All About Cookies is an independent, advertising-supported website. Some of the offers that appear on this site are from third-party advertisers from which All About Cookies receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).
All About Cookies does not include all financial or credit offers that might be available to consumers nor do we include all companies or all available products. Information is accurate as of the publishing date and has not been provided or endorsed by the advertiser.
The All About Cookies editorial team strives to provide accurate, in-depth information and reviews to help you, our reader, make online privacy decisions with confidence. Here's what you can expect from us:
Best for All-in-One Digital Security
/images/2023/05/25/logo-aura.png){kind=logo}
Data removal service that scrubs your info from 200+ brokers, people-search sites, and junk mailers
Bundles data removal with identity theft protection, antivirus, VPN, and a password manager in one subscription
Includes Google Search cleanup and a digital account scanner to shrink your overall online footprint
Best for Long-Term Data Removal
/images/2023/10/11/logo-deleteme-700px.png){kind=logo}
Data removal service that covers 89–986 sites and re-scans every quarter to catch anything that reappears
Sends quarterly privacy reports showing what info was found, which brokers had your data, and how long each removal took
Includes email masking so you can share a stand-in address instead of your real one
DeleteMe and Aura are popular digital privacy services. While Meta influencers promote DeleteMe, you may have seen ads with Robert Downey Jr. backing Aura. So when it comes to data removal, what’s true, and what’s hype?
Based on repeated testing, we think Aura is actually the better data removal service. In about a year, Aura’s automatic removals jumped from 30 to 200+. It doesn’t paywall more broker coverage, and all plans include digital privacy and security tools, such as a password manager, ad blocker, VPN, and antivirus protection. And unlike other data removal services, Aura includes SSN and dark web monitoring.
Meanwhile, DeleteMe’s main consumer-facing plan sits around 89 removals (plus 10 custom removals per quarter). DeleteMe does include email masking as a perk, but it charges for phone masking. Even though DeleteMe is a trustworthy data removal service, we found that Aura provided more comprehensive coverage.
In our Aura vs. DeleteMe comparison, we break down value, features, security, and user experience, so you can decide which is right for you.
/images/2023/05/25/logo-aura.png){kind=logo}
Our Pick |
/images/2023/10/11/logo-deleteme-700px.png){kind=logo}
|
|
| Star rating | ||
| Price | From $7.00/mo | From $6.97/mo |
| # of site removals | 200+ | 89–986, depending on the plan |
| Privacy reports | Yes — Quarterly | |
| Recurring removals | ||
| Custom removal requests | ||
| Encryption | AES-256, HTTPS, PGP | AES-256, TLS 1.2 |
| Supported countries | United States | Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and more |
| Extras | Dark web alerts, Google Search Cleanup, Digital Account Cleanup, Do-Not-Call registry, antivirus, VPN, password manager, ad blocker | Email masking, phone masking (paid add-on) |
| Learn more | Get Aura | Get DeleteMe |
Aura Data Removal is a great option for people looking for an all-in-one digital security suite. It has a powerful data removal tool that deletes your data from 200+ data brokers, people-search sites, junk mailers, and Google search.
Besides data removal, plans can also include extensive identity and financial monitoring with $1 million identity theft insurance. Plans are also bundled with device protection like antivirus, VPN, ad blocker, and password manager.
However, Aura doesn't have data removal features you’d find with dedicated services, like detailed privacy reports or custom removal requests.
DeleteMe focuses exclusively on data broker removal, with recurring removals, privacy reports, and custom removals available quarterly. Plans offer 89–986, though the Standard consumer-facing plan is only around 89, and include email masking.
DeleteMe is a good deal for individuals or couples looking for long-term data removal. The two-year subscription offers a steep discount, and you won’t get hit with an annual price hike. Plus, DeleteMe plans offer up to 10 custom removals per quarter. So the longer you subscribe, the more broker coverage you’ll receive. The base number of automatic removals is low compared to top competitors like Aura and Incogni, but a multi-year plan tacks on 40 more brokers each year. That’s not bad.
The biggest downside to DeleteMe is its lack of transparency around removals. It boasts a high number, but that is for business plans and includes custom removals. Unlike Aura, you won't find any identity or financial monitoring with DeleteMe. There's also no 24/7 customer support, but you can reach them during business hours.
Our team has conducted hands-on testing on 10+ data removal services using a consistent process. We sign up one to four weeks before our formal testing begins, giving each service time to scan for our personal information and contact data brokers to remove our data.
