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With each online profile we create, every service we sign up for, and all the smart gadgets we buy, we put our identities at risk. Technology is evolving, and with it, our personal information becomes more vulnerable. Protecting your identity isn’t an option — it’s a must. We bring you our expert reviews of the top ID theft protection services.
Best Identity Theft Protection
The best way to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft is to stop it before it starts by proactively having a service monitor it for you. These ID theft protection services not only alert you when something suspicious happens, but several will also help you with the recovery process if your identity is stolen, including reimbursement for any losses.
Before we jump into the company reviews, here are some important details that we considered in conducting our review. We chose the best identity theft protection based on the following six criteria:
- Monitoring coverage
- Recovery services
- Customer service & reputation
- Mobile access
- Family/Child protection
- Pricing
Winner: IDShield Review
IDShield, a LegalShield product, offers one of the most comprehensive identity theft monitoring and resolution services on the market at a nearly unbeatable price for both individuals and families of up to 10 people. It monitors almost everything imaginable and gives you a cheaper plan option of having only one credit bureau monitored (note: most credit report changes should show up at all bureaus anyway).
IDShield’s restoration services are unsurpassed in the industry. The company uses licensed private investigators, who do all the legwork for you to restore your name, and it’s backed by $1 million insurance for stolen funds and expense reimbursement. Customers rave about their experience.
Personal Experience
One of Safe Smart Living’s contributors uses IDShield to protect her and her family. Here is her experience:
I’ve used IDShield for over a year and have had a great experience with it. I use it to monitor my family and I’s identities and it notifies me of any potentially suspicious activity.
One of the main reasons I chose it over its competitors was because I can monitor my entire family for less than $30 per month. I’m not sacrificing monitored coverage either. It’s the best of both worlds.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Pricing
The only difference between the two IDShield plans is that the individual plan covers one person and the family plan covers up to 10.
Individual Plan: $14.95/month (1 bureau); $19.95/month (3 bureaus)
Family Plan: $29.95/month (1 bureau); $34.95/month (3 bureaus)
- Social security number monitoring
- Credit card number monitoring (up to 10)
- Bank account number monitoring (up to 10)
- Medical ID number monitoring (up to 10)
- Court records monitoring
- Quarterly credit score tracking
- Change of address monitoring
- Black-market website monitoring
- File-sharing network monitoring
- Data breach alerts
- New credit account alerts
- Identity restoration services
- Investment account monitoring
Read Our In-Depth IDShield Review
Runner-Up: IdentityForce Review
IdentityForce, our runner-up for the best identity protection provider, monitors practically everything imaginable (SSN, driver’s license, email, etc.). Unlike our top pick, this company offers a plan that monitors all three credit reporting bureaus with your membership so you can stay on top of any suspicious credit report changes.
Unfortunately, there is no family plan available, so you’ll have to add a plan for each person in your family you want to be monitored, which can get expensive. If your identity gets stolen while using IdentityForce, you’re covered by its $1 million insurance plan.
The company also offers 24/7 support in case your identity is stolen. Its specialists will do a majority of the paperwork, calling, and other legwork for you to help restore your name. When it comes to monitoring your personal data, no one else has better coverage for the price.
Pros |
Cons |
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Price
You can test out IdentityForce by signing up for its 14-day free trial.
| UltraSecure | UltraSecure+Credit | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Regular Price: $17.00/month or $179.00/year
Discount for our Readers: $14.99/month or $149.90/year | Regular Price: $23.99/month or $239.90/year
Discount for our Readers: $19.99/month or $199.90/year |
| Optional ChildWatch Add-On $2.75/month or $27.50/year |  | |
| 14-Day Free Trial | | |
| Sex Offender Monitoring | | |
| Pay Day Loan Monitoring | | |
| Change of Address Monitoring | | |
| Court Records Monitoring | | |
| Fraud Monitoring | | |
| Identity Score & Report | | |
| Identity Monitoring | | |
| Fraud Alert Reminder | | |
| Medical ID Fraud Protection | | |
| Junk Mail Opt-out | | |
| Identity Threat Alerts | | |
| Delete Now | | |
| Online Protection Tools (Anti-Phishing, Anti-Keylogging, etc.) | | |
| Lost Wallet Assistance | | |
| Fraud Resolution Specialist | | |
| Identity Restoration Advisor | | |
| $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance | | |
| Credit Score Simulator | | |
| Three Bureau Credit Scores | | |
| Three Bureau Credit Reports | | |
| Three Bureau Credit Monitoring | | |
| Credit Score Monitoring | | |
| Instant Credit Report Included | |
Read Our In-Depth IdentityForce Review
3rd Place: Identity Guard® Review
Identity Guard® monitors your identity and helps protect it. The company has invested in Watson AI to provide constant scanning of your data for compromise, allowing the company to alert you quickly, which should allow you to minimize damages.
