Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce 2024: Focus on Assets or Focus on Family?

Identity Guard is best for anyone who wants to safeguard their identity and assets, while IdentityForce is best for individuals and families who want to protect their identity and closely watch their credit.

Choosing the best identity theft protection service can be overwhelming when so many options are readily available, that's why we compared these two identity theft protection services, Identity Guard and IdentityForce, to help you choose between them. In our comprehensive review, we will unpack each service’s adult and child ID theft protection services, identity theft insurance, pricing plans, three-bureau credit monitoring services, and bonus features, so you can decide which is best for you.

Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce

At a glance, Identity Guard and IdentityForce both offer identity theft protection, credit monitoring and alerts, up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, and identity recovery services. They also offer child ID theft protection with their family plans.

As we delved further, we discovered Identity Guard is ideal for protecting your identity and assets, such as your home title and investments. In contrast, IdentityForce is a great pick for child ID theft protection and comprehensive credit monitoring and protection services.

• Identity Guard: Best for identity and asset protection
• IdentityForce: Best for families and child ID theft protection

Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce review at a glance

	Identity Guard	IdentityForce
Star rating	4.6 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.1 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Price	$6.67–$31.99/mo	$16.66–$39.90/mo
Types of identity monitoring	Dark web, social media, SSN, and home title	Dark web, social media, and SSN
Credit monitoring
Identity theft insurance	Up to $1 million	Up to $2 million
Identity restoration services
24/7 customer support
Learn more	Get Identity Guard Read Identity Guard Review	Get IdentityForce Read IdentityForce Review

Identity Guard and IdentityForce are reputable identity theft protection companies that have provided reliable solutions for decades. They both offer advanced identity theft protection for adults and children and have various pricing plans available.

We appreciated that both Identity Guard and IdentityForce offer up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. ID theft insurance coverage serves as a safety net, protecting you and your family against ID fraud and identity theft losses, which can become very costly.

Identity Guard’s individual plans cover one adult, while its family plans cover five adults and unlimited kids. In contrast, IdentityForce offers family plan options but doesn’t specify how many adults and kids are covered. In order to take advantage of a family plan, you must contact IdentityForce by phone and make an inquiry. IdentityForce offers award-winning child identity theft protection, which incurs fees as an add-on. In this case, you have to weigh if child ID theft protection is worth it. (The answer is usually yes.)

As far as account security is concerned, both services offer bank-grade encryption to safeguard your data, which is crucial when sensitive data is being monitored. But IdentityForce offers two-factor authentication (2FA) for your account, Identity Guard does not, which is disappointing for security-conscious people.

Moreover, Identity Guard doesn’t come with a handy virtual private network (VPN), unlike IdentityForce. However, Identity Guard compensates for this with its safe browsing tool and password manager. And while Identity Guard offers advanced monitoring features — monitoring your home title, 401(k), and investment accounts — IdentityForce does not.

Identity Guard pros and cons

IdentityForce pros and cons

Which identity theft protection is the better value?

Identity Guard offers more flexible plans for different budget options. The starting price is also cheaper.

	Identity Guard Best Pricing	IdentityForce
Price range	$6.67–$31.99/mo	$16.66–$39.90/mo
Best value plan	Total Individual (Monthly) for $19.99/mo	UltraSecure+Credit Individual (Monthly) for $34.90/mo
Money-back guarantee	60 days	30-day free trial
Learn more	Get Identity Guard Read Identity Guard Review	Get IdentityForce Read IdentityForce Review

Identity Guard plans

Identity Guard offers three plan options for individuals and families: Value, Total, and Ultra. Individual packages cover one person, while family packages cover five adults and unlimited kids.

Each plan offers identity theft and financial monitoring (advanced features are available in higher-tiered plans), up to $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage, a U.S.-based customer care team, a safe browsing tool, and a password manager.

