Norton LifeLock vs. Credit Karma 2024: A Complete Comparison

If you’re looking for extra protection and reassurance that you won’t suffer any losses, consider investing in a LifeLock plan.

Waverly Colville, Author

Catherine McNally, Editor

Last updated Sep 29, 2024

We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

4.8

Editorial Rating

On LifeLock's website

Identity Protection

LifeLock

Up to 52% off first year when paid annually

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

3.0

Editorial Rating

On Credit Karma's website

Credit Karma

Free access to credit scores and credit reports
Financial education and tools are available through the Help and Resource Center
Does not offer all three credit bureaus, only TransUnion and Equifax

LifeLock and Credit Karma both provide identity theft and credit score alerts, but Lifelock is the clear winner. Yet, Credit Karma's free service and monitoring may be sufficient to give most people peace of mind.

But if you’re looking for extra protection and reassurance that you won’t suffer any financial losses if your identity is stolen, investing in a LifeLock plan may be worth the cost. With identity theft reported every 22 seconds, we believe LifeLock’s extra protections are well worth the cost.^[1] Better to have solid ID theft protection and not need it, as they say.

Let’s compare these two services to find out which one offers the level of protection you need.

In this article

Review at a glance
Pricing
Features
Security
Compatibility and customer service
FAQs
LifeLock vs. Credit Karma: Which is better?

LifeLock vs. Credit Karma review at a glance

LifeLock and Credit Karma mainly differ on the pricing and insurance offers. While LifeLock may be expensive, it offers much more comprehensive coverage while the free Credit Karma offers valuable insights into your credit score. If you’re unsure whether to take the extra step or are unclear on why you would need this, check out our complete identity theft protection and credit monitoring guide.

LifeLock: Best for full protection
Credit Karma: Best for credit score insights

LifeLock vs. Credit Karma review at a glance


Star rating	4.8 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.	3.0 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	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr	Free
Types of monitoring	Identity and SSN, dark web, phone takeover, home title, social media	Credit, data breach
Credit monitoring
Identity theft insurance	Up to $3 million per adult
Identity restoration services
24/7 customer support
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get Credit Karma Read Credit Karma Review

There are many differences between LifeLock and Credit Karma; the most obvious being the price. LifeLock has several plans that vary by the number of people protected, the amount of protection, and whether you want to pay monthly or annually. Credit Karma is free.

Credit Karma does not offer bundles to review multiple people’s credit scores and information at once like LifeLock does. Each individual will have to register for their own account. In LifeLock, you can sign up for a plan that includes up to two adults and five kids.

LifeLock provides much more in terms of identity protection. Though they both offer identity monitoring, LifeLock takes it a step further by offering several levels of insurance and more monitoring than Credit Karma does. Credit Karma provides your credit score, free credit monitoring services, and customized financial suggestions like different credit cards and loan options.

LifeLock pros and cons

Pros

Provides comprehensive coverage beyond basic identity theft
Offers flexible packages and payment plans for individuals and families
Ensures users for millions of dollars if identity theft were to happen

Cons

It is relatively expensive
The average person may not need this much protection and insurance

Credit Karma pros and cons

Pros

Gives free access to all features
Provides customers with recommendations and reviews for credit cards, loans, and buying/selling cars
Provides calculators to give estimates of buying power for cars, homes, and borrowing power

Cons

Doesn’t offer as many different monitoring services
Does not insure users against identity theft

Which identity theft protection is the better value?

	Our Pick
Monthly price range	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr	Free
Best value plan	Standard Plan for $7.50/mo (billed annually) for first year when paid annually	Basic plan
Identity theft insurance	Up to $3 million
	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get Credit Karma Read Credit Karma Review

Norton LifeLock plans

Lifelock offers three different plans with three tiers: individual, family (for two adults), and family (for two adults and five kids). In each tier, there are three levels of plans: standard, advantage, and ultimate plus. There is an option to pay monthly or annually for each. LifeLock offers a 30-day free trial, which does require a credit card, and a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Let’s take a closer look at what each plan offers.

Standard plan

$1 million lawyer and expert coverage

$25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement

$25,000 personal expense compensation

Identity and Social Security number alerts

Dark web monitoring

Data breach notifications

One-bureau credit monitoring

Advantage plan

$1 million lawyer and expert coverage
$100,000 in stolen funds reimbursement
$100,000 personal expense compensation
Identity lock for TransUnion and payday loans
Phone takeover monitoring
Alerts on crimes in your name
Buy Now Pay Later alerts
All features from the Standard plan

Ultimate Plus plan

$1 million lawyer and expert coverage
$1 million in stolen funds reimbursement
$1 million personal expense compensation
Three-bureau credit monitoring
Credit reports and scores from one bureau (three bureaus available for annual payment plans)
Home title monitoring
Social media monitoring
All features from the Standard and Advantage plans

