Prudential vs. MetLife life insurance

These two mammoth providers offer term and universal coverage. But a policy with MetLife is only available through your employee unless you opt for its Brighthouse Financial brand. Compare availability, price point and customer satisfaction before making your final pick.

Life insurance products

MetLife’s products run the gamut of what’s out there, while Prudential zeros in on term, universal and variable plans.

Product	Description	Prudential	MetLife
Term	Most affordable option and beneficiaries get paid if you die before the policy ends
Whole	Set premiums and a benefit that builds cash value over time
Universal	Flexible premiums and a benefit that builds cash value over time
Variable	Flexible premiums, plus a range of investment options to grow cash over time
Final expense	Meant to cover end-of-life expenses, such as a funeral
		Read Review	Read Review

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Costs

The exact cost of your life insurance policy depends on personal factors such as your age, health and gender. MetLife doesn’t publish information about its rates, so you’ll need to contact an agent to get a quote.

Here’s a glimpse of Prudential’s average monthly rates, depending on your age and gender.

Nonsmokers: Policy amount $250,000

Gender	Age	Prudential	MetLife
Male	20	$22.53	N/A
Male	30	$20.34	N/A
Male	40	$24.50	N/A

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Gender	Age	Prudential	MetLife
Female	20	$15.97	N/A
Female	30	$17.21	N/A
Female	40	$22.53	N/A

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Smokers: Policy amount $250,000

Gender	Age	Prudential	MetLife
Male	20	$39.38	N/A
Male	30	$45.28	N/A
Male	40	$75.69	N/A

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Gender	Age	Prudential	MetLife
Female	20	$28.66	N/A
Female	30	$36.97	N/A
Female	40	$62.13	N/A

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Rates include all states except New York and Montana. Quotacy data is valid as of May 2018.

Policy riders

Life insurance riders fill in the gaps where regular coverage might fall short. Browse the riders offered by Prudential and MetLife to ensure they have what you’re looking for.

	Prudential	MetLife
Accelerated death benefit
Accidental death
Disability waiver of premium
Chronic and terminal care
Cash value
Child Protection		*
Survivorship (joint policies)
Guaranteed policy split (joint policies)
Estate protection (joint policies)
	Read Review	Read Review

*While MetLife doesn’t offer child protection riders, its Dependent Term Life plan can provide coverage for eligible children.

While MetLife doesn’t offer child protection riders, its Dependent Term Life plan can provide coverage for eligible children. Also, MetLife falls short on joint policy riders because it does not, in fact, offer joint policies.

Comparisons based on data available July 2019

Financial strength

Credit rating agencies analyze the health of a provider by looking at financial stability, operational excellence and risk management strategies. Here’s how MetLife and Prudential stack up:

	Prudential	MetLife	Winner
A.M. Best	A+	A	Prudential
Moody’s	AA-	A3	Prudential
Standard & Poor’s	Aa3	A+	Prudential
Fitch	AA-	A	Prudential
JD Power	About average	Better than most	MetLife

Customer reviews

Prudential and MetLife’s Better Business Bureau profiles lend an idea of how responsible its customer service team is toward customer complaints:

	BBB Rating	Customer Reviews	Overall
Prudential	D-	1 out of 5 stars	The BBB records 69 complaints over the past three years, but Prudential hasn’t responded to all of them — which is the reason behind its poor rating.
MetLife	A+	1 1/3 out of 5 stars	Of 502 complaints issued over the last 3 years, MetLife has resolved each one. This high level of responsiveness earns it an “A+” rating.

Bottom line

Prudential and MetLife are both stable insurers with a solid industry reputation, but MetLife is only available through an employer. If either option doesn’t suit your needs, compare life insurance providers to find a better fit.

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Name	Product	Issue age	Minimum Coverage	Maximum Coverage	Term Lengths	Medical Exam Required
Bestow		18 - 60 years old	$50,000	$1,500,000	10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years	No	Get a quote in less than 10 minutes with on-the-spot approval and no medical exam.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Haven Life		18 - 64 years old	$100,000	$3,000,000	10, 15, 20, or 30 years	No exams for some applicants	Fill out a quick online application and get approval in minutes with up to $3 million in coverage.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Sproutt		18 - 100 years old	$50,000	$10,000,000	5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years	No	Compare 40+ insurers and apply online to get the lowest possible price — no medical exam required.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Ladder		20 - 60 years old	$100,000	$8,000,000	10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years	Depends on policy	Apply for term life insurance online without the medical exam. Get an instant decision and adjust your coverage at no charge.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Policygenius		18 - 85 years old	$50,000	$10,000,000	10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years	Depends on provider and policy	Compare 12+ top insurers side-by-side to get the best possible deal, and shop return of premium policies online.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Nationwide life insurance		40 - 95 years old	$10,000	$1,000,000	10, 15, 20 and 30 years	Yes	Get term, whole, universal or no-exam life insurance with up to $1 million in coverage.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Fabric		21 - 60 years old	$100,000	$5,000,000	10, 15, or 20 years	Depends on policy	No-exam term policies up to $1 million online, with the option to upgrade to permanent life insurance later.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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