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Best Overall
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Best for Families
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Best for Individuals
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Based on our independent testing, we think Aura is the best identity theft protection with dark web monitoring. Aura offers an easy-to-use security suite at a good price point. LifeLock is the best for families, offering plans with dark web monitoring for couples and families with up to five kids. Meanwhile, OmniWatch offers budget-friendly protection for individuals.
Read on to learn more about why we chose Aura, LifeLock, and OmniWatch as the best dark web monitoring services.
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#1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance per person for up to five adults
Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
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Top-rated identity theft protection service
Provides up to $3 million in coverage
Multiple monitoring features including dark web, home title, and social media monitoring
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Real-time credit and dark web monitoring, alerts, and tools
Scam and ransomware protection features, including up to $25,000 in scam insurance
24/7 access to identity restoration experts
| Password manager |
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| Best for | Overall | Families | Individuals |
| Starting price | Starts at $9.00/mo | Starts at $7.50/mo | Starts at $7.00/mo |
| Number of people covered | 5 adults and unlimited children | 1-2 adults and up to 5 children | 1-2 adults |
| ID theft insurance | Up to $1 million per adult | Up to $3 million | Up to $2 million |
| Types of identity monitoring | Credit, SSN, home & auto title, criminal & court records, lost wallet remediation | Identity and SSN, dark web, phone takeover, home title, social media | Dark web, data breaches, home title |
| ID restoration services | |||
| Dark web monitoring | |||
| Credit monitoring | |||
| 3-bureau credit reports | |||
| Extras | Antivirus software, password manager, data removal, basic VPN |
Data removal services | Antivirus software, ad blocker, ransomware insurance, scam protection insurance |
| Details | Get Aura | Get LifeLock | Get OmniWatch |
#1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance per person for up to five adults
Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
Aura is a set-and-forget full cybersecurity suite that's perfect for individuals, couples, or families. When we signed up for Aura, we selected which data to store in our Vault, including all our email addresses, SSN, driver's license, gaming handle, and more. Aura then quickly scanned the dark web for our information and provided clear alerts.
Powered by AI technology, Aura provides a protective shield against potential threats, including phishing scams, hackers, and devious forums where stolen dark web data can be traded.
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Continuous monitoring: Aura continuously scans the dark web and data breaches for your leaked passwords and personally identifiable information (PII). Then, Aura offers real-time alerts that populate the dashboard when critical items are found. Aura also sends a weekly report on what it has scanned and found, letting you know the service is constantly working on your behalf.
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Data removal: Aura is an all-in-one digital security service that provides a wide range of services, including data broker removal, to protect you and your family from identity theft and keep your personal information from being sold to data brokers.
Every day, thousands of data brokers aggregate your public information and create data profiles of you, including your phone number, home address, email address, family members, and so much more. When bad actors access your personal details, they can easily steal your identity.
Robust monitoring: Aura monitors your personally identifiable information, such as your name, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), and email addresses, as well as your home and auto titles.
It also monitors your financial information, such as your credit scores, credit card numbers, bank accounts, and more. You'll also be alerted when Aura finds your PII in a data breach or data leak. So if your SSN is on the dark web, Aura can help with recovery steps.
No social media monitoring: We didn’t like that Aura doesn’t provide social media monitoring to check whether your identity has been compromised on popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. While this may not be a big deal to some, this can be a huge drawback for those who use social media sites frequently and don’t want their personal information leaked.
Aura has a high star rating of 4.8 due to our reliable and intuitive experience with the service, budget-friendly range of prices, and multiple support methods.
Aura received a lower score in the features category because it lacks social media monitoring and data breach alerts.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 20% | 5.0 |
| Value | 25% | 5.0 |
| Features | 45% | 4.67 |
| Customer service | 10% | 5.0 |
Top-rated identity theft protection service
Provides up to $3 million in coverage
Multiple monitoring features including dark web, home title, and social media monitoring
LifeLock is a vanguard against the rising menace of child identity theft. Families can have peace of mind knowing that the reputable Norton brand is monitoring and protecting their identity with its LifeLock services, thanks to its comprehensive features and pricing plans that cater to every family member, whether they are a minor or an adult.
Parents, especially, can feel safe knowing that their children's digital footprints are armored against potential cybercriminals and identity thieves.
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Robust monitoring: All plan tiers come with dark web monitoring, identity and utility alerts, credit monitoring, and stolen wallet protection. LifeLock’s family plans cover two adults and up to five kids, making it attractive for families. With the Ultimate Plus plan, you can monitor your family's identities and protect them from being leaked on the dark web, and you'll get the following features:
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Includes ID insurance for children: We liked that LifeLock family plans provide up to $1.05 million in coverage per child. Plans also feature at least $1.05 million in identity theft protection per individual for stolen funds reimbursement, personal expense compensation, and coverage for both lawyers and experts.