Credit Karma plans

Credit Karma is free and has no plan tiers like LifeLock has. Once you make an account, you can gain all sorts of insight into your credit score, including:

Credit Score: Credit Karma lets you see your TransUnion and Equifax credit scores, along with history on how your credit score has changed, what factors affected changes in the score, and tips on how to help your credit score go up.
Credit Karma Money Spend: This online checking account is free to open and has no penalties or minimum balance requirements. It can also deliver paychecks up to two days early with direct deposit, offer cashback rewards, offer free withdrawals at more than 50,000 ATMs across the country, and be FDIC insured.
Credit Karma Money Save: Credit Karma’s savings account offers automatic saving, no fees, a 5.10% APY (as of May 2024), and is FDIC insured.
Recommendations: Using your credit score and income data, Credit Karma offers suggestions and calculators to help you figure out your loan borrowing power, your vehicle or home buying power, and more.

Winner: LifeLock. LifeLock offers much more value and protection against identity theft than Credit Karma. Although Credit Karma gives a lot of information about your credit score, it doesn't offer the reassurance that LifeLock does.

Which identity theft protection has the better features?

Feature	Our Pick
Credit monitoring
Financial activity alerts
3-bureau credit reports		No – Equifax and TransUnion only
Credit score
FICO score
Credit lock and freeze
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Social media account alerts
Social Security number monitoring
Home title monitoring
Address change alerts
	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get Credit Karma Read Credit Karma Review

LifeLock and Credit Karma are very different in terms of what identity theft protection services they offer. While both are credit monitoring services that watch for and alert you of suspicious activity and a VantageScore credit score, LifeLock offers identity theft insurance and other protections that Credit Karma does not.

What’s a VantageScore?

VantageScore is one of a few different methods credit agencies use to assign a number based on the information in your credit reports. You may see some services offer myFICO scores, which is another method for scoring your credit profile.

LifeLock provides information from all three credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, with a subscription to the Ultimate Plus plan, but for the other two lower-tier plans there is only one-bureau monitoring. With Credit Karma, which is free and does not have different plans, you get two-bureau monitoring. So, you’ll only get more information if you use LifeLock’s most expensive and most comprehensive plan.

LifeLock also offers identity locking, which is important if you suspect you’re a victim of identity theft. Credit locks differ from credit freezes. Both services prevent new lenders from accessing your credit report, at your request. But a credit lock is a paid service offered by credit bureaus and companies like LifeLock.

Credit locks are convenient and can be lifted instantly. A credit freeze is a free service governed by federal law. You’ll have more legal protections, but lifting a freeze takes more time.

LifeLock also offers several other ways to monitor your identity online, such as Buy Now, Pay Later alerts, 401(K) and investment account activity, home title monitoring, social media monitoring, and phone takeover monitoring. These go beyond what Credit Karma offers, which is just your credit score and links so you can freeze and lock your credit yourself.

Credit Karma analysis of an Equifax credit score.

One other feature of LifeLock that we found valuable was its identity restoration services. If you just found out you've been scammed, chances are you're in a panic and aren't sure what to do next. LifeLock offers restoration services with all of its plans, which means you'll have someone in your corner right away to help you combat identity fraud and remove fraudulent activity from your credit report.

Credit Karma offers suggestions based on your credit score and income, like offering information on credit cards, a calculator to estimate buying power, loans, and taxes, and a checking and savings account option. These tools, like its credit simulator, can help you decide whether you should open a new credit card or not.

Winner: LifeLock. LifeLock offers several more services than Credit Karma. Most people probably only need Credit Karma — it’s free and provides enough information for the average person. But for those wanting to add an extra layer of protection, LifeLock clearly comes out on top with its suite of monitoring features and insurance coverage.

Which identity theft protection is more secure?

If you trust a company to help protect and monitor your identity, that company's security determines whether you’re choosing the best place for ID theft protection. We look for specific features while evaluating a company's safety, such as two-factor and multi-factor authentication, data collection, and data sharing policies. Some data collection and sharing are needed for account administration purposes, payment, and monitoring. But we’re skeptical of anything beyond required use, such as sharing data with third parties.

LifeLock vs. Credit Karma data security


Two-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication
Collects data	Minimal	Minimal
Shares data with third parties
	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get Credit Karma Read Credit Karma Review

Credit Karma collects data but says in its private policy statement that it does not sell its data to third parties for marketing or advertising. However, it does state that it shares data with third-party partners. You can read more in our Credit Karma review.

LifeLock states in its private policy it doesn’t sell your data, though it will share data with its partners for certain features to work. You can read more about this in our LifeLock review.

Winner: Tie. LifeLock and Credit Karma’s data security are about equal. They each collect data and state they don’t sell it but do share your data with third parties to use some of the features they offer.

Which identity theft protection has the better compatibility and customer service?

