DeleteMe vs. Optery 2025: Industry Giant or Budget-Friendly Pick?

In the quest for scrubbing your data off the internet, DeleteMe beats Optery. 

DeleteMe provides ongoing removals every three months and has some additional privacy tools starting at $8.60/mo (billed annually) for one person. Optery has a free version and includes removal reports to illustrate the software’s progress, but it has some customer service and encryption issues.

In our expert guide, we examine the pros and cons of both products to help you choose the best data removal service.

DeleteMe vs. Optery review at a glance

• DeleteMe: Best for comprehensive data removal
• Optery: Best for budget-friendly DIY data removal

	Best Overall
Star rating	4.5 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.	4.9 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.
Price	$6.97–$34.40/mo	$3.25–$24.99/mo
# of site removals	153+	Up to 640+ (with Expanded Reach)
Privacy reports	Yes — Quarterly	Yes — Monthly (for paid plans)
Family plan
Recurring removals
Custom removal requests
Encryption	AES-256 and TLS 1.2	AES-256 and TLS 1.3
Extras	Email masking, phone masking, card masking	Automatic opt-out
Learn more	Get DeleteMe Read DeleteMe Review	Get Optery Read Optery Review

DeleteMe pros and cons

DeleteMe is one of the most comprehensive data removal services available because it offers automatic and recurring removal requests from data brokers and people search sites. It also includes additional identity protection features, such as email, card, and phone masking, which help further safeguard your identity online. An advantage to using DeleteMe is that all plans offer the same number of automatic and custom removal requests. The only differences are the number of people covered and the term length. On the other hand, the biggest downside to DeleteMe is its price, but you do get what you pay for. 

Optery pros and cons

Optery is another great data removal service that's comprehensive and easy to use. It also offers various plans, which is a blessing and a curse. One advantage is being able to try out a data removal service for a low monthly fee. The downside is that the plans are confusing, and the cheapest paid plan actually offers fewer data requests than DeleteMe. You need to compare the plans carefully to ensure you're getting the right coverage. Honestly, the best bet is the Ultimate plan, which ultimately costs more than DeleteMe, anyway. 

Which data removal service is the better value?

		Our Pick
Max # of people covered	4	1
Paid monthly	N/A	$3.25–$24.99/mo
Paid annually	$17.20/mo (billed annually)	$39-$249/annually
Paid every two years	$13.93/mo (billed every two years)	N/A
Money-back guarantee	No	Yes — 30 days
Best value plan	2 years, 2 people for $17.20/mo (billed annually)	Extended annual plan for $12.42/mo
Learn more	Get DeleteMe Read DeleteMe Review	Get Optery Read Optery Review

DeleteMe plans

DeleteMe doesn’t offer a free trial for services, but you can conduct a free scan. There’s also no money-back guarantee, but you can get a full refund before your first privacy report arrives. Your first report should come within seven days, so you won’t have long to test the product. After that, you may receive a prorated refund if you’re unhappy with the services.

DeleteMe’s plans include all the same features. The difference is whether you want to cover one or two people for an annual or biennial subscription.

• 1 Person, 1 Year: Covers one user and includes quarterly privacy reports, email masking, and broker opt-out. It removes your data from 153+ top data broker sites.
• 1 Person, 2 Years: DeleteMe’s most popular plan covers an individual for two years. It includes the same features as the standard one-year plan.
• 2 People, 2 Years: This is the best value, according to the DeleteMe website. It covers two people and removes unlimited aliases and data from major broker sites.

Optery plans

Optery starts with a free basic plan. From there, you have three paid options with some different features and broker site number changes. You’ll get more with the higher-priced plans, and your data will be removed from more websites.

With Optery, there are no family plans. Your family members must create their own accounts, but you can link individual accounts together for a discount.

• Free Basic: Identifies personal information on data broker sites and provides opt-out guides. There is no automated removal, and only Exposure Reports are provided every 90 days (compared to 30 for paid plans).
• Core plan: This plan removes your data across 110+ sites with a maximum of one name, city, and state per user. You’ll get monthly automated scans and a “bot-only” approach to removing data. 
• Extended plan: This plan includes removals from 275+ sites and unlimited name variations for the same person. It employs a “humans and machines” approach, incorporating a human privacy agent for quality assurance and addressing any special circumstances.
• Ultimate plan: Here, you get everything in the Extended plan plus data removal from up to 640+ sites (with Expanded Reach activated). You also get unlimited custom removal requests plus priority email support.

Which data removal service has the better features?

