Fabric by Gerber Life is a digital insurance provider geared toward parents with kids at home. It offers term policies with affordable premiums and some potentially useful extras like a free service for creating a will, but it doesn't offer any whole life policies for those looking for coverage that won't expire.
Business Insider compared Fabric Life Insurance to the best life insurance companies and found it to be a standout offering, with high maximum death benefits, no exam options, and some additional features.
Fabric Life Insurance Overview
Fabric by Gerber Life, which was acquired by Gerber in 2022, is a life insurance company that exculsively offers term life insurance with limited flexibility. As such, if you're looking for permanent life insurance or a wide range of optional riders, you're better off looking elsewhere.
However, Fabric is a strong choice for parents looking to cover their children. It offers up to $1.5 million without a medical exam and $5 million with an exam. Fabric offers additional features like accelerated death benefits, estate planning, and the Fabric Vault, which allows couples to share financial information securely.
It's worth noting that while policyholders can use these services without additional cost, the cost is folded into monthly premiums. As a result, people prioritizing cost above other factors may want to look for a simpler, no-frills policy elsewhere.
Fabric Life Insurance Pros and Cons
Fabric Life Insurance Pros
- Up to $5 million in coverage with a medical exam and $1.5 million without
- Online quotes available
- Accelerated death benefit rider included
- Additional features like data protection and estate planning assistance
- Positive customer reviews
Fabric Life Insurance Cons
- Higher premiums than simpler term life policies
Fabric Life Insurance Plans and Coverage
Fabric by Gerber Life's main life insurance product is a term life policy that can last from 10 to 30 years with death benefits starting from $100,000 up to $1.5 with no medical exam. Applicants can get up to $5 million in coverage if they take a medical exam.
Fabric's term life insurance is available for applicants between 21 and 70, though term length options dwindle in the upper age range. For example, 60-year-olds can only access up to 20-year terms, and 70-year-olds can only access 10-year terms.
Additional Coverage Options (Riders) from Fabric Life Insurance
Fabric term life insurance has a built-in accelerated death benefit rider, allowing policyholders to access a portion of their death benefits if they are diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Aside from the accelerated death benefit, Fabric does not offer additional riders for its policies.
Other Fabric Life Insurance Features
In addition to its life insurance product, Fabric offers a couple of extra services for families.
Fabric Wills
You can use Fabric Wills to create your last will and testament for free. A will not only allows you to designate who should inherit your estate, but it's also where you can appoint a guardian for your child.
For this reason, creating your will is very important if you have kids. And Fabric says you can create yours in five minutes on its site.
Fabric Vault
Fabric Vault is a financial security product that is built into the Fabric app. With Fabric Vault, you can share your financial account information like your bank, 401(k), or IRA with your spouse.
You can store your will in your Fabric Vault as well. Think of it like a virtual bank safety deposit box. And Fabric Vault takes security seriously, using 256-bit encryption to protect your data.
How Much Does Fabric Life Insurance Cost?
To get a better idea of how much Fabric costs, we obtained quotes for a 20-year term policy with a $500,000 death benefit for a non-smoking applicant in excellent health and compared it to the average cost of the same policy, according to Policygenius.
| Age | Sex | Fabric Quotes | Average Cost |
| 21 | Female | $19.44 | $23 |
| 21 | Male | $22.86 | $30 |
| 30 | Female | $19.86 | $23 |
| 30 | Male | $22.89 | $29 |
| 40 | Female | $28.43 | $35 |
| 40 | Male | $32.72 | $43 |
| 50 | Female | $76.98 | $78 |
| 50 | Male | $104.07 | $102 |
| 60 | Female | $242.00 | $194 |
| 60 | Male | $337.44 | $269 |
For younger applicants, Fabric ends to fall on the cheaper side. However, older applicants will have to pay more for coverage, even compared to the average cost of life insurance at their age.
How to Apply for Fabric Life Insurance
It takes less than one minute to get a quote from Fabric. The site asks for just five pieces of information: your age, your gender, your state of residence, your history with tobacco use (if any), and your health.
If you like what you see, you can continue with the full application, which asks detailed questions about your health. If everything checks out and no flags are raised, you may be able to receive full underwriting approval immediately. That means you may be able to get medically underwritten life insurance coverage without a medical exam.
If you aren't able to receive immediate approval, one of Fabric's underwriters will reach out and ask for more information. In some cases, you may still need to undergo a medical exam (but at no cost to you and with a health professional who can work around your schedule).