Platform
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS

Both LifeLock and Credit Karma work on different browsers. Each also has its own mobile app available for both iOS and Android.

	Our Pick
24/7 live chat
Phone
Email
Support forums
Online guides

Though many of us prefer to help ourselves with online guides or live chat, some problems are best resolved by picking up the phone and speaking to an agent directly. LifeLock offers phone support all day, every day. Credit Karma, on the other hand, doesn’t even have a phone number.

Both providers have help centers with extensive FAQs and informative guides.

Winner: LifeLock. Sometimes you need help from a human and not a bot. LifeLock has a phone line open 24/7.

FAQs

Is there a difference between credit monitoring and identity theft protection?

Yes. Credit monitoring is when you receive an alert whenever a company notices suspicious activity in your credit reports. Identity theft protection also sends you notifications about suspicious activity but takes it a step further. It can monitor and alert you for suspicious activity in your bank accounts, credit cards, criminal databases, social media, and more. Plus, ID theft services may provide insurance and fraud protection coverage, helping you to remediate losses.

Do I need credit monitoring?

Yes, credit monitoring is great to have to ensure that nobody is stealing your identity and possibly your money. There are many websites, such as Credit Karma, that will do it for free, so it doesn’t cost anything for you to have that added security. Or you can request a free copy of your credit report on your own through AnnualCreditReport.com every 12 months. You can also use paid credit monitoring services if you feel that extra ID theft protection is worth the money.

Do I need to monitor all three credit bureaus?

No, you don’t. Though your credit score may vary slightly from each bureau, there’s so much overlapping data used to calculate your credit score that it won’t make much of a difference. Most people will be fine monitoring just one or two of the three major credit bureaus. However, if you think you may be the victim of identity theft, it is a good idea to review all of your credit reports for fraudulent activity.

Is LifeLock worth the money?

That depends on your situation and how much extra precaution you want to take. Though LifeLock provides a ton of extra security measures for monitoring your identity, many people find that paying for credit monitoring and insurance isn’t worth the money, especially because there are so many free options out there. However, if you are worried about identity theft and want that extra layer of security, or don’t feel like doing a little extra research to figure out free alternatives, then LifeLock could be worth it to you and your family.

LifeLock vs. Credit Karma: Which is better?

If you just want to monitor your credit score, get insights into how to improve it, and have basic monitoring for identity theft, Credit Karma may be enough.

But if you're at higher risk for identity theft or want extra insurance and peace of mind, LifeLock clearly comes out on top. There are a ton of different ways in which LifeLock monitors your identity online that Credit Karma lacks, like dark web alerts, social media monitoring, ID theft remediation, and more. For a bit of extra money every month, this could be worth it to you.

4.8

Editorial Rating

On LifeLock's website

Identity Protection

LifeLock

Up to 52% off first year when paid annually

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

LifeLock vs. Credit Karma alternatives

If neither of these identity theft protection services offers what you need, here are a few more of the best identity theft protection services we've tested and recommend.

Aura Identity Theft Protection: Looking for a full identity and digital security suite? Aura delivers. It uses AI to block spam calls and texts while monitoring your financial accounts for anything out of sorts. Parents also get a helping hand with the Safe Gaming feature, which helps keep kids safe online.
4.9

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.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On Aura Identity Theft's website
Identity Protection

Aura Identity Theft

Excellent identity theft protection service

Includes a password manager and VPN

Robust tools for children’s security
Get Aura Identity Theft Protection | Read Our Aura Identity Theft Protection Review

Identity Guard: Another option for mid-level identity protection, Identity Guard is a budget-friendly service that also uses AI to monitor your accounts and alert you if it spots suspicious activities. As a bonus, Identity Guard also includes extra security features like a password manager.
Save 33% Now!
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.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On Identity Guard's website
Identity Protection

Identity Guard

Easy-to-use identity theft protection service

Includes extra features like a password manager
Get Identity Guard | Read Our Identity Guard Review

OmniWatch: Although OmniWatch is a more recent addition to the market, its user-friendly identity theft protection service offers up to $2 million in ID theft coverage as well as three-bureau credit monitoring, dark web monitoring, and up to $25,000 in ransomware protection.
4.5

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.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On OmniWatch's website
Identity Protection

OmniWatch

User-friendly identity theft protection service

$2 million in identity theft coverage
Get OmniWatch | Read Our Omniwatch Review

If you're looking for basic credit monitoring services similar to Credit Karma, be sure to check out our Credit Sesame and myFICO reviews.

4.8

Editorial Rating

On LifeLock's website

Identity Protection

LifeLock

Up to 52% off first year when paid annually

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

Author Details

Waverly Colville

About the Author

Waverly Colville is a journalist and producer based in Brooklyn with over five years of professional experience in cybersecurity writing. She earned her B.J. in Investigative Journalism and a B.A. in International Peace Studies from the University of Missouri.