Incogni vs. HelloPrivacy 2024: A Close Call Between Two Popular Data Removal Services

There’s a lot of your information floating around the internet, but services like Incogni and HelloPrivacy are here to help you delete it. Data brokers collect this information and then sell it off. This increases the amount of spam you get, as well as your likelihood of scams and even identity theft. In this head-to-head battle, Incogni wins by a hair.

Both Incogni and HelloPrivacy Incogni offer a low-maintenance approach to online data removal, but Incogni is more automated, making it a great choice for anyone new to these services. HelloPrivacy boasts more robust monitoring and even scans the dark web for your info.

We dive into the specific features of each to help you pick the right data removal service for you.

Incogni vs. HelloPrivacy review at a glance

Data removal services do all the legwork to remove your personal information from data brokers and people search sites. Even though data brokers are supposed to remove your info once a request is submitted, they can (and do) ignore those requests, making services like Incogni and HelloPrivacy invaluable.

The main difference between these two data removal services is that Incogni does the work for you: It will submit requests on your behalf and follow up with those requests. HelloPrivacy, on the other hand, is more of a data scanner, so you’re guided on how to take data removal steps on your own.

• Incogni: Best for pricing options
• HelloPrivacy: Best for dark web scanning

Incogni vs. HelloPrivacy compared

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.	4.2 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	$7.49–$32.98/mo	$8.25-$9.99/mo
# of site removals	179	50+
Privacy reports		Yes — Monthly
Family plan
Recurring removals
Custom removal requests
Encryption	Unspecified	AES-256
Extras	No, unless you get it as part of the Surfshark One+ plan	Dark web scanning
Learn more	Get Incogni Read Incogni Review	Get HelloPrivacy Read HelloPrivacy Review

Incogni pros and cons

HelloPrivacy pros and cons

Which data removal service is the better value?

	Our Pick
Paid monthly	$14.98/mo	$9.99/mo
Paid annually	$7.49/mo (billed annually)	$99.99/yr
Number of people covered	Up to 4	1
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 30 days
Best value plan	Individual annual plan for $7.49/mo (billed annually)	Premium annual for $8.25/mo (billed annually)
Learn more	Get Incogni Read Incogni Review	Get HelloPrivacy Read HelloPrivacy Review

Incogni plans

Incogni doesn’t charge more for additional features, choosing instead to include all features in all plans. You pick your plan based on how many people need coverage; you can choose between a monthly or annual subscription. There are no free trials or scans, but you do get a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Individual plan: This plan allows you to remove your information from data brokers and people search sites. It also includes transparent reports on the status of your data removal and continued searches to ensure your information doesn’t show up in other places.
• Family & Friends plan: This plan is exactly the same as the Individual plan but allows you to invite up to four people to share the services.

HelloPrivacy plans

HelloPrivacy covers a single individual with its Premium plan, which you can pay for monthly or annually. This helps you hunt down and request removal from a variety of sites across the internet that may be hosting and selling your data.

The service accepts credit and debit cards and offers only one plan, which you can pay for monthly or annually. If you subscribe and then decide it isn’t for you, you can still log in to your portal since the dark web scanner is still active even if you aren’t a paying subscriber.

• Premium plan: This plan includes a search of both the internet and the dark web, scanning data brokers, people search sites, social media, and more to find composite pieces of personally identifiable information. You’ll also receive HelloPrivacy’s assistance in contacting these sites and having your information removed, as well as monthly scans and follow-ups.

Which data removal service has the better features?

		Our Pick
Free scan
Data broker opt-out
Data broker site scans
Number of data brokers covered	180+	Varies
How often is data rechecked?	Quarterly	Daily
Monthly report
Marketing list removal
Email privacy
Privacy reports		Yes — Monthly
Real-time alerts
Social media account monitoring
Dark web monitoring
Credit monitoring
Fraud monitoring
Learn more	Get Incogni Read Incogni Review	Get HelloPrivacy Read HelloPrivacy Review

HelloPrivacy offers a few more features than Incogni — like dark web monitoring, privacy reports, and social media cleanup tools — but is still mostly automated. Both of these products give you an initial scan that shows how your data is scattered across the web. Incogni’s is part of its service, while HelloPrivacy’s is free. Incogni pulls from its own database of data brokers plus checks private brokers it finds online. HelloPrivacy scans the web for mentions of you, which is why the number of data brokers will change based on how many are currently active.

