Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2023

1. LifeLock - Best Identity Theft Protection with Antivirus

LifeLock customers enjoy ID theft monitoring and device protection with Norton 360 antivirus.

Editors Rating:

9.2 /10

1-800-943-2151

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Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$7.50 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$18.49 and up

A huge part of preventing identity theft is ensuring your devices aren’t leaking personal information, especially now that scammers are resorting to online means to target as many victims as possible. That’s what makes NortonLifeLock an exceptional choice.

NortonLifeLock is literally what happens when an antivirus brand merges with an ID protection brand. Separately, Norton and LifeLock are at the top of their respective fields, and their merger allows users to enjoy the digital protections of Norton and ID protection features of LifeLock. When we tested NortonLifeLock, we saw conventional identity protection features strengthened by device and online protection features that include antivirus software, a VPN, password manager, and more.

Even if we focus on just the “LifeLock” part of the service, we still think NortonLifeLock is a top choice because of its feature-rich offering. For example, our subscription let us lock and unlock our credit files with the three major credit reporting bureaus. While locked or “frozen,” no one could make credit inquiries – so we believe that’s one of the most surefire ways to prevent credit fraud.

Main categories of LifeLock features are:

• Theft prevention
• Credit monitoring
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $1 million****

LifeLock for Children & Adults

LifeLock subscriptions can protect individuals as well as entire families, including children. In family plans, LifeLock can protect two adults plus provide basic identity monitoring to up to five children. Of course, for households without minor-aged family members, couple plans are also available for a slightly cheaper price.

LifeLock has a sliding pricing model, where the cheapest tier called Standard offers less credit monitoring features and a lower identity theft insurance. The benefits increase as you go up the price ladder, with the Ultimate Plus plan providing the most features.

That pricing model makes it easy to choose just the right plan for your budget and protection goals. We recommend setting a budget and your goals and the minimum features you want before checking out LifeLock’s options.

To give you a rough idea, the LifeLock plans for individual adults are:

• LifeLock Standard, $9.99/month – $25,000 insurance for stolen funds****
• LifeLock Advantage, $17.99/month ($14.99/ month with an annual plan) – $100,000 insurance****
• LifeLock Ultimate Plus, $23.99/ month ($19.99/ month with an annual plan) – $1,000,000 insurance****

Benefits List

Some LifeLock benefits for members of all ages are:

• Constant scans of the dark web for personal data
• Auto-detection of accounts opened in your name
• Social Security number tracking for signs of fraud
• Real-time fraud alerts by text, phone and/or email
• Lost wallet protection with assistance getting new driver’s licenses, health insurance ID cards, and more
• Stolen funds reimbursement up to $1 million****
• Payment for lawyers, private investigators and other experts needed for ID theft resolution
• Up to $1 million in restitution for identity fraud****

Furthermore, for adults LifeLock can supply triple-bureau credit reports with Vantage 3.0 scores, send notifications of crimes committed in your name, and more!

LifeLock plans differ in terms of credit reporting, how many devices can run Norton 360, and more.

*LifeLock does not monitor all transactions at all businesses.
**Terms apply to all LifeLock plans.
***The credit scores provided are VantageScore 3.0 credit scores based on data from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion respectively. Any one bureau VantageScore mentioned is based on Equifax data only. Third parties use many different types of credit scores and are likely to use a different type of credit score to assess your creditworthiness.
****Reimbursement and Expense Compensation, each with limits of up to $1 million for Ultimate Plus, up to $100,000 for Advantage and up to $25,000 for Select, when purchased in Norton 360 with LifeLock plans. And up to $1 million for coverage for lawyers and experts if needed, for all plans. Benefits under the Master Policy are issued and covered by United Specialty Insurance Company (State National Insurance Company, Inc. for NY State members). Policy terms, conditions, and exclusions at: LifeLock.com/legal.

2. Aura - Best Identity Monitoring Features

Aura provides customers with solid identity theft protection, but it goes further, offering credit and fraud protection as well as complete device and network protection.

Editors Rating:

9.6 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	14-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$10 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$29 and up

A look at Aura’s website might leave you the impression that it’s a premium service with a premium price tag, but that’s only half true. We saw premium-level service from the Aura, which gained popularity by offering a broad range of identity protection features, but their pricing was far from expensive.

