Best Drone Insurance Providers in the USA (What They’re Best At)

Quick TL;DR

You do not need one “best” insurer. You need the right insurer for the job.
Here’s the short version:

• SkyWatch.AI — best for on-demand, hourly and flexible app-based cover for freelancers and event pilots.

• BWI Aviation — best for serious commercial operators, fleets, and high-limit bindings.

• Avion Insurance — best for bespoke underwriting, international ops and operators that need hands-on broker support.

• Coverdrone and specialist brokers — best for niche use cases and Europe/UK work where specialist wording matters.

• Global Aerospace and major underwriters — best for enterprise, white-labelling, and large limits.

Below is a practical, no-fluff guide to who actually should talk to each company, what they are good at, weaknesses to watch for, and how to pick the right partner for your use case.

Best Drone Insurance Providers in the USA (What They’re Best At)

Why this list and how to use it

The drone insurance market is fragmented. Some companies are tech-first and sell hour-by-hour liability. Others are traditional aviation underwriters that write bespoke fleet programs. If you pick the wrong vendor you will either pay too much or get denied on a claim. This article sorts providers by use case so you can pick the right quote fast.

I used reputable industry sources and the insurers’ own product pages for the recommendations below. Where a provider’s public page claims a capability, I cite it so you can verify quickly.

SkyWatch.AI - Best for on-demand, hourly, and freelancers

What they are best at

• App-based hourly and daily policies, instant COIs, flexible monthly and annual options. Great for wedding pilots, small crews, and production shoots that need immediate proof of coverage. SkyWatch also integrates with industry platforms and underwriters to provide fast proof of insurance.

Why pick them

• You need an immediate COI for a one-day shoot. You want pay-as-you-fly without a long broker process. SkyWatch is widely used by freelancers and production teams for that reason.

Watchouts

• On-demand products are liability-first. Confirm hull, payload and data/cyber coverage if your job requires it. Also confirm whether the COI wording exactly matches the venue requirement before the shoot.

Who should call them

• Freelancers, wedding and event pilots, small production houses that need last-minute certificates.

BWI Aviation - Best for commercial operators, fleets, and enterprise buyers

What they are best at

• Full-service aviation brokerage with deep experience on annual fleet programs, high liability limits, agreed-value hull schedules, and client COI management. BWI positions itself as a broker that can bind complex commercial programs quickly.

Why pick them

• You need a commercial policy that satisfies contracts with municipalities, film studios or construction clients and you want a broker who knows aviation wording and can negotiate named-pilot versus permissive pilot language.

Watchouts

• More bespoke programs can take longer to bind than instant on-demand quotes. Budget a short onboarding and provide a full fleet manifest to speed binding.

Who should call them

• Inspection companies, mapping firms, enterprise fleets, and operators who need tailored coverage with higher limits.

Read: Repair vs Total Loss - How Insurers Decide

Avion Insurance - Best for bespoke underwriting and international operations

What they are best at

• Avion is an aviation-focused broker that works with multiple underwriters to place liability and hull for drones, including policies that support international operations and more complex aircraft. They are experienced with aviation risk and can arrange specialized worldwide wording when needed.

Why pick them

• You need coverage that crosses borders, or you have a custom build or unusual payload and need a broker who will assemble the right underwriter panel.

Watchouts

• Specialized placements may be pricier than commodity hourly policies. But the difference is controlled expectations and stronger claim handling for unusual risks.

Who should call them

• Operators doing cross-border flights, custom cinema rigs, LiDAR contractors with complex payloads.

Coverdrone and specialist regional providers - Best for niche and cross-border wording

What they are best at

• Specialist firms tend to know regional legal traps and local permit requirements. If you work in the UK or EU, or you have special exposures like drone spraying, shows, or public safety uses, a specialist broker provides the right clauses and local support.

Why pick them

• You need region-specific wording or a broker that understands country-level regulatory differences and client COI expectations.