Then, we evaluate each product across five areas:
We test all data removal services at least once a year. To learn more about how we test, read our full data removal testing methodology here.
Aura is a better value since it offers additional tools to protect your digital identity. However, families may prefer DeleteMe since it covers up to 4 people while Aura only covers up to 2.
|
Our Pick |
|
|
| Price range | $7.00–$20.00/mo | $6.97–$21.93/mo |
| Best value plan | Aura Ultimate for $9.00/mo annually | Individual for $6.97/mo biennially |
| Family plan | $15.00/mo for couples annually | $16.63/mo for 4 people biennially |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days (annual plans) | Yes — prorated based on time left in subscription |
| Learn more | Get Aura | Get DeleteMe |
Aura Data Removal plans are cheaper than the full-suite. However, you still get plenty of extra features.
Plans only cover 1 or 2 people, and every plan has the same data removal features. (For family coverage, explore Aura Identity Theft plans.) You'll get data removal from 200+ data broker sites, Google Search Cleanup, Digital Account Cleanup, and registry with the national Do-Not-Call List.
Annual Aura plans
Aura offers the same plans on a month-to-month basis for $10.00/mo, $12.00/mo, and $20.00/mo, but the annual plans offer the most savings.
Aura lets you try out its services for 14 days on a free trial. 14 days isn't long enough to determine if data removal services are worth it because it often takes a month for a removal process to complete.
But if you sign up for an annual plan, you qualify for a 60-day money-back guarantee. That's more time to evaluate if Aura is the right data removal service for you.
DeleteMe is better for long-term coverage with its two-year subscription. Annual plans are more expensive than Aura's annual plans, however.
DeleteMe plans offer the same features and differ in how many people are covered for the term. Manual and automated data removal, quarterly privacy reports, recurring removals, custom removal requests, and email masking are included in every plan.
Annual DeleteMe plans
Biennial DeleteMe plans
DeleteMe doesn't offer a free trial. You can only get a full refund if you haven't received your first data privacy report. You can also request partial refunds based on the amount of time left in your subscription.
Although DeleteMe offers more traditional data removal features like quarterly privacy reports and custom removals, Aura offers more comprehensive online security and monitoring tools.
|
Our Pick |
|
|
| Free scan | ||
| Automated data removal | ||
| Manual data removal | ||
| 200+ | 200+ | 89–986, depending on the plan |
| How often is data rechecked? | Daily | Quarterly |
| Custom removal requests | ||
| Privacy reports | Yes — Quarterly | |
| Real-time alerts | ||
| Marketing list removal | ||
| Social media account monitoring | ||
| Dark web monitoring | ||
| Extras | Google Search Cleanup, Digital Account Cleanup, Do-Not-Call registry, antivirus, VPN, password manager, ad blocker | Email masking, phone masking (paid add-on) |
| Learn more | Get Aura | Get DeleteMe |
Aura doesn’t offer privacy reports or custom removals, which are definite drawbacks. In that regard, DeleteMe is the superior data removal service.
/images/2026/01/15/deleteme_review_0126_privacy_report.png)
DeleteMe offers a free scan for data exposure on broker sites, while Aura offers a free dark web and data breach scan for compromised email addresses. DeleteMe rechecks your data every quarter, which is standard.
/images/2026/01/15/deleteme_review_0126_report_findings.png)
However, Aura offers daily automatic scans for your exposed information with its AI-powered technology.
/images/2025/11/07/aura_data_removal_november_2025.png)
Aura edges out DeleteMe by removing your personally identifiable information from junk mailers and Google search results, although these feel more like a nice-to-have rather than an essential data removal feature. But the inclusion of SSN and dark web monitoring is essential in catching fraud early and protecting your identity. Plus, all Aura plans automatically include device protection with an antivirus, VPN, ad blocker, password manager, and a sensitive files vault.
/images/2026/07/21/aura_data_removal_review_0526_refresh_all_data_broker_activity.png)
Overall, both Aura and DeleteMe have the essential data removal features, but Aura offers more.
Both Aura and DeleteMe have similar encryption and privacy policies. They use AES-256 encryption, which is the standard protocol in the industry. They also collect and share data to help run services related to their product. However, Aura's privacy policy states it may use your information to promote co-branded offers with its partners.
DeleteMe also automatically collects data about you. Per DeleteMe's privacy policy: “We, our service providers, and our business partners may automatically log information about you, your computer or mobile device, and activity occurring on or through the Services.” That data ranges from your IP address to the website you visited before navigating to DeleteMe.