	Our Pick
Free scan
Data broker opt-out		Yes, with paid plans
Data broker site scans
Number of data brokers covered	153+	Up to 640+ with Expanded Reach activated
How often is data rechecked?	Quarterly	Monthly/Quarterly
Monthly report		Yes, with paid plans
Marketing list removal
Email privacy
Privacy reports	Yes — Quarterly	Yes — Monthly/Quarterly
Real-time alerts
Social media account monitoring
Dark web monitoring
Credit monitoring
Fraud monitoring
Learn more	Get DeleteMe Read DeleteMe Review	Get Optery Read Optery Review

Optery offers a free version for those on a budget or looking to save money, but DeleteMe doesn’t. Additionally, Optery provides a monthly report for paid plans, which includes screenshots to confirm that it has been working on your behalf and to update you on the progress.

DeleteMe covers more data brokers and people search sites than Optery when comparing the cheapest plans. With Optery, you must purchase the highest-tier plan to receive the most comprehensive coverage. In contrast, DeleteMe offers the same features across all plans.

One item Optery outshines DeleteMe on is removing data from marketing lists. DeleteMe surprisingly doesn’t cover that. Removal from marketing lists can be a significant help when you want to stop receiving information about products you have no interest in.

Additional features

Both of these products have features that you’d want for removing your private information from the internet. One thing you may not think about is the time a data removal service can save you. Imagine having to contact all the data brokers and websites where you found your name.

You might also want something to protect your credit, keep your phone from being bombarded with calls, and an option to check for your information before making a purchase. Below are some advanced privacy features you get with DeleteMe.

• Email masking: As mentioned above, email privacy is important, but email masking is also beneficial. It creates an additional address, so you don’t have to share your private email with everyone. Both DeleteMe and Optery have this feature.
• Credit card masking: This is an invaluable tool for protecting your credit card numbers. It creates a different number every time you use your card online.
• Phone masking: Phone masking is crucial when you want to make calls without businesses and other people having your number to send nonstop marketing calls. DeleteMe includes this feature, but Optery doesn’t offer it.
• Free scan: Although not a must-have, some products, such as DeleteMe, offer a free scan option to search the web for your personal information. Once you view the online listings, you can sign up to have your data removed. Optery has a free plan that runs scans every three months to check for data exposure.

Which data removal service is more secure?

You should never share your data with any software company before verifying their privacy policy. You need to understand how or if your data will be shared or, in some cases, sold. Some data collection is reasonable, as you must enter information about yourself to enable the product to function properly.

Optery doesn’t sell your data to third-party vendors, and it includes security measures to keep your data safe. Optery has access control features in place so that employees only receive pertinent information. It also includes two-factor authentication.

DeleteMe doesn’t sell your information, and it conducts regular internal audits to identify and address security issues. Like Optery, it uses AES-256 and TLS encryption. You can set up two-factor authentication to make it even more secure.

DeleteMe vs. Optery data security

Encryption	AES 256-bit and TLS 1.2	AES 256-bit and TLS 1.2
Two-factor authentication (2FA)
Collects data	Minimal	Minimal
Shares data with third parties	Minimal	Minimal
Learn more	Get DeleteMe Read DeleteMe Review	Get Optery Ready Optery Review

As you can see, DeleteMe and Optery both have the same security features and privacy standards regarding data sharing and collection. We aren’t alarmed by the minimal collection of data, as it can be necessary for data removal software to work.

Which data removal service has the better user experience?

	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Email, phone, live chat	Email, live chat, online guides
Learn more	Get DeleteMe Read DeleteMe Review	Get Optery Read Optery Review

DeleteMe was easy to use, and once you set up an account, it’s mostly a hands-off experience. It does the job for you by checking for your data and then requesting its removal. Once you fill out the data sheet with your information, the process is automated. If this is concerning, you can choose which parts you feel comfortable providing.

Optery was likewise easy to use, and the sign-up process was seamless. The dashboard provides an illustration of what’s happening. You can also skip a few sections or not include your actual date of birth. An Exposure Report is displayed on the dashboard, listing different sites from which your data has been removed, along with screenshots to verify the work.

We did notice DeleteMe doesn’t list an app for iOS, but there is one for Android devices. That may not be a concern, as this program is designed to remove your data, so it will still work on your behalf, regardless of whether there is an app or not. Neither product offers 24/7 customer support; however, there are options available if you need assistance.

FAQs

DeleteMe vs. Optery: Which is better?

DeleteMe is better if you want one of the best data removal services on the market today. If having your information on the internet is concerning, DeleteMe accesses 153+ data brokers to limit what people can see. Plus, its plans are consistent, offering the same number of automatic removal requests across plans. It also comes with other sought-after features, such as phone, email, and card masking, for added security.

Optery is a good option if you want a free version with the ease of upgrading later. The customer support experience was less than stellar, but this product may be ideal for those who wish to determine how much of their data is easily accessible and decide what to do from there.

DeleteMe and Optery alternatives

DeleteMe and Optery aren’t the only data removal services available. Some other DeleteMe alternatives we’ve tested may offer additional features or different pricing plans that are better suited for you.