As published by the provider
American Home Shield
4.1/5
“Homeowners who want broad systems coverage and a choice of service fee.”
Photo · Naomi Hébert / Unsplash
Old Republic Home Protection
3.9/5
“Real-estate buyers and sellers who want a financially backed provider with a long operating record.”
Photo · Im Greg / Unsplash
vs
§ 01Round by round
The Warranta verdict
American Home Shield publishes its limits ($5,000 per HVAC system, up to $50,000 per agreement term) and covers some undetectable pre-existing conditions, while Old Republic has a financially backed parent and its strength in the real-estate channel. Pick AHS for broad direct-consumer systems coverage with known limits; pick Old Republic if you are in a real-estate transaction, accepting narrower state availability for direct buyers.
Round by round · 11 criteriaSourced ratings
| Criterion | American Home Shield | Old Republic Home Protection | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.1Wins | 3.9 | — |
| Pricing | 3.7Wins | 3.6 | — |
| Coverage | 4.5Wins | 3.8 | — |
| Claims process | 3.8Wins | 3.7 | — |
| Customer service | 3.6 | 3.9Wins | — |
| Contractor network | 4.3Wins | 3.8 | — |
| Pricing | Tie | Tie | AHS publishes plans starting at less than $1 a day and a $100 or $125 service fee; Old Republic's sample coverage lists no trade call fee amount, and it publishes no plan price Warranta could verify. Confirm the service fee in the contract before you buy. |
| Annual caps | Tie | Tie | AHS publishes $5,000 per HVAC system, $2,000 or $4,000 per appliance, and $50,000 per agreement term; Old Republic does not publish caps Warranta could verify, so the two cannot be compared. |
| Coverage breadth | WinsWins | — | AHS's 2024 sample excludes pre-existing breakdowns only when you knew about them or could reasonably have detected them; Old Republic's sample coverage says "Malfunctions pre-existing the Effective Date are not covered." |
| Customer sentiment | Tie | Tie | AHS's overall 4.1 edges Old Republic's 3.9, while Old Republic leads on customer service (3.9 to 3.6), so the two split this round. |
| Claims experience | — | WinsWins | Old Republic's claims sub-score is 3.7 with complaints on regional contractor variance; AHS's is 3.8 but with broader denial and slow-dispatch complaints. |
American Home Shield
Founded 1971
4.1
Overall
Old Republic Home Protection
Founded 1974
3.9
Overall
§ 02Who wins for you
If
“Coverage breadth matters most”
AHS's 2024 sample excludes pre-existing breakdowns only when you knew about them or could reasonably have detected them; Old Republic's sample coverage says "Malfunctions pre-existing the Effective Date are not covered."
EdgeAmerican Home Shield
If
“Claims experience matters most”
Old Republic's claims sub-score is 3.7 with complaints on regional contractor variance; AHS's is 3.8 but with broader denial and slow-dispatch complaints.
EdgeOld Republic Home Protection
If
“Pricing matters most”
AHS publishes plans starting at less than $1 a day and a $100 or $125 service fee; Old Republic's sample coverage lists no trade call fee amount, and it publishes no plan price Warranta could verify. Confirm the service fee in the contract before you buy.
Evenly matchedToo close to call
If
“Annual caps matters most”
AHS publishes $5,000 per HVAC system, $2,000 or $4,000 per appliance, and $50,000 per agreement term; Old Republic does not publish caps Warranta could verify, so the two cannot be compared.
Evenly matchedToo close to call
§ 03The figures, side by side
American Home Shield
- Published price
- Starting at less than $1 a day (published starting price)
- Service fee options
- $100$125
- Service fee range
- $100 or $125 trade service-call fee
- Coverage caps
- $50,000 total per agreement term; $5,000 per covered HVAC system; $2,000 (ShieldGold) or $4,000 (ShieldPlatinum) per covered appliance
- Waiting period
- 0 days on AHS's 2024 All Other States sample plan; 30 days on its California sample
- Eligibility notes
- No home-age limit; pre-existing/known issues excluded
At a glance
Set in the contract
Across plan tiers
Per agreement term
Before claims are eligible
Home age / pre-existing
Old Republic Home Protection
- Waiting period
- Not confirmed; check the plan contract for when coverage starts
- Eligibility notes
- No home-age limit; pre-existing conditions excluded
At a glance
Before claims are eligible
Home age / pre-existing
American Home Shield
4.1/5
“Homeowners who want broad systems coverage and a choice of service fee.”
Old Republic Home Protection
3.9/5
“Real-estate buyers and sellers who want a financially backed provider with a long operating record.”
Round winners and the use-case cards above reconcile against Warranta’s rating methodology. Scores are on a 5-point scale.
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