Best Data Removal Services of 2026 (Tested & Ranked)

The best data removal services in 2026 are Incogni, DeleteMe, and Aura based on hands-on testing of 13 services by our team of six experts.

Incogni stands out for its extensive 420+ data broker coverage and unlimited custom removals, and has submitted 606 removal requests on our behalf since February 2025.

DeleteMe is a strong alternative for users who want to include their spouse or family members in removals. So far, it has removed 53 of our records from data brokers.

Finally, Aura offers the most comprehensive privacy protection bundle, combining data removal with identity theft monitoring, credit alerts, and a built-in VPN in a single plan. Since November 2025, it has submitted 100 requests on our behalf.

Whether you want the most automated data removal, broader identity protection, or a more hands-on service, this guide compares the best data removal tools available right now.

The best data broker removal services of 2026

Full review of all our top data removal services below.

Compare the best data removal tools

Incogni: Best overall data removal service

Incogni is an automated data removal service that submits opt-out requests to 420+ data brokers on your behalf and continuously monitors for new listings. It’s my top pick because it combines broad coverage, fully automated removals, and the option to submit unlimited custom removal requests.

What I liked

Automated data removal at scale: Incogni removes your data from 420+ sites on all plans. The types of sites covered include marketing data brokers, recruitment data brokers, people-search sites, and more.

Unlimited custom removals: With the Unlimited tier, you can also submit unlimited custom removal requests (which adds 2,000+ more sites). That means you can have your data removed from websites beyond brokers and people-search sites, including court record sites, company websites, educational forums, and more.

Independently audited by Deloitte: In August 2025, Incogni became the first data removal service to publish a Deloitte Independent Assurance Report. This report validates that Incogni provides removal coverage for 420+ data brokers, sends recurring removals every 60 to 90 days, doesn't sell its customers' personal data, and other claims.

Transparency: With services like DeleteMe, Privacy Bee, and Optery, their data broker coverage is spread across several plan tiers. Incogni is my top pick because it covers all 420+ sites on the Standard, Unlimited, and Protect plans.

I also appreciate Incogni’s database of all the data brokers and people-search sites it covers. This database is more detailed than any other service's database on this list because it identifies which countries the coverage applies to and labels each site with Incogni’s data sensitivity scale. This is based on the types of information the brokers collect; for example, health and financial data are considered higher risk than demographic data.

Data removal for families: Incogni offers individual plans and family plans, so you can protect the digital footprint of several friends or family members. This family plan can include up to five members. DeleteMe Family plans include up to four members, so Incogni Family is better for larger families.

Ability to bundle cybersecurity software: If you want to take your cyber safety to the next level, Incogni offers plenty of options. The Protect plan tier upgrades your Incogni subscription to include Coveron (previously NordProtect). Along with data removal, you’ll also receive dark web monitoring, credit monitoring from TransUnion, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.

Alternatively, Incogni is included with the Surfshark One+ bundle. This subscription includes a top-rated VPN, antivirus, ad blocker, and identity protection.

Learn more about bundling Incogni in our complete reviews:

• Coveron review
• Surfshark One review

Also won best for:

• Custom removals: With the Incogni Unlimited plan, you can submit unlimited custom removal requests. According to Incogni, that’s equal to an additional 2,000+ sites covered. Incogni also allows you to submit custom removal requests as soon as your account is activated. Other services, like Optery, make you wait 30 days before you can submit a custom removal request.

What I didn’t like

Limited bonus features: Incogni has added more privacy tools, but they're locked behind its higher tiers. If you want to bundle Incogni with identity theft protection, you’ll need to purchase the Protect plan. Aura includes both data removal and identity theft protection services in its starting subscription.

DeleteMe includes email masking on all plans and phone masking as a paid extra. But with Incogni, if you’re seeking masking for your phone number and email address, then you’ll need to purchase a Surfshark One+ bundle. This subscription is the best option for a comprehensive online privacy suite.

