We've done the research so you don't have to. An honest breakdown of the five real CrossFit affiliate insurance options, including the one we built.
Honest pricing for CrossFit affiliates. Most owners pay about $130 a month, roughly $1,200 to $2,000 a year, with Gym Insurance by PushPress, which is roughly half of what CrossFit RRG runs once you add the $1,000 buy-in and the $350 annual brokerage fee. Both general liability and professional liability included as standard, and the policy meets every CrossFit, LLC affiliate requirement without tying your coverage to your affiliation.
CrossFit affiliates have lived through two phases of getting this wrong. First, generic commercial carriers didn't know what CrossFit actually was, so they either declined the box outright or priced it like a maximum-risk specialty case. Then specialty groups like CrossFit RRG acknowledged the category but stacked a $1,000 membership buy-in and a $350 annual brokerage fee on top of an already-elevated premium. Honest pricing is the third option. That's the gap we built to close.
Quick disclosure before you read on: one of the providers on this list is us. We've kept the comparison below as honest as we know how, and you can decide for yourself.
We're gym owners. We've built the software thousands of CrossFit affiliates use to run their box, and we've heard the same insurance complaints over and over: too expensive, wrong coverage, or underwriters who make you describe "functional fitness training" instead of CrossFit to get covered at all. We needed insurance that priced CrossFit programming like CrossFit programming, not like a maximum-risk specialty case. Nobody was selling that, so we built it.
20+ years in fitness. Data from thousands of gyms. No broker fees. A-rated carriers (Everspan, Starr Indemnity). Reinsured by global names you'd recognize. Fully CrossFit, LLC affiliate compliant.
This comparison is based on what we've actually seen working with thousands of boxes, not desk research.
| Provider | Best for | Typical annual cost* | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gym Insurance by PushPress Best overall | Most CrossFit affiliates, best overall value | $1,200 to $2,000 | Not ideal for one-day event-only coverage |
| CrossFit RRG | Affiliates who want CrossFit Inc.'s official option | $2,150 to $2,850/yr | Can't cover your equipment (as an RRG it can't write property); coverage tied to affiliation; $1,000 buy-in + $350/yr brokerage |
| Affiliate Guard | Gym owners who want a broker to handle the process for them | $1,800 to $3,000 | Broker fees on top of premium; no control over what the policy actually covers |
| Nexo Insurance | Gyms that don't qualify for CrossFit RRG but want the same company | $1,800 to $2,800 | Same parent company as CrossFit RRG, same fundamental issues, slightly broader reach |
| Francis L. Dean | Gyms that have been turned down everywhere else | $2,500 to $4,500 | Another broker, same middleman issues as Affiliate Guard, but even more expensive |
*Prices accurate as of June 2026. Coverage and pricing can change. Verify directly with the provider before making a decision.
What it covers: General liability, professional liability, commercial property, and workers' compensation. Fully compliant with CrossFit affiliate insurance requirements, no asterisks, no workarounds.
Why it's cheaper: No broker in the middle. We went direct to the underwriter with 10+ years of gym data, which means better risk modeling and no 20 to 30% broker commission baked into your premium.
What it costs: About $130 a month, roughly $1,200 to $2,000/year for most affiliates. You can get a quote in under 5 minutes.
Watch out for: If you only need single-event or one-day tournament coverage, K&K Insurance is built for that. For ongoing affiliate coverage, we're the better choice.
The "what's the catch?" answer: There isn't one. We don't pay broker commissions. We built this because PushPress works with thousands of gyms and the insurance market was genuinely broken for them. We had the data and the relationships to fix it.
CrossFit Risk Retention Group is the insurance program created by CrossFit Inc. It's marketed as the "official" option for affiliates and some gym owners feel more comfortable with that association.
What it covers: General liability and professional liability for CrossFit affiliates and independent trainers.
What it actually costs: The headline premium sounds reasonable, but CrossFit RRG charges a $1,000 membership buy-in fee plus a $350 annual brokerage fee on top of the base premium. For most affiliates, total first-year cost runs $2,150 to $2,850.
The real issue: CrossFit RRG ties your insurance to your CrossFit affiliation. If you want to add a second location, offer non-CrossFit programming, or ever consider dropping your affiliation, your coverage situation gets complicated fast. And if you don't qualify for the RRG, they'll point you to their parent company Nexo Insurance, which has the same approach and similar pricing issues (see below).
