Aura vs. IDShield 2024: A Side-By-Side Comparison

While families may appreciate Aura's extensive online security tools for children, others may prefer IDShield for its robust legal support.
We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Best for families

4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On Aura Identity Theft's website

Identity Protection
Aura Identity Theft
Up to 68% off Family Annual Plans
  • Excellent identity theft protection service
  • Includes a password manager and VPN
  • Robust tools for children’s security

Best for legal support

4.7
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On IDShield's website

Identity Protection
IDShield
  • Full identity protection features included on all plans
  • Comes with bonus VPN and password manager
  • Affordable pricing compared to other options
  • Limited customer support

Families may prefer Aura since it monitors for children's identity theft, provides parental controls, and has safe gaming features. IDShield offers extensive legal support for those who are victims of identity theft. It also includes a large insurance policy and a dedicated private investigator.

There are additional considerations when determining if Aura or IDShield is the best identity theft protection service for you. Let's compare these two choices side by side and see how they rank.

In this article
Aura vs. IDShield review at a glance
Aura vs. IDShield: prices
Aura vs. IDShield: monitoring and alerts
Which is safer, Aura vs. IDShield?
Aura vs. IDShield: compatibility and customer support
Aura vs. IDShield FAQs
Aura vs. IDShield: Which is better?

Aura vs. IDShield review at a glance

Aura offers additional tools for children's security, such as parental controls and safe gaming features. However, individuals or couples will appreciate the 24/7 customer support and easy setup.

IDShield may be a better choice if you want more insurance protection (up to $3 million) as well as social media account monitoring.

  • Aura: Best for families
  • IDShield: Best for legal support

Aura vs. IDShield compared

Price $9.00–$30.00/mo $14.95–$34.95/mo
Identity theft insurance Up to $1,000,000 per adult Up to $3,000,000
Credit monitoring
3-bureau credit reports
Credit score
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Social media account alerts
Learn more Get Aura

Read Aura Review

Get IDShield

Read IDShield Review

Aura pros and cons

Pros
  • Parental controls and safe gaming
  • Home and auto title monitoring
  • 60-day money-back guarantee and 14-day free trial
Cons
  • No social media account monitoring
  • Uses data for advertising

IDShield pros and cons

Pros
  • Monitors social media accounts
  • Includes private investigator
  • Provides identity theft insurance (up to $3 million)
Cons
  • No free trial or money-back guarantee
  • No 24/7 customer support

Aura vs. IDShield: prices

Our Pick
Paid annually $108.00-300.00/yr N/A
Paid monthly $9.00–$30.00/mo $14.95–$34.95/mo
Best value plan Family for $25.00/mo (billed annually) Family (3 credit bureau monitoring) for $34.95/mo
Identity theft insurance Up to $1 million per adult Up to $3 million
Learn more Get Aura

Read Aura Review

Get IDShield

Read IDShield Review

Aura plans

Aura offers three different plans: Individual, Couple, and Family. The biggest difference between the three is that the Family plan includes parental controls, safe gaming features, and spam call protection.

Aura has a 14-day free trial, and there is a 60-day money-back guarantee if you choose an annual plan. So you have plenty of time to determine if Aura is right for you before committing.

  • Individual: This plan covers one person and up to 10 devices. It has a $1 million identity theft insurance policy and monitoring for finances, as well as home and auto titles. This plan offers three-bureau credit monitoring as well as a credit lock. The plan doesn’t include spam call protection.
  • Couple: The Couple plan covers two people and up to 20 devices. It has a $2 million identity theft insurance policy ($1 million per adult), and it has all of the same features as the Individual plan. If you need parental controls or safe gaming features, then you'll find more value in the Family plan.
  • Family: This plan covers five adults, unlimited kids, and unlimited devices. It has a $5 million identity theft insurance plan ($1 million per adult) and includes parental controls, safe gaming features, and spam call protection. It also provides child identity theft monitoring.

IDShield plans

IDShield offers Individual and Family plans with one- and three-bureau monitoring choices. IDShield says it offers these options to keep prices affordable and it's rare for signs of credit identity theft to not appear on all three credit bureau reports.

The Individual plan covers only one person, while the Family plan covers two adults and unlimited children. Keep in mind that there is not a free trial or a money-back guarantee if you are unhappy with IDShield.

  • Individual (one-bureau monitoring): This plan covers one person and up to three devices. It includes features like a $3 million protection policy, fraud monitoring, and full-service identity restoration, complete with a licensed private investigator.
  • Individual (three-bureau monitoring): The only difference from the above plan is that this plan monitors all three credit bureaus.
  • Family (one-bureau monitoring): The Family plan covers two adults, unlimited children, and up to 15 devices. It has all of the same features as the Individual plan.
  • Family (three-bureau monitoring): The only difference from the above plan is that this plan monitors all three credit bureaus.

Winner: Aura wins. Its Family plan includes parental controls and safe gaming, which makes it more useful for online security. Aura also offers a 14-day free trial, a 60-day money-back guarantee, and annual plans for additional savings. IDShield has none of those services.

