Onsurity vs Plum: employee health benefits compared
Onsurity and Plum both deliver modern group health cover to Indian startups and SMEs. The core difference is structure: Onsurity is a monthly subscription you can start from 2 employees and cancel anytime, with wellness and OPD bundled in — while Plum runs on a traditional annual group insurance premium.
At a glance
A spec-level view across the levers an SME buyer actually weighs. Where both platforms do the same thing well, we say so. Positioning reflects publicly known information as of 05-Jul-2026 — always confirm current terms with each provider before you buy.
| Dimension | Onsurity | Plum |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly subscriptionPay per employee, per month. No annual lump sum. | Annual premiumTraditional group insurance policy, priced and paid yearly. |
| Lock-in / cancellation | Cancel anytimeChange or stop your membership month to month. | Annual termCover runs for the 12-month policy year once bound. |
| Minimum team size | From 2 employeesFounders count toward the minimum of 2. | Small teams supportedStartup-friendly, but confirm the current minimum lives. |
| Wellness + OPD | Bundled, no extra premiumTeleconsults, medicine & lab discounts included in the membership. | Often an add-onWellness and OPD available, frequently priced separately. |
| Admin dashboard | TeamSure dashboardOnboard, offboard, track claims, billing and renewals in one place. | HR dashboardSelf-serve admin console for managing the policy. |
| Mid-cycle roster changes | Add & remove anytimeBilling adjusts on the next cycle — no re-underwriting. | Add via CD balanceEndorsements on an annual policy, typically funded by a deposit balance. |
| Claims support | Good Doctors conciergeReal doctors guide pre-auth to discharge. | Dedicated claims teamAssisted claims support through the platform. |
| Cashless network | 10,000+ hospitalsCashless settlement across a pan-India network. | Insurer networkCashless via the underwriting insurer’s hospital network. |
| Activation time | Day-1 cover optionsEligible cover can go live from the joining date. | Fast digital onboardingQuick issuance once the policy is set up. |
| Workforce types covered | FT, contract, gig, freelanceCover extends beyond full-time payroll staff. | Primarily full-timeBroader categories may need confirmation with the insurer. |
strong fit · partial / conditional · structural difference. Not a rating — a description of how each model works.
The real decision: subscription vs annual premium
Most other rows land close. The choice that actually shapes your budget and your flexibility is how you pay for cover — and that is where the two models genuinely diverge.
Onsurity — monthly subscription
You pay per employee, per month, and can cancel anytime. There is no full-year premium to fund up front, wellness and OPD are bundled in, and you add or remove people as your roster changes. Built SME-first, with a minimum of just 2 lives including founders.
Plum — annual group premium
Plum places a traditional group insurance policy that runs for a 12-month term, with the premium priced and committed for the year. It is a capable, digital-first platform; the trade-off for an SME is the annual commitment and wellness or OPD often layered on as add-ons.
Worked example: the cash-flow difference
The numbers below are illustrative — not either provider’s actual quote — and exist only to show how the two payment structures land on your working capital. Take a 25-person team with an assumed ₹6,00,000 annual benefit cost.
Onsurity subscription
Spread across the year. Adjust or cancel anytime.
Annual premium model
Committed for the 12-month policy term.
Same headline cost, very different impact on a growing company. The subscription keeps roughly ₹5,50,000 in your account through the year and lets you scale spend with headcount; the annual model front-loads the commitment. If your team grows from 25 to 40 mid-year, Onsurity simply bills the new members on the next cycle rather than requiring a mid-term endorsement and top-up.
Figures are illustrative for structure only. Your actual cost depends on team size, age mix, sum insured and co-payment choices.
Which model fits your team?
Both are credible choices. The honest answer depends on how predictable your headcount is and how you want to manage cash and wellness.
Onsurity may fit better if…
You are a startup or SME that wants to avoid an annual lump sum, expects headcount to change through the year, needs to cover a blend of full-time, contract, gig or freelance staff, and wants wellness and OPD built in rather than bolted on — with the freedom to cancel anytime.
A traditional annual policy may fit if…
You have a stable, predominantly full-time headcount, prefer a fixed once-a-year renewal cycle, and are comfortable committing the full premium for the policy year. Plum is a capable, digital-first option in that lane.
Where Onsurity is genuinely different
Onsurity was built for the SME and startup buyer, not adapted down from a large-enterprise policy. That shows up in the mechanics: a monthly subscription with no annual lock-in, a minimum of just 2 employees including founders, and cashless cover at 10,000+ network hospitals settled straight to the hospital.
Wellness and OPD — teleconsults, discounted medicines and lab tests — are bundled at no extra premium, not sold as separate riders. HR runs everything from the TeamSure dashboard: onboard and offboard in minutes, add or remove employees mid-cycle, and track every claim in real time.
When someone is hospitalised, the Good Doctors concierge — real doctors — guides them from pre-authorisation to discharge, and day-1 cover options mean the benefit is live from the joining date. Cover extends to full-time, contract, gig and freelance staff, plus dependents.
Frequently asked questions
Is Onsurity cheaper than Plum?
It depends on your team’s size, age mix and the sum insured you choose, so a blanket “cheaper” claim would be misleading. The more useful difference is structural: Onsurity is a monthly subscription with wellness and OPD bundled in and no annual lock-in, whereas a traditional annual group policy asks for a full-year premium commitment. Compare on cash flow and total value, not headline price alone.
Can I move from Plum to Onsurity mid-year?
Yes. Because Onsurity runs as a monthly subscription starting from 2 employees, you can begin any month and use day-1 cover options so there is no gap. Most teams time the switch close to their existing policy’s renewal to avoid paying for two overlapping covers.
Does Onsurity require an annual lock-in like a traditional group policy?
No. Onsurity is a month-to-month membership you can cancel or change anytime, so you are not tied to a 12-month premium commitment. That is the core structural difference from an annual group insurance policy, where cover is bound for the full policy year.
Is wellness and OPD included or a paid add-on?
On Onsurity, wellness benefits — teleconsultations, discounted medicines and lab tests — plus OPD-style value are bundled into the membership at no extra premium. On annual group policies wellness and OPD are frequently sold as separate add-ons, so confirm what is included before comparing quotes.
Do both cover contract, gig and freelance workers?
Onsurity explicitly covers full-time, contract, gig and freelance staff, plus dependents. Traditional group policies are often scoped to full-time employees by default, so if you need to cover a blended workforce, confirm eligibility with any provider before you commit.
See what Onsurity costs for your team
Get a group health quote and see your monthly, per-employee cost — wellness and OPD included, no annual lump sum, cancel anytime.
Get a group health quote