๐Ÿš€ Now with Income Protection

The UK's most complete protection comparison
Now 100% Free.

Compare critical illness, life cover, and income protection from 27+ UK providers. 182 conditions, daily updates, and compliance-ready PDF reports โ€” with no subscription, no paywall, and no hidden fees.

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27+
Providers
182
Conditions
640+
Historical Policies
Daily
Updates
Every Provider

27+ UK insurers, ranked and compared


From market leaders to specialist providers, every CI policy in the UK market โ€” with IQ scores, condition counts, and claims data.

Vitality SIC PlusIQ 97
182 conditions
91.9% claims paid
Severity model
Multiple claims
Aviva CIC+IQ 94
73 conditions
91.5% claims paid
Enhanced tier
Free children's CI
Guardian 1821IQ 92
55 conditions
92.0% claims paid
No severity req.
ยฃ50k partial
Royal LondonIQ 89
73 conditions
89.7% claims paid
Full+Add tier
Free children's CI
L&G ExtraIQ 86
69 conditions
93.0% claims paid
Extra tier
Free children's CI
Scottish WidowsIQ 84
57 conditions
91.8% claims paid
Blanket clause
Auto children's CI
View All 27+ Providers โ†’
182 Conditions

Every definition, tracked and compared


From cancer to cardiomyopathy, we track exactly what every provider covers โ€” and how their definitions have changed over time.

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Cardiac Conditions
Heart attack, angina, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, valve surgery โ€” 24 conditions tracked
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Neurological
Stroke, MS, Parkinson's, MND, dementia, brain tumour โ€” 32 conditions tracked
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Cancer
Full cancer, early-stage, carcinoma in situ, specific cancers โ€” 18 definitions tracked
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Respiratory
Lung disease, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis โ€” 14 conditions tracked
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Musculoskeletal
RA, osteoporosis, lupus, scleroderma, loss of limbs โ€” 20 conditions tracked
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Children's CI
Separate tracking for children's cover โ€” often where the biggest definition improvements are
Always Up to Date

You'll never miss a definition change again.


Policy definitions change constantly. A condition that paid out under your client's 2019 policy may now be excluded, restricted, or significantly improved. CriticalIQ makes sure you always know.

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Daily Change Alerts
Every policy document across all 27+ providers is monitored daily. The moment a definition changes โ€” new condition added, wording tightened, partial payment introduced โ€” you receive a clear, specific alert by email. No trawling insurer websites.
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Full Change History
Every change is logged and dated. You can look back at exactly what any provider's definition said on any given date โ€” invaluable when reviewing a client's existing policy or handling a claim dispute.
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Compliance-Ready PDFs
Every comparison generates a branded, dated PDF report โ€” suitable for your client file and compliant with FCA suitability documentation requirements. Includes provider rankings, condition coverage, claims rates and your rationale.
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Historical Benchmarking
Compare a client's existing policy โ€” taken out in 2010, 2015 or 2019 โ€” against today's best cover. Show them exactly what conditions have been added or improved since they last reviewed. A powerful conversation tool.
โšก
ABI Standard Tracking
When the ABI updates its minimum standards โ€” as it did in 2019 and 2022 โ€” CriticalIQ flags every provider's implementation status and timeline. Know immediately which policies meet the new benchmark and which don't.
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Children's CI Comparisons
Children's CI definitions differ significantly across providers โ€” and are often where the most meaningful improvements have been made. CriticalIQ tracks children's cover separately so you can identify the strongest policies for family clients.
Completely Free

Professional tools, zero cost โ€” here's why


We believe better comparison tools lead to better advice, higher protection uptake, and fairer outcomes for UK consumers. CriticalIQ is free because we are supported by industry partnerships and our mission to modernise the UK protection market.

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No Catch
No trial periods, no limited features, no upsells. Every adviser gets the full toolset โ€” unlimited comparisons, all providers, all historical data โ€” at no cost.
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Your Data Stays Yours
All comparisons run locally in your browser. No client data is stored on our servers. We never sell data โ€” we don't even collect it. See our Privacy Policy.
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Built for FCA Compliance
Every PDF report includes provider rankings, condition coverage, claims rates, and space for your rationale โ€” designed to support your FCA suitability documentation.
Data sourced directly from provider policy documents, ABI publications, and public claims data. Last updated: daily.
Use Cases

Built for every stage of the advice process


Whether you're reviewing an existing client's cover, pitching a new policy, or handling a claim dispute โ€” CriticalIQ gives you the data you need.