Aura subscriptions cost as little as $12 per month for individuals or $32 per month for a family of up to five adults. Those were not the cheapest prices we’ve seen, but by all means, they are affordable. And wait until you see what Aura includes in those subscriptions. For starters, every subscription comes with ID theft insurance coverage up to $1 million per adult member. They also include identity and credit monitoring, financing account monitoring, expert identity restoration, and more.

Just like our top-pick NortonLifeLock, Aura also comes with digital protections such as a VPN, antivirus software, password manager, encrypted file storage, and more. If you’re on a family plan, you even get parental control software.

Aura is also one of the few services that offer a free trial. You’ll have 14 days to explore the service and decide if it’s for you. If you like it, you can keep your subscription. Otherwise, you can cancel without any catches. Since not a lot of companies offer a free trial, we recommend signing up to test out not just Aura, but the general experience of having identity protection service, especially if it’s your first time signing up for one.

After taking Aura for a test drive, one aspect we liked so much is the fact that it monitors a wide range of data points to increase the chances of catching identity theft. It monitors so many different sources to make sure it catches any indication of identity theft, including the dark web, data broker lists, and public records. It actively looks for crumbs of your personal information such as your address, Social Security number, and contact information. You can be certain that if someone has hijacked your identity, Aura will catch them.

Aura’s protection is also proactive. Aside from detecting potential information leaks, Aura offers digital protection so you can stay safe from hackers, malware, and online scammers. Specifically, all of Aura’s subscriptions include a VPN to keep your data private while browsing, and antivirus software to keep invasive malware at bay. These tools help prevent identity theft perpetrated through digital means.

Aura also looks at your financial well-being when monitoring for identity theft. It keeps track of your credit report from all three major credit bureaus and provides you with a composite credit score each month. You’ll also stay on top of things like name changes and unusual spending with your accounts through Aura’s alerts.

Aura’s Pricing and Benefits

Aura keeps things simple with an all-inclusive pricing structure. All plans offer the same features, but protect a varying number of household members. There’s a plan for individuals, a plan for couples, and a plan for families of five or more (five adults and unlimited children in the same household).

The family plan from Aura stands out. It’s not enough to protect yourself from identity theft. The people living with you, even children, need identity protection too, as they have become a prime target for identity thieves. That’s because children’s identities are a clean slate and often less-monitored, making them ideal targets.

Aura’s identity theft protection for children isn’t as comprehensive as the protection it provides to adults, but it does cover the most important areas like SSN monitoring. They are also included in identity theft insurance coverages, and best of all, you can add an unlimited number of children to your family plan as long as they live with you.

3. Identity Guard® - Best Identity Theft Protection with Artificial Intelligence

Identity Guard leverages IBM artificial intelligence to deliver advanced identity theft protection and credit monitoring.

Editors Rating:

9.5 /10

877-719-0299

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How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$7.50 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$12.50 and up

This Virginia-based company emerged in the 1990s as the world wide web was becoming mainstream; its main mission is protecting identity in the digital age. An Identity Guard subscription covers all four features recommended above:

• Theft prevention
• Credit monitoring
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $1 million

Furthermore, Identity Guard family plans can help kids stay safe online. If identity fraud happens to any family member, a dedicated case manager will help restore the victim’s name and cover up to $1 million in related expenses.

Watson™ at Your Service…

Identity Guard’s biggest advantage is its use of artificial intelligence to improve identity theft detection. It enlisted the help of IBM Watson™, a highly intelligent AI whose skills include winning at Jeopardy and diagnosing medical problems.

Watson can process and analyze billions of data points per day, which is how Identity Guard earned the reputation of being fast in detecting potential signs of identity theft. It has been known to alert users within three seconds of detecting potential problems, giving them plenty of time to take steps to avoid further damage.

Benefits List

Here’s a partial list of available Identity Guard benefits:

• Identity theft prevention with IBM® Watson™ artificial intelligence
• Monthly credit scores based on TransUnion or Experian data, and an annual credit report with scores from all three bureaus
• Bank account alerts, e.g., get an alert if someone changes your address or adds a new name to your checking or savings accounts
• Analysis of Facebook timeline and suggestions for improvement to help prevent cloning and other types of identity theft
• Cyberbullying alerts and support for victims
• Dedicated case managers in case of ID theft
• Up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement

The features above are included with Identity Guard Ultra plans. Lower-priced plans provide less credit reporting and omit the social media features (Facebook analysis and cyberbullying alerts/response). If you’re confident in your online management skills, you could go with a lower plan to save a few bucks. It’s all up to you.