In the case that your identity is stolen, Identity Guard® will help pay to have it recovered no matter how it happened (even if it wasn’t the service’s fault). And when you call in, you will be assigned a dedicated case manager so you are speaking with the same person every time so you don’t have to re-explain your issue repeatedly.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Pricing
| Individual Value | Individual Total | Individual Ultra | Family Value | Family Total | Family Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | Billed Monthly: $8.99
Billed Annually: $5.40 | Billed Monthly: $19.99
Billed Annually: $12.00 | Billed Monthly: $29.99
Billed Annually: $18.00 | Billed Monthly: $14.99/month
Billed Annually: $9.00 | Billed Monthly: $29.99/month
Billed Annually: $18.00 | Billed Monthly: $39.99/month
Billed Annually: $24.00 |
| $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance | | | | | | |
| Mobile App | | | | | | |
| Online “Dark Web” Monitoring | | | | | | |
| Social Security Number Monitoring | | | | | | |
| Monthly Credit Score | | | | | ||
| 3-Bureau Credit Changes | | | | | ||
| Bank Account Takeovers | | | | | ||
| Requests To Open Bank Accounts | | | | | ||
| 3-Bureau Credit Report | | | ||||
| Anti-Phishing App | | | | | | |
| Safe Browsing Extension | | | | | | |
| Potential Cyberbullying On Social Media | | |||||
| Social Insight Report | | | ||||
| Individual Value | Individual Total | Individual Ultra | Family Value | Family Total | Family Ultra |
Read Our In-Depth Identity Guard® Review
Comparison Table
All companies below monitor SSNs and address changes and offer recovery assistance.
| 1st: IDShield | 2nd: Identity Force | 3rd: Identity Guard® | Complete ID | CSID | Equifax Complete | Experian IdentityWorks | ID Watchdog | Lifelock | Privacy Guard | ReliaShield | Zander | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest Price/Month | $14.95 | $14.99 | $5.40 | $8.99 | $9.99 | $19.95 | $9.99 | $14.95 | $8.99 | $9.99 | $7.99 | $6.75 |
| Family Plan | | | | | | | | |||||
| Child Plan | Included in Family Plan | Add-On | Included in Family Plan | Add-On | Included in Family Plan | Included in Family Plan | Included in Family Plan | Add-On | Limited Coverage | Included in Family Plan | Included in Family Plan | |
| Free Trial | 14 Days | 30 Days | $1 for 14 Days | |||||||||
| Monitors Bank Accounts | | | | | | | | | | | ||
| Monitors Credit Cards | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Monitors Loans | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Monitors Insurance | | | | | | | Must Request | |||||
| Monitors Medical Records | | | | | | | Must Request | | ||||
| Monitors Driver’s License | | | | | | | | | | Must Request | | |
| Monitors Public Records | | | | | | | | | | | ||
| Monitors Criminal Records | | | | | | | | |||||
| Monitors Sex Offenders | | | | | | | ||||||
| Monitors Email | | | | | | |||||||
| Fully Managed Restoration Service | | | | | | | | | ||||
| Lost/Stolen Wallet Assistance | | | | | | | | | | |||
| ID Theft Insurance | $1 Million | $1 Million | $1 Million | $1 Million | $1 Million | $1 Million | $1 Million | Varies | Up to $3 Million | $1 Million | $1 Million | |
| Mail List Removal | | | | | ||||||||
| Credit Reports | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | TransUnion Only | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | |
| Credit Score | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | All 3 Bureaus | ||
| 1st: IDShield | 2nd: Identity Force | 3rd: Identity Guard® | Complete ID | CSID | Equifax ID Patrol | Experian IdentityWorks | ID Watchdog | Lifelock | Privacy Guard | ReliaShield | Zander |
9 More Companies Reviewed (A – Z)
Here are the companies that didn’t make our top 3 this year. As you’ll note, in a few cases our research revealed the services to be so unreliable that we recommend you steer clear of them.
