Identity Guard Review 2024: Privacy Protection That Doesn’t Sell Your Data

Identity Guard is a solid option for identity theft protection that we would feel comfortable using ourselves. It touts itself as one of the best identity theft protection services, but what does that look like? With a plain-language privacy policy, extra features (like a password manager), and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance on all plans, this service offers a lot.

We find that many identity protection products have a high price tag without much additional value, but Identity Guard might be different.

Identity Guard review at a glance

Identity Guard, like most ID-theft prevention services, monitors your financial accounts, Social Security number (SSN), social media accounts, emails, and credit. It also sends alerts if your information appears on the dark web. Identity Guard lets you know when there’s suspicious activity in any of these areas and gives you the resources to fix it.

It also helps remove your information from data brokers like BeenVerified by sending an opt-out request and updating you on the status. That way, you can reduce the amount of information about yourself online and hopefully avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.

In addition to monitoring your personal information, Identity Guard provides you with remediation tools in case your identity is compromised. Identity theft insurance and lost-wallet services help ease the stress of having to replace everything. We did find it odd that there was no mention of identity recovery assistance anywhere, however. Our research appears to show that Identity Guard will pay for a lawyer and other identity remediation fees, but there doesn’t seem to be any remediation assistance available. This means if your identity is stolen, they'll provide you with the funds to rectify it, but you're mostly on your own.

Otherwise, the portal is clean and easy to navigate, the services are easy to use, and all information is available for you to review. The monitoring services within the portal are organized by section.

The only real caveat is the price. If you want identity and credit monitoring for you and your family, the monthly plan can quickly become steep. But we will admit that just the basic identity monitoring plan is one of the least expensive we’ve seen, especially for an individual plan. If you need bare-bones coverage, this is probably your best bet.

Identity Guard pros and cons

What does Identity Guard protect against?

Identity Guard protects against common forms of identity theft and monitors any place information is posted to make sure your identity and credit aren’t being used fraudulently. It also helps remove identifying information about you from data brokers across the web. With email, device, and information monitoring, you'll have full-spectrum coverage, which will make this identity protection worth it in the long run.

The following are covered and monitored by Identity Guard:

• Dark web
• Financial institutions
• Home titles
• Public records (like arrests or traffic tickets)
• Address change monitoring (if someone tries to change your address to theirs)
• Monthly credit score
• Credit protection
• Data broker sites
• Social media
• New account notifications
• Monetary transactions (bank and credit cards)
• Child identity (family plans only)

Identity Guard prices and subscriptions

Identity Guard is priced a little lower than competitors (like IdentityForce) for the Value plan, but its price for the more protective plans is similar to the higher-priced plans of rival companies. If you sign up for the top-tier Identity Guard family plan, which includes children’s identity protection and additional adults, the cost tops out at nearly $40 for month-to-month payments or $33.33/mo billed annually. But Identity Guard comes with extras like safe browsing and a password manager, so it does offer more than its competitors.

To be honest, we didn’t see the safe browsing option anywhere in our portal. If that’s important to you, you may need to contact customer service to find out where it’s located. However, we were impressed with the fact that identity theft insurance came with every plan. That’s uncommon in identity protection services. The full breakdown of Identity Guard's plans and their features are below.

Identity Guard plans comparison

Identity Guard features

We liked the organized view of Identity Guard’s dashboard, which had prominent information available at a glance. We were also impressed that we didn’t have to turn on the data broker services. As soon as we activated our account, Identity Guard went to work, opting us out of the data broker sites.

We had a little bit of trouble with the credit monitoring as it didn’t connect immediately after we activated it. Within a few minutes, though, it was working. We were able to get the Equifax report of our score, but the Experian and TransUnion were still reading “N/A” a few hours later.

Identity monitoring

Identity Guard offers cutting-edge identity protection services designed to keep you safe in the digital age. Within the range of Identity Guard’s plans, you’ll receive monitoring for the dark web, social media, criminal and sex offenders, USPS address changes, and more. Identity Guard offers subscribers more than just simple detection and alerts.