Identity Guard Pricing

Monthly rates range from $8.99 to $29.99, but you can save up to 16-percent by signing up for a full year. Ultra plans give the most comprehensive protection. Value plans, as the name implies, are the most affordable.

© Identity Guard All Rights Reserved. Identity Guard, Total Protection, Monitor, Protect and Recover and associated designs are trademarks or federally registered trademarks of Intersections Inc. Equifax is a registered trademark of Equifax Inc., and other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the companies referenced in this article. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the companies mentioned. We may be compensated through advertiser affiliate programs.

4. IdentityIQ - Best Social Security Number Monitoring

IdentityIQ customers enjoy identity theft protection in both credit and non-credit related areas. Among its many other features, IdentityIQ provides dark web monitoring and keeps an eye out for arrest and conviction records in your name.

Editors Rating:

9.3 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	7-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$5.94 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$25.50 and up

IdentityIQ has a clear mission: protecting customers from a wide range of identity fraud categories, including financial fraud and medical insurance fraud. It focuses specifically on fraud involving Social Security details.

The team at IdentityIQ takes extensive measures to monitor activities related to Social Security numbers. What sets them apart is their commitment to keeping customers informed. Unlike other services that only flag suspicious activities, IdentityIQ ensures that users receive alerts every time their SSN is used, regardless of whether the activity appears suspicious or not. This approach guarantees that no activity slips through the cracks.

In addition to monitoring though, IdentityIQ also provides proactive protections in the form of a VPN. It also offers some safety nets in case a customer falls victim to identity theft, including top-notch identity restoration service, dedicated case managers based in the US, and insurance coverage up to $1 million.

IdentityIQ’s Pricing

IdentityIQ’s pricing is among the best on the market. At $5.94 per month, the Secure Plan is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen, and even the mid-level and high-level plans are affordable. IdentityIQ offers four subscription plans, with the Secure Plan at the bottom and Secure Max for $25.50 monthly at the top. Here’s an overview of what’s included in each plan:

All of these plans include up to $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage, but the Secure Max plan stands higher than the others thanks to the free family coverage. The free family coverage provides insurance coverage up to $25,000 for all children under 24 years living in the same address as the account holder.

In addition to identity protection, IdentityIQ partnered with Bitdefender to offer device protection, as well. When you sign up for an identity protection plan, you have the option to tack on an antivirus subscription for a small fee. For the Secure plan, for example, the total cost with Bitdefender is $8.99. Essentially, you’ll get antivirus protection for just $2 per month.

And if you’re not sure if IdentityIQ is the right service for you, you can always give it a try for seven days for only $1. If you like it, the trial will renew at the rate of the plan you chose after the trial, but if you don’t, you can cancel anytime. You won’t get your $1 back, but that’s better than having to pay the full price immediately even if you’re just testing the waters.

Benefits List

Here are some of the main benefits of having an IdentityIQ subscription:

• Alerts to changes in credit scores and personal information on credit accounts
• Detection of new credit and trade lines opened in your name
• Continuous dark web monitoring for data leaks
• Alerts whenever your Social Security number is used
• Monthly, bi-annual, or annual credit reports from the three main credit bureaus
• Checks for national and international arrest and conviction records under your name (with Secure Pro and Secure Max plans)
• National Change of Address registry alerts for change of address requests
• Lost wallet assistance
• Up to $1 million identity theft insurance coverage
• U.S.-based identity restoration services

In addition, if you opt for the highest plan, you’ll get additional benefits like free family coverage, identity restoration service with limited power of attorney, and a credit score simulator.

5. McAfee Identity Theft Protection - Best Proactive Protection

McAfee combines its decades of experience in malware protection with credit and identity monitoring to protect customers’ identities proactively.

Editors Rating:

8.6 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	No
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$4.17 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$16.67 and up

McAfee wasn’t always an identity theft protection service provider. In fact, you might recognize it as one of the leading antivirus brands. In recent years, however, McAfee has forayed into other forms of digital protections, and that includes protecting users’ digital identities.