Complete ID | CSID | Equifax Complete Premier | Experian Identity Works | ID Watchdog | LifeLock | Privacy Guard | ReliaShield | Zander
Complete ID Review
Complete ID is an Experian ID theft service sold through Costco. Complete ID offers solid credit monitoring with all three bureaus. It offers a child add-on plan and $1 million insurance. Unfortunately, we’ve found too many complaints about customers not being able to access their system or reach anyone in customer service to recommend them at this time.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Pricing
Both pricing tiers include the same benefits.
Costco Executive Members
- $8.99/month
- +$2.99/month for child protection
Costco Business & Gold Star Members
- $13.99/month
- +$3.99/month for child protection
Benefits include:
- Annual 3b Credit Report, Vantagescore®, And 3b Monitoring
- Monthly Credit Vantagescore® Updates
- Internet Surveillance
- SSN And Non-credit Identity Monitoring
- Financial Account Application & Takeover Alerts
- Payday Loan Monitoring
- Criminal Records Monitoring And Neighborhood Watch
- Lost Wallet Replacement Assistance (Learn what to do if you lose your wallet)
- Full-Service Identity Restoration
- $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance
- 24/7 Member Service Support
Read Our In-Depth Complete ID Review
CSID Review
At first, we thought Experian-owned CSID was strictly a B2B identity theft protection solution. However, we contacted the company and found out differently. It’s difficult to find the webpage directly to their pricing and packages, so we’ve provided a direct link to it above. CSID has low prices, but it does not cover as much as its competitors which is why it isn’t ranked higher.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
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Pricing
Both plans below cover the same items.
Protector Plus $9.99/month
Protector Plus Family Plan $11.99/month
- Credit monitoring
- CyberAgent internet surveillance
- Court and public records monitoring
- Non-credit loan monitoring
- Child monitoring (only for the family plan)
- Change of address
- Sex offender report
- Social security number
- $1 million insurance
- Identity restoration
Equifax Complete Premier Review
Equifax Complete Premier has a competitively priced family plan, but unfortunately, its monitoring falls short compared to many other services. It also lacks in its customer service. Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus, is still trying to recover its reputation from its massive data breach in 2017.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Pricing
| Complete Premier | Complete Family | Ultimate Plus (Norton 360 with LifeLock) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.95/month | $19.95/month | $29.9/month |
| Number of People | 1 Person | Up to 2 Adults and 4 Children | 1 person |
| 3-Bureau Credit Scores (Annually) | | | |
| 3-Bureau Credit Reports (Annually) | | | |
| Equifax Credit Score (Daily) | | | |
| Equifax Credit Report (Daily) | | | |
| 3-Bureau Credit File Monitoring | | | |
| Equifax Credit Score Monitoring | | | |
| Internet Scanning | | | |
| Automatic Fraud Alerts | | | |
| Credit Monitoring | | | |
| Data Breach Notifications | | ||
| Lost Wallet Assistance | | | |
| Identity Theft Protection | | | (+ alerts) |
View Our In-Depth Equifax Review
Experian IdentityWorks Review
Experian is one of the three main credit bureaus, and its IdentityWorks product offers a solid set of identity theft monitoring features and excellent credit monitoring. Its family plans cover up to 10 children, so this could be a cost-effective option for large families. If you need ID theft recovery assistance, you get a dedicated fraud specialist, but it doesn’t do all the work for you like some other companies.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Pricing
Experian IdentityWorks offers a 30-day free trial. Save 17% on plans if billed annually.