Identity Guard’s identity monitoring features include:

• Dark web monitoring: Scans the dark web for mentions of you, your email, or your passwords in data leaks. When it does find a compromised password, it helps you create a new, secure password for the site.
• High-risk transaction monitoring: Once you add your bank accounts, Identity Guard’s built-in AI monitors them for suspicious activity so you can catch a hacker before your account is drained.
• Social media monitoring: Add your social media accounts and receive alerts if someone attempts to steal your identity and impersonate you on social media.
• Credit and debit card monitoring: Similar to bank account monitoring, Identity Guard tracks your purchases on credit and debit cards to ensure that no one else is fraudulently using your cards.
• 401k and investment account monitoring: You worked hard for your money, so keep your savings for yourself. Identity Guard will alert you in case something suspicious, like a withdrawal, happens on one of these accounts.
• Home title monitoring: Identity Guard can make sure your home title isn’t fraudulently transferred to someone else. If a change of ownership is initiated, Identity Guard will let you know quickly so you can take action.
• Criminal and sex offense monitoring: Knowing how many offenders live near you can be shocking but necessary information. Identity Guard provides you with that list so you can have more control over your physical safety.
• USPS address change monitoring: You wouldn’t want someone opening a credit card in your name and requesting it to be forwarded elsewhere. Identity Guard will alert you whenever a change of address form is filled out.

Credit monitoring

The credit monitoring guide is found in the main dashboard, but if you want to get more granular, you can click into the section and look around. The credit lock feature is turned on automatically, and it limits access to your Experian credit in an attempt to help thwart identity theft. Here is the full list of credit monitoring features.

• Credit reports from all three credit bureaus
• Month-over-month credit score tracker
• A credit score breakdown that tells you what you can improve on
• Credit score checker for Experian and TransUnion

Credit reports and credit scores

Keeping an eye on your credit score will help you when it becomes time to rent an apartment, get a new credit card, buy a car or house, or anything else that requires a credit check. Identity Guard updates your credit scores monthly and shows you a month-to-month view of your credit so you can track how it's moving.

Alerts

The main Identity Guard dashboard breaks down alerts. You can then click on a section to read more about the alerts and Identity Guard’s recommendations. Different alerts are available depending on your plan.

You can also manage how your alerts are received in your settings. Email and text are automatically activated, while phone calls and WhatsApp messages are coming soon.

Our experience with Identity Guard

Identity Guard was one of the easier-to-understand services that we’ve tried. We liked the clean layout of the dashboard and the ability to click through different features to explore the offerings. We had a few hiccups, but there were also things we really liked.

First, paying for our subscription was difficult. There were options for PayPal, ApplePay, and card payments. We're going to take any chance to not input our card information, but neither of the other two options worked. We received error messages from both PayPal and ApplePay. It appeared the issue was on Identity Guard’s end, as the website’s payment service configuration had a bug.

We ended up using our card (which is the same card hooked up to our PayPal and ApplePay), and it went through. We also had issues getting our credit scores from the different bureaus to display correctly, and some were not active for hours after initiating the service.

As far as what we liked, we were impressed with the low monthly price for the Value plan. Coming in at $7.50/mo isn’t seen often in privacy protection services. While this is only going to get you basic features like dark web alerts and safe browsing, it still comes with the $1 million identity theft insurance.

We also liked how efficient our portal's layout was. We didn’t have to search for account information, customer support, features, or anything else promised (other than safe browsing). Overall, Identity Guard is a good, user-friendly service that we’re comfortable using.

Does Identity Guard keep your data safe?

We love digging into privacy policies, and this one looks good. Although a lot of information is collected on you, Identity Guard’s privacy policy also has baseline rules to keep that data safe. Data is shared with affiliates and third parties, but Identity Guard is open and transparent about it. The company even mentions that it evaluates third parties for their data-sharing practices before sharing your data. Overall, it’s not a bad privacy policy.

Identity Guard’s privacy policy states that it shares your data with affiliates, partners, and third-party service providers. Providers typically share data like your name, email address, and related contact information with affiliates — in this case, Circle Media Labs, Inc. (“Circle”) or Intersections, LLC dba Pango (“Pango”) — to market products and services to you. But affiliates may be legally required to share your information with third parties due to compliance laws. 

Likewise, Identity Guard may share your personal data with partners to verify your eligibility for joint offers. But partners aren't allowed to use your data for any reason not directly connected to the proposed offer. You can also opt out of promotional partner communications. 

Identity Guard specifies that its VPN services are exempt from data sharing with third parties. Otherwise, it can share your data with third-party service providers (like to help process payments, provide customer support, etc.) to an extent.

