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Best Overall
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#1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
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Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance for up to five adults
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Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
Best for a Budget
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Easy-to-use identity theft protection service
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Includes extra features like a password manager
Aura is our top pick for identity theft protection because it includes more security features, like a password manager and antivirus protection, with all its plans. However, Identity Guard has a budget tier that can give you affordable basic protection. Aura and Identity Guard share the same parent company, and both are AI-powered, meaning they work 24/7 to monitor your identity and credit for suspicious activity.
But we’ve broken down the key features of each service, from insurance policies to fraud resolution assistance, to help you choose between the two programs.
Which identity theft protection is the better value?
Which identity theft protection has the better features?
Which identity theft protection is more secure?
Which identity theft protection has better compatibility and customer support?
FAQs
Bottom line
Aura vs. Identity Guard review at a glance
Aura and Identity Guard are protection and monitoring services for your personal data, public records, financial accounts, and so much more. Both services offer insurance coverage, identity restoration, and other protection features, including identity monitoring to help you catch suspicious activity with fraud alerts, so you can hopefully avoid becoming a victim.
Aura identity theft protection is a robust service that offers plenty of features, no matter which plan you choose. It includes antivirus protection to fight malware and other cyber threats, a secure password vault, data removal services, credit monitoring, and even a basic virtual private network (VPN) for encrypted internet browsing. The Family plan includes parental controls.
Identity Guard may not offer as many features, but it still incorporates a password manager and safe browsing features into all its plans. Identity Guard also starts out at a lower cost, so even people with the tightest budgets can afford some identity theft loss protection.
- Aura: Best overall
- Identity Guard: Best for a budget
Aura vs. Identity Guard compared
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Star rating | ||
Price | $9.00–$50.00/mo | $7.50–$29.99/mo |
Credit monitoring | ||
Identity theft insurance | Up to $5 million | Up to $1 million |
Identity recovery | ||
24/7 customer support | ||
Learn more | Get Aura | Get Identity Guard |
Aura pros and cons
- More features available on lower-priced plans
- Includes parental controls on Family plan
- Offers lost wallet protection
- No social media monitoring
- Plan pricing starts higher
Identity Guard pros and cons
- Plan pricing starts lower
- Includes social media monitoring
- Includes safe browsing tools and a password manager
- No antivirus software or parental controls
- No free trial
Which identity theft protection is the better value?
![]() Our Pick
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Paid range | $9.00–$50.00/mo | $7.50–$29.99/mo |
Best value plan | Aura Individual for $9.00/mo (billed annually) | Identity Guard Ultra for $25.00/mo (billed annually) |
Money-back guarantee | 14-day free trial, 60-day money-back guarantee | 60-day money-back guarantee |
Learn more | Get Aura | Get Identity Guard |
Aura plans
The Aura plans are pretty simple because most of the features are available on all levels. The only real difference, other than increased storage and devices, is the addition of parental controls for the Family plan. Otherwise, Aura offers most of its great features to all customers.
- Individual: Provides all features available for adults, including $1 million in identity theft insurance, a cloud storage vault (1 GB), online and device security for up to 10 devices, removal from people search sites and spam lists, and more.
- Couple: Provides all features available in the individual plan but doubles insurance premiums to $2 million ($1 million per adult), cloud storage increases to 2 GB, and online and device security increases to up to 20 devices.
- Family: Provides all features available in the individual and couple plans, but provides $1 million in identity theft insurance for every adult on the plan (up to five adults), cloud storage of 5 GB, and online and device protection increases to 50 devices. Also includes parental control features like spam call and message protection, safe gaming with cyberbullying alerts, and child identity theft protection with the ability to freeze children’s Social Security numbers (SSNs).
Aura offers a 14-day free trial with a 60-day money-back guarantee. To sign up for this trial, you’ll need to input a payment method, either a credit/debit card, Apple Pay, or PayPal. We love using services like Apple Pay and PayPal because they make canceling easier, but you can also use your card.
Identity Guard plans
Identity Guard offers three plans for individuals and three plans for families. The features are the same for the plan tiers, no matter if it’s individual or family.
- Value: Offers identity theft insurance, data breach notifications, dark web, and high-risk transaction monitoring, as well as safe search, a password manager, and U.S.-based customer support.
- Total: Offers everything in the Value plan, plus bank account monitoring, three-bureau credit monitoring, and a monthly credit score.
- Ultra: Offers everything in the Value and Total plans as well as expanded financial account and credit monitoring. This is the only plan that offers white glove remediation services if your identity is compromised or you’re the victim of identity theft.
There don’t appear to be any free trials, but there’s a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you decide you want to try Identity Guard, we’d recommend a single-month plan. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with the service until your subscription period ends.
Which identity theft protection has the better features?
Feature | ![]() Our Pick
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Social Security Number monitoring | ||
Financial activity alerts | ||
Credit monitoring | ||
3-bureau credit reports | Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax | Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax |
Credit score | ||
Credit lock | ||
Identity insurance | Up to $5 million | Up to $1 million |
Dark web alerts | ||
Social media account alerts | ||
Home title monitoring | ||
Address change alerts | ||
Learn more | Get Aura | Get Identity Guard |
Aura and Identity Guard both provide annual credit reports from the top three credit bureaus along with monitoring features that protect your investment accounts and credit cards, offer dark web monitoring, and check any other data connected to your SSN and personal information.
However, these services have one key difference. Aura offers parental controls, which aren’t available with Identity Guard, while the latter offers social media account monitoring, which isn’t offered by the former. Depending on what you need, one may be better than the other. Identity Guard seems like a good starter service for individuals who want very basic coverage.