Watchouts

• If you are US-only, confirm the specialist has US admitted carriers or a US distribution partner.

Who should call them

• Operators working internationally, event producers, and specialty sectors such as agriculture spraying or stadium operations.

Global Aerospace, Chubb, Hartford and major underwriters - Best for enterprise scale and deep limits

What they are best at

• Large underwriters and traditional carriers are the backstop for big programs. They offer higher limits, bespoke liability features, and enterprise risk engineering. SkyWatch and others sometimes white-label or partner with these underwriters for on-demand capacity.

Why pick them

• Your projects demand multi-million dollar limits, complex indemnities, or global cover. These carriers underwrite large, hedgeable exposures and provide claims capacity that smaller MGA products cannot match.

Watchouts

• Binding is slower and underwriting asks for more documentation on operations, pilot training, and safety management systems.

Who should call them

• Drone delivery pilots, government contracts, utilities, and any business writing multi-million-dollar contracts.

Quick note about Verifly, Thimble and shifting on-demand players

Verifly helped popularize hourly drone coverage but the product landscape has evolved. Thimble previously offered Verifly but has shifted its product mix, and some legacy Verifly customers were migrated or the product retired. Always confirm current availability before relying on legacy names.

How to pick the right provider in 5 minutes

1. Job type: one-day gig or recurring commercial work? If one-day, start with SkyWatch. If recurring commercial work, start with BWI or Avion.

2. Payload value: camera/LiDAR over $5k means schedule payload and consider agreed-value. Use a broker who will schedule payloads.

3. Client COI needs: ask the client for exact wording early and confirm your chosen provider can supply it. SkyWatch and BWI both advertise COI support.

4. Limits: $1M is common minimum for commercial work. If the client asks for $2M or $5M, go direct to a broker who places large limits.

5. International or enterprise needs: contact Avion or a large underwriter.

Price expectations and what affects quotes

• Hourly liability-only policies can start near $10 to $40 per hour depending on limits and geography when you use on-demand platforms. Annual commercial policies typically range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per year depending on fleet size, payloads, operations and limits. These are market ranges; get quotes. SkyWatch and similar marketplaces publish hourly and monthly options.

Sample email to send to a broker when you need the right quote

Copy, paste and adapt this to speed responses.

Subject: Quote request - Drone insurance for [Company/Name] - [City, State]

Hi [Broker name],

We need a quote for drone insurance. Quick summary:

- Fleet: [number] aircraft (make/model and serials attached)  

- Typical ops: [real estate/inspection/film/agriculture] and percent urban: [X%]  

- Payloads: list attached with invoices and agreed-value where required  

- Pilots: [number], Part 107 certificated, X average hours last 12 months  

- Requested coverage: $1,000,000 liability minimum; hull scheduled; payload scheduling; COI wording required: [paste client wording]

Please provide: 1) hourly/on-demand option if available; 2) annual program options; 3) expected premium ranges and deductibles. Target bind date: [mm/dd/yyyy]

Thanks,  

[Name / contact]

Final advice

If you are a freelancer doing one-day gigs, start with SkyWatch for speed and convenience. If you are scaling to real revenue and contracts, invest time with a broker like BWI or Avion and build an annual program that schedules payloads, names pilots appropriately, and meets client COI language. 

For enterprise scale, go to major underwriters via a broker for the limits and risk engineering you will need. Don’t shop only for price. Shop for the policy language that will actually pay a claim.

Sources and verification

• SkyWatch.AI product pages and hourly/annual options.

• BWI Aviation Insurance drone pages and fleet program descriptions.

• Avion Insurance UAV product pages and industry references.

• Coverdrone specialist provider overview and marketplace comparisons.

• Global Aerospace on-demand partnership and industry listings. 

Read: Can You Fly While a Claim is Open?

Author

Svetlana - I am a Drone Insurance Writer and Researcher. I write about drone risk management and insurance for US pilots. Not a licensed broker. For policy advices contact a licensed insurance professional.