Aura vs. LifeLock 2024: Robust Features vs. Maximum Insurance Premiums

Aura identity theft protection wins this head-to-head matchup. It offers customers a variety of robust features, including a virtual private network (VPN) and antivirus software, all bundled into a single service. The pricing structure is simple and can be scaled depending on the number of people you want to protect. 

LifeLock identity theft protection comes from Norton, a trusted security name with decades of experience. LifeLock stands out for its extensive identity theft insurance coverage, which can range from $1.05 million to $3 million, depending on the plan you choose.

We've vetted and tested the best ID theft services available and now compare these two identity theft protection services side by side to help you pick the right protection. 

Aura vs. LifeLock review at a glance

In 2023, there were more than 1 million reports of identity theft received by the Federal Trade Commission.^[1] That’s why services like Aura and LifeLock are important to help you get back to normal faster if you end up a victim of data breaches, stolen funds, or other suspicious activity. They both offer identity theft insurance coverage as well as remediation services. 

Both identity theft protection services also offer monitoring services and online security (to keep you aware of hackers and identity thieves), dark web monitoring, and other digital security woes. Aura shines for its extensive cybersecurity products, offering an antivirus, VPN, password manager, and parental controls, while LifeLock offers some of the highest insurance coverage we've seen.

• Aura: Best for quality features
• LifeLock: Best for insurance premiums

Aura vs. LifeLock compared

Star rating	4.9 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.8 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Price	$12.00–$32.00/mo	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr
Types of monitoring	Credit, SSN, Home & auto title, Criminal & court records, lost wallet remediation	Identity and SSN, dark web, phone takeover, home title, social media
Credit monitoring
Identity theft insurance	Up to $1 million per adult	Up to $3 million per adult
Identity restoration services
24/7 customer support
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura pros and cons

LifeLock pros and cons

Which identity theft protection is the better value?

	Our Pick
Monthly price range	$12.00–$32.00/mo	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr
Best value plan	Aura Individual for $9.00/mo (billed annually)	LifeLock Advantage Individual for $14.99/mo (billed annually) for first year
Identity theft insurance	Up to $1 million per adult	Up to $3 million per adult
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura plans

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 it makes canceling easier, but you can also use your card.

Aura’s 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 on the Family plan. Otherwise, Aura offers most of its great features to all customers.

• Individual: This plan provides all features available for adults, including $1 million in identity theft insurance, a cloud storage vault (1GB), online and device security for up to 10 devices, a privacy assistant, and more.
• Couple: The Couple plan 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: This tier provides all features available in the Individual and Couples plans, increases insurance to $5 million ($1 million per adult), cloud storage to 5 GB, and online and device protection to 50 devices. It 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.

Aura offers antivirus software on all of its plans to protect against malware. It also offers protection for unlimited children and three-bureau credit monitoring. Although it has less insurance coverage for identity restoration than LifeLock, more features are included on lower-priced plans to help anyone avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.

LifeLock plans

LifeLock is a little more confusing and may require you to compare a few plans side by side. It offers nine plans: Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus, and each plan is customized in individual, couple, or family tiers.

Depending on the features you need, you may have to pay more, even as an individual, just to get your credit score. LifeLock does offer a 30-day trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee. Similar to Aura, you’ll need a payment method to begin your trial.

• Standard: The Standard plan comes with one-bureau credit monitoring, identity and Social Security number (SSN) alerts, and $1,050,000 in identity theft insurance and remediation reimbursement costs.
• Advantage: The Advantage plan offers all features included in the Standard plan but adds identity lock, phone takeover monitoring, criminal alerts with your name, and buy now pay later alerts.
• Ultimate Plus: The Ultimate Plus plan offers all features included in the Standard and Advantage plans but adds daily credit scores, annual three-bureau credit reports, investment account alerts, home title monitoring, and social media account monitoring.

The family version of each of these plans includes special features for children’s identity theft protection. If you want parental controls, however, you’ll have to purchase a different Norton 360 plan that includes LifeLock and Norton antivirus. The first year of Norton LifeLock offers identity fraud monitoring at a lower cost, while renewal pricing can jump to nearly double for some plans.

Which identity theft protection has the better features?

Feature	Our Pick
Credit monitoring
Financial activity alerts
3-bureau credit reports	Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax	Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax
Credit score
VantageScore
Credit lock
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Parental controls
Social media account alerts
SSN monitoring
Home title monitoring
Address change alerts
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura and LifeLock are neck and neck in terms of features, with the exception of social media account fraud alerts, parental controls, and insurance payouts. Aura offers parental controls built into its product, while LifeLock sells Norton Family separately or as part of a much larger Norton 360 package. LifeLock offers social media fraud alerts, but Aura doesn’t have an equivalent available.