If you’re looking for a little more from your identity theft protection service, Aura will likely be the better choice. It does start off a little higher per month, but it offers more features, even on its lower-priced plans.
Also, Aura includes remediation services on all its plans as well as lost wallet protection. If you get robbed or simply lose your wallet, Aura’s services could be invaluable.
Identity Guard doesn’t seem to offer the same remediation services on all plans. The insurance is nice, but having someone to help you with the massive headache that is involved in restoring your identity may be invaluable.
For us, parental controls, remediation services, and lost wallet protection outweigh social media monitoring. While we appreciate Identity Guard’s lower starting prices, we don’t think Aura’s prices are too outrageous. Aura can definitely fit into your monthly budget, even in this economy.
Which identity theft protection is more secure?
Identity theft protection services are privy to a nerve-wracking amount of information you provide, so you want to make sure the service you’re using is protecting your data.
We took a look at Aura and Identity Guard to see if what you provide is protected by two-factor authentication (2FA), if either service collects that information internally, and if it’s sold or given to a third party. You shouldn’t have to worry about additional security, potential scams, and spam while you’re working to protect your identity.
Aura vs. Identity Guard data security
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Encryption | AES-265 | AES-265 |
Collects data | ||
Shares data with third parties | ||
Learn more | Get Aura | Get Identity Guard |
Aura and Identity Guard are owned by the same parent company, even though each product is its own entity. However, because of this parent company, both services share the same privacy policy.
When you click on it on the Identity Guard website, you’ll be taken to the Aura privacy policy. This is why people are sometimes confused about whether or not Identity Guard and Aura are the same.
The privacy policy is pretty standard and does offer some mode of protection, although we wish everyone would stop sharing our information with third parties.
Which identity theft protection has better compatibility and customer support?
![]() Our Pick
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Android | ||
iOS | ||
Dedicated restoration specialists | ||
Lost wallet remediation | ||
24/7 customer support | ||
Customer support options | Online guides, email, chat, phone | Online guides, phone, email |
Learn more | Get Aura | Get Identity Guard |
Identity Guard offers less compatibility than Aura, but it also offers fewer features that may require compatibility.
Identity Guard will work on a Safari browser on both macOS and iOS (we know because that’s how we accessed the service.) Even though Identity Guard doesn’t offer apps for Mac or mobile apps for iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, it can still be accessed on those devices.
Since Aura offers antivirus protection and a VPN, it makes sense that it would have more compatibility. Identity Guard’s safe browsing features and password manager are available through a web browser and won’t be hindered by operating systems.
Both services offer 24/7 support, but with Identity Guard, you have access to guides, phone support, and email, while Aura offers guides, phone support, and live chat.
We prefer live chat because it’s a painless way to navigate the system. Email seems more cumbersome and can take longer to receive an answer. Phone support is good if you need it, but it also feels like it could use way too much of your time. For our money, we prefer Aura’s customer support avenues.
FAQs
Are Identity Guard and Aura the same company?
No, Identity Guard and Aura aren't the same company, but the same parent company owns them. Because of this, each service shares similarities with the other, which can be confusing to consumers. Identity Guard does seem to be the less expensive option, but Aura has more features and functionality.
Is Aura identity protection worth it?
In our opinion, Aura is the best identity theft protection solution available. It’s secure, robust, and affordable. The real kicker is that Aura is a complete cybersecurity suite, offering advanced security software in addition to the standard identity monitoring, credit monitoring, and identity theft insurance. Aura includes a password manager, real-time antivirus protection, data removal services, an ad blocker, a basic VPN, and even parental controls on its Family plan.
Is Identity Guard any good?
Yes, Identity Guard is a good product. While it isn’t as robust as some of its competitors, it also isn’t as expensive. Identity Guard is a great product for singles or couples who have tight budgets but also want to be protected against identity theft.
Is Aura as good as LifeLock?
After a lot of research, testing, and evaluation, we believe that Aura is better than LifeLock. It offers more robust features on less expensive plans, has a lower renewal pricing structure, offers parental controls with its family plan, and provides all users with antivirus protection.
LifeLock requires separate purchases for parental controls and antivirus, requires more expensive plans for features that Aura provides to all customers, and has exorbitant renewal pricing.
Bottom line
We definitely think Aura is the better value for the money. You get so many features, including white glove service and lost wallet assistance, that are invaluable if you ever find yourself in that situation. For parents, the parental control features increase peace of mind and safety across all your children’s devices.
That’s not to say Identity Guard isn’t a good product. If you’re on a budget and want to fit in identity theft protection, even if it’s light, you can do that with Identity Guard. If you do have a little more room in your budget, we would suggest checking out Aura first, especially since it offers a trial. Whatever you decide, make sure to protect yourself from identity thieves.
Top identity theft protection alternatives
If you’re looking for the best identity theft protection services, we think Aura holds that title. But if Aura or Identity Guard aren’t the right choice for you, here are additional products we’ve reviewed that might better fit your needs.
Identity fraud can be a nightmare to resolve, which is why identity theft protection services are worth it. Don’t get caught in a situation where you’re left to pick up the pieces of a stolen identity on your own.
Service | ![]() | ![]() |
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Individual monthly price | Starts at $10.42/mo for first yr (billed annually) | Starts at $14.95/mo | Starts at $7.00/mo (billed annually) |
Family monthly price | Starts at $30.00/mo for first yr (billed annually) | Starts at $29.95/mo | - |
ID theft insurance | Up to $3 million | Up to $3 million per adult | Up to $2 million |
Credit monitoring | |||
3-bureau credit reports | |||
Details | Get LifeLock Read Our LifeLock Review |
Get IDShield Read Our IDShield Review |
Get Omniwatch Read Our Omniwatch Review |
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