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Best Overall
Best Digital + Identity Protection
If you're seeking identity theft protection like me, the best identity theft protection services on the market are Aura, Norton LifeLock, Identity Guard, OmniWatch, and IDShield by LegalShield. I tested 17 identity theft services with my own data and think Aura is the best overall due to its robust identity and credit monitoring, full coverage cybersecurity suite, and value for the price.
In this comprehensive review, Ie'll explore the key features of our top 5, including but not limited to credit monitoring, identity theft insurance, and identity theft recovery services, as well as pricing plans for adults and families with children, and more. Let’s get started.
| Service |  Best Overall
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| Starting price | Starts at $9.00/mo (billed annually) | Starts at $7.50/mo for first yr (billed annually) | Starts at $8.99/mo | Starts at $10.00/mo | Starts at $14.95/mo |
| Number of people covered | Up to 5 adults and unlimited children | 1-2 adults, up to 5 children | Individual or up to 5 adults and unlimited children | 1 adult | 1-2 adults, up to 10 children |
| Free trial | Yes — 14 days | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 30 days | ||
| ID theft insurance | Up to $1 million | Up to $3 million | Up to $1 million | Up to $2 million | Up to $3 million |
| Types of identity monitoring | Identity, credit, SSN, home & auto title, criminal & court records, lost wallet remediation | Identity, credit, SSN, dark web, phone takeover, home title, social media | Identity, credit, SSN, financial accounts, home title, social media, lost wallet remediation | Identity, credit, SSN, dark web | Identity, credit, SSN, dark web, social media, public records, address change |
| Identity restoration services | |||||
| Extras | Antivirus, VPN, data removal, parental controls, cyberbullying alerts, credit lock with Experian | Home title and investment account monitoring, data removal | Password manager, safe browsing tools, data removal services | Antivirus, VPN, ad blocker, credit lock with TransUnion | Licensed private investigators for ID recovery |
| Details | Get Aura Read Aura |
Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review |
Get Identity Guard Read Identity Guard Review |
Get OmniWatch Read OmniWatch Review |
Get IDShield Read IDShield Review |
To review identity theft protection services, we sign up for the service several days prior to our review. This allows the service time to begin populating our dashboard with identity and credit monitoring information and send us real-time alerts. During this time, we also evaluate the service's ease of use, contact customer support, and play around with the extra features.
After spending some time with the service, we use our proprietary grading rubric which calculates a star rating based on prices, identity monitoring features, credit features, and other criteria.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full ID theft testing methodology here.
#1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance for up to five adults
Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
Aura is my top choice for individuals seeking a well-rounded approach to identity theft protection and digital privacy. It's particularly beneficial for tech-savvy users who value advanced technologies such as AI for combating identity theft.
Moreover, Aura’s family plans make it a viable option for households looking to prevent child identity theft and safeguard the personal information of all family members.
AI technology: I appreciate Aura's use of artificial intelligence to detect potential scam calls and texts before they manifest into identity theft losses. Aura's use of innovative AI technology can provide comprehensive and proactive protection against identity theft. Its service goes beyond basic identity and credit monitoring, providing features like spam call and message protection, data removal services, white glove fraud remediation, and more.
Cybersecurity suite: Aura includes other cybersecurity features across plans, including antivirus protection, data removal, and a basic VPN. I opted for the family plan, which means it also came with features like Safe Gaming with cyberbullying alerts and parental controls so I can keep my kids safe, too.
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Identity monitoring: All Aura plans include credit score monitoring with all three bureaus, data breach alerts, and dark web scanning, ensuring I was promptly informed of any suspicious activities. I also had access to Experian CreditLock, which a lot of credit monitoring services don't include.
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Price: Despite its advanced features, Aura’s services might come at a high price point for some. While I do believe I got what I paid for, it may not suit those on a tight budget. However, competitors like LifeLock increase their prices after the first year, so that's something to consider if you're seeking long-term protection.
No FICO monitoring: I also wish Aura provided my FICO score and not just VantageScore. Most lenders use the FICO model, so this felt like a gap when evaluating my credit profile. However, only a few credit monitoring tools, like Experian and myFICO, offer more than 3-bureau credit monitoring, but Aura is so robust that it would make sense to have FICO insights included.
Top-rated identity theft protection service
Provides up to $3 million in coverage
Multiple monitoring features including dark web, home title, and social media monitoring
Norton LifeLock is an ideal choice for anyone seeking a well-rounded identity theft protection solution. It offers extensive ID theft protection features, up to $3 million in identity theft insurance, and superb customer service with 24/7 live chat support.
Robust monitoring: I really liked that Norton LifeLock offers unique features. These include, but are not limited to, home title monitoring, 401(k) and investment account activity alerts, credit file detection for children on family plans, phone takeover monitoring, bank account takeover alerts, and file-sharing network searches.