As far as third-party services, Identity Guard partners with companies like Plaid so it can connect to accounts like your bank. This means your financial data is being transmitted through Plaid’s AES 256-bit encryption as well as Transportation Layer Security (TLS). Identity Guard emphasizes the confidentiality of your data, has carefully vetted all third parties, and limits the information providers may access. So overall, it's not a dealbreaker by any means.

Identity Guard compatibility

Identity Guard offers a desktop app for Windows and Mac and a browser extension for Chrome, but Identity Guard’s website will work on any browser. There are also mobile apps available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The Apple Store app is rated highly at 4.2 stars, but the Google Play Store app only has 2.2 stars. Many of the Google Play Store reviews say the app is much worse since receiving an update, so it may possibly improve in the future.

Identity Guard customer support

We didn’t reach out to support, but if you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see the Contact section where all of the information is located. The Identity Guard phone number for customer support (1-833-692-2187) is clearly listed as well as the support email customercare@identityguard.com. Identity Guard is available by phone 24/7, and emails will be responded to in 24-48 hours. We also found the FAQ page to be helpful.

Identity Guard vs. the competition

In the identity theft protection game, Norton LifeLock, IdentityForce, and Complete ID are leading products. LifeLock combines robust antivirus and malware protection with comprehensive identity theft. It offers real-time threat detection and a wide array of privacy features. IdentityForce, on the other hand, specializes in advanced identity monitoring, providing continuous tracking of personal information to detect and prevent identity fraud. Complete ID stands out for its holistic approach, offering credit monitoring, identity restoration services, and extensive support from certified specialists.

Identity Guard vs. Norton LifeLock

It’s difficult to beat Norton LifeLock for identity theft insurance. With its Ultimate Plus plan, you get a whopping $3 million per person to help you in the event of identity theft.

Identity Guard’s $1 million isn’t anything to shy away from, though, as it’s the industry standard. It also affords Identity Guard the ability to come in at a lower overall monthly price. It’s easy to think that these two are just for credit monitoring, but when you tap into all the features available, you’ll receive a much more comprehensive security product. What makes it even better is that it becomes affordable for even the tightest budget. LifeLock is pricey, and that’s just for the initial package. Renewals are even more expensive. The Identity Guard doesn’t do that to you.

Read our comparison of Identity Guard vs LifeLock

Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce

Identity Guard edges out IdentityForce when it comes to identity and asset protection, but IdentityForce has more robust protections for children. With Identity Guard, you’ll receive monitoring of your home title, 401(k) and investment accounts to help catch fraudulent activity before it causes an issue. IdentityForce’s ChildWatch ID protection, however, has won awards for its ability to safeguard minors.

Read our comparison of Identity Guard vs IdentityForce

Identity Guard vs. Complete ID

If you’re a Costco subscriber, you’ll have access to Complete ID. Leave it to Costco to provide members with a cost-effective solution to identity theft protection, with extremely attractive family pricing to cover every member.

While Identity Guard may be more expensive, those extra funds are buying cutting-edge AI-backed security software. Both services offer $1 million in identity theft insurance, so you’ll be covered in the event of an incident.

Read our comparison of Identity Guard vs Complete ID

ID theft protection comparison

Identity Guard FAQs

Bottom line: Is Identity Guard good?

We have looked at a lot of identity protection services, and we’re confident that Identity Guard is one of the good ones. The pricing on the Value product is inexpensive, and the Family plans can cover more adults than most competitors (like PrivacyGuard). We also liked the clean design of the dashboard and easy access to settings like canceling your plan.

Overall, we would feel comfortable using Identity Guard ourselves. Even with the issues we experienced, like our credit score not generating properly, we had a pleasant experience with the product.

If you don’t feel like Identity Guard is for you based on price, there are other identity theft protection services with different features and costs. In this age of ransomware, our personal information is being shared now more than ever. Whatever you choose, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your private information.

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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.

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On Identity Guard's website

Identity Guard

• Easy-to-use identity theft protection service
• Includes extra features like a password manager
• No dedicated remediation assistance available

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

Mary is a seasoned cybersecurity writer with over seven years of experience. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University, she educates audiences on scams, antivirus software, and more. Her passion lies in educating audiences on helpful ways to protect their data.