• Value: Monitors high-risk transactions and your data on the dark web. Also provides data breach notifications.
• Total: Has all of the features the Value plan offers, plus bank account monitoring. Some premium credit protection features are also provided, like three-bureau credit monitoring and monthly credit scores.
• Ultra: The most comprehensive plan with everything from Value and Total, plus it monitors home title, 401(k) and investment accounts, credit and debit cards, social media, criminals and sex offenders, and USPS address changes. It also offers three-bureau annual credit reports, three-bureau credit monitoring, a monthly credit score, and Experian Credit Lock.

Although no free trials are available, each plan offers a fully refundable 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can give them a try risk-free.

IdentityForce plans

At the time of writing, IdentityForce offers the UltraSecure and UltraSecure+Credit on its website. These plans are loaded with ID theft monitoring features for adults and children, a VPN and password manager, $1 million in identity theft insurance, and white-glove family restoration.

The UltraSecure+Credit plan covers one individual and includes comprehensive credit protection. Adding an additional family member to the plan, whether it’s a spouse, adult, or child, is available at checkout with additional fees as an add-on.

Its award-winning ChildWatch feature for child ID theft protection is automatically provided when you add a child under 18 to the plan. It monitors your child’s identity and Social Security number (SSN) and sends alerts and messages to your identity protection dashboard when suspicious activities are detected. Plus, it provides an identity restoration specialist when needed and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.

Below is an overview of the UltraSecure and UltraSecure+Credit plans:

• UltraSecure: Monitors for advanced fraud, change of address, court records, dark web, mobile attack control, payday loans, sex offenses, and social media. Provides alerts when suspicious activity regarding your bank and credit cards, investment accounts, SSN, identity threats, and fraud alerts. Up to $1 million in identity theft insurance and white-glove family restoration are also included.
• UltraSecure+Credit: Includes everything in UltraSecure plus three-bureau credit monitoring, credit reports, credit scores, and a credit score tracker and simulator.

Which identity theft protection has the better features?

While both services have similar features, Identity Guard also offers home title and 401k monitoring.

Feature	Identity Guard	IdentityForce
Social Security Number monitoring
Financial activity alerts
Credit monitoring
3-bureau credit reports	Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax	Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax
Credit score
Credit lock and freeze
Dark web alerts
Social media account alerts
Home title monitoring
Address change alerts
Learn more	Get Identity Guard Read Identity Guard Review	Get IdentityForce Read IdentityForce Review

Identity Guard and IdentityForce share many of the same monitoring and alert features. Both services alert you when your personal data is found on the dark web, on social media accounts, or when your home address has changed. They also come with credit-based services, including credit monitoring, three-bureau credit reports, and credit score updates, but many of these features are exclusive to the top-tier plan.

What sets them apart are their differences in coverage. Identity Guard extends its protective umbrella beyond your identity to include your assets too, incorporating features like home title monitoring, 401(k) and investment account monitoring, and high-risk transaction monitoring.

On the other hand, IdentityForce stands out for its ChildWatch feature and exhaustive credit-related services. This comes in handy when you want to safeguard your child’s credit from fraudsters. IdentityForce’s UltraSecure+Credit plan comes with credit monitoring, credit reporting, and credit score updates with all three credit bureaus — Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Plus, we think its credit score simulator is a hit, which many identity theft protection services do not offer.

Which identity theft protection is more secure?

Imagine using identity theft protection to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, only to have a cybercriminal log in to your account and access the sensitive data you’ve entrusted to the service. Wouldn’t that be such a nightmare?

That’s why it’s important to use a service that allows you to enable 2FA or multi-factor authentication (MFA). Consider 2FA and MFA as digital security guards at your login's front door. Before granting you access to your account, the service verifies that it is actually you logging in by, for example, requesting a code via text message and/or examining your unique fingerprint. This keeps unwanted intruders out!

Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce data security

	Identity Guard	IdentityForce Best Security
Collects data	Some	Some
Shares data with third parties
Learn more	Get Identity Guard Read Identity Guard Review	Get IdentityForce Read IdentityForce Review

IdentityForce offers 2FA, a VPN, and a password manager to keep your data safe. Identity Guard offers 2FA with its mobile app only, as well as safe browsing tools with anti-phishing software and a password manager. Unfortunately, neither service offers MFA, which can add another layer of security for user data by requiring additional verification steps.

IdentityForce encrypts your sensitive data and protects it with military-grade encryption (AES 256-bit) and implements PCI-DSS security controls to protect your credit card information. Identity Guard did not indicate in its FAQ what type of encryption it uses, but it stated that it utilizes military- and bank-grade levels of encryption, in which AES-256 is the standard.

Moreover, both Identity Guard and IdentityForce may collect, store, use, and share data with third parties, as indicated in their privacy policies listed on their websites. Keep in mind that sometimes this is required in order for third-party features or tools to work properly. However, it’s always a good idea to read a service’s privacy policy to make sure your data isn’t being shared for advertising purposes or similar.

Which identity theft protection has better compatibility and customer service?

Identity Guard offers better customer support and compatibility overall.

Platform	Identity Guard	IdentityForce
Android
iOS
Dedicated restoration specialists
Lost wallet remediation
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Phone, email, online guides	Phone, email, online guides
Learn more	Get Identity Guard Read Identity Guard Review	Get IdentityForce Read IdentityForce Review

We looked at each service’s interface to determine how intuitive it was to navigate their dashboard and find monitored data, alerts, and settings.

Identity Guard is compatible with any browser. It offers desktop apps for Windows, macOS, as well as mobile apps for Android and iOS.

In contrast, IdentityForce is a web-based portal that also works on any browser. It also offers mobile apps for Android and iOS but does not seem to offer a desktop app for Windows or macOS. Additionally, IdentityForce offers a Mobile Attack Control feature, which protects your mobile device from malware, spyware, or unsecured Wi-Fi connections, should you decide to use its mobile app.

When it comes to customer service, neither Identity Guard nor IdentityForce offers 24/7 support via live chat, phone, or email. Instead, Identity Guard can be contacted by phone Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST, or on Saturday between the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Additionally, you can email its customer service, and you'll get a response within 24 to 48 hours

We didn’t get a chance to contact Identity Guard’s customer service, but based on reviews from TrustPilot, many customers had a pleasant experience. Furthermore, Identity Guard, like IdentityForce, does not have a support forum or online guides. However, IdentityForce has a blog and provides educational resources like ebooks, whitepapers, and videos.

IdentityForce claims to offer 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, or email for members. However, when we tried to contact an agent via its live chat support, it wasn’t available 24/7 and directed us to an email inquiry form. Also, when we submitted an email inquiry to cancel our account after signing up, it took a while to receive a response, and there was no option in the portal to cancel our subscription.

When we were able to use IdentityForce’s live chat, it connected us to a chatbot rather than a live person. In order to speak with a live person, you must call. We were placed on a 4-minute hold before being connected to someone. When we spoke to a live person to cancel our account, they were very rude and didn’t explain why we were charged for a free trial.

FAQs

Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce: which is better?

Identity Guard shines with its comprehensive identity theft protection services and unique monitoring features for your assets, such as your home title, 401(k) and investment accounts, and credit and debit cards. On the other hand, IdentityForce provides robust children’s identity protection services with its ChildWatch feature, as well as three-bureau premium credit protection services, including a credit score simulator. Both offer up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, as well as identity theft recovery services.

When deciding between Identity Guard and IdentityForce, it boils down to personal preference. If you own a lot of assets and investments, then Identity Guard is your best bet. After all, it can get costly if identity thieves take over your most prized possessions and accounts. On the other hand, IdentityForce would serve you best if protecting your children from ID theft and credit fraud, as well as monitoring your identity for criminal and sex offenses unbeknownst to you, is crucial.

If you’re still on the fence between these two services, read about LifeLock’s identity theft protection services in our LifeLock review.