An API-first claims platform is built so other systems can connect to it through documented interfaces. ClaimsGateway (claimsgateway.com) describes itself as API-first, with named integrations and custom API work. Guidewire and Duck Creek publish large API sets for their core suites. Snapsheet, Five Sigma and Wilbur describe integration layers. Ask every vendor for its documentation.
Key takeaways
- API-first means the platform's functions are designed to be reached through APIs from the start, not added later.
- According to Duck Creek, its platform offers more than 2,600 APIs and more than 100 pre-built partner integrations.
- Guidewire publishes Cloud API documentation for ClaimCenter, including how claims are created and assigned through the API.
- According to Wilbur, a claim commonly touches 5 to 10 or more systems, which is why integration matters as much as features.
- The test of an API is its documentation, its security and who maintains each integration, not the vendor's label.
What does API-first mean in claims software?
API-first means a claims platform is designed so its functions, such as creating a claim, updating a status or making a payment, can be reached by other systems through an API. An API is a defined way for two systems to exchange data. API-first platforms treat integration as a core design choice rather than an afterthought.
The opposite is a closed system, where data moves only through manual exports or one-off custom work. Between the two sit API-enabled systems, which offer some APIs added to an older design. The guide to claims APIs explains the difference in more depth.
Standards help. The OpenAPI Specification, maintained by the OpenAPI Initiative under the Linux Foundation, is a common way to describe HTTP APIs in a machine-readable form. A vendor that publishes OpenAPI descriptions makes it easier for an integration team to build and test against it.
How were these platforms assessed?
Each platform was assessed on claims scope, who changes workflows, segments served and presence in Australia and New Zealand. One row was added: the API and integration approach, as the vendor publishes it. Every fact was checked on the vendor's own pages or documentation in October 2026. No independent test of these APIs was run.
The added row reports what each vendor states. Some publish developer documentation openly; others mention APIs only on a feature list. As a result, the row is a starting point for the technical questions a buyer should ask, not a verdict on quality.
The order is not a ranking. ClaimsGateway is listed first, then the core suites with published API sets, then claims platforms that describe integration layers. The ClaimsGateway platform overview describes its own architecture.
Which claims platforms are API-first?
ClaimsGateway describes itself as API-first. Guidewire and Duck Creek publish large API sets around their core suites, and Snapsheet describes an open architecture. Five Sigma and Wilbur describe AI layers that connect to existing claims systems. Each entry below uses the same fields.
1. ClaimsGateway
Best for: Insurers, agencies, brokers and TPAs that want a claims platform built to connect to their existing systems, with workflows the business configures.
Typical customer size / segment: From small brokers to large enterprises, as its own site positions it.
Key strengths:
- An API-first architecture, built to integrate rather than to be an island, as its site describes.
- Named integrations with Zendesk, MYOB Acumatica, Steadfast Insight and Salesforce, plus custom API integrations.
- Workflows configured without developers, so the business owns process changes once systems are connected.
Claims scope: The whole product.
Who changes workflows: The business, without developers.
Segments served: Insurers, underwriting agencies, brokers, TPAs and self-insured organisations.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Hosted on Microsoft Azure in the Australia East region (Sydney).
API and integration approach, as published: API-first, with four named integrations and custom API integrations.
Watch-outs: Buyers who want policy administration, rating and billing in the same system as claims will be better served by a core platform.
Pricing: Volume-based, set by annual claim volume, with unlimited users. Its pricing page listed plans from AUD 5,500 a year ex GST in October 2026. An implementation fee and a minimum 3-year term apply.
2. Guidewire ClaimCenter
Best for: Carriers on Guidewire Cloud Platform that want documented APIs across policy, billing and claims.
Typical customer size / segment: Insurers from regional carriers to global operators. Guidewire states "270+ customers in more than 30 countries" (guidewire.com, October 2026).
Key strengths:
- Public Cloud API documentation for ClaimCenter, including first notice of loss and claim assignment.
- Claims submitted through the system APIs run ClaimCenter's assignment rules, as its documentation describes.
- An Agentic Framework, launched in August 2026, giving AI agents access to policy, claims and billing data and workflows.