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Insurance: I was also impressed with LifeLock’s identity theft insurance coverage of up to $3 million with the Ultimate Plus plan. That’s broken down into the following:
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You can select a plan that covers one individual, a couple, or families with two adults and five kids. (You can also get Norton antivirus bundled with LifeLock if you opt for a Norton 360 plan with LifeLock.) LifeLock offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, coupled with a 30-day free trial, so you have plenty of time to determine if it's the right ID theft protection for you.
Limited child coverage: Despite unique features that many LifeLock alternatives don't offer, LifeLock isn’t without its drawbacks. Its family plan covers only up to a maximum of five kids, while other identity theft solutions like Aura and Identity Guard cover an unlimited number of kids.
Premium price: Only with LifeLock’s most expensive plan, Ultimate Plus, can you reap the benefits of three-bureau credit monitoring, sex offender registry reporting, and social media monitoring. Plus, all of its plan prices also go up after your first year.
Easy-to-use identity theft protection service
Includes extra features like a password manager
My budget pick, Identity Guard, is one of the best identity theft protection services for tech-savvy folks and anyone who values the power of artificial intelligence (AI) for proactive credit monitoring and keeping identity thieves away from your personal data. The AI-driven alerts came in handy for protecting my personal information, like my Social Security number (SSN).
Value: For the price, Identity Guard’s user-friendly interface and straightforward identity theft and credit monitoring protection are notable positives. Identity Guard is worth it for those seeking to mitigate potential identity theft losses — especially older adults who are often targets of identity theft crimes and scams — without breaking the bank.
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AI technology: I was intrigued to discover that Identity Guard leverages IBM Watson AI, using a futuristic and effective approach to identity theft detection. Watson excels at monitoring and reporting fraudulent activity, helping me stay on top of breaches, phishing, and malware. But it's not a total surprise that Identity Guard optimizes protection with AI since it's owned by Aura.
Limited Basic plan: Even though I found Identity Guard's AI capabilities impressive, I was saddened to discover it doesn't include credit reports or monitoring with its basic plan. I needed to get the Total plan for three-bureau credit monitoring and the Ultra plan for three-bureau annual credit reports.
No remediation assistance: Additionally, Identity Guard provides remediation tools like identity theft insurance and white glove fraud resolution, but it doesn't seem to provide remediation assistance. So if I ever did fall victim to identity theft, I'd receive funds from Identity Guard, but otherwise, I'd be on my own.
Read Our Identity Guard Review
User-friendly identity theft protection service
$2 million in identity theft coverage
OmniWatch is best for individuals who just want basic identity theft protection without extra bells and whistles. Individuals looking for light identity theft monitoring with credit monitoring coverage can benefit from OmniWatch's no-nonsense approach.
Simple plans: Omniwatch makes it easy by offering only two subscription plans: Basic and Premium. The Premium plan provides credit scores and monitoring with all three credit bureaus as well as $25,000 in ransomware protection. Both plans offer antivirus and a VPN, but I needed the Premium plan to get an ad blocker for ultimate browsing protection. The Basic plans includes TransUnion® credit monitoring, while the Premium will get you 3-bureau monitoring.
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Insurance: OmniWatch plans include up to $2 million in identity theft insurance, which is twice as much as Aura and Identity Guard and more than LifeLock's starting plan. It also features 24/7 access to identity theft remediation specialists, which is a must-have if you don't want to grapple with remediation alone.
Limited monitoring: Most ID theft services offer more than identity and credit monitoring. OmniWatch also offers dark web monitoring and data breach alerts, but it still has several gaps to fill, like financial account and social media monitoring, to become a comprehensive ID theft protection service.
Glitchy features: Although OmniWatch includes a basic virtual private network (VPN) and antivirus protection, I had trouble getting both security features to actually work. I wasn't actually able to activate the antivirus software because I never received a registration key, despite contacting support. I also received an error when trying to download the VPN.
Full identity protection features included on all plans
Comes with bonus VPN and password manager
Affordable pricing compared to other options
IDShield by LegalShield provides helpful legal support in the event of an identity theft incident. Its unique strength lies in providing legal assistance, which may be indispensable if you’re grappling with the complex legal aftermath of ID theft.
If price is a concern, this may be a good option, as IDShield offers competitive pricing options that can fit many budgets. It's also worth considering for families, as it offers a family plan providing identity theft protection for you, your spouse, and unlimited dependents.
Legal support: What sets IDShield apart from other services like LifeLock or Aura is its comprehensive legal support, including licensed private investigators. It also provides up to $3 million in identity theft insurance with every plan, unlike LifeLock, which limits that amount to its Ultimate Plan subscribers.