Frustrating customer support: We found LifeLock’s customer support to be lackluster. First, the agent we chatted with copied and pasted information that was irrelevant to our inquiry about which credit bureau monitors credit under LifeLock’s Standard and Advantage plans.
Second, we chatted with another representative who stated that both Equifax and TransUnion monitor credit under the LifeLock’s Advantage plan, even though the website states it’s Equifax-only.
Third, we spoke with another support agent who told us the same information and then changed their answer to Equifax. Overall, it was a very frustrating customer service experience.
Norton LifeLock has a high star rating of 4.8 due to our user-friendly experience, extensive monitoring and identity restoration features, and multiple customer support options.
Norton LifeLock received a lower score in the value category due to its more expensive starting price, but it does offer a 30-day free trial.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 20% | 5.0 |
| Value | 25% | 4.33 |
| Features | 45% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 10% | 5.0 |
Real-time credit and dark web monitoring, alerts, and tools
Scam and ransomware protection features, including up to $25,000 in scam insurance
24/7 access to identity restoration experts
OmniWatch is a budget-friendly identity theft protection service for individuals who need identity, credit, and dark web monitoring. OmniWatch focuses on the essentials, whereas more costly competitors include social media, financial, and niche monitoring.
If you're mostly concerned about your SSN appearing on the dark web and want to keep an eye on your credit activity, OmniWatch can cover you without breaking the bank.
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Tracks data breaches: OmniWatch has a dedicated tab for data breaches, which competitors typically don't. It also displays recent data breaches on a ticker, which we found helpful in seeing the latest breaches that affected us. Plus, OmniWatch continuously scans the dark web and alerts you if leaked information from a data breach is found.
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Dedicated mobile apps: We like that OmniWatch offers its dark web monitoring, scam protection, antivirus, VPN, and more on dedicated apps for Android and iPhone. You can download the OmniWatch app from the Google Play Store or the App Store to ensure real-time protection on your mobile devices.
No extended plans: OmniWatch is a great, budget-friendly service, but we wish it offered family coverage. It's launched family plans for two adults, but there's no coverage for children.
OmniWatch has a solid star rating of 4.5 due to its unique feature offerings and helpful customer support.
OmniWatch received lower scores in the experience category because only offers dark web monitoring at this time. It also received a lower score in the value category because of its more expensive price range and limited free trial period.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 20% | 4.0 |
| Value | 25% | 4.0 |
| Features | 45% | 4.5 |
| Customer service | 10% | 5.0 |
Selecting the ideal ID theft protection service hinges on various criteria. Each service has its unique strengths, so you must consider your personal and financial priorities when making a choice.
Here are some considerations when choosing an identity theft protection service:
To review identity theft protection services, we sign up for the service several days prior to our review. This allows the service time to begin populating our dashboard with identity and credit monitoring information and send us real-time alerts. During this time, we also evaluate the service's ease of use, contact customer support, and play around with the extra features.
After spending some time with the service, we use our proprietary grading rubric which calculates a star rating based on prices, identity monitoring features, credit features, and other criteria.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full ID theft testing methodology here.
As cyber threats loom larger each day, identity theft protection services have become indispensable. We recommend Aura as our top choice based on its perks, price, and robust monitoring features.
#1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance per person for up to five adults
Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
Identity theft losses can be crippling, both emotionally and financially. However, with the protective shield these services offer, users are better positioned to face the challenges of the digital age.
Yes. The dark web promises anonymity, but it isn't foolproof. Savvy cybercriminals might be able to trace users who use it. That's why security experts like us recommend using a VPN when surfing the dark web. As a bonus, top VPN providers offer dark web monitoring to help you stay a step ahead of identity thieves.
If you're looking to bundle, NordVPN offers a plan that includes NordProtect identity theft protection services.
Given the rising incidence of identity theft, investing in dark web monitoring can be pivotal. Such services are a crucial part of identity theft protection and credit monitoring, offering alerts if your personally identifiable information (such as your Social Security number, home address, phone number, and more) appears in these hidden corners of the internet.
LifeLock delves into the dark web, scouting for any traces of your personal data. It monitors 13 different categories of your personal information, including your name, SSN, driver's license, mother's maiden name, and more.
Then, LifeLock sends you an alert if your information has been leaked. LifeLock is often considered among the best identity theft protection services, especially in preventing child identity theft.
#1 rated ID theft protection service with a full suite of monitoring tools
Includes up to $1 million in ID theft insurance per person for up to five adults
Protect your children with robust parental controls and gaming alerts
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