Incogni specs

Price range	Starts at $7.99/mo
Free trial	No, but it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee
Data broker opt-out	Yes
Number of data brokers covered	420+
How often is data rechecked?	Monthly
Privacy reports	Yes
Learn more	Get Incogni Read Incogni Review

Test results

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DeleteMe: Best data removal for couples

DeleteMe is a hands-on data removal service that combines human-assisted opt-outs with detailed privacy reports to help you track and manage your personal data online. It’s my top pick for couples because it offers dedicated two-person plans and more control over what information gets removed.

Compared to Incogni, DeleteMe offers more manual control and detailed reporting but less automation. Compared to Aura, it focuses purely on data removal rather than bundled security tools.

What I liked

Built for couples: DeleteMe is one of the few services that offers dedicated plans for two people, making it more cost-effective than buying separate subscriptions or unused family plans. For couples who only need data removal, it’s a better fit than bundled services like Aura.

Detailed, hands-on removals: DeleteMe removes your data from 92–986 data brokers, depending on your plan tier, and allows you to submit extensive personal information (including employer details, relatives, and identification) to improve removal accuracy. I was genuinely impressed by all the details you can submit to DeleteMe.

Incogni only allows you to submit up to three email addresses and three physical addresses, so DeleteMe is a great option if you need to remove more niche data.

Custom removals on every plan: The Standard plan includes 10 custom removal requests per quarter, and Platinum and above make them unlimited. Aura doesn’t offer custom removals at all, so this is a meaningful edge if your data keeps surfacing somewhere DeleteMe doesn’t already cover.

Built-in privacy tools: DeleteMe includes email masking on all plans and offers phone masking as an add-on, helping reduce spam messages and protect your real contact information when signing up for online services.

Long-term pricing options: DeleteMe offers two-year plans, which can significantly lower the monthly cost compared to competitors that only offer monthly or annual billing. There are also dedicated two-person plans, which are cheaper than buying separate subscriptions or paying for unused family slots.

With the two-year plan, DeleteMe has one of the lowest starting prices on this list. It starts at $6.97/mo, while Incogni starts at $7.99/mo.

Also won best for:

• Businesses: DeleteMe sells a dedicated business program aimed at protecting executives, board members, and employees whose exposed personal data gets used for social engineering, doxxing, and harassment. According to DeleteMe, over 20% of the Fortune 500, five U.S. federal courts and investigative agencies, and more than 15 state and county agencies use it.

What I didn’t like

Thin coverage on the entry plan: When we counted the entries on DeleteMe’s published site list on July 30, 2026, the Standard plan reached 92 of them. Incogni covers 420+ on every plan it sells. If you’re an individual who mainly wants the widest automatic broker coverage for the lowest price, Incogni is the better buy.

Less transparency in broker counts: DeleteMe states that it covers removals from 976 brokers, but that figure bundles together things that aren’t comparable. In our count of the 986 sites listed on its page, 566 were flagged as custom requests only, meaning they’re never part of an automated scan, and another 170 were tied to international plans.

If you review DeleteMe’s Sites We Remove From page, you’ll find several disclaimers. Any site labeled with an asterisk is included in the Standard plan, which is the only one available on the main DeleteMe pricing page. Then, there are sites included in the Business Gold, Diamond, Platinum, and VIP plans, but you can only upgrade to one of these once you’ve purchased the Standard plan. Another 147 sites are available on the VIP plan alone.

That’s why I appreciate Incogni’s transparency: all of its advertised brokers are covered across every plan tier.

Phone masking costs extra: While email masking is included, phone masking requires a one-time $7 fee, which felt like an unnecessary add-on.

Only a seven-day refund period: DeleteMe only offers a seven-day refund period, compared to longer guarantees from competitors like Incogni, which provides a full 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. You can only receive a full refund from DeleteMe if you cancel your subscription before receiving your first Privacy Report.

DeleteMe specs

Price range	Starts at $6.97/mo
Free trial	No
Data broker opt-out	Yes
Number of data brokers covered	92–986
How often is data rechecked?	Quarterly
Privacy reports	Yes
Learn more	Get DeleteMe Read DeleteMe Review

Test results

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Aura: Best privacy bundle

Aura is an all-in-one digital security and data removal service that combines identity theft protection, credit monitoring, antivirus software, a VPN, and data broker removal in a single plan. It’s my top pick for users who want broader privacy protection beyond just removing their data from broker sites.

