Your online identity and sensitive details are always at risk of getting hacked. Whether it’s due to a data breach or a phishing scam. This can result in your private information being misused, you get logged out of your accounts, and scammers squandering your money. If you don’t want any of this to happen to you then you should invest in an identity theft protection service and in this read, we will suggest some of our top picks listed below that you can choose from today.
The software we have listed offers both device and identity theft protection. These are paid services as a free service doesn’t cut all the requirements for ID theft prevention. We have highlighted the pros and cons of each service but unlike other products, we cannot say for sure that one works better than others. With that said, let us take a look at the list we have curated for you.
1. Aura
Image Courtesy: Aura
For device protection, it bundles in a VPN, alternate email to protect you against spam mail, and antivirus protection. You can add up to 10 devices per individual with the option to add more depending on your subscription. The reason Aura tops every list is that it gives you complete protection at a reasonable price and no additional cost which is a bargain if you ask me.
Aura Pricing: Plans start at $12/month
2. Lifelock by Norton
You may have heard about Norton Anti-Virus security, but the company also offers an identity theft service called Lifelock. Its Advantage or Ultimate plans offer features to safeguard your privacy like fraud alerts, crimes committed under your name, checks for suspicious activity on your credit cards and bank accounts, and dark web monitoring to make sure your details haven’t been leaked.
Image Courtesy: Lifelock
One highlight feature that you get with Lifelock is that it takes over your phone’s SIM to check for sex offenders or someone matching that profile has moved next to you. No doubt that this is an expensive plan as you will have to opt for their Ultimate plan to get most of the identity protection features. Unlike other companies, it gives you insurance for up to $1 Million out of their own pockets which can go up to $3 Million depending on the plan you opt for.
Pricing: Plans start at $35/month and $239.88 for 1 year
3. ID Shield
ID Shield looks beyond what happens when your identity and details have been stolen online. The service features dark web and social security number monitoring. While also featuring credit freeze and quarterly credit reporting from one or all three bureaus. But this is not the part that makes the ID shield stand out.
Image Courtesy: ID Shield
Like other services, ID Shield gives a whopping $2 Million in coverage depending on your plan. They will also assign a private investigator who will work with you to restore your identity and details in case they get stolen to their original state. You can contact their support team 24/7 or schedule an appointment with their consultants in case of any issue right from the mobile app.
The fact that it covers you beyond your data getting stolen is a much-needed relief because it can be hard to track down your details and restore them once they have gone to the wrong hands. Its plans are also pretty simple to go through.
Pricing: Individual Plan Starts at $14.95/month
4. McAfee + Ultimate
I bet when you hear the name antivirus software, McAfee is the first thing that pops into your head. This popular malware protection tool also provides security against identity theft if you opt for their Ultimate plan just like Norton’s Lifelock. It covers the basics like credit freeze and report from all three bureaus including TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. The Advanced plan gives you $1 Million in identity theft coverage while Ultimate doubles the amount.
Image Courtesy: McAfee
What sets McAfee apart is that it also gives you an additional $25,000 coverage against ransomware. Most other services skip out on this in their fingerprint but that’s not the case here. It even includes an unlimited VPN, a social privacy manager , and a neat File shredder feature to make your sensitive files unrecoverable after deletion. However, there is no monthly payment option meaning technically it is the costliest of all the services in this list.
Pricing: $89.99/year for McAfee+ Advanced and $199.99/year for McAfee+ Ultimate
5. Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus
Bitdefender, another malware protection software now includes identity theft protection thanks to services from Identity Force. This increases its feature set to include monthly credit reports, credit freeze from TransUnion, and credit card freeze in case it gets compromised. It can also help keep tabs on up to 10 savings and investment accounts . It also offers coverage up to $ 2Million in identity theft insurance.
Image Courtesy: Bitdefender
Along with it, you get all the services that Bitdefender already has to offer like a VPN, password manager, and malware protection. It even includes parental control features as well. It covers up to 10 devices per individual but there is no family plan option available here. You couldn’t also make monthly payments before but thankfully that has been rectified since. The plans come at a reasonable price but the McAfee+ Ultimate offers slightly better benefits.
Pricing: Ultimate Security plan starts at $9.99/month and the Ultimate Security+ plan starts at $12.99/month
6. Identity Guard
Identity Guard is for those who want a cheap but well-rounded identity theft solution for their money. It covers the dark web, credit, and even social media monitoring. You will receive an alert if your US Postal Service address is changed by someone else. Plus, it shows you credit reports and features instant credit freeze if you suspect something is wrong.
Image Courtesy: Identity Guard
The software even comes with a password manager but other fancy features like VPN and malware protection are absent here. It is a product of Aura which we mentioned above, and seems to be a cheaper alternative to it. It is a basic option that you can go with if you just want to safeguard your data online.
Pricing: Plans start at $7.50/month
7. IDX Complete
IDX Complete is different from all the other tools that we have mentioned in this list. Instead of trying to alert you when your data gets leaked or compromised, IDX tries to remove it. It contacts over 100 data brokers which sell your crucial data to advertising companies and sends a request to delete it from their end.
Image Courtesy: PC Mag
It also includes other features like a password manager, a VPN service, credit monitoring from all three bureaus, $1 Million Dollars in identity theft coverage, dark web monitoring, and Social Sentry which actively looks for fraudulent content on your social media . This is all great but it does cost a bit too much while not offering all that value.
Pricing: The plan starts at $ 32.90/month
8. Zander Insurance
Zander is another cheap alternative to some of the above services in the sense that it gives you the basics with its essential plan. You get dark web monitoring, social security number monitoring, and identity theft insurance of $ 1 Million which gets doubled for the family plan . Credit monitoring or credit freeze is not included here unless you upgrade to more expensive plans.
Image Courtesy: Zander Insurance
Its most expensive Elite plan also includes bank, credit, and loan account monitoring . But at that point, you might as well go with some other options that we have listed here. That is not to say that Zander is bad by any means, it’s just its value only lies in its essential plan.
Pricing: The Essential plan starts at $6.75/month and Elite starts at $11.99/month
With over 4 year of experience under the belt, I cover all facets of consumer tech, from smartphones to other consumer electronics, our favorite social media apps, as well as the growing realm of AI and LLMs. As an Apps and AI writer app Beebom, I provide my expertise in all these areas, weaving stories that help you get familiar with the tech around you. But you will find me playing NYT daily puzzles in my free time.
Add new comment
Name
Email ID
Δ