It may be working well for the company, because over the past year, McAfee continued to strengthen its identity protections, even adding identity monitoring, credit monitoring, ID theft insurance, and monthly credit reports to its list of features.McAfee might remind you of LifeLock and Norton’s partnership, but McAfee’s identity protection and device protection is more than just a partnership. All the features are integrated into an easy-to-use dashboard where you can access firewall features, the McAfee VPN, data cleanup tools, and a bunch of more nuanced but very useful digital security features. All these features mesh together seamlessly for a smooth experience.

One of McAfee’s best identity protection features is called Personal Data Cleanup. With this feature, McAfee scours the database of the most dangerous data broker sites. It informs you which sites hold your information, and if you’re on the highest-tier plan, it’ll even remove your data from those sites automatically.

Of course, with features as comprehensive as McAfee’s, you’re probably wondering how much this will all cost you. The highest tier plan, which includes everything we’ve discussed, costs $199 for the first year. That’s about $17 per month. Granted, the price will shoot up to $280 yearly after the first year, but that’s still an attractively competitive price given its features. There’s also a 30-day cancellation window so you can test out the service first before fully committing.

Plans & Pricing

McAfee offers comprehensive identity protection in two of its highest plans: Advanced and Ultimate. The latter offers three-bureau credit monitoring, daily credit score updates, credit lock, and a $25,000 ransomware coverage, while the former offers back-to-basics one-bureau credit monitoring and monthly credit scores.

Benefits List

Depending on which level of protection you choose, McAfee offers a number of valuable benefits.

• Dark web monitoring
• Security freeze
• Data cleanup
• Protection score
• $1 million theft and restoration coverage
• Unlimited VPN
• McAfee antivirus software

6. IDShield - Best Family Plans

IDShield offers best-in-class family plans with an impressive $2 million in ID theft coverage.

Editors Rating:

8.0 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$14.95 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$29.95 and up

If your identity is stolen, the expense can be exorbitant! Most ID theft protection companies offer up to $1 million in ID theft insurance. IDShield is unique for upping that limit. Under its Family Plan, customers are eligible for up to $2 million in identity theft reimbursement. In addition, the company employs a team of licensed private investigators to deal with identity fraud, and that investigative support is available 24/7.

If your identity is compromised, IDShield pledges to keep working on your case until files are completely restored and financial damages are reversed.

Main benefits of membership are:

• ID theft prevention
• Credit monitoring
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $2,000,000

IDShield is part of LegalShield, an Oklahoma-based law group. The service dates back to 2001 and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau for 2019.

IDShield Benefits & Prices

You can get an identity protection plan that provides you with one credit report, or you can get one that supplies reports from all three credit bureaus. Choices include:

• IDShield Individual, $14.95/month & up – This comprehensive ID protection plan monitors social media, payday lending services, and other platforms to detect fraudulent activity. If your identity is compromised, you’ll get dedicated support and can call private investigators for advice anytime. Choose credit report monitoring from one bureau ($14.95 per month plan) or all three ($19.95 per month plan). Plans include $1 million in insurance policies.
• IDShield Family, $29.95 per month and up – The IDShield Family Plan includes all the protections of IDShield Individual, extended to a spouse/domestic partner, and up to eight children. Plans include $2 million ID theft insurance policies. Credit report monitoring from one bureau costs $29.95 per month. Monitoring of all three bureaus costs $34.95 per month.

In sum, IDShield is unique for its $2,000,000 family ID protection insurance plans. They’re also unique for their 24/7 hotline to private investigators.

7. ID Watchdog - Best ID Theft Resolution Service

Enjoy full-service identity theft protection backed by credit-reporting agency Equifax.

Editors Rating:

9.0 /10

How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$12.50 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$20 and up

ID Watchdog has a cute name and a serious bite! This Denver-based company is owned by the credit bureau Equifax and has been guarding against identity theft since 2005. A membership delivers reports from all three major credit reporting agencies, plus ID Watchdog is top-notch in terms of ID theft resolution: If your identity is stolen, a certified ID theft risk management specialist will manage your case until your identity is fully restored. Some other top companies tire of helping you if the consequences of identity theft drag on for years.

Advanced identity theft prevention is a benefit of membership too. For instance, ID Watchdog monitors dark web forums and other sources so it knows immediately if something is amiss. If it does discover a breach, it alerts you right away. That way, you can change your email password or take other steps to stay ahead of criminals.

Main types of IDWatchdog benefits are:

• ID theft prevention
• Credit monitoring
• Identity recovery assistance

Finally, IDWatchdog is rare among ID theft protection companies for offering ID recovery assistance for non-subscribers.

