The CertifiKit blog
Plain-English guides to certificates of insurance — written for the people who actually collect them, not the people who sell software to track them.
- Comparison3 min
TrustLayer Alternatives for Small Teams (2026)
Compare TrustLayer Starter with COI tracking alternatives: free-plan limits, paid-feature questions, and a practical small-team evaluation checklist.
AUGUST 7, 2026→ - Comparison6 min
COI Tracking Software Pricing in 2026: Who Publishes
What COI tracking software actually costs, which vendors publish pricing, and which annual minimums quietly disqualify small teams. Sourced and dated.
AUGUST 6, 2026→ - Comparison5 min
COI Tracking Software for Small Business: What Actually Fits
Most COI tracking platforms are priced for hundreds of vendors. Here's what genuinely works when you track 10-300, and when you don't need software at all.
AUGUST 5, 2026→ - Comparison5 min
Best COI Tracking Software in 2026: An Honest Comparison
Seven COI tracking platforms compared on published pricing, annual minimums, and who each one actually fits. Every claim sourced and dated.
AUGUST 4, 2026→ - Comparison4 min
Jones Alternatives for COI Tracking (2026)
Jones targets real estate and construction portfolios with unpublished, project-based pricing. Here are the alternatives for smaller vendor lists.
AUGUST 3, 2026→ - Templates5 min
Free COI Tracking Spreadsheet Template (With Formulas)
Download a free Excel COI tracker with expiry formulas, filters, document-review fields, and examples. Missing dates are flagged, not marked current.
JUNE 4, 2026→ - Comparison5 min
COI Tracking Software vs. Spreadsheets: When to Switch
Spreadsheets work for tracking a handful of COIs. An honest comparison of spreadsheets vs. COI tracking software and the point where the switch pays off.
MAY 19, 2026→ - Checklists3 min
7 Certificate of Insurance Red Flags and How to Catch Them
The seven most common certificate of insurance red flags — expired dates, low limits, missing endorsements, wrong names — and how to spot each one.
APRIL 28, 2026→ - Requirements3 min
Subcontractor Insurance Requirements: What GCs Should Demand
Insurance requirements every GC should set for subcontractors: GL limits, workers' comp, auto, umbrella, and the endorsements that actually protect you.
APRIL 9, 2026→ - How-to3 min
How to Request a Certificate of Insurance (With Templates)
How to request a certificate of insurance from a vendor, what to specify so the COI comes back right the first time, and copy-paste email templates.
MARCH 17, 2026→ - Endorsements5 min
Certificate Holder vs. Additional Insured: The Difference
Compare certificate holder and additional insured status, see a vendor example, and learn which documents to request beyond the COI checkbox.
FEBRUARY 24, 2026→ - Requirements2 min
HOA Vendor Insurance Requirements: A Board Member's Guide
What insurance an HOA should require from landscapers and contractors — limits, additional insured, workers' comp — and how the board verifies a COI.
FEBRUARY 3, 2026→ - Checklists3 min
COI Compliance Checklist for Property Managers & HOAs
COI compliance checklist for property managers and HOA boards: what to require from vendors, what to verify on each certificate, and the renewal cadence.
JANUARY 14, 2026→ - Endorsements3 min
What Is an Additional Insured Endorsement? CG 20 10
An additional insured endorsement extends a subcontractor's liability policy to cover you. What CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 do, and how to verify them on a COI.
DECEMBER 9, 2025→ - Endorsements5 min
Waiver of Subrogation on a COI: What It Means
Understand waiver of subrogation, how it differs from a COI or additional insured status, and which policy evidence to request from a vendor.
NOVEMBER 18, 2025→ - Endorsements2 min
Primary and Non-Contributory: The COI Wording That Trips Up
Primary and non-contributory means a vendor's policy pays first and yours doesn't chip in. What the endorsement does, and how to verify it on a COI.
OCTOBER 21, 2025→ - How-to6 min
How to Read an ACORD 25 Form, Field by Field
Read an ACORD 25 certificate of liability insurance with a field checklist, worked example, and guidance on dates, limits, and endorsement evidence.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2025→ - Basics5 min
What Is a Certificate of Insurance (COI)?
A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page proof that a business carries insurance. What's on it, who needs it, and how to verify one in 60 seconds.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2025→
Stop reading. Check a real cert.
Every guide here ends the same way: upload an actual certificate and get a plain-English verdict in 60 seconds. Free, no account.