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Best for Phone and Email Protection
Best for Hands-Off Data Removal
Best for Bundling Protection
While there are plenty of reputable data removal services, DeleteMe is my top choice for removing my personal information from data brokers who sell it to other parties.
Some services like Aura come with full identity protection as well as data broker services, while others like Surfshark's Incogni can be bundled with tools like a virtual private network (VPN). I also like HelloPrivacy for its low-maintenance approach and Optery for its freemium service that can help your DIY data removal efforts.
If you want to reduce spam, decrease the risk of identity theft, and clean up your online presence, the best data removal service can help. But which one of these is going to be the best for you?
While data brokers aren’t illegal, they are legally required to delete your information if requested. Unfortunately, not all of them comply with data removal requests, so a removal service like one of the five below can go to work battling the brokers to give you more online anonymity.
Data privacy is important. It can help reduce the spam clutter in your life and help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.
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| Price | $8.69/mo (billed annually) |
$7.49/mo (billed annually) | $9.00/mo (billed annually) | $9.99/mo | $3.99/mo |
| Family plan | |||||
| Data broker opt-out | Manual and automated | Manual and automated | Manual and automated | Manual and automated (premium plan) | Manual and automated (premium plan) |
| # of site removals | 750+ | 179 | 20+ | 50+ | Up to 575+ |
| Privacy reports | |||||
| Recurring removals | |||||
| Encryption | AES-256 and TLS 1.2 | Unspecified | Unspecified | AES-256 | AES-256 and TLS 1.3 |
| Supported countries | Australia, Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and more | United States, Canada, UK, Isle of Man, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, EU | United States | United States | United States |
| Extras | Email masking, phone masking, card masking | No, unless you get it as part of the Surfshark One+ plan | Safe Gaming, Antivirus, VPN, Password manager, Parental controls, AI spam call & message protection | Dark web scanning | Automatic opt-out |
| Learn more | Get DeleteMe
Read Our DeleteMe Review |
Get Incogni
Read Our Incogni Review |
Get Aura
Read Our Aura Review |
Get HelloPrivacy
Read Our HelloPrivacy Review |
Get Optery
Read Our Optery Review |
To review data removal services, we sign up for the service anywhere from a week to a month in advance. This allows it time to gather our data, scrub it from the data broker and people search sites, and send us reports on its process.
With so many data broker websites, you’ll want to make sure the one you choose sends requests to a lot of them, as well as follows up and searches for more.
Once we've spent some time with the service, we calculate our editorial rating by taking into account key features, prices, security measures, and other criteria.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full data removal testing methodology here.
Removes your data from the web to avoid scams, spam and stalkers
100+ million successful opt-out removals
Provides continued removals every three months
Have you ever gotten an early morning call that turned out to be a telemarketer? DeleteMe can help with that. In addition to personal data removal services, DeleteMe offers email, phone, and credit card masking.
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That way, you can still browse the internet doing things you want but with the added security of having your information masked. Who doesn’t want less spam, fewer text messages, or to not be bothered by calls asking about your car’s extended warranty?
DeleteMe contacts over 750 data brokers to remove your personal data, which is the most data brokers I’ve seen on this list. Its commitment to privacy and data removal is really impressive.
That commitment is extended for the entire life of your subscription with DeleteMe continuing to remove data every three months. Over time, you’ll notice less spam as the service continues to remove your sensitive data from the internet.
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The phone, email, and card masking are such great features that can really reduce spam. The phone masking, however, comes with a $7.00 one-time fee. It’s not a deal-breaker, but since you’re paying for the service already, it could be included.
I also noticed that in addition to email and phone support, there’s a chatbot on the customer service page, but it’s only active from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time. If you need assistance outside those hours, you’ll have to wait for a reply email. Phone support is available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.
| Price range | $8.60–$21.94/mo |
| Free trial | No |
| Data broker opt-out | Yes |
| Number of data brokers covered | 750+ |
| How often is data rechecked? | Quarterly |
| Privacy reports | Yes |
| Learn more | Get DeleteMe
Read Our DeleteMe Review |
Limits public access to your information and protects your data from theft
Sends removal requests on your behalf
Tracks and repeats removal requests if needed
Incogni data removal checks 120 data broker websites and 60+ people search sites, automatically sending out emails on your behalf to get the data removed. This gives you a well-rounded overview of how you’re being indexed online and a hands-off approach to limiting your digital footprint.
Something else you’ll find throughout your dashboard is helpful tips or general information regarding data removal. All of it goes together to give you not only a good product but also a better understanding of how these data brokers work.
Incogni is owned by Surfshark, the powerful VPN service that offers many online safety features. At first, Surfshark didn’t offer a bundle plan that included Incogni, but now it offers Surfshark One+, which includes Incogni. I like having the option to purchase the service by itself or wrap it into Surfshark’s VPN, antivirus, and identity protection services.