Pricing and Benefits

Two ID Watchdog plans are available: Select and Premium.

• ID Watchdog Select, $12.50/month with annual plan – Benefits include basic and advanced identity monitoring, dark web monitoring, fraud alerts, and professionally managed ID theft resolution. This plan does not supply credit reports.
• ID Watchdog Premium, $18.33/month with annual plan – Benefits include all of the above plus monthly Vantage credit score that pulls from all three credit bureaus and a yearly report from all three bureaus.

Help is available by phone 24/7 in 100 languages, and ID Watchdog has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

8. Allstate Identity Protection - Best Identity Theft Protection for Families

Allstate protects the identities of the most vulnerable members of families: The children and seniors.

Editors Rating:

9.1 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $2 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$9.07 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$16.49 and up

Your family’s digital safety is only as strong as its weakest link. Allstate understands that better than any other ID theft monitoring service on the market today. Admittedly, this might not be our go-to provider for credit monitoring — we typically swear by triple-bureau monitoring and Allstate only offers single. However, we wholeheartedly recommend their service for families with children or older folks in your home whose sensitive data is especially vulnerable to exploitation.

One thing we really liked about Allstate’s coverage is that when they say “family” plan, they mean it. You can protect up to 10 family members with your Allstate plan, including seniors and college-aged dependents. This is a good thing because senior fraud has gone off the rails since the pandemic hit, and so have ransomware scams that target schools and then threaten to sell troves of our kids’ private info on the dark web.

Allstate puts the kibosh on dark web-fueled identity crime in a few important, innovative ways. First, it’s got a totally unique Digital Footprint tool that shows you where your account info surfaces on the web and where you spend your time online. This gamified approach to identity protection is great for kids, and even Grandpa and Grandma. But it’s also effective at pinpointing potential vulnerabilities ahead of time.

Second, Allstate has spectacular social media monitoring. Catfish and identity thieves love to stalk children because, well, they’re children. If you’re not careful, these lowlifes could take over your childrens’ social accounts, and then use them to “phish” more data from friends until they’ve got enough of it to open an account in your child’s name or worse. On the Allstate Premiere plan, your kids can connect in safety.

There’s a lot more that Allstate offers families, like student loan monitoring, W-2 “tax fraud” monitoring, and up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement. For your complete options, you’ll want to visit our guide to Allstate’s plans and pricing.

Plans & Pricing

Allstate keeps its ID protection simple. There are two tiers with individual and family options. Family plans cover up to 10 family members (and dependents) as long as they have a Social Security number and live in the U.S.

Benefits’ List

Depending on which ID theft protection plan you go with, your Allstate family plan may come with the following perks:

• Digital footprint tool
• Smart financial monitoring
• Identity and Social Security number monitoring
• Credit card transaction alerts
• 401(k) monitoring
• Dark web and social media monitoring
• Round-the-clock assistant from reimbursement specialists
• Stolen funds reimbursement up to $1 million

9. Experian IdentityWorks - Best Credit Monitoring

Comprehensive ID theft protection plus credit monitoring and credit improvement tools.

Editors Rating:

8.7 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	Free and up
Family Monthly Plans	$34.99 and up

It’s no surprise that Experian IdentityWorks wins “best credit monitoring” among the top ID theft protection services. The firm is a branch of Experian, the Ireland-based multinational credit reporting bureau. IdentityWorks can monitor your credit reports from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion – and they share your Experian score daily, not just monthly. Daily updates can serve as early tip-offs to identity fraud, plus they can help you use credit wisely. (Reflect on your behavior!) Some other preventive measures from IdentityWorks include:

• Surveilling the dark web for signs of data breaches
• Sending alerts from the sex offender registry if a criminal moves into your neighborhood
• Monitoring social media for fraudulent accounts in your name
• Checking payday lenders for applications in your name

Despite the best prevention efforts, ID theft happens. If your identity is compromised, Experian IdentityWorks will help with fraud resolution and help secure reimbursement up to $1 million.

In sum, with affordable plans from Experian IdentityWorks you can get:

• ID theft prevention
• Credit monitoring (daily)
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $1 million

Experian IdentityWorks Prices

Plans with $1 million insurance start at just $24.99 per month and top out at $34.99 for coverage up to ten minors and two adults.

10. IdentityForce - Best Child Protection Options

Protect the whole family with IdentityForce family plans, and get comprehensive credit monitoring.

