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Prudential vs. MetLife life insurance
MetLife offers a dynamic product selection, while Prudential's rock-solid finances are best-in-class.
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.
What is Brighthouse Financial? MetLife launched Brighthouse Financial in 2017 as a way to offer individuals life insurance policies outside of an employer. Worth $223 billion in assets, Brighthouse Financial holds over 2.3 million life insurance policies. Today, MetLife and Brighthouse Financial operate completely separately, though MetLife is the largest shareholder of Brighthouse Financial, holding 20% of its common stock.
Life insurance products
MetLife’s products run the gamut of what’s out there, while Prudential zeros in on term, universal and variable plans.
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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
Smokers: Policy amount $250,000
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.
*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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