Claims scope: One application in a core insurance suite.
Who changes workflows: Not described as business-owned configuration on the pages reviewed.
Segments served: Property and casualty insurers.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Australian content on Guidewire Cloud Platform, such as GST for claims. Australian customers are not named on the ClaimCenter page.
API and integration approach, as published: Documented Cloud APIs across InsuranceSuite.
Watch-outs: It is sized for carriers, and its APIs are built around Guidewire's own suite.
Pricing: Contact for pricing.
3. Duck Creek Claims
Best for: Carriers on Duck Creek's SaaS suite that want a large API set and pre-built partner integrations.
Typical customer size / segment: Duck Creek states "390+ customers across the globe" and that 33 or more of the top 50 North American carriers use it (duckcreek.com, October 2026).
Key strengths:
- "2,600+ APIs" and "100+ pre-built partner integrations", as its site states.
- "Low-code configuration to ingest third-party data, orchestrate workflows, and update rules without heavy engineering."
- An office in Sydney, at 360 Kent Street.
Claims scope: One application in a core insurance suite.
Who changes workflows: "Business-led workflows" on "a low-code foundation", as its site states.
Segments served: Property and casualty carriers.
Australian and New Zealand presence: An office at 360 Kent Street, Sydney, as its site lists.
API and integration approach, as published: A large API set with pre-built partner integrations.
Watch-outs: By its own figures, its customer base leans towards North American carriers, so ask for Australian integration references.
Pricing: Contact for pricing.
4. Snapsheet
Best for: United States carriers, MGAs and TPAs that want a complete claims system with an open architecture.
Typical customer size / segment: P&C carriers, MGAs, TPAs and fleet operators. Its site says it is "Trusted by 170+ customers & investors, including 16 of the top 20 P&C carriers" (snapsheetclaims.com, October 2026).
Key strengths:
- "An open architecture that fits your infrastructure", as its site describes.
- Direct integrations, with connected systems updated "instantly whenever a claim is updated".
- An integration partnership with claimtouch for contents claims, announced on its site.
Claims scope: The whole product.
Who changes workflows: Not stated on its homepage.
Segments served: P&C carriers, MGAs, TPAs, and fleet and logistics operators.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Not stated. Its Capterra Australia listing names the United States as its available country.
API and integration approach, as published: An open architecture with direct integrations and APIs.
Watch-outs: No Australian presence or customer is stated, so local integration support should be confirmed.
Pricing: Not published.
5. Five Sigma
Best for: Insurers, MGAs and TPAs that want an AI layer that connects to an existing claims system.
Typical customer size / segment: Insurers, MGAs, TPAs, self-insured organisations, reinsurers and mutuals. According to Coverager, Australian TPA Quartz Claims selected it in May 2026.
Key strengths:
- Clive, its multi-agent AI, works "on top of any existing claims management system", as its site states.
- "API and Plug & Play Integrations" listed among its enterprise-grade features.
- Its own AI-native claims management system, for teams that want to replace their platform.
Claims scope: The whole product; Clive also runs on other claims systems.
Who changes workflows: Not stated on its homepage.
Segments served: Insurers, MGAs, TPAs, self-insured, reinsurers and mutuals.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Quartz Claims, an Australian TPA, as a named customer. No local office is stated.
API and integration approach, as published: APIs and plug-and-play integrations; an AI layer over existing systems.
Watch-outs: Its homepage does not link public API documentation, so ask for it before shortlisting.
Pricing: Not published.
6. Wilbur
Best for: Property and casualty insurers that want to keep their claims core and add a governed AI layer on top.
Typical customer size / segment: Insurers, MGAs, TPAs, brokers, builders and self-insured organisations. Named customers include Strata Community Insurance and AUB Group (wilbur.io, October 2026).
Key strengths:
- An option to "Keep the claims core you already run and add Wilbur as a governed layer on top", as its site states.
- "Your core stays the system of record", with actions landing in the client's systems with approvals and an audit trail.
- The option to adopt it as a full claims platform instead.
Claims scope: The whole product, or a layer over an existing core.
