Life insurance quote comparison worksheet
Enter up to four quotes to see cost per $1,000 of coverage and total cost over the term, with flags for differences that matter besides price.
Runs entirely in your browser: nothing you enter is sent or stored by this site. Results are estimates for planning, not a quote or advice.
How to use it
Fill in one card per quote, exactly as you received it. Each card has eight boxes: insurer, coverage, term in years, monthly premium, rate class, AM Best rating, the age until which the policy is convertible, and riders and notes.
The results appear once at least one quote has both a coverage amount and a monthly premium. Two buttons sit under the cards. Save on this device stores your entries in your browser only, and only when you press it. Clear empties every card and deletes the saved copy.
What it checks
The worksheet puts different quotes on the same footing with two numbers:
- Cost per $1,000 a year = monthly premium × 12 ÷ (coverage ÷ 1,000).
- Total over the term = monthly premium × 12 × term in years. If you leave the term blank, the total shows as a dash.
The quote with the lowest cost per $1,000 is highlighted, and the note under the table names it. The results table also repeats the class, AM Best rating and conversion age you typed.
It also raises a flag when quotes differ in ways that make a price comparison unfair:
- Different term lengths.
- Different coverage amounts, in which case the cost per $1,000 column is the fair one.
- Different rate classes, because a quote is only an estimate until underwriting confirms your class.
Hypothetical example: quote A is $500,000 for 20 years at $32 a month, and quote B is $400,000 for 20 years at $28 a month. A costs about $0.77 per $1,000 a year and $7,680 over the term. B costs about $0.84 per $1,000 a year and $6,720 over the term. B has the lower monthly bill, but A is cheaper for each $1,000 of coverage, and the tool flags that the amounts differ.
What it assumes
- Each premium is the level monthly figure quoted for the whole term. The tool multiplies by 12 and ignores any difference between monthly and annual billing; see paying life insurance monthly vs annually.
- Everything you type is taken as given. The tool does not check the rate class, the rating or the conversion age.
- The rate class, rating and notes fields are free text. The worksheet cannot rank them. The riders and notes box is saved with the card but is not carried into the results table.
Where it stops being right
- Lowest price is not the same as best value. The note under the table says conversion rights, financial strength and riders matter too. A quote that lets you convert to permanent coverage later may be worth more than a small saving.
- The highlight looks only at cost per $1,000, even when terms differ. A cheaper short term is not the same product as a longer one.
- The worksheet cannot tell you whether a quote is accurate, whether you will qualify for the class quoted, or what happens to premiums after the term. The life insurance rate classes: preferred plus to substandard guide explains how classes work.
- Four cards is the limit.
For what else to compare, see how to compare life insurance quotes fairly. The life insurer comparison tool covers ratings and background on the companies behind your quotes, and the How long a term do I need? helps you choose the length to ask each insurer to quote.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026