Kanary vs. Incogni

Kanary and Incogni offer to do the same thing: remove any personally identifying information from data brokers and people search sites. They are data removal services, after all. In fact, both made our list of the best data removal services, which should tell you that they are formidable.

What I’m here to discuss is which between them is better. You only need one data removal service, and after testing both Kanary and Incogni, we found that it all boils down to this: do you want a fast and efficient but pricier service, or an affordable service but still solid? Keep reading to find out which between Kanary and Incogni is the better choice for you.

Security.org Methodology

In order to compare Kanary and Incogni accurately, I started with research. I took a look at both companies’ online reputations, reviews of their services, and customer complaints and commendations to get an idea of what they were all about.

Then I purchased and tested each service — no press credentials, no preferential treatment. I used each service just like an average consumer would. After testing each one for about two weeks, I got a feel for how effective they were in locating and removing information like phone numbers on far-flung corners of the internet, and how effective they were at removing it.

During this testing period, I also made note of each service’s user experience, their customer service, and their overall value. I considered all of these factors when making my ultimate determination on which service is better.

Now that you understand how I came to my conclusions, let’s stack these services up side by side and see how they compare on some key factors.

Kanary vs. Incogni: Functionality

Both Kanary and Incogni do essentially the same thing — they automate the removal of your personal information from data brokerages and people-finder sites. The ultimate result is a much smaller digital footprint and less exposure online. But there are a few key differences to point out in their approaches.

First, the number of sites the two services interact with is worth considering. Incogni removes data from over 420 data broker and people-search sites. Incogni’s premium plans include unlimited custom removal requests from almost any website. It can’t delete information from social media posts, but it can remove data from most other sites.

Kanary deals with around 300 data broker websites. It can also request data removal from thousands of other websites, which are all listed on the Kanary website. I scanned the list thoroughly and found that Incogni deals with some private brokerages and people-search sites that Kanary doesn’t, so we’re giving the win to Incogni.

Functionality Winner: Incogni

>> How-To: How To Remove Your Name From the Internet

Kanary vs. Incogni: Effectiveness

Like I said above, when it comes to reach, Kanary edges out Incogni in terms of numbers. But when it comes to how effective these services are, I have to give it to Incogni.

After the first week of service, Kanary had located 20 exposures and removed three of them. In the same time period, Incogni had located 129 exposures, removed 97, and suppressed 26, meaning that those 26 sites would never collect my data again. That might seem like night and day, but as you’ll see in the section below, there’s a bit of nuance to explore here.

>> Read About: How to Delete Personal Information From Google

Nuance notwithstanding, though, the clear winner here is Incogni.

Effectiveness Winner: Incogni

Kanary vs. Incogni: User Experience

When I talk about user experience, I’m generally speaking about subjective elements of the service. How easy the dashboards are to navigate, how intuitive the program is, and how transparent they are in their functionality.

Remember when I said above that there was a bit of nuance to Incogni’s efficacy? Well, they’re not exactly transparent on where their removal numbers come from. After some digging, I found out that when they reach out to a data broker site that’s likely to have your personal information on it and the brokerage says they don’t have a file on you, Incogni marks the request as complete. It doesn’t inflate the numbers or insinuate the data was removed. It’s stating what actions have been taken.

But that lack of transparency does irk me a little. Kanary, on the other hand, is very clear on which sites have what information on you, what steps they’re taking to remove it, and how they’ll confirm it. Bonus points to Kanary there.

However, I will say that Incogni’s dashboard is a little more tidy, a little easier to use, and designed a little better. It’s not a stark contrast, but having worked with both systems, I prefer Incogni’s approach.

User Experience Winner: Incogni 

Kanary vs. Incogni: Price

Ah yes, the all-important delineator — the dollar sign. How much are each of these services? Well, it’s not as easy as saying Incogni costs X and Kanary costs Y, but I’ll parse it out.

First off, Kanary offers a free 14-day trial period, and Incogni does not. The needle points toward Kanary right off the bat. That said, once you do have to pay, Kanary is a little more expensive. Incogni also has a 30-day money-back guarantee and offers a free scan on its website to preview its service. Now that needle is leaning toward Incogni.

For reference, Incogni’s monthly price is the same as my favorite identity theft protection service. Check out my review of Aura and you might find out that identity theft protection is really what you want. Anyway, here’s a quick breakdown of what Incogni and Kanary’s prices look like side by side:

Pay special attention to that annual price. As you can see, Incogni costs about $7.99 per month if you pay for a full year — significant savings in my book. And you’re also probably going to want to go with a long-term subscription. Regardless of which provider you go with, these services take time to work, and you’re going to want them to run for at least a couple of months, if not much longer. Paying by the year really makes sense for these services, and when one costs $100 more, the choice is pretty clear.

Price Winner: Incogni

Kanary vs. Incogni: Reputation

Both Kanary and Incogni have pretty decent reputations online. While neither have profiles on big-name sites like the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Reports, Incogni does have a 4.4 star rating on Trustpilot with 650 reviews — Kanary doesn’t have a profile there, either.

It’s also worth pointing out that Incogni was developed by one of the best affordable VPN services available — Surfshark — and another one of the best VPNs out there — NordVPN — has partnered with Incogni to offer their data removal services to customers. To me, that speaks volumes about the effectiveness and trustworthiness of the service. Head over to my review of Surfshark VPN and my review of NordVPN to see why votes of confidence from these two services carry some weight. Then take a read through my Surfshark vs. NordVPN breakdown to see which one you might want to pair with Incogni.

>> Read More: Surfshark VPN Cost and Pricing Plans in 2026

Reputation Winner: Incogni   

Kanary vs. Incogni: Privacy Policy

If you’re looking to remove your personal information from the internet, it doesn’t make sense to hand it all over to a company that’s going to turn around and sell it. Luckily, neither Incogni nor Kanary sell off your data according to their privacy policies. That’s a big check mark for both services.

>> Learn More: What Is a Data Breach?

However, Incogni does share your personal information with third parties, but in a very limited capacity. For instance, they partner with Zendesk for customer support, their payment service provider in the U.K. is Paddle.com, and marketing in the U.S. is through Mailchimp. Incogni’s practices aren’t uncommon, but it’s worth pointing out that Kanary does everything in-house, which limits your exposure. That’s enough to give them a bit of an advantage here.

Privacy Policy Winner: Kanary 

So now that you’ve seen the components of these services compared to each other, let’s put it all back together for the big picture.

Kanary vs. Incogni: Which Service Is Better?

While both Kanary and Incogni are both outstanding services in their own right, I have to recommend Incogni. While Kanary’s reach is a little bigger and its privacy policy is just a hair more secure, Incogni is more affordable, more effective, and provides a better overall user experience. While I wouldn’t say you’re making a bad choice if you pick Kanary, I’d say you’re making a better one if you go with Incogni.

If you don’t think either of these services are what you’re looking for, though, check out our review of Optery. They’re another powerful service with some interesting functionality that might be of interest to you.

Overall Winner: Incogni

>> More Comparisons: Incogni Vs. Optery