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Incogni doesn’t include email privacy services, privacy reports, or real-time alerts. You’ll have to keep logging in to your dashboard to check progress. While this isn’t a deal breaker, it’s still a little annoying.
You can get these services if you bundle Incogni into a Surfshark One+ subscription, but that can be pricey if you're not interested in a full cybersecurity suite.
| Price range | $7.49–$32.98/mo |
| Free trial | No |
| Data broker opt-out | Yes |
| Number of data brokers covered | 179 |
| How often is data rechecked? | Monthly |
| Privacy reports | Yes |
| Learn more | Get Incogni
Read Our Incogni Review |
Keep your data off the most notorious data broker sites
Robust monitoring of every aspect of your digital footprint, including your SSN and bank accounts
Excellent identity theft protection with up $1 million in coverage
Aura offers a service that's useful for the entire family. I liked that it monitored my spending based on the threshold I set, which can be helpful when teaching teens with jobs about money management.
Also, Aura provides parental controls and identity protection for even the youngest family members. If you're living a child-free life, the tools are just as effective for singles and partners, with the ability to monitor the dark web for your data and request data removal from brokers.
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Admittedly, Aura isn’t just a personal data removal service. That’s why it’s great for people bundling their data removal services with identity protection services. Aura asks some questions when you first sign up to make sure it covers all of the things that are important to you. If you aren’t sure what aspects of your data protection you want to cover, Aura can help you figure that out. I was a fan of how comprehensive this service is for anyone.
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Aura can be expensive, and you can’t purchase services a la carte. If you’re looking for data removal and nothing else, this is likely not the service for you.
Also, I would have liked it to provide both VantageScore and a FICO score. I only received my VantageScore, which could make it difficult to gauge what you need for a new purchase, depending on your lender.
| Price range | $9.00–$30.00/mo |
| Free trial | Yes — 14 days |
| Data broker opt-out | Yes |
| Number of data brokers covered | 20+ |
| How often is data rechecked? | Unknown |
| Privacy reports | Yes |
| Learn more | Get Aura
Read Our Aura Review |
See if your address, phone number, or other info is exposed in seconds
Comprehensive reports
Easy to request info deletion
There’s a dark web scanner built into HelloPrivacy as well as the data broker scanner. It also offers advice and templates on how to request your personal data be removed from sites that don’t respond to its efforts. Finally, if the data broker continues to retain your information, HelloPrivacy walks you through how to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to have your information removed.
The dark web scanner allows you to scan multiple email addresses for potential data leaks. You can scan up to five separate email addresses, which means you can cover all your accounts or multiple people’s accounts. If you find your email on the dark web, HelloPrivacy walks you through the next steps.
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There are no other features offered other than the dark web scanner and the data removal services. Also, it’s not the most robust in terms of the number of data brokers it scans. While DeleteMe checks over 750 data brokers, HelloPrivacy checks just over 50.
| Price range | $8.33-$9.99/mo |
| Free trial | No |
| Data broker opt-out | Yes |
| Number of data brokers covered | 50+ |
| How often is data rechecked? | Monthly |
| Privacy reports | Yes |
| Learn more | Get HelloPrivacy
Read Our HelloPrivacy Review |
Has a free plan that finds your data on broker sites
Removals Report comes with screenshots to prove progress
Out of all of the data removal services, I like Optery for its free plan that shows you (most) everywhere your personal data is listed online. This is helpful for people who want to reduce their online footprint but may not have it in their budget to include another monthly subscription.
Optery aggregates the data so you can begin to request removal yourself. The process takes more effort when you DIY data removal, but Optery provides a welcomed first step.
Optery’s free plan sends you a report every 90 days. If you choose to pay for an upgrade, you’ll receive monthly automated scans and other features like the ability to opt out of new data broker sites. I love the ability to choose between upgrading or sticking with a free plan.
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Optery doesn’t always use AES-256-bit encryption. If you aren’t familiar, this is military-grade encryption used to secure data. Any data stored in Optery’s coffers is encrypted with AES-256, but any data in transit (like a request to remove your information) only uses TLS, which isn’t as secure. While I didn't love this, it could be acceptable if you’re doing the removal requests yourself.
| Price range | Free–$24.99/mo |
| Free trial | No |
| Data broker opt-out | Yes |
| Number of data brokers covered | 575+ |
| How often is data rechecked? | At least quarterly |
| Privacy reports | Yes |
| Learn more | Get Optery
Read Our Optery Review |
When looking at a data removal service, you’ll want to make sure it has some key aspects. Since there are so many data broker websites, you’ll want to make sure the one you choose sends requests to a lot of them, as well as follows up and searches for more. Some key points to look out for include:
Data removal services are worth it for several reasons. First, they can help reduce the amount of annoying spam you receive in the form of phone calls, emails, and text messages.
They’re especially worthwhile if you’ve ever been the victim of a phishing scam. Phishing scams like credit card number grabbers or fake tech support scams aren’t just from data breaches.