| IdentityWorks Plus | IdentityWorks Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Price Per Month for 1 Adult | $9.99 | $19.99 |
| Dark Web Surveillance | | |
| Insurance | Up to $500,000 | Up to $1 Million |
| Lost Wallet Assistance | | |
| Social Security Number Monitoring | | |
| Address Change Verification | | |
| Bank Account & Credit Card Takeovers | | |
| Identity Validation Alerts | | |
| Payday Loan Monitoring | | |
| Court Records & Bookings | | |
| Sex Offender Registry | | |
| File-Sharing Network Monitoring | | |
| Social Network Monitoring | | |
| Lock & Unlock Your Experian Credit File | | |
| Real-Time Alerts on Attempted Credit Inquiries | | |
| Credit Bureaus Monitored | Experian | 3 Bureaus |
| 3-Bureau FICO Scores | Quarterly | |
| Experian FICO Scores | Daily | Daily |
| Fraud Resolution Services | | |
ID Watchdog Review
ID Watchdog offers relatively basic monitoring services. Its strength lies in its resolution services, which get top reviews from consumers. It has a 100% resolution guarantee and also provides identity theft insurance. You can also add child protection to an adult plan.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Pricing
| Select | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Price For Individual | $14.95/month or $150/year | $21.95/month or $220/year |
| Price For Family (up to 4 kids) | $23.95/month or $240/year | $34.95/month or $350/year |
| Basic Identity Monitoring | | |
| Advanced Identity Monitoring | | |
| Cyber Monitoring | | |
| Email and SMS Notifications | | |
| Full Service Identity Restoration | | |
| Credit Report Monitoring | 1 Bureau | 3 Bureaus |
| Credit Reports and Scores | ||
| NPI Monitoring | | |
| Credit Report Lock | ||
| Ingegrated Fraud Alerts | ||
| Password Manager | ||
| Financial, Social Monitoring |
LifeLock Review
LifeLock offers several different plans for you to choose from, but to get the same coverage you’ll get from IdentityForce and Identity Guard®, you’ll end up paying more. Its Million Dollar Protection™ Package provides reimbursement for funds stolen, attorney fees, and personal expenses you incur while restoring your identity.
It also offers a child plan to add on to any adult plan. If your identity gets stolen, you’ll get a dedicated specialist who will do a lot of the recovery legwork for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
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Pricing
| LifeLock Standard | Advantage | Ultimate Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (save on annual plans) | $8.99/month or $89.99/year | $17.99/month or $179.88/year | $19.99/month or $239.88/year |
| Family Plan (2 adults) | $14.99/month or $149.87/year | $28.99/month or $287.889/year | $8.99/month or $89.99/year |
| Family Plan (2 adults + 5 kids) | $21.99/month or $221.87/year | $35.99/month or $359.99/year | $46.99/month or $467.88/year |
| Identity & Social Security and Alerts | | | |
| Dark Web & Privacy Monitoring | | | |
| Data Breach Notifications | | | |
| LifeLock Identity Alert System | | | |
| Lost Wallet Protection | | | |
| USPS Address Change Verification | | | |
| Reduced Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers | | | |
| Black Market Website Surveillance | | | |
| Live Member Support 24/7/365 | | | |
| $1 Million Total Service Guarantee | | | |
| Fictitious Identity Monitoring | | | |
| Court Records Scanning | | | |
| Home Title Monitoring | | | |
| Data Breach Notifications | | | |
| Online Annual Credit Reports and Scores | 1 Credit Bureau | 1 Credit Bureau | 3 Credit Bureau |
| Credit Card, Checking and Savings Account Activity Alerts | | | |
| Investment Account Activity Alerts | | ||
| Checking and Savings Account Application Alerts | | ||
| Bank Account Takeover Alerts | | ||
| Credit Inquiry Activity | | ||
| File-Sharing Network Searches | | ||
| Sex Offender Registry Reports | | ||
| Monthly Credit Score Tracking | |
Read Our In-Depth LifeLock Review
PrivacyGuard Review
The Affinion Group’s PrivacyGuard offers three different plans. Its highest plan for $24.99/month has a decent combination of credit and identity monitoring, although its credit monitoring is the stronger of the two.