Editors Rating:

9.4 /10

How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	30-day
Individual Monthly Plans	$17.95 and up
Family Monthly Plans	quote required

The Massachusetts-based company IdentityForce stands out as one of the best ID protection services for families, with a particular focus on child ID protection.

The internet in general is not a very safe space for kids. That’s why IdentityForce’s family plans include a VPN — a necessary tool for ensuring online privacy — as well as protection against phishing, which is a common identity theft scheme. All these extra features help protect you and your child from online identity theft.

Moving on into IdentityForce’s identity protection features, if identity fraud occurs, IdentityForce assigns certified agents to help resolve your case. The team is available by phone 24/7 to answer questions, complete paperwork, and help members take advantage of identity theft insurance policies of up to $1 million.

Main categories of IdentityForce features are:

• Comprehensive 24/7 identity threat alerts
• Three-bureau credit monitoring and reporting
• Credit improvement simulator
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $1 million

IdentityForce offers its UltraSecure + Credit plans for individuals, or you can sign up for a family plan that includes two adults and an unlimited number of children. With either plan, IdentityForce monitors the dark web, court records, change of address requests, sex offenders lists, and other areas for potential fraud.

In addition, the company monitors credit scores from the three credit bureaus daily. It provides instant access to three-bureau credit reports, a month-after-month credit score tracker, and a credit score simulator. The UltraSecure + Credit individual plan costs $17.95 per month, while the family plan costs $23.90 per month. In fact, if you pay yearly, you can get up to two months of identity theft protection for free.

For smaller families (e.g. a family with an only child), child identity protection is available on a per child basis as well. You can add ChildWatch to an individual plan for $2.75 per month for every child.

Benefits List

Benefits of the UltraSecure+Credit plan include these and more:

• Two-factor authentication at sign-in
• Annual reports from all three credit-reporting bureaus
• Real-time alerts of potential identity fraud
• Bill payment history to help you stay organized and alert to fraud
• Credit-improvement simulator
• Financial advice (e.g., about applying for a mortgage or getting a car)
• VPN via the IdentityForce mobile apps

Whether you’re on your own or want to protect your whole family, IdentityForce offers identity protection, financial well-being, and safety online and in the neighborhood.

11. Credit Sesame - Best Free Credit Reporting

Credit monitoring and reporting served up on both free and paid monthly plans.

Editors Rating:

8.7 /10

How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	7-day
Individual Monthly Plans	Free and up
Family Monthly Plans	Free and up

Credit Sesame is a no-charge financial wellness company based in northern California. For free they let you see daily updates to your credit report, and the scores can alert you to identity theft. Credit Sesame also helps people make wise credit/loan decisions based on personal credit scores. Even if you aren’t interested in loans, it could be worth joining simply for its $1 million in identity theft insurance. Did we mention, it’s free?

Essentially, with Credit Sesame, you can:

• Monitor your credit score, updated daily, for signs of fraud
• Understand what influences your credit score
• Choose from the best credit and loan offers that fit your profile (such as auto loans, credit cards and mortgages)
• Safeguard your credit with ID theft monitoring

To help you monitor for signs of ID theft, Credit Sesame makes your daily TransUnion VantageScore available. Developed in 2006 as an alternative to FICO, your VantageScore lets lenders know how likely you are to repay loans.

Credit Sesame doesn’t offer identity recovery services… but again, this identity theft protection is free! How can it possibly operate without charging customers a dime? Credit Sesame revenue comes from connecting people with loans and other paid financial services.

Main categories of Credit Sesame benefits are:

• Identity theft prevention
• Credit monitoring (daily)
• Appropriate credit & loan offers
• Identity theft insurance up to $1 million

Credit Sesame launched in 2010 with big support from the Silicon Valley startup community, and within a couple of years, it was managing a reported $35 billion for borrowers! Today, it has over 12 million customers and has seen over 100-percent growth for each of the past three years.

12. PrivacyGuard - Best Customer Service

PrivacyGuard combines basic-to-advanced ID theft protection with superb customer service.

Editors Rating:

8.2 /10

How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	No
Individual Monthly Plans	$9.99 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$24.99 and up

PrivacyGuard is an ID theft protection company featuring easy-to-understand pricing, with low monthly rates and high coverage for fraud resolution. Reviews suggest that the company offers some of the best customer service in the business, too. This Connecticut-based group serves all U.S. states except Iowa, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

With PrivacyGuard the cheapest ID protection costs just $9.99/month, and it provides $1,000,000 for fraud resolution. Auto-renewal is required for the deal.

