Scored ranking

Home Warranty Providers to Compare by Published Contract Terms

Six major home warranty providers compared on published per-item caps, service fee options, and plan structure. This is a comparison of published terms, not a single best pick, because state availability and plan tiers vary by ZIP code.

Updated August 2026

Scope and methodology

National home warranty providers American Home Shield, Choice Home Warranty, First American Home Warranty, Liberty Home Guard, Cinch Home Services, and AFC Home Club. Covers only what each provider publishes in its sample contract for systems and appliances plans. Excludes homeowners insurance, builder warranties, and manufacturer appliance warranties. Home warranty plans, pricing, and covered items are filed and regulated state by state. Some providers do not operate in every state, and some states restrict which items or plan structures can be sold. Always confirm your state's specific contract before comparing prices across providers.

Each provider was scored on four published, checkable inputs from its sample contract: whether per-item dollar caps are published for systems and appliances rather than left undefined, whether the service call fee is offered at more than one flat rate, the number of published add-on coverage categories beyond the base plan, and whether the contract publishes a contractor selection or self-arranged-technician option rather than requiring the assigned network contractor in all cases. HomeownerAnswers does not perform claim testing and does not place a service request to observe how a provider actually handles a claim. We do not rank on reputation, review counts, or customer satisfaction. Scores reflect only what each provider publishes in its sample contract, service agreement, or state-specific plan documents. Ties are broken by the next-highest-weighted criterion, and any remaining tie is listed in rank order alphabetically by provider name with the tie disclosed in the entry caveat. Inclusion in this ranking, and any affiliate compensation HomeownerAnswers may receive if a reader signs up through a link on this site, does not determine editorial rank or score.

Published per-item coverage caps30%

Whether the sample contract states specific dollar caps per covered item or category, rather than leaving the cap undefined or discretionary.

Service fee flexibility20%

Whether the provider publishes more than one service call fee tier that a buyer can choose between at signup.

Add-on category count25%

Number of distinct optional add-on coverage categories published on the provider's site or sample contract, such as pool, well pump, or septic.

Contractor selection policy25%

Whether the contract publishes any path to use a homeowner-selected contractor, versus requiring the assigned network contractor with no published exception.

The ranking

1
American Home Shield
Two service fee tiers and broad add-on list
Basis
Sample contract publishes a choice between two service call fee levels and lists a wide published set of optional add-on categories.
Best for
Buyers who want to trade a higher service fee for a lower monthly premium or the reverse.
Caveat
Per-item caps are published for many components but some categories reference repair-or-replace decisions made by the assigned contractor.
Brand guide →
2
Liberty Home Guard
Longest published add-on list
Basis
Publishes one of the largest published sets of optional add-on categories among the six providers compared, alongside stated per-item caps in its sample contract.
Best for
Homes with several non-standard systems, such as a well pump, septic system, or pool, that need individual add-on coverage.
Caveat
More add-ons published does not mean every add-on is available in every state; confirm against your ZIP code at signup.
Brand guide →
3
Choice Home Warranty
Single flat service fee, defined caps
Basis
Publishes one flat service call fee across its base plans and defined per-item dollar caps in its sample contract.
Best for
Buyers who want a simple, single published fee structure without choosing between tiers.
Caveat
No published option to select your own contractor outside the assigned network in the standard contract.
Brand guide →
4
First American Home Warranty
Defined caps, moderate add-on count
Basis
Sample contract publishes specific per-item caps and a moderate published number of add-on categories compared to the other five.
Best for
Buyers who want a long-established published contract structure without an extensive add-on menu.
Caveat
Service fee is published at a single flat rate with no published multi-tier option.
Brand guide →
5
Cinch Home Services
Published held-item protection plus caps
Basis
Sample contract publishes per-item caps and a distinct built-in appliance parts protection feature not published by all competitors.
Best for
Buyers who want the built-in parts protection feature described in the contract without purchasing a separate add-on.
Caveat
Add-on category count published is lower than Liberty Home Guard or American Home Shield.
Brand guide →
6
AFC Home Club
Published plan customization, smaller add-on list
Basis
Publishes a build-your-own coverage list at signup and stated per-item caps, though its published discrete add-on category count is smaller than the top providers here.
Best for
Buyers who want to pick individual covered items rather than choose among fixed plan tiers.
Caveat
Contract review shows fewer published multi-tier service fee options than American Home Shield.
Brand guide →

What this ranking does not score

Claim approval rates. No provider publishes an audited, comparable approval rate, and HomeownerAnswers does not file claims to test this.
Contractor quality or dispatch speed, which vary by local network and are not published in a comparable national dataset.
Renewal-year pricing, which providers do not publish in advance and which is known to differ from first-year promotional pricing.
Real-world repair or replacement timing, since this depends on parts availability and the assigned local contractor.
State-specific exclusions beyond what is stated in the general sample contract; every state addendum must be checked individually.
Promotional discount availability, which changes frequently and is not part of the published base contract terms.