Aura vs. IDShield: monitoring and alerts

Feature
Our Pick
Credit monitoring
Financial activity alerts
Three-bureau credit reports Yes — Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian Yes — Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian
Credit score
FICO score
Credit lock and freeze
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Social media account alerts
Social Security number monitoring
Home title monitoring
Address change alerts
Learn more Get Aura

Read Aura Review

Get IDShield

Read IDShield Review

One of the biggest differences between Aura and IDShield is credit bureau monitoring. All Aura plans monitor the three major credit bureaus. Meanwhile, IDShield gives you the option to monitor only one credit bureau, claiming that this is effective and can still spot identity theft.

IDShield credit monitoring screen.

However, comprehensive credit monitoring would check all three credit bureaus. Aura monitors the three credit bureaus at a more affordable rate than IDShield.

Another notable difference is that IDShield offers more alerts than Aura. IDShield has social media monitoring and address change alerts, which Aura doesn't offer. Yet, Aura has home and auto title monitoring, which aren't included with IDShield.

While these alerts aren't critical, it's important to know what notifications you want to receive from identity protection services.

Aura alert monitoring window.

Winner: Aura wins since it automatically includes monitoring for all three major credit bureaus. It also offers more tools for children's online safety.

Which is safer, Aura vs. IDShield?

Identity theft protection services collect all of your personal data. After all, they need it to accurately monitor your financial and personal records for fraud. When you give your personally identifiable information to any service, you need to ensure it’s equipped to keep it secure.

Aura vs. IDShield data security

Two-factor authentication
Collects data
Shares data with third parties
Learn more Get Aura

Read Aura Review

Get IDShield

Read IDShield Review

Luckily, both Aura and IDShield offer two-factor authentication (2FA) to keep your account safe from hackers. Both services also provide a clear privacy policy on what data they collect and how they use it.

Generally speaking, Aura and IDShield use your data only for business and operational purposes. Aura does say it may use third-party service providers to deliver marketing and advertising content.

If you don’t want your data to be used for ads, then this may be a concern for you. IDShield also uses a third-party service to collect reviews, but you have the choice to opt out.

Winner: It's a tie. Both Aura and IDShield use 2FA and have fairly reasonable privacy policies.

Aura vs. IDShield: compatibility and customer support

Platform
Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
24/7 customer support
Customer support options Live chat, phone, email, online guides Live chat, phone, email, FAQs
Learn more Get Aura

Read Aura Review

Get IDShield

Read IDShield Review

One of IDShield’s biggest flaws is its lack of 24/7 customer support. Phone and live chat are available only during certain business hours. While you can email, it can take up to 24 hours to get a response.

IDShield also only has a short FAQ page with no extensive online guides. If you face a problem, it may take some time to find a solution due to the limited support.

IDShield chat window.

We had different experiences when testing Aura and IDShield. Aura was easy to install and set up. Meanwhile, we had difficulty installing IDShield and faced buggy issues. We were able to use it eventually, but it wasn't a smooth start.

IDShield reminders page.

Winner: Aura wins. It has 24/7 customer support and an easier installation process.

Aura vs. IDShield FAQs


+

Is IDShield reputable?

IDShield is a reputable identity theft protection service. IDShield is part of LegalShield, which has over 1.7 million members and 39 law firms.


+

What are IDShield’s downsides?

IDShield doesn't have a free trial or money-back guarantee. It also lacks 24/7 customer support and annual plans. We also had difficulties installing and setting up IDShield.


+

Why does Aura need my Social Security number?

Aura needs your Social Security number to monitor your identity. If someone uses your Social Security number fraudulently, Aura can notify you of suspicious activity.

Aura vs. IDShield: Which is better?

Overall, Aura is the better identity theft protection service. It has more features, children's online security tools, and robust customer support. We also had an easier experience using it.

However, IDShield may still be a good fit, if you become a victim of identity theft and are looking for strong legal support.

4.9
Identity Protection
Aura Identity Theft
  • Excellent identity theft protection service
  • Includes a password manager and VPN
  • Robust tools for children’s security
Learn More

Aura vs. IDShield alternatives

While Aura and IDShield have their benefits, they may not have the right identity theft protection features for you. There are a few other options that are worth considering:

  • LifeLock: LifeLock provides financial reimbursement for stolen funds, legal support, and personal expenses. It also has home title monitoring, which IDShield lacks.

    Get LifeLock | Read Our LifeLock Review
  • Identity Guard: Identity Guard provides affordable plans for both individuals and families. You can choose which plan has the features that best fit your needs, ranging from basic to premium identity and credit protection.

    Get Identity Guard | Read Our Identity Guard Review
  • IdentityIQ: IdentityIQ offers monthly reports and scores from all three credit bureaus. It also includes fraud restoration, a $1 million reimbursement for stolen funds, and enhanced credit report monitoring.

    Get IdentityIQ | Read Our IdentityIQ Review
4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On Aura Identity Theft's website
Identity Protection
Aura Identity Theft
Up to 68% off Family Annual Plans
  • Excellent identity theft protection service
  • Includes a password manager and VPN
  • Robust tools for children’s security
Author Details
Sara J. Nguyen is a freelance writer specializing in cybersecurity. She aims to help people protect their data while enjoying technology. She has written about online privacy and tech for over 5 years for several organizations. When she's not writing about the latest cybersecurity trends, you can find her on LinkedIn.