Delivered with pleasant customer service, the main types of benefits with this company are:

• ID theft prevention
• Credit monitoring
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $1,000,000

PrivacyGuard Prices

Privacy Guard offers three different plans. One offers just identity protection; one offers just credit protection; one offers both.

• ID Protection, $9.99/month – This plan doesn’t include credit reports. The main preventive benefits are dark web surveillance, SSN tracking, and ID verification monitoring. Subscribers also get fraud resolution support and up to $1,000,000 in coverage for identity theft.
• Credit Protection, $19.99/month – This plan doesn’t include the features of the ID protection plan, such as dark web monitoring. However, it features daily monitoring of credit reports from all three bureaus. If ID theft occurs, PrivacyGuard provides fraud resolution support and helps secure up to $1,000,000 in theft/damages.
• Total Protection, $24.99/month – A combination of the two plans above, Total Protection includes identity theft prevention, credit report monitoring, and fraud resolution. The insurance plan is for $1,000,000.

We like PrivacyGuard’s approach to membership plans; it’s easy to choose between ID protection, credit monitoring, or both. Each plan includes generous insurance and top-notch customer support. You can also try a trial membership for just $1 for 14 days of service.

13. Zander Insurance - Best Insurance Bundling

Low-cost identity theft insurance plans backed by financial guru Dave Ramsey.

Editors Rating:

8.1 /10

How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	No
Individual Monthly Plans	$6.25 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$12.08 and up

Zander Insurance Group is among the oldest companies in our guide. Founded in 1925, they’ve served generations of Americans with car insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and related products. In 2010 Zander expanded to provide identity theft protection with up to $1 million in restitution. In case identity fraud is detected, Zander agents will work for up to three years to restore your records.

One main advantage of choosing Zander for ID theft protection is that you save when you bundle your protection with insurance. In addition, Zander will replace up to $7,500 per month for lost wages. That is well above the industry norm of $5,000. Furthermore, identity theft protection from Zander Insurance Group comes with advanced detection services. Unlike many competitors, they monitor for these types of identity theft:

• Medical records in your name
• Employment fraud
• Tax fraud
• Title fraud

Zander Benefits and Prices

Main types of benefits with Zander identity protection are:

• ID theft prevention
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $1 million

Zander recommends that subscribers receive free credit reports annually as provided by federal law.

The Zander ID theft individual plan costs just $6.75/month or $75 annually. Their affordable family plan costs just $12.90/month or $145 per year.

14. IDnotify - Best Value Identity Theft Protection

This Experian-owned ID theft protection service offers basic but affordable plans.

Editors Rating:

7.7 /10

How We Review

Product Specs

Dark Web Monitoring	Yes
Credit Reporting	Yes
Insurance Coverage	Up to $1 million
Free Trial	No
Individual Monthly Plans	$9.99 and up
Family Monthly Plans	$19.99 and up

IDnotify is part of the credit reporting bureau Experian. So too is IdentityWorks (above). The main difference between Experian’s two ID theft services is insurance coverage. While IdentityWorks has a cap of $500K, IDnotify provides identity theft insurance of $1 million with plans starting at $17.99/month. Cheaper plans cost just $9.99/month.

Main types of benefits with IDnotify are:

• ID theft prevention
• Credit monitoring
• Identity recovery assistance
• Identity theft insurance up to $1,000,000

However, perks vary significantly plan-to-plan.

Plans & Benefits

• Essential Plan, $9.99/month – This low-priced plan doesn’t include identity theft insurance or credit reports. The main benefits are dark web surveillance, social media monitoring, lost wallet protection, and 24/7 identity restoration assistance.
• Select Plan, $17.99/month – Benefits include those of the Essential Plan plus up to $1 million in fraud restitution, change-of-address monitoring, annual single-bureau credit reports, and more.
• Premier Plan, $25.99/month – Premier service from IDnotify builds upon the Essential Plan with reports from three credit bureaus. You’ll also get alerts about sex offenders in your area, applications in your name with payday lenders, and other safety benefits.

While the $9.99 Essential Plan is a great value in identity theft protection, the $17.99 deal can pay off significantly if your name is compromised!