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Identity Guard® and LifeLock are two of the most popular identity theft protection services on the market. Both are top-tier options, but how do you know which one is the best for your particular needs?
See how these two big ID theft players measure up against each other in our Identity Guard® vs LifeLock review.
Visit Identity Guard®’s Website | Visit LifeLock’s Website
LifeLock is a leading ID theft protection company with a history of reliable service since launching in 2005. Who owns LifeLock? Cybersecurity giant Symantec acquired LifeLock in late 2016. LifeLock was named in the 2016 Online Trust Honor Roll for excellent consumer protection and data security.
Identity Guard®‘s parent company, Intersections Inc., has protected more than 47 million consumers for over 20 years. Named Kiplinger magazine’s #1 best ID theft protection service in 2015, Identity Guard® was also recognized in the Online Trust Honor Roll in 2017.
How do you choose between two of the best? See how their features stack up on our Identity Guard® vs LifeLock comparison.
Identity Guard® Vs LifeLock Feature Comparison (Winners By Catgory)
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| Overall Winner | |
Monitoring Coverage
Both services offer some of the best coverage on the market, with monitoring everything from your personal information, court records, bank accounts, credit cards, credit bureaus and more.
LifeLock, however, has the slight edge over Identity Guard® in this category. What do they cover that Identity Guard® doesn’t? LifeLock also keeps an eye on your investment account activity and driver’s license and monitors the sex offender registry in your area.
Winner: LifeLock
Recovery Services
LifeLock provides full recovery services and 24/7 access to their fraud specialists, who take care of most of the recovery process for you. They’ll contact your financial institutions and handle paperwork and all the necessary steps to restore your identity.
While Identity Guard® also offers 24/7 access to specialists, you’re responsible for all the legwork to recover your identity. Identity Guard® also provides up to $1 million in reimbursement insurance* (as does LifeLock). LifeLock goes beyond that to provide up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement.
Winner: LifeLock
Customer Service & Reputation
Identity Guard® and LifeLock both stand out for exceptional customer support and reputations. These two companies provide U.S.-based, 24/7 access to ID theft specialists and general member services. Their websites also have a lot of useful information about identity theft.
We also compared online customer reviews for LifeLock and Identity Guard®, both of which had mostly positive user feedback. The Identity Guard® complaints we found focused mainly on hit or miss customer service representatives. We found some more consistent LifeLock complaints about delayed alerts, which is why Identity Guard® has the leg up on this one.
Winner: Identity Guard®
Mobile Access
Both Identity Guard® and LifeLock have mobile apps with overall decent reviews and ratings from Google Play and iTunes. However, LifeLock has thousands more reviews and higher ratings than Identity Guard® does, which is why it wins this category.
Winner: LifeLock
Family/Child Coverage
Identity Guard® has three separate family plans that are among the most affordable on the market. Is there a LifeLock family plan? Yes, they offer one as well. How much does LifeLock cost to add kids? Lifelock has a family plan starting at $14.99 for 2 adults or $21.99 for 2 adults and up to 5 kids for the standard plan.
With Identity Guard® you can cover two adults and two children for only $27.99 per month. To get the same level of coverage for a family of four with LifeLock, you’ll end up spending more than $50 per month. You can also enjoy the same savings with Identity Guard®‘s Couple Plan.
Winner: Identity Guard®
Pricing
Regarding pricing, how do Identity Guard® plans and LifeLock plans compare? They’re fairly comparable in proce. But if you’e goinog for the best coverage, you’re going to save more with LifeLock. At $29.99/month, ID Gurad’s Ultra plan is $10 more per month than LifeLock’s Ultimate plan. However, if you have a family, you’ll save a little with Identity Guard®.
Winner: LifeLock
Identity Guard® Vs LifeLock Plans – Detailed Comparison
| Identity Guard® | Identity Guard® | Identity Guard® | LifeLock | LifeLock | LifeLock | |
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| Value | Total | Ultra | Standard | Advantage | Ultimate Plus | |
| Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website |
| Price (individual) | $8.99/month | $19.99/month | $29.99/month | $8.99/month | $17.99/month | $19.99/month |
| Price (family) | $14.99/month | $29.99/month | $39.99/month | $21.99/month | $35.99/month | $46.99/month |
| Free Trial | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | |||
| U.S.-Based Agents 24/7 | |
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| Full Identity Recovery Support | |
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| Driver’s License Monitoring | |
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| Bank Account Monitoring & Activity Alerts | |
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| Address Change Verification | |
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USPS Address Change Verification | USPS Address Change Verification | USPS Address Change Verification | |
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| Black Market Website Surveillance | |
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| Online Annual Credit Reports and Scores | 3 Credit Bureaus | 3 Credit Bureaus | 1 Credit Bureau | 3 Credit Bureau | ||
| Credit Score Tracking | Three Bureaus, Quarterly | Three Bureaus, Monthly | One Bureau, Monthly | |||
| 3-Bureau Credit Analyzer | |
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| Stolen Funds Replacement | Up to $25,000 | Up to $100,000 | Up to $1 million | |||
| Personal Expense Reimbursement Insurance | Up to $1 million | Up to $1 million | Up to $1 million | Up to $25,000 | Up to $100,000 | Up to $1 million |
| Coverage for Lawyers & Experts | Included in Reimbursement Insurance | Included in Reimbursement Insurance | Included in Reimbursement Insurance | Up to $1 million | Up to $1 million | Up to $1 million |
Overall Winner
Each of these services offers something different for consumers, and this battle is close but in the end, Identity Guard® wins even though it has the same number of checkmarks as LifeLock.
LifeLock may cover a few more things, have slightly better recovery services and mobile app ratings, but Identity Guard® has better customer service, family/child coverage and lower pricing. Identity Guard® is the way to go if you want to save money, especially if you have more than one family member you want to cover.
Is LifeLock worth it? Yes, if you’re not on a strict budget. LifeLock’s Ultimate Plus plan offers some of the most comprehensive monitoring and recovery services available. These features come with a much higher than average price tag.
Winner: Identity Guard®
Want to learn more about each service? Take a look at our in-depth Identity Guard® review and LifeLock review for more information on each company.
Before deciding on an ID theft protection service, be sure to check out our comprehensive review where we compare identity theft protection services. We compare a dozen providers, see how Identity Guard® and LifeLock stack up to the competition! You may also be interested in learning about how common identity theft is.
*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.
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.