Best for: Affiliates who specifically want to stay within the CrossFit Inc. ecosystem and aren't price-sensitive.
Watch out for: The fee structure. Read the full cost breakdown before assuming it's competitive. And know that CrossFit RRG and Nexo Insurance are the same organization, if one doesn't work for you, the other probably won't either.
Affiliate Guard is an insurance broker, they don't create or control the policies they sell. They find policies from traditional insurance companies and resell them to gym owners, adding their brokerage fee on top.
What that means for you: The policy you get through Affiliate Guard is whatever the insurance company offers. Affiliate Guard can't change what's covered, what's excluded, or how claims are handled. They're a middleman. If your policy has a problematic exclusion, Affiliate Guard can't fix it, they didn't write it.
What it costs: $1,800 to $3,000/year. That includes their brokerage fee baked into the premium. You're paying 20 to 30% more than you would if you went direct, and you're getting the same off-the-shelf policy the insurance company sells to everyone.
The honest take: Some gym owners like having a broker handle the shopping process. But you're paying significantly more for that convenience, and you're getting a generic policy that wasn't designed for how your gym actually operates. The broker doesn't have the gym-specific data or the relationships to get you a better deal, they just have access to the same carriers you could find yourself.
Best for: Gym owners who don't want to deal with insurance directly and are willing to pay more for someone else to handle it.
Watch out for: You're paying broker fees for a policy that wasn't built for gyms. Ask exactly what's excluded before you sign.
Here's something most gym owners don't realize: Nexo is the parent company of CrossFit RRG. If you've already looked at CrossFit RRG and didn't like what you saw, the fees, the limited flexibility, the coverage restrictions, Nexo is the same company with a slightly wider net.
What's different from CrossFit RRG: Nexo can write policies for gym types that don't fit into the RRG structure, martial arts gyms, hybrid facilities, gyms that aren't CrossFit affiliates. They have a bit more flexibility in who they'll cover. But the underlying approach, the pricing structure, and the way they handle policies are all coming from the same place.
What it costs: $1,800 to $2,800/year.
The honest take: If you didn't like CrossFit RRG's pricing, fees, or coverage limitations, Nexo isn't going to feel meaningfully different, it's the same organization. The slightly broader reach helps if you run a martial arts or hybrid gym that the RRG won't cover, but you're still paying significantly more than you need to for a policy that wasn't built with your specific gym in mind.
Best for: Gyms that want to work with the CrossFit RRG parent company but don't qualify for the RRG itself.
Watch out for: Don't assume Nexo is an independent alternative to CrossFit RRG. It's the same company. If the RRG's approach didn't work for you, this probably won't either.
Like Affiliate Guard, Francis L. Dean is an insurance broker, not a provider. They don't create the policies, they don't control what's covered, and they can't tailor anything to your specific gym. They find policies from insurance companies that are willing to cover higher-risk facilities and resell them to you with their fees on top.
What it costs: $2,500 to $4,500/year and up. You're paying broker fees plus a premium that's already inflated because the insurance companies see you as higher risk.
Why they exist: Some gyms have been turned down by other insurance companies, maybe they have a claims history, unusual equipment, or programming that scares off standard carriers. Francis L. Dean specializes in finding someone who will say yes. That's genuinely useful if you're in that situation.
The honest take: If you've been declined everywhere else, Francis L. Dean might be your only option and that's fine. But most CrossFit affiliates are not high-risk, no matter what a broker tells you. If you're running standard programming and haven't been declined, paying $3,000 to $4,000/year through a broker when you could pay about $130 a month ($1,200 to $2,000 a year) directly is just overpaying for a policy you don't control.
Best for: Gyms that have genuinely been turned down by other options and need someone to find a carrier willing to cover them.
Watch out for: Same broker problems as Affiliate Guard, fees, no control over the policy, and no ability to customize coverage for how your gym actually works. Plus the price tag is significantly higher.
Covers you if a member or visitor is injured at your box and sues. Slip-and-falls, bar-on-foot incidents, equipment accidents, property damage to a member's belongings. Baseline coverage, but check the per-occurrence and aggregate limits.
Learn more →Covers you if a client claims your coaching, programming, or scaling decisions caused their injury. The one that often gets quietly excluded by carriers who don't actually price CrossFit. Confirm it's in there before you buy.
Learn more →Covers your rigs, barbells, plates, rowers, bikes, mats, and tech. Fire, a burst pipe, or theft, all paid out. Replacement cost vs. actual cash value matters, ask for replacement cost.