Compared to Incogni, Aura offers fewer customization options for removals but provides a much broader set of privacy and security tools.

What I liked

All-in-one privacy and security suite: Aura combines data removal with a full cybersecurity toolkit, including real-time antivirus protection, a secure VPN, a password manager, and an ad and tracker blocker. This makes it one of the few services that protects both your data footprint and your devices in a single subscription.

Integrated data removal: Aura removes your personal information from 425+ data brokers, people-search sites, credit solicitors, and junk mailers. Unlike standalone services, these removals are bundled with identity monitoring and device security tools.

Expanding data broker coverage: Aura has significantly increased its coverage from around 30 sites to 425+ data brokers and people-search platforms. It also continues to expand its removal capabilities across additional categories like credit solicitors and junk mailers.

Advanced cleanup tools: Aura includes features like Google Search Info Cleanup, which helps remove your personal data from search results, and Digital Account Cleanup, which scans your email for unused or inactive accounts so you can reduce your online exposure.

Also won best for:

• ID theft protection: Aura is my top recommendation for identity theft protection. At minimum, you’ll receive dark web and data breach monitoring. If you select the Ultimate tier, you’ll also receive home title and address fraud alerts, financial transaction monitoring, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.
• Credit monitoring: Aura Ultimate offers comprehensive features. You’ll receive three-bureau credit monitoring, monthly credit score updates, and annual credit reports.

What I didn’t like

No custom removals: Unlike Incogni and DeleteMe, Aura does not currently support custom removal requests, which limits how much control you have over where your data is removed from.

Although custom removals require more legwork on the customer side, they help remove your data from essentially anywhere. But Aura appears to be offering custom removals soon, as it now has a prompt that lets you request removals from data brokers or people-search sites.

No standalone data removal: Aura bundles its data removal with other security tools, so it may be more expensive if you only want data broker removals.

Aura specs

Price range	Starts at $7.00/mo
Free trial	Yes — 14 days
Data broker opt-out	Yes
Number of data brokers covered	425+
How often is data rechecked?	Daily
Privacy reports	Yes
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review

Test results

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Cloaked: Best for identity masking

Cloaked is a prevention-first privacy service that pairs data broker removal with unlimited masked email addresses and phone numbers you can hand out instead of your real ones. It’s my top pick for identity masking because it keeps companies from collecting your real information in the first place, rather than only cleaning up after the fact.

Compared to Incogni, Cloaked removes your data from fewer brokers automatically, but it goes furthest on masking, generating a working alias email address, phone number, username, and password in a single step.

What I liked

Masked identities that work anywhere: Cloaked generates an alias email address and phone number, and its browser extension for Chrome, Brave, and Edge can spin up a full identity, username and password included, while you’re signing up for something. Anything sent to the alias lands in your Cloaked inbox. DeleteMe includes email masking and sells phone masking as a one-time $7 add-on, and Aura includes email masking, but neither builds a complete throwaway identity the way Cloaked does.

Automated removals plus DIY automations: Cloaked scans 350+ data brokers every 30 days and files opt-outs automatically when it finds you. Its automations feature extends that to 650+ other sites that hold your data, including retailers, health companies, and staffing firms. I ran 41 automations during testing. Most took a single tap, though several required a CAPTCHA, and I had to leave the app open while they ran.

A free scan that proves the point: Signing up starts with a free phone number lookup. Mine came back with my name, age, current and past addresses, past phone numbers, birthday, and the first three digits of my SSN. Cloaked flagged 16 exposed records and cleared all 16 from three broker sites within a couple of days.

Flat pricing across plans: Every Cloaked plan includes the same coverage and the same features. The only thing that changes is how many people you cover: one, two, or up to four on the Family plan. That’s the opposite of DeleteMe and Optery, where broker coverage climbs with the tier.

Independently audited: Cloaked holds ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications and has completed SOC 2 Type 2 and PCI DSS v4.0.1 audits, so its security and privacy claims have been checked by someone other than Cloaked.