It also offers identity theft insurance and dedicated resolution services. However, all the reports of poor customer service and billing problems give us pause to recommend this company.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Pricing
PrivacyGuard gives you a 14-day trial for $1.
| ID Protection | Credit Protection | Total Protection | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Per Month | $9.99 | $19.99 | $24.99 |
| 3 Bureau Credit Reports & Scores | | | |
| 24/7 Daily Credit Monitoring | | | |
| Monthly Credit Score Tracking | | | |
| Credit Scores Simulator | | | |
| Financial Calculator Suite | | | |
| Credit Information Hotline | | | |
| Dedicated ID Fraud Resolution Support | | | |
| ID Verification Monitoring | | | |
| Black Market Website Surveillance | | | |
| Social Security Number Event Tracking | | | |
| Online Directory Scan | | | |
| Annual Public Records Report | | | |
| Public Records Monitoring | | | |
| Online Fraud Assistance | | | |
| Reduced Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers | | | |
| Lost & Stolen Wallet Assistance | | | |
| $1 Million ID Theft Insurance | | |
ReliaShield Review
ReliaShield jumped into the ID theft industry two years ago with an extremely competitive product. Their ID theft protection service boasts monitoring for nearly everything our top winners cover, a fully-managed restoration service with a dedicated ID theft specialist, and $1 million insurance for stolen funds and reimbursement. And their cost is among the lowest you can find.
However, we can find next to no customer feedback about ReliaShield, which is an important part of our review criteria. We’re keeping a close eye on this service and it’s likely that they’ll move up in our rankings in the near future once we get a better idea of their track record in protecting people’s identity.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
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Pricing
The family plan includes two adults and up to 10 children.
| Essential | Prime | Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Pricing | $7.99/mth | $14.99/mth | $21.99/mth |
| Family Pricing | $14.99/mth | $24.99/mth | $34.99/mth |
| SSN | | | |
| Driver’s License No. | | | |
| Change of Address | | | |
| Court Records | | | |
| Wallet Protection | | | |
| Dark Web Monitoring | | | |
| Data Breach Updates | | | |
| 24/7/365 Recovery Support | | | |
| Unlimited Resoration Services | | | |
| $1 Million Protection | | | |
| Non-Credit Loan Monitoring | | | |
| Sex Offender Monitoring | | | |
| Social Media Monitoring | | | |
| Credit Bureau Monitoring | 1 Bureau | 3 Bureaus | |
| Monthly Credit Score Tracking | | ||
| Bank Account Takeover | | ||
| New Bank Account Application | | ||
| New Credit Card Application | |
Zander Review
Zander Insurance provides excellent full recovery services with certified specialists and a total of $2 million in insurance for a fraction of what you pay for other companies. It also monitors your basic personal information, including bank accounts and credit cards.
Zander falls short in other features, namely no credit bureau or personal/criminal monitoring. If you’re mainly concerned about assistance after a fraudulent event, it comes highly recommended by many consumers.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Pricing
Both plans include the same monitoring and restorations services. The family plan provides coverage for you, your spouse, and any dependent children living in your house.
Individual Essential Plan: $6.75/month; $75/year
Individual Cyber Bundle Plan: $9.99/month; $110/year (ID theft + UltraVPN, Credit Lock, New Account & Account Takeover Monitoring)
Family Plan: $12.90/month; $145/year
- $1 million reimbursement & stolen funds insurance
- Lost or stolen wallet assistance
- Monitors driver’s license, SSN and medical insurance ID
- Change of address
- Monitors bank accounts and credit cards
- Full recovery services
- 24/7/365 hotline
Family Cyber Bundle Plan: $19.49/month; $215/year (ID theft + UltraVPN, Credit Lock, New Account & Account Takeover Monitoring)
More Ways To Protect Yourself
If there’s one thing you take from this article, we hope it’s that you realize the threat of identity theft is serious. It’s not an easy mess to clean up, and taking proactive steps to monitor you and your family’s identities is the best way to protect yourselves.
See our comprehensive guide on identity theft to learn more about ID theft statistics, credit monitoring and other ways to safeguard your identity. For more tips to help you get protected online, read our guide on cybercrime prevention.
Identity Guard® Disclosures
*The score you receive with Identity Guard is provided for educational purposes to help you understand your credit. It is calculated using the information contained in your TransUnion credit file. Lenders use many different credit scoring systems, and the score you receive with Identity Guard is not the same score used by lenders to evaluate your credit.
**Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group‚ Inc. The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms‚ conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms‚ conditions‚ and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
***Your card will be charged either a monthly or annual fee, depending on the membership plan you choose. You may cancel your membership anytime simply by contacting us. If you do not cancel your membership within the trial period, your card will be charged either a monthly or annual fee, depending on the membership plan you choose. You may cancel your membership anytime simply by contacting us.