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The Protection Review
Instantly benchmark a client's 2015 policy against today's 182-condition standard. Generate a branded PDF to show them exactly what they're missing and build the case for an upgrade.
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New Business Pitch
Show prospects why you recommend Vitality or Aviva. Use our IQ scores, claims data, and definition comparisons to justify your choice in your FCA suitability report.
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Claim Disputes
When a claim is declined based on a strict definition, use our historical archive to prove the wording has changed, or find the exact clause that supports your client's case.
Free CPD

Earn CPD hours while you compare


Understanding the nuance between a severity model and a blanket clause is critical. Our free, bite-sized CPD modules help you stay ahead โ€” and track your hours directly in your dashboard.

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Module 1: Heart Attack Definitions
The 2019 ABI update and what it means for your clients with pre-2019 policies.
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Module 2: Severity vs. All-or-Nothing
How severity-based models change the advice conversation โ€” and the payout outcomes.
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Module 3: Children's CI Definitions
Navigating the differences across providers โ€” and why this matters for family clients.
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The Monday Morning Protection Briefing

Don't have time to log in every day? Get a weekly summary of every definition change, claims data update, and ABI announcement โ€” straight to your inbox.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

The Evolution

40 years of Critical Illness cover


From a South African surgeon's idea to today's 182-condition policies โ€” how CI has transformed.

1983 ยท South Africa
The Invention
Dr Marius Barnard (brother of heart transplant pioneer Christiaan) creates "dread disease" insurance after seeing patients survive serious illness but face financial ruin.
1986 ยท United Kingdom
UK Launch
Abbey Life and Cannon Lincoln launch the first UK CI policies. Early products cover just 4โ€“6 conditions: heart attack, stroke, cancer, kidney failure, coronary bypass, major organ transplant.
1990s ยท Expansion
Market Growth
Major insurers enter the market. Condition counts grow to 10โ€“20. MS, Parkinson's, blindness, and deafness added. Policies remain inconsistent โ€” every insurer uses different definitions.
2007 ยท Standardisation
ABI Statement of Best Practice
The Association of British Insurers publishes model wordings for core conditions. For the first time, "heart attack" and "cancer" mean roughly the same thing across providers.
2014 ยท Innovation
Severity-Based CI Arrives
Vitality launches the UK's first severity-based CI. Instead of all-or-nothing, policies now pay 25%, 50%, or 100% depending on condition severity. Multiple claims become possible.
2019 ยท ABI Update
Heart Attack Definition Modernised
ABI updates model wordings to reflect advances in cardiac diagnostics. Troponin testing replaces outdated enzyme tests. Many older policies still use pre-2019 definitions.
2022 ยท ABI Update
Cancer & Stroke Definitions Updated
ABI revises cancer staging and stroke definitions. Modern policies now cover conditions that would have been declined 10 years ago. The gap between old and new policies widens.
2026 ยท Today
182 Conditions, 27+ Providers
The best policies now cover conditions unimaginable in 1986: FND, severe endometriosis, CFS/ME. Children's CI included free. Claims rates exceed 91%. But many clients still hold outdated policies.

Does your client's policy reflect 40 years of progress โ€” or is it stuck in the past?

Access the Tool โ†’
Historical Archive

640+ policies from 1985 to today


The UK's most comprehensive archive of CI policy definitions. Compare your client's existing cover against any historical or current policy.

Legacy Providers
Norwich Union (1992โ€“2008) ยท CGU (1998โ€“2002) ยท General Accident (1995โ€“1998) ยท Friends Provident (2000โ€“2010) ยท Friends Life (2011โ€“2015) ยท Bright Grey (2005โ€“2013) ยท Scottish Provident (1994โ€“2013) ยท Clerical Medical (1996โ€“2008) ยท Scottish Amicable (1994โ€“2005) ยท Skandia (2000โ€“2012) ยท Woolwich (2003โ€“2006) ยท PruProtect (2008โ€“2013)
Current Providers
Vitality (2008โ€“2026) ยท Aviva (2009โ€“2026) ยท Guardian (2018โ€“2026) ยท Royal London (2013โ€“2026) ยท Legal & General (1990โ€“2026) ยท Scottish Widows (1990โ€“2026) ยท Zurich (2000โ€“2026) ยท LV= (2002โ€“2026) ยท Aegon (2005โ€“2026) ยท AIG Life (2015โ€“2023) ยท Canada Life (2005โ€“2026)
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Why historical comparison matters
A policy taken out in 2015 may cover 30 conditions with outdated definitions. Today's best policies cover 70+ conditions with improved wordings for heart attack, stroke, and cancer. Show your clients exactly what they're missing โ€” and build the case for a review.

Start comparing today

27+ providers ยท 182 conditions ยท 640+ historical policies ยท Daily updates. Everything in one place, completely free for UK financial advisers.

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