What I didn’t like

No custom removals: If your data turns up on a site Cloaked doesn’t already cover, you’re on your own. Incogni and DeleteMe both accept custom removal requests, and Incogni’s Unlimited plan makes them unlimited. That’s the clearest gap between Cloaked and a dedicated removal service.

Narrower automatic broker coverage: Cloaked scans 350+ data brokers automatically, while Incogni covers 420+ on every plan. The 650+ additional sites Cloaked reaches through automations are mostly company databases rather than brokers, and clearing them takes manual effort on your part.

Glitchy mobile apps: Email Guard failed to load on both Android and iPhone during testing, and the iOS app threw an error when I tried to cancel. Call Guard supports 40+ carriers, but mine wasn’t among them. Cloaked’s 3.8 Trustpilot score reflects some of this, with users reporting setup trouble and Call Guard interfering with their calls and texts.

Cloaked specs

Price range	Starts at $9.99/mo
Free trial	No, but it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee
Data broker opt-out	Yes
Number of data brokers covered	350+, plus automations for 650+ other sites
How often is data rechecked?	Every 30 days
Privacy reports	Yes — as data is removed
Learn more	Get Cloaked Read Cloaked Review

Test results

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Privacy Bee: Best for digital footprint removal

Privacy Bee is a digital footprint management service that removes personal data from broker sites while also offering spam suppression and ongoing monitoring. It’s best for users looking to reduce unwanted outreach and maintain long-term privacy.

While Incogni focuses on automated removals, Privacy Bee places more emphasis on spam suppression and long-term monitoring.

What I liked

Complete digital footprint services: The Privacy Bee Signature plan has some of the most comprehensive features to help you stay anonymous online. Beyond standard data removal, Privacy Bee can also:

• Monitor search engine results for your information
• Monitor your email inbox so you can manage what companies have your data
• Remove real estate listing photos of your home
• Remove your data from facial recognition databases
• Monitor exposures of your social media information

You can even blur your house on Google Street View and Apple Maps, so it won't be visible to anyone with your address.

Unlimited protection: All Privacy Bee plans allow you to monitor an unlimited number of name aliases, home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. For reference, Optery’s starting plan only allows you to monitor one name and address, while Incogni only allows you to monitor up to four email addresses and physical addresses.

Every name you’ve gone by, phone number you’ve had, home address you’ve lived at, and email address you’ve used can be tracked by Privacy Bee.

SOC 2 certified: Privacy Bee proudly displays its SOC 2 Type II certification in its website footer. That means Privacy Bee has established high security standards for handling user data.

What I didn’t like

Cost: The Privacy Bee Signature plan can scrub your data from most corners of the internet, but that comes at a high price. For one individual, the Signature plan costs $67.00/mo.

This plan probably isn’t worth it unless you’re a high-profile individual or if you’re worried about significant data exposure.

Even the Privacy Bee Essentials plan has a higher starting price than services like DeleteMe and Aura. It also only scans people-search sites for your information, rather than private data brokers, so you’ll receive more value from other services.

Inconsistent details in the dashboard: Privacy Bee has a detailed dashboard, but the information changed significantly between my retests, and without explanation. Its removal requests decreased by 100, but the information removed increased from 85 to 7,270 all-time.

Even when I clicked through on the Excruciating Detail tab, so many last actions were listed as “N/A” without any further details.

Incogni has a similar dashboard, with a line graph displaying removal requests over the course of my subscription. But Incogni shows timelines for my data being taken down, along with additional information on each broker contacted.

Lack of transparency: Privacy Bee claims to cover 1,000+ sites, including data brokers, people-search sites, surveillance tech, and job recruiters. However, there’s no webpage that clearly lists the included sites. At most, Privacy Bee has a support page reiterating the types of sites.

In my experience testing Privacy Bee, I’ve seen 511 sites added to my dashboard after six months of use. Although my data may not be on the other websites covered, I wish there was a better way to confirm Privacy Bee’s claims.

Incogni and Optery both have clear databases that outline every site included in their services. And Optery, which spans multiple tiers, lists the sites covered for each plan tier.