IDShield is adamant about providing assistance, no matter what situation you’re in. I especially like that each plan comes with consultation services and 24/7 emergency assistance.
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Access to all features: I also like that IDShield offers the same features across all of its plans. All you need to do is select whether you need an individual or a family plan and select if you want one-bureau or three-bureau credit monitoring. The service is also ready to assist you if you need to freeze your credit or place a fraud alert on your report.
Limited child identity theft protection: Despite being a solid option for step-by-step support, IDShield has some drawbacks. While IDShield does provide child identity protection, its services are not as robust as those of other providers, such as Norton LifeLock, which offers a LifeLock Junior plan focused on protecting children from identity theft.
Limited credit monitoring: Even though IDShield provides your credit score as well as credit monitoring alerts, you don't have access to your actual credit report.
Identity theft is a crime where someone illegally acquires and uses another person's personal information, like their Social Security number or bank account numbers, typically for financial gain.
Some common types of identity theft include:
Identity theft happens in several ways. Fraudsters may use sophisticated methods like phishing scams, data breaches, or malware to gather personal information. More traditional methods include dumpster diving for discarded documents containing personal data or outright stealing wallets or mail.
Identity theft can lead to significant financial loss and a host of other issues, like damage to your credit score. This is why services offering the best identity theft protection and credit monitoring are vital.
As identity theft crimes are on the rise and more young people are becoming victims of ID theft, it’s unquestionable that ID theft protection is worth it. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 1 million reports of identity theft, with imposters topping the list of types of identity theft.[1]
Identity theft protection services are beneficial for many reasons. They continuously monitor various databases and the dark web for any misuse of your personal information, alert you to potential threats, and assist in the recovery process if you're a victim of identity theft. They can also help prevent child identity theft by monitoring for any fraudulent use of your child's personal information.
Keep in mind, though, that no service can completely guarantee the prevention of identity theft. You may find the costs of these services a deterrent. But, considering the potentially severe consequences of identity theft, many find these services a worthwhile investment.
Identity theft protection services work by continuously monitoring various databases and online platforms for your personal information. Here are some typical features:
An identity theft protection plan can run you anywhere from less than $10 a month to over $70 a month. Factors that affect your pricing include:
After considering these questions, you can review the table below and get started on finding a pricing plan for you.
| Individual starting price | Family starting price | |
| Aura | $9.00/mo (billed annually) | $17.00/mo (billed annually) |
| LifeLock | $7.50/mo for first yr (billed annually) | $12.49/mo for first yr (billed annually) |
| Identity Guard | $8.99/mo | $14.99/mo |
| OmniWatch | $10.00/mo | N/A |
| IDShield | $14.95/mo | $29.95/mo |
| IdentityForce | $19.90/mo | Contact IdentityForce for family plan pricing |
| Complete ID | $8.99/mo | $11.98/mo |
| IdentityIQ | $7.44/mo (billed annually) | $27.00/mo (billed annually) |
| Zander Identity Theft Protection | $6.75/mo | $12.90/mo |
When choosing an identity theft protection service, consider the following questions:
If you want identity and credit monitoring plus a full security suite, Aura is my top pick. If you want tried-and-true digital protection, LifeLock by Norton is a reputable choice. Learn more about my top two recommendations in our Aura vs. LifeLock review.
LifeLock can be a good investment thanks to its extensive monitoring services and real-time alert system. Their service can prevent identity theft losses and give you peace of mind, making it worthwhile. Plus, LifeLock can be bundled with other top Norton security software, covering all your bases. Learn more in my comprehensive LifeLock review.
Both LifeLock and Aura offer robust identity theft protection services, but I think Aura edges out LifeLock. LifeLock has comprehensive credit monitoring, while Aura is known for its advanced technology and preventative approach to identity theft. You can view my comparison of Aura vs. LifeLock for more details.
No, changing your name won't necessarily protect you from identity theft, as thieves can still access other personal information, like your Social Security number or birthdate. Instead, I recommend working with an identity theft protection provider that also offers identity restoration services.
Regularly check your credit reports for unfamiliar and suspicious activities, track your Social Security statements at SSA.gov, and monitor your tax records to spot any misuse of your Social Security number. You can also sign up for free credit monitoring services to see if someone is trying to open new lines of credit using your SSN.
Choosing the best identity theft protection service boils down to personal needs, but I believe Aura is the best all-around product to meet most needs based on its features, coverage, and price point.
Aura protects your identity and online privacy, Norton LifeLock offers comprehensive ID theft protection with 24/7 live chat support, Identity Guard is the best budget pick, OmniWatch offers light coverage for individuals, and IDShield by LegalShield provides necessary legal support.
#1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance for up to five adults
Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
[1] As Nationwide Fraud Losses Top $10 Billion in 2023, FTC Steps Up Efforts to Protect the Public
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