It’s not a huge deal that Incogni doesn’t offer a free scan. Your data is online. You can see that for yourself if you type your name into an internet search. The fact that both services are pretty heavily automated means you’ll have to do very little to maintain the benefits.

The one big difference is that HelloPrivacy scanned the dark web and gave us tips on removing our data, while Incogni focuses more on preventing data on the dark web. This seems a little futile, given that your personal data is already likely on the dark web.

Additional features

Neither one of these services includes additional features like email masking, malware and tracker blocking, or credit monitoring. Both are fairly simple, but we do like the more comprehensive monitoring and social media cleanup tools HelloPrivacy offers.

Which data removal service is more secure?

Data removal services collect a lot of personal information, so it’s natural to be concerned about how that information is protected. We scoured each service’s privacy policies to understand what data is collected, how it’s protected, and if it’s shared with any third parties for reasons other than providing services.

Incogni vs. HelloPrivacy data security

		Our Pick
Encryption		AES 256-bit
Two-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication
Collects data	Minimal	Minimal
Shares data with third parties	Minimal
Learn more	Get Incogni Read Incogni Review	Get HelloPrivacy Read HelloPrivacy Review

Data removal services like Incogni and HelloPrivacy don’t host as much of your data as identity theft protection services, which may be why there’s less security. Even still, HelloPrivacy offers AES 256-bit end-to-end encryption, whereas Incogni doesn’t. We also know from testing that there aren’t options for two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA). Considering both services do collect data, we would think there would be a few more security measures in place.

We’re happy to report that while Incogni and HelloPrivacy both collect data, neither service shares it with third parties (outside of necessary operational partners). We did note in HelloPrivacy’s policy that third-party cookies are allowed on the site, but you can thwart those with a good ad blocker.

Which data removal service has the better user experience?

	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Online guides, online ticket submission, email	Email
Learn more	Get Incogni Read Incogni Review	Get HelloPrivacy Read HelloPrivacy Review

Because these are data removal services, you don’t have to have a specific device for them to work. As long as you have a browser that accesses the internet, you should be able to log into your account.

Neither Incogni nor HelloPrivacy offers 24/7 support, although Incogni does provide online guides for searching the help topics and an online submission form for questions. HelloPrivacy includes only an email where you can submit a question. These services shouldn’t require a lot of support, but if you do run into an issue or want to cancel your account, you’ll have to wait for a response.

FAQs

Incogni vs. HelloPrivacy: Which is better?

Incogni and HelloPrivacy both offer low-maintenance, automated assistance in removing your data from the web. While HelloPrivacy does include a few more features, like dark web scanning, Incogni inches ahead a little because of its pricing structure and customer support options.

If you’re searching for the best data removal services to reduce your online presence, then you’ll definitely want to read our guide. Once you choose one and sign up, you’ll begin to notice less email and phone spam, but you’ll also reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft and scams.

Incogni vs. HelloPrivacy alternatives

Identity protection services like Incogni and HelloPrivacy offer time-saving, valuable services that can reduce your chances of scams, spam, and even identity theft. If neither includes prices or features you’re looking for, check out some of our other favorite services below:

• DeleteMe: DeleteMe doesn’t just work once; it provides quarterly checkups to ensure your data stays off the web. Plans are available for individuals, couples, and families, so you can get the coverage you need. We love DeleteMe’s large data broker database, which it uses to scan for your information quickly online.
  
  Get DeleteMe | Read Our DeleteMe Review

• Aura: Aura offers more than just data broker removal. If you’re in the market for full identity theft protection, Aura is a powerhouse with features like up to $1 million in identity theft insurance and home title monitoring. We love it for also including robust security tools that understand the unique needs associated with protecting children’s identity.
  
  Get Aura | Read Our Aura Review

• Optery: Optery offers a free plan that can help you track down your data yourself. If you decide you want Optery to help you get it all deleted, an easy upgrade gives you access to features like removal reports and customer support. We love Optery’s convenience and effectiveness.
  
  Get Optery | Read Our Optery Review