The tie-breaker is that Aura experienced a data breach in March 2026 when an employee fell for a vishing attack. The vulnerability was with subsidiary Circle (the company formerly powering Aura’s Safe Gaming feature). The cybercriminal was able to access customers' contact info, but no sensitive data was leaked. While the critical data remained safe, the incident did damage public trust in Aura.
|
|
Our Pick |
|
| Encryption | AES-256, HTTPS, PGP | AES-256, TLS 1.2 |
| Collects data | ||
| Shares data with third parties | Minimal | Minimal |
| Learn more | Get Aura | Get DeleteMe |
Both Aura and DeleteMe are easy to use and gave us no issues during testing. But Aura offers a mobile app that makes it easier to track and manage data removal features. It also has 24/7 customer support.
|
Our Pick |
|
|
| Supported countries | United States | Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and more |
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Email, live chat, phone, online guides | Email, live chat, phone, online guides |
| Trustpilot score | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| Learn more | Get Aura | Get DeleteMe |
DeleteMe supports more countries than Aura. DeleteMe can help people located in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and more. Aura is restricted to just the United States.
However, Aura does have apps on Android and iOS. You can use this to view the status of data removal requests. DeleteMe only works on the web.
Aura is also the only one that offers 24/7 customer support. You can always reach them by phone. Meanwhile, DeleteMe only handles responses during business hours.
If you want the best data removal service, look at Incogni. We like that Incogni is super transparent about its coverage, offers 420+ automatic data broker removals across plans, and has undergone an independent audit proving its data security claims.
/images/2025/09/11/incogni-logo.png){kind=logo}
Top-rated data removal service that scrubs your info from 420+ data broker sites automatically
Independently verified by Deloitte, meaning removals are actually sent, confirmed, and not just claimed
The Unlimited plan extends coverage to 2,000+ additional sites with human-assisted custom removals
Learn more in our comparisons:
DeleteMe is a trustworthy data removal service, and it’s really popular with influencers, but Aura is better for overall identity theft protection, financial monitoring, and device protection.
|
Our Pick |
|
|
| Value | ||
| Features | ||
| Security | ||
| User experience | ||
| Learn more | Get Aura | Get DeleteMe |
Aura is the better data removal service and is constantly adding more coverage to its plans. Although it lacks custom removals, plans include SSN and dark web monitoring as well as a complete digital privacy suite.
/images/2023/05/25/logo-aura.png){kind=logo}
Data removal service that scrubs your info from 200+ brokers, people-search sites, and junk mailers
Bundles data removal with identity theft protection, antivirus, VPN, and a password manager in one subscription
Includes Google Search cleanup and a digital account scanner to shrink your overall online footprint
How long it takes Aura or DeleteMe to remove your data depends on the data broker site. Some sites can take months while others take 1-3 days. Aura and DeleteMe can track progress on data removal, send opt-out requests, and repeat the process if data resurfaces.
DeleteMe is owned by Abine Inc., based in Boston, Massachusetts. Aura is owned by its founder, Hari Ravichandran, and several venture capital and private equity firms.
DeleteMe is legit. The data removal service is owned by Abine, Inc., which has an A+ rating from the BBB (Better Business Bureau).
Aura is a good option for identity theft protection. It offers extensive identity and financial monitoring services. Aura also has a $1 million identity theft insurance policy, which can help you recover if your identity is stolen.
Data removal service that scrubs your info from 200+ brokers, people-search sites, and junk mailers
Bundles data removal with identity theft protection, antivirus, VPN, and a password manager in one subscription
Includes Google Search cleanup and a digital account scanner to shrink your overall online footprint
/images/2023/05/18/deleteme_review-1.jpg)
/images/2023/07/07/best-identity-theft-protection-service.png)
/images/2026/08/12/face-recognition-expanding-london.jpeg)
/images/2026/08/12/aura_vs._deleteme.jpg)
/images/2026/08/12/ai-agent-gym-hack.jpeg)
/images/2026/08/11/usa-today-palantir-partnership.jpg)
/images/2026/08/11/ice-wants-ai-to-track-your-face.jpg)
/images/2026/08/10/american-water-cyberattacks.jpg)
/authors/sara-nguyen-allaboutcookies-author.jpg){kind=small}
/authors/kate-quinlan-new.jpg){kind=small}
/authors/sara-nguyen-allaboutcookies-author.jpg)
