Best Term Life Insurance Companies in 2026: 9 Options Compared

Ladder sells term life online and focuses on a feature it calls laddering, where you reduce coverage as your needs fall. Terms run 10 to 30 years. Policies up to $3 million need only health questions, and larger amounts may need a free at-home health check.

Ladder's page shows prices starting at $5 a month, but that sample is for a 20-year-old with a $100,000, 10-year policy in the Preferred-Plus class, valid as of April 2026. Expect a different number for you. Policies are issued by Amica Life, Fidelity Security Life and S.USA Life, and each insurer is responsible for its own claims.

Availability is the main limit. Amica and Fidelity cover all states except New York, and S.USA excludes New York and Connecticut too. You can cancel within 30 days for a full refund and later with no cancellation fee. The policy may not pay for death by suicide or fraud.

Banner Life, part of the Legal & General America family, has one of the widest ranges of term lengths on this list: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 years, with 20 years the most common. Coverage starts at $100,000 and goes beyond $10 million, and the company covers ages 20 to 75.

At the end of the term you can renew or convert to a permanent policy. Optional riders include extra term coverage, a child rider that covers children to age 25, and an accelerated death benefit for a qualified terminal illness on policies effective 2011 or later, subject to availability.

Banner advertises term insurance for as little as $8 a month, with no conditions on that page, and it says quotes depend on age, gender, health, location, coverage amount and length. Use the online quote tool or ask an agent.

State Farm's Select Term comes in 10, 20 and 30-year versions. Issue ages are 18 to 75 for the 10-year term, 18 to 65 for the 20-year term and 18 to 45 for the 30-year term. Coverage starts at $100,000.

After the level period, coverage can continue year to year to age 95 at rising premiums, which cannot exceed the maximum stated in your policy. State Farm says you can convert to permanent coverage regardless of health, with conversion options varying by state.

It also sells Return of Premium Term with a 20 or 30-year level period. If no death benefit has been paid and you have paid every premium, those premiums are returned at the end of the term. Issue ages for the 20-year version run to 60 for non-tobacco users and 55 for tobacco users. You can start a quote online or contact an agent.

Northwestern Mutual offers term life for 10 years, 20 years or to age 80. It also offers annual renewable term, which costs less at first but rises every year, and level premium term, which keeps the same premium for the term.

You can convert some or all of a term policy to whole life with guaranteed approval regardless of health, and waiting makes the premiums more expensive. A waiver of premium rider lets you stop paying during a qualifying disability while keeping coverage.

The company shows one example: for a healthy 35-year-old in the premier class buying $500,000 of coverage to age 80 with the waiver rider, the first-year premium is about $253 a year for a woman and $306 for a man, and it increases annually. The page repeatedly points readers to an advisor for quotes, so this is a conversation, not a checkout page.

New York Life sells level term that locks in premiums for 10, 15 or 20 years, plus yearly renewable term with premiums that start low and rise each year. Its page says term policies can often be converted to permanent coverage, and conversion windows vary by product, with some at ten years and others at five.

Riders include a disability waiver of premium, a spouse paid-up purchase option and a living benefit for terminal illness. The living benefit has a cost and is not available in every state.

You buy through a financial professional. The company says it has more than 12,000 agents and advisors, and you can search by ZIP code or request a call. That works for people who want guidance, though the page does not list coverage amounts or issue ages.

Mutual of Omaha's Term Life Express offers level terms of 10, 15, 20 and 30 years, and the 20 and 30-year versions have return of premium options. Policies are underwritten by United of Omaha Life Insurance Company, and by Companion Life in New York.

The site notes that features and availability vary by state. It also states the standard suicide exclusion: if the insured dies by suicide within two years of issue, the premiums paid are returned instead of the death benefit.

Return of premium costs more than plain term, so compare the refund with what you could earn by saving the difference. The company's pages do not show prices, so request a quote or contact an agent.

Fabric is Gerber Life's digital brand, aimed at families. Its page lists terms of 10 to 30 years and coverage from $100,000 to $5 million. The advertised starting price of $7.85 a month assumes a 25-year-old woman with $100,000 of coverage, so treat it as a sample.

The company says you could get instant coverage with no medical exam if you qualify, and that the application can take as little as 10 minutes. It also promises a price lock as long as premiums are paid, a 30-day money-back guarantee, cancellation at any time and no hidden fees.

Fabric also offers an app, a will tool and an investing account for children. If you want one place for family finances, that is a plus. If you want to compare many insurers, start elsewhere.

Ethos offers policies from multiple carriers and says most people get an instant quote. Term policies run 10 to 40 years for up to $3 million, applicants must be 20 to 85 for its products, and term life is open to people 69 or younger.

No medical exam is required. You answer health questions online, and many applicants can get same-day coverage in as little as 10 minutes, according to Ethos. Applying is free and does not affect your credit score.

Ethos is licensed in 49 states and D.C., with New York the exception. Product options depend on age, state and product, and the page does not name its carriers, so check which insurer issues your policy before paying.

Policygenius is a licensed independent insurance broker, so it does not issue policies. It lets you compare quotes from multiple insurers in one place, and licensed agents are available. Its page defines term life as coverage for a set period, usually 10 to 40 years.

Quotes are free, but premiums shown are non-binding estimates. The insurer sets the final premium after underwriting, so the price can change.

The page we read did not explain how Policygenius is paid and did not list the states it serves, so check both before you start. Comparing options is its main benefit.