Additionally, data removal services can increase your peace of mind by increasing your online privacy. You also lower your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft or cybercrime. Criminals are looking for fast, easy targets. If they have to hunt down information about you, they’re more likely to move on to a person who requires less effort.
A data broker collects information from all over the web and pieces it together to create a complete (and very creepy) picture of you. Data brokers collect information from what’s free and available online, as well as purchasing it from other sources.
Ever sign up for a new internet service provider (ISP) and suddenly notice your spam emails shoot up? That’s because that company double-dipped by charging you for your service and selling your info to a data broker. Data brokers, in turn, sell your data to people search sites, marketing lists, and anyone else willing to pay for it.
Social media sites, public records, loyalty programs, mobile apps, and anywhere else you share something personal about yourself can sell that data to a broker. Websites track you online, and all of this is compiled into little virtual folders of information on you just waiting to be sold. It’s all completely legal because the information is usually public record, so you should be cautious about how and what you share online. And, unfortunately, these data broker websites are just as susceptible to a data breach as any company.
One of my favorite episodes of Parks and Recreation is when Leslie Knope finally finds out Ron Swanson’s birthday. Ron couldn’t resist a free scoop of Rum Raisin he received by signing up for a birthday club, and Leslie could track it down. Next time you share something online, consider whether that proverbial scoop of Rum Raisin is worth it to give up your data.
While data brokers have the right to collect information that's in the public domain, you also have the right to request that your information is deleted. Each data broker site should outline the opt-out process on their site, which usually involves sending an email, filling out a form, or checking off a box. After that's done, you may be required to verify your identity before you get confirmation that your data has been removed.
While it's entirely possible to manually submit all your opt-out requests yourself, data broker removal services exist to make the process easier for you. Most of the time, you'll need to sign an agreement that allows the service to work your behalf. Then their team will automatically send out emails and opt-out requests, with the best services also manually following up for you every three or so months.
If you've had a data broker removal service for a while, you should notice less spam emails and spam calls coming through.
While it’s likely you’ll never remove all of your data, you can significantly reduce your online footprint by hunting down each and every data broker (there can be thousands) and requesting each one remove the data it has stored on you.
If that sounds exhausting, you can use a data removal service to automate this process for you. Often, good data removal services will continually check to make sure the information doesn’t find its way back onto those same brokers’ sites.
Other methods to keep your information low on the internet is deleting accounts you don't use anymore, using an online pseudonym, and increasing your privacy settings on all social media accounts you use.
You won’t be able to completely stop companies from collecting your data, but you can reduce the amount they’re able to collect. There are several tools that help reduce your online footprint.
Tracker blockers are a good defense against trackers that follow you around the internet and build profiles on you. You can also use private browsers and private search engines that don’t log your data. For encrypted browsing, make sure you have one of the best VPN services turned on.
I think DeleteMe is better as a comprehensive data removal service. It comes with quarterly privacy reports and masking tools, which Incogni lacks.
However, Incogni may be a better choice if you're looking for a complete cybersecurity suite. Incogni is included in the Surfshark One bundle, which also features Surfshark VPN, Surfshark Antivirus, Surfshark CleanWeb, and much more.
Kanary seems like a personal service that’s still in its start-up era. When I was poking around the internet looking for ways to compare the two, I stumbled upon a Reddit thread where the actual CEO of Kanary popped in to invite people to try it.
It is a little more expensive than DeleteMe but offers easy ways to add family members. In the end, I think it boils down to what your specific needs are — price or number of people covered.
I think DeleteMe is a better data removal service because it focuses on data brokers, which is where a lot of your data is being bought and sold. You can consider them the root of the problem.
PrivacyHawk, on the other hand, scans your email for companies you're already in contact with, and sends automated requests to them. These are more symptoms of the larger problem, and may not be as effective.
You can remove your personal information from the internet by contacting data brokers and websites that host your data and asking them to opt you out. You can also work through Google's Results about you form.
In all my testing, I found that DeleteMe is the best data removal service.
I chose my top five for the features they include or the simplicity offered. Whether you’re looking to DIY your data removal and need some help getting started with such a time-consuming activity or want a full-fledged data removal powerhouse behind you, you’ll find that with one of these services.
| Starting price | Free trial | Data broker opt-outs | Privacy reports | Learn more | |
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$8.69/mo (billed annually) | Get DeleteMe
Read Our DeleteMe Review |
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$7.49/mo (billed annually) | Get Incogni
Read Our Incogni Review |
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$9.00/mo (billed annually) | Get Aura
Read Our Aura Review |
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$9.99/mo | Get HelloPrivacy
Read Our HelloPrivacy Review |
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$3.99/mo | Get Optery
Read Our Optery Review |
Removes your data from the web to avoid scams, spam and stalkers
100+ million successful opt-out removals
Provides continued removals every three months
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Not able to submit custom requests
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