own state funds. Construction trades are not covered. Insurance does not change how a worker is classified.

Illustrative example

Forty freelancers, two different problems.

A brand's in-house content team engages 40 freelancers a quarter. Twenty-eight are production companies and studios with annual policies and a broker on file. Twelve are individual editors, retouchers, and photographers with no policy and no broker.

Certificial keeps the first twenty-eight current, and does it well. The other twelve have nothing for it to monitor, so today they either start uninsured or the start date slips while someone chases paperwork. Eligible contractors in that second group pick up assignment coverage during onboarding, and both groups end with a certificate on file.

Common questions

What teams ask when they compare Certificial.

What each tool does, what it costs, who pays, and what happens when a contractor has no policy.

No. Certificial monitors coverage that already exists by connecting to the vendor's agent or broker. 1099Policy places coverage for eligible contractors who do not have a policy. Many programs need both.

Yes. Certificates issued through 1099Policy can be collected and tracked wherever you already track certificates.

No. What Certificial publishes describes certificate tracking, policy monitoring, and endorsement tracking. It does not place coverage for a contractor who has none.

Certificial does not publish pricing. Ask them directly rather than relying on a number from a comparison page.

Two costs, and they sit with different parties. The contractor pays the premium as the named insured, carrier-rated against the engagement; platforms often remit it out of the contractor's payout, but it stays the contractor's cost. Platform access is billed to the hiring platform and quoted at program setup. See pricing

Workers' comp is available in 46 states. North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming run their own state funds, so coverage is bought from the state there. Construction trades are not covered.

Insurance does not determine how a worker is classified. Classification turns on the whole relationship and the test that applies in your state, and should be reviewed with counsel. In New Jersey, from October 1 2026, coverage a company requires or encourages a contractor to carry does not count as evidence of independence under N.J.A.C. 12:11. What changes in New Jersey

Call to action section for 1099Policy

Know who's covered. Cover who isn't.

Certificate checks for the insured, coverage for the eligible uninsured, and the paperwork done before work starts.

Book a walkthrough →See the myCOI comparison

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