Privacy Bee specs

Price range	Starts at $8.00/mo
Free trial	No, but it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee (Essential and Pro licenses only)
Data broker opt-out	Manual and automated
Number of data brokers covered	519-1,119+
How often is data rechecked?	Daily
Privacy reports	Yes — monthly
Learn more	Get Privacy Bee Read Our Privacy Bee Review

Test results

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Optery: Best for DIY data removal

Optery is a DIY-focused data removal platform that gives users visibility and control over where their personal data appears online, along with tools to request removals manually or automatically. It’s best for users who want transparency and hands-on control.

Unlike Incogni’s fully automated approach, Optery gives users more visibility and control over where their data appears online.

What I liked

Solid starter plan: I like that Optery offers a free plan that provides several reports detailing where your data appears online. This is helpful for people who want to reduce their online footprint but may not have the budget for another monthly subscription.

Optery aggregates the data so you can begin to request removals yourself. The process takes more effort when you DIY data removal, but Optery provides a welcome first step.

Quarterly Exposure Report: Optery’s free plan sends you an Exposure Report every 90 days (as long as you log in within that period). If you choose to pay for an upgrade, you’ll receive monthly automated scans and other features like the ability to opt out of new data broker sites. I love having the option to upgrade or stick with a free plan.

Removal transparency: Optery’s database is straightforward and clearly labeled, listing the sites it covers. There are tabs for each plan, so you can view the sites included per plan.

Optery also color-codes plan coverage and the sites covered by Expanded Reach and Custom Removals.

What I didn’t like

Confusing plans and restrictions: Optery can remove your data from 130-640+ sites, but this depends on several factors. First, you need to enable Expanded Reach to receive the maximum amount of removals per plan. This is a free add-on for all paid Optery users, but it’s not automatically turned on, and the explanation for this feature is unclear.

Then, the paid Core plan can be severely limiting because you can only submit one name and one corresponding city and state per user. If you go by another name or have moved several times, you won’t be able to scrub that data from broker sites.

Finally, custom removals are only included with the highest-tier Ultimate plan. Otherwise, custom removals are a paid add-on. Although custom removals are meant to be unlimited, you’re only eligible to submit these requests after 30 days.

Uses TLS encryption: Optery doesn’t always use AES-256 encryption. If you aren’t familiar with it, this is military-grade encryption used to secure data. Any data stored in Optery’s coffers is encrypted with AES-256, but any data in transit (like a request to remove your information) only uses TLS, which isn’t as secure.

While I didn't love this, it could be acceptable if you’re doing the removal requests yourself.

Optery specs

Price range	Starts at $3.25/mo
Free trial	No
Data broker opt-out	Yes
Number of data brokers covered	130-640+
How often is data rechecked?	Monthly (with premium plans)
Privacy reports	Yes, quarterly
Learn more	Get Optery Read Optery Review

Test results

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How much do data removal services cost?

Most data removal services cost between about $3 and $10 per month for one person on an annual plan. Two-year and family plans change that math, and the highest tiers run well past it. Privacy Bee's Signature plan, the most expensive option on this list, costs $67.00/mo.

Data removal service	Starting price	Price range	What the entry plan includes
Incogni	$7.99/mo	$7.99–$45.98/mo	All 420+ brokers on every plan, with monthly rechecks
DeleteMe	$6.97/mo	$6.97–$21.93/mo	Standard plan coverage, quarterly privacy reports, and 10 custom removals per quarter
Aura	$7.00/mo	$7.00–$20.00/mo	425+ brokers plus antivirus, a VPN, a password manager, and dark web monitoring
Cloaked	$9.99/mo	$9.99-$29.99/mo	Full coverage and every feature, priced only by how many people you cover
Privacy Bee	$8.00/mo	$8.00-$67.00/mo	People-search site scanning only; private broker coverage requires a higher tier
Optery	$3.25/mo	$3.25–$24.99/mo	A free tier that scans and reports; paid plans add automated removals
Onerep	$8.33/mo	$8.33-$55.95/mo	Automated removals from 318 people-search sites, monthly scans for new exposures, monthly email reports, data breach monitoring
HelloPrivacy	$8.33/mo	$8.33-$9.99/mo	Broker removals plus dark web monitoring for up to 5 email addresses

Why the prices vary so much

Three things move the number: how many brokers a plan actually covers, how many people it protects, and how long you commit. Two-year plans usually beat annual, and annual almost always beats monthly, so the advertised starting price is typically the longest commitment a service sells.