Since identity theft losses can be substantial, Norton’s $3 million in remediation assistance is generous but is only offered on its most expensive plan. Aura’s $1 million in insurance is standard across the industry and would likely cover what you need.

When we’re looking at the differences between the two products, we value parental controls over social media fraud alerts. Maybe it’s because we just don’t use social media that much. Maybe it’s also that we see paying for parental controls in addition to Norton’s higher prices as a waste. Either way, for us, Aura definitely has the better offer when it comes to features with respect to pricing.

People without kids or influencers who rely on their social media as their job may feel differently, but even then, we think Aura offers a more reasonably priced product for the features you get. If you’re looking at the overall price, Aura starts lower and renews at a lower price. This isn’t an instance of “you get what you pay for” because Aura is powerful and secure.

Aura identifies and helps you replace weak passwords.

LifeLock offers a variety of information at a glance.

Which identity theft protection is more secure?

Identity theft protection services are privy to a lot of your personal data. It can be a nerve-wracking amount of information you offer, so you want to make sure the service you’re using is protecting your data.

We took a look at Aura and LifeLock to see if your data 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 and potential scams and spam while you’re working to protect your identity.

Aura vs. LifeLock data security

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

Both Norton LifeLock and Aura collect data on you so they can perform the services necessary for identity theft protection. Norton shares a lot of that personal data with third parties for marketing and other purposes. Aura doesn’t sell your data, but we weren’t thrilled to find out that they still share some data with third parties. 

It’s not clear exactly from either Norton or Aura who all of these third parties are or for what specific purposes they get access to your data. We would love to see a list of the who's and what for, but for right now, know that these are both reputable companies with a vested interest in your security.

Which identity theft protection has the better compatibility and customer support?

Platform	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Chat, phone, online guides	Chat, phone, online guides
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura and LifeLock both have web-based portals, so you don’t have to worry about being able to log in on your device via an app. Aura’s mobile apps for device security work on all operating systems, but you’ll only get the VPN and not the antivirus on iOS.

LifeLock offers its service on The Big Four (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS) as well. However, you’ll need to purchase a VPN and antivirus separately as they aren’t included with any LifeLock plans. Norton does offer antivirus packages that include LifeLock, but they cost more.

Both services offer 24/7 support via support guides, as well as a phone number you can call. The 24/7 support via phone appears to be more geared towards assisting with an identity theft complaint and less towards general troubleshooting. For that, it’s suggested you reach out to the chat boxes.

LifeLock's chat is available 24/7, while Aura's chat is only available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. If your preferred support is via chat, you will likely prefer LifeLock. 

Two-factor authentication offers extra security for Aura customers. 

LifeLock also offers two-factor authentication for a security boost.

FAQs

Aura vs. LifeLock: Which is better?

Aura is definitely the better service. 

LifeLock is part of the Norton family, and Norton has long been a leading name in security. Unfortunately, that also means Norton has a wide variety of products that all cost enough to make you second-guess whether or not they fit your monthly budget. Aura decided to include all of these in a single service.

Aura and LifeLock alternatives

If you’re looking for the best identity theft protection services, we think Aura holds that title. In case Aura or LifeLock isn’t the right choice for you, however, we’ve offered up additional products we’ve reviewed that might better fit your needs. 

Identity theft can be a nightmare to resolve, which is why identity theft protection services are worth it, even if just for the peace of mind.

• Identity Guard: If you’re looking for another identity theft protection service that includes extras like a VPN, Identity Guard should be on your list. We also found it easy to use. Individuals may find the Value plan to be extremely cost-effective, while families can look forward to a variety of options without sacrificing too much of their monthly budget.
  
  Get Identity Guard | Read Our Identity Guard Review
• IDShield: The IDShield dashboard may not be the flashiest thing you’ve ever seen, but it offers many different services and features in one convenient location. We were especially impressed with the licensed private investigators feature that can be used during remediation services. IDShield doesn’t have the lowest monthly prices, but they aren’t the highest either. It’s a service worth checking out.
  
  Get IDShield | Read Our IDShield Review
• IdentityForce: IdentityForce offers multiple categories of features that can assist you with anything from monitoring your accounts to remediation in the case of a lost or stolen wallet. If you require remediation services, IdentityForce will help you every step of the way, and the overall monthly price will fit reasonably into a monthly budget.
  
  Read Our IdentityForce Review