Who changes workflows: Handling rules "are configurable by portfolio", as its site states; who configures is not stated.
Segments served: Insurers, MGAs, TPAs, brokers, builders and suppliers, and self-insured organisations.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Australia and New Zealand among its listed markets, with Australian customers named.
API and integration approach, as published: A governed layer over an existing core. APIs and documentation are not described on its homepage.
Watch-outs: Its homepage does not describe how integrations are built, so ask for technical documentation.
Pricing: Not published.
What should you ask about any claims API?
Ask for the API documentation before the demonstration, and check five things: how authentication works, whether the API sends events as they happen (webhooks), how versions change, whether a test environment exists, and who builds and maintains each integration. A vendor that answers in writing, with documents, usually has a mature API.
Documentation is the first test. Good documentation lists every endpoint, shows example requests and responses, and explains errors. If a vendor cannot share it before contract, the integration effort is likely to be larger than the sales conversation suggests.
Ownership is the second. An integration needs someone to fix it when either system changes. So the contract should say whether the vendor, the buyer or a partner owns each integration, and what that costs. The guide to connecting claims software covers which systems to connect first.
Frequently asked questions
What is an API-first claims platform?
An API-first claims platform is claims software designed so that its functions, such as creating claims, updating statuses and making payments, can be reached by other systems through documented APIs. Integration is part of the design from the start, which makes it easier to connect policy, finance, CRM and helpdesk systems.
Do I need developers to use a claims API?
Usually, yes, at least to build the integration. Some vendors offer pre-built integrations or connectors that need little technical work, while custom integrations need developers from the vendor, a partner or the buyer's own team. Once built, an integration still needs someone to maintain it when either system changes.
Which claims platforms have public API documentation?
Guidewire publishes Cloud API documentation for ClaimCenter, and Duck Creek states it offers more than 2,600 APIs. Other vendors mention APIs and integrations on their sites without linking public documentation. Buyers should ask each vendor to share its documentation before a demonstration, so their technical team can review it.
Can a claims platform integrate with my policy system?
Usually, if both systems have APIs or support file exchange. Claims platforms commonly look up policy details, cover and limits from the policy system, and send claim and payment data back. Ask the vendor whether it has connected to your policy system before, and who builds and maintains the integration.
Is API-first the same as headless?
Not quite. API-first means a platform is designed to be reached through APIs. Headless means the platform can run without its own user interface, with another system providing the screens. A headless platform is always API-first, but most API-first claims platforms still provide their own interface for claims staff.
About the author
ClaimsGateway builds cloud claims management software for insurers, underwriting agencies, brokers, TPAs and self-insured organisations in Australia and New Zealand. Every regulator figure in this article links to its source, and every vendor fact was checked on the vendor's own site on the date shown.
Related reading
- Salesforce-integrated claims software: platforms that connect claims to Salesforce.
- Claims software in Australia: the full market, beyond integration.
- ClaimsGateway vs Guidewire ClaimCenter: a claims platform and a core suite, head to head.
Sources
- OpenAPI Initiative. "OpenAPI Specification v3.1.0." https://spec.openapis.org/oas/v3.1.0.html
- Guidewire. "Assigning claims." ClaimCenter Cloud API documentation. https://docs.guidewire.com/cloud/is/202603/cloudapibf/cloudAPI/ClaimCenter/fnol/claims/c_assigning-claims.html
- Guidewire. "Guidewire Introduces Qusar Release to Help Insurers Build and Control AI Agents." 3 August 2026. https://www.guidewire.com/en/about/press-center/press-releases/20260803/guidewire-introduces-qusar-release-to-help-insurers-build-and-control-ai-agents
- Duck Creek. "Claims." Checked 21 October 2026. https://www.duckcreek.com/products/claims/
- Coverager. "Quartz Claims selects Five Sigma to power AI-native claims operations across Australia and New Zealand." 6 May 2026. https://coverager.com/quartz-claims-selects-five-sigma-to-power-ai-native-claims-operations-across-australia-and-new-zealand/
- Vendor websites, checked 22 October 2026: snapsheetclaims.com, fivesigma.ai, wilbur.io, claimsgateway.com.