Watch for coverage that scales with the tier. DeleteMe, Optery, and Privacy Bee all sell entry plans that cover a fraction of what they advertise, so the cheapest plan isn't always the best value. Incogni and Cloaked take the opposite approach and give every plan identical coverage.

Optery is the only service here with a genuinely free tier, though it only scans and reports, so the removals are still your job. And if you're buying for a company rather than yourself, DeleteMe is the only option on this list with a business subscription, priced by quote.

Are data removal services worth it?

Yes, a good data removal service is worth it for people who want to keep their private information private. And those online privacy concerns are widespread. In fact, 60% of Americans say there’s something in their online footprint they don’t want others to find, according to an All About Cookies survey of 1,000 adults.

The services do work, as was proven when I had to start searching for my family's information instead of my own because the data broker removal tools could no longer find my information after testing so many.

Data removal services can help reduce the amount of annoying spam you receive in the form of phone calls, emails, and text messages. It can also help prevent doxxing. After testing these data brokers, I manually checked for my personal information on the top data broker sites and found that it had been removed.

With the rampant uptick of spam, scams, and identity theft, data removal services have become a crucial line of defense. Every day, hundreds of data brokers and people search sites aggregate personal data from social media and public records. These websites then blast your home addresses, phone numbers, and much more online for any bad actor to use.

And that's exactly the kind of information people most want scrubbed from the internet, according to our study.

While data brokers aren’t illegal, they are legally required to delete your information if requested. Unfortunately, not all of them comply with data removal requests. Plus, data brokers and people-search sites can just relist your personal info months later, so using a recurring removal service can help protect your identity continuously.

Data privacy is important. It can help reduce the spam clutter in your life and help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. These tools make it easy to get your name and contact information out of the hands of people who plan to use it for financial gain.

They’re especially worthwhile if you’ve ever been the victim of a phishing scam. Phishing scams like credit card number grabbers or fake tech support scams aren’t just the result of data breaches. You can unknowingly open a malicious link in a text message, becoming a victim of SMS phishing (smishing).

Additionally, data removal services can enhance your peace of mind and improve your online privacy. You also lower your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft or cybercrime. Criminals are looking for fast, easy targets. If they have to hunt down information about you, they’re more likely to move on to a person who requires less effort.

What is a data broker, and how do they get my information?

A data broker collects information from all over the web and pieces it together to create a complete picture of you. Data brokers and people search sites like USPhoneBook collect public information from what’s freely available online and purchase it from other sources.

Ever sign up for a new internet service provider (ISP) and suddenly notice your spam emails shoot up? That’s because that company double-dipped by charging you for your service and selling your info to a data broker. Data brokers, in turn, sell your data to people-search sites, marketing lists, and anyone else willing to pay for it.

Social media sites, public records, loyalty programs, mobile apps, and anywhere else you share personal information can sell that data to a broker. Websites track you online, and all your data is compiled into little virtual folders of information about you, just waiting to be sold.

It’s all completely legal because the information is usually public record, so you should be cautious about how and what you share online. Unfortunately, these data broker websites are just as susceptible to data breaches as any company.

Run a free data breach scan to see if your email address is exposed:

How does data broker removal work?

Services that offer data broker removal clean up your online presence by sending automated data removal requests on your behalf to remove your data from data broker sites. Services like Incogni, Aura, and DeleteMe streamline the opt-out request process.

While data brokers can collect information in the public domain, you also have the right to request that they delete your information. Each data broker site should outline the opt-out process on its site, which usually involves sending an email, filling out a form, or checking a box. After that, you may need to verify your identity before you receive confirmation that your data has been removed.