Learn more →Required in most states if you have employees. Covers staff injuries on the job. Non-negotiable if your coaches are on payroll.
Learn more →How each provider stacks up on what's actually in the policy. The at-a-glance table above is the headline. This is the fine print.
| Attribute | Gym Insurance by PushPress | CrossFit RRG | Affiliate Guard | Nexo Insurance | Francis L. Dean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General liability | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Professional liability | ✓ | ✓ | Through broker | Add-on | Through broker |
| Business personal property | Replacement cost | Not covered | Varies by carrier | Often ACV | Varies by carrier |
| Workers' comp options | Easily added | Separate carrier | Through broker | Separate carrier | Through broker |
| CrossFit, LLC affiliate compliant | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage tied to affiliation | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Membership / buy-in fee | $0 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Annual brokerage fee | $0 | $350/yr | Built into premium | $0 | Built into premium |
| Admitted carrier | ✓ Everspan / Starr Indemnity | Risk Retention Group | ✓ | Risk Retention Group | ✓ |
| Online quoting / instant COI | Under 5 minutes | Member portal | Through broker | Member portal | Through broker |
Most CrossFit affiliates pay about $130 a month, roughly $1,200 to $2,000 a year, with Gym Insurance by PushPress. CrossFit RRG runs $2,150 to $2,850 a year, roughly double, before the one-time $1,000 membership buy-in and $350 annual brokerage fee. Other providers generally range from $1,800 to $3,000+. See our full gym insurance cost breakdown or get a quote for your specific situation.
Yes, but so do other providers including Gym Insurance by PushPress. You are not required to use CrossFit RRG to maintain your affiliate status. Any policy that meets CrossFit Inc.'s coverage specifications is acceptable. Read our full CrossFit RRG comparison for the real cost breakdown.
Both. General liability covers injuries at your facility. Professional liability covers claims that your coaching or programming caused harm. Without professional liability, a client who claims your programming injured them isn't covered. Gym Insurance by PushPress includes both.
General liability is the main coverage here: if a member is hurt during a WOD and your gym is held responsible, it covers your legal defense and any settlement, including their medical costs. Some policies also include medical payments coverage that can help with smaller medical bills, though limits and terms vary, so check what your policy includes. Learn more about gym liability coverage.
No. Waivers can reduce your exposure but they don't eliminate it, courts regularly look past them, especially for cases involving minors, negligence, or improperly written waiver language. Insurance is still essential. Read our guide on gym liability waivers for more on what they do and don't protect you from.
With Gym Insurance by PushPress, yes. CrossFit RRG gets more complicated if you want to run programming outside the CrossFit affiliation model. Check your policy terms before opening a second location. Contact us if you need to add a location to your existing policy.
With Gym Insurance by PushPress, yes, the policy is designed for multi-modality fitness businesses. We cover CrossFit boxes, yoga studios, and everything in between. Confirm the specific activities with us when you get a quote. With other providers, verify explicitly that non-CrossFit programming is included.
With Gym Insurance by PushPress, instantly, download your certificate of insurance the moment your policy is active. If you're signing a new lease or heading into a competition and need it at 11pm, you've got it.
Most commercial landlords require $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate in general liability coverage, plus the right to be named as an additional insured. Many also ask for 30-day notice of cancellation language on the certificate of insurance. Gym Insurance by PushPress offers $1M/$3M as standard, which exceeds what most leases ask for. If your lease requires higher limits than that, get in touch and we can talk through your options. You can download your certificate of insurance the moment your policy is active.
Yes. Adding a landlord, franchise (like CrossFit, LLC), charter school, SBA lender, or any other interested party as an additional insured is standard on every Gym Insurance by PushPress policy. No extra fee. The endorsement and the updated certificate of insurance issue instantly through your policy dashboard, so you don't have to wait for a broker to process the request.
For most CrossFit affiliates, Gym Insurance by PushPress is the best value: about $130/mo ($1,200 to $2,000/year), full affiliate compliance, professional liability included, and no hidden fees. If you've been quoted $2,500+ or told you need to hide what you actually do to get covered, there's a better option.
Pricing ranges reflect typical 2026 annual premiums. Your actual rate depends on facility size, location, programming, and coverage selections.
Don't let high costs or inadequate coverage hold your gym back. Protect your business and your students with insurance built for you.