Fabric Life Insurance Customer Ratings and Reviews
Fabric by Gerber Life has overwhelmingly positive reviews, receiving an average of 4.8 stars out of five on its Trustpilot page. Most reviews mentioned that the sign-up process was simple and easy. Some other reviews spoke highly of the digital will-making service.
It's worth noting that insurance companies often receive poor reviews on third-party review sites. This is because reviews are generally left by people who have something negative to say. On the other hand, insurance companies with overwhelmingly positive reviews often encourage their customers to leave reviews at the end of the purchase process.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' complaint index rates a company based on how many complaints it receives against its share of the market. The average NAIC complaint index score is 1.00, meaning if a company scores below 1.00, it has fewer complaints than expected for a company of its size. If the company scores above 1.00, it has more complaints than the industry average. Western & Southern Life Insurance Company, which issues Fabric policies and owns Gerber, scored 2.63, indicating that its complaints far exceed expectations given its share of the market.
Alternatives to Fabric Life Insurance
Fabric Life Insurance vs. Lemonade Life Insurance
Like Fabric, Lemonade Life Insurance only offers term life insurance with no medical exam required. Death benefits max out at $1.5 million, which is also Fabric's maximum without a medical exam. However, Fabric also offers up to $5 million for applicants willing to take an exam. Lemonade's terms go up to 40 years, while Fabric's terms max out at 30.
Lemonade lacks the digital features and additions Fabric offers, such as accelerated death benefits and estate planning. However, the trade-off is that Lemonade policies are cheaper.
While Fabric's additional features are nice to have, Lemonade will probably be the better choice for most people, especially those who are prioritizing cost in their life insurance search.
Read our Lemonade life insurance review.
Fabric Life Insurance vs. Ethos Life Insurance
Ethos Life offers term and guaranteed whole life insurance. Its term life insurance offers up to $2 million without a medical exam, compared to Fabric's $1.5 million. However, Fabric applicants can access up to $5 million in death benefits with a medical exam. Ethos does not offer exact online quotes unless you complete an application.
Like Fabric, Ethos offers complimentary estate planning services and accelerated death benefits. Ethos does not have an equivalent to the Fabric Vault, but you shouldn't base your life insurance decision on an additional feature that can ultimately be found elsewhere.
The decision between Fabric and Ethos comes down to whether you're willing to take a medical exam. If you're not, Ethos is a better option. However, if you are willing to take an exam, Fabric is the better choice.
Read our Ethos life insurance review.
Fabric Life Insurance FAQ
No, Fabric does not offer whole life insurance.
Fabric's family-focused tools are complimentary estate planning and digital wills for policyholders.
You can get an online quote from Fabric using its quoting tool. However, keep in mind that your actual premium may change based on your medical history.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Fabric Life Insurance
Our insurance rating methodology helps us compare companies objectively to help consumers make informed decisions. We look at factors including:
- Cost of a policy: Underwriting will determine your premiums based on your perceived risk level. However, we do our due diligence to find affordable rates and the best value. To do so, we compare a company's cost with the average industry rate ($40 to $56 per month) and with its competitors. We also assess the impact of demographic factors (age, health classification, etc.) on premiums.
- Company offerings: We look at the variety of products a company offers, including the availability of short-term and long-term policies and supplemental riders. Shoppers with more complex financial needs may value access to universal life policies or the option to convert to a permanent plan. Those who only need basic coverage may like the simplicity of companies offering only term life insurance.
- Policy customization: We look at a company's term length options and range of coverage amounts. Shoppers with unique circumstances may need more coverage or longer term lengths (several companies offer up to 40 years of term life coverage). The availability of riders also enhances a policy by providing extra protection.
- Financial strength: Financial stability indicates how consistently a company can deliver on its financial commitments during unstable economic conditions like a recession. We used AM Best, an industry-renowned credit rating agency, to determine an insurance firm's financial health. Companies receive grades from A++ (Superior) to F (not financially stable). If a company earns under a B, its financial strength is questionable. The company may not be around to pay your death benefit claim.
- Customer service: Using JD Power's life insurance customer satisfaction survey, we called out companies known for top-tier customer support. JD Power surveyed over 5,000 participants who ranked providers based on service from the purchasing to the claims process. JD Power distributed points out of 1,000 to each firm. Providers scoring over 774 points demonstrated superior customer service.
- Exclusions: Insurance providers may exclude applicants to minimize risk. Some companies will increase rates or disqualify life insurance buyers with preexisting conditions, smokers, or older applicants. Our review highlights where applicants may encounter disqualification or higher premiums based on the provider's exclusions.
Read more about how Business Insider rates life insurance.