While you can submit all your opt-out requests manually, data broker removal services can make the process easier. Most of the time, you'll need to sign an agreement that lets the service act on your behalf.

Then, their team (usually a mix of AI and humans) will automatically send emails and opt-out requests, and the best services will also follow up manually every three months or so. This makes the data removal process fast and painless.

If you've used a data broker removal service for a while, you should notice fewer spam emails and calls, as well as fewer listings on data broker and people-search sites. For example, I opened my Onerep account in September 2024, and now zero sites list my data out of 319 sites scanned.

What to look for in a data removal service

The most important things to look for in a data removal service are broad data broker coverage, recurring removal requests (so your data doesn't get relisted), and transparent pricing with no hidden tiers. Beyond that, look for extras like dark web monitoring, custom removals, and a money-back guarantee.

Here's a complete list:

• Recurring removal requests: Follows up to make sure personal data stays gone
• Continuous scans: Searches for new brokers regularly
• DIY help: Offers templates or guides when you have to request the removal yourself
• Hands-off approach: Automatically removes as much sensitive information as it can without requiring too much effort from you
• Fraud monitoring: Provides easy access to changing passwords for accounts with weak, compromised, or reused passwords
• Monitors online accounts: Includes social media monitoring and monitoring of other online accounts that hold a lot of personal info
• Dark web monitoring: Checks to see if your email address or SSN is leaked on the dark web
• Credit monitoring: Sends alerts of unusual credit activity
• Money-back guarantee: Gives you the chance to cancel and receive a refund if unsatisfied

Data removal checklist

Before committing to a data removal service, consider how to evaluate your options and why certain factors matter.

Question	Why it matters
Who is doing the removals?	Some services utilize automated systems, while others employ humans or a combination of both. Automated services are more effective for initiating removals, but custom removals or complex cases may require human assistance.
Which sites and data brokers are covered?	The more brokers included, the better. Read the fine print, though, because some services will inflate the number of automatic removals or not disclose the number of people-search sites vs. data brokers. Additionally, check how many custom removals are allowed.
How often is data rechecked?	Data brokers can relist your information, so recurring checks ensure your data stays offline. More rarely, services may conduct continuous automated scans, though most services opt for monthly or quarterly.
What level of control do you have?	Can you initiate removals, track progress, and view reports? Some services may require you to do the heavy lifting, which is more typical of free or lower-tier plans. Better services will enable you to request removals while taking the lead in initiating requests and suppressions.
What are the costs and hidden fees?	Some services charge extra for certain removals, custom sites, or frequency, so be sure to double-check what's included. The best services include unlimited custom removals and don't restrict when you can start initiating requests.
What privacy protections do they offer?	Look for encryption, a promise not to sell customer data, and independent audits where available. Most services haven't actually undergone third-party security audits, but standout services will make audit results easily accessible.
What support is available?	If removal requests are ignored, is support responsive? What recourse is offered? Opt for services that include live chat or phone support with a human agent.
Is there a trial or money-back guarantee?	Trials or guarantees reduce risk if the service doesn't perform as promised, so consider services that offer safeguards.

Advice from the experts

Your personal data plays a large role in your digital health. That’s why the All About Cookies team asked experts about the potential risks associated with compromised data and what the recovery plan should look like.

What should your first action item be if your personal data has been compromised?

What risks should consumers be aware of before giving their phone number or email address to companies or service providers requesting them?

What are some ways identity thieves can use your personal data? How much damage can they really do, and what information about you do they need to be able to do it?

^{Some responses may have been slightly edited for clarity and brevity.}

Bottom line

Lots of personal information is floating around on data brokers and people-search sites, but a data removal service can help remove it from both public and private brokers. Incogni is my top recommendation thanks to its extensive site coverage, ease of use, and unlimited custom removals.

That said, the right choice depends on your needs. DeleteMe, Aura, Cloaked, Privaccy Bee, and Optery each have their strengths. Whether you’re looking to DIY your data removal and need some help getting started with such a time-consuming activity or want a full-fledged data removal powerhouse behind you, you’ll find that with one of these services.

Data removal services we've tested

FAQs