LifeLock vs. ID Watchdog 2024: Individual Coverage or a Family Plan?

Identity theft protection services like LifeLock and ID Watchdog can protect you from identity theft without you having to think about it.

Mary James, Author

Steph Trejos, Editor

Last updated Jul 16, 2024

We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

4.9

Editorial Rating

On LifeLock's website

Identity Protection

LifeLock

Up to 52% off first year when paid annually

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

4.5

Editorial Rating

On ID Watchdog's website

Identity Protection

ID Watchdog

Comprehensive identity restoration services
Additional premium features like a VPN and password manager
Lack of financial account monitoring

When comparing Norton LifeLock and ID Watchdog by Equifax, LifeLock comes out on top thanks to its more flexible plans. That said, if you want an all-in-one security suite, ID Watchdog is a good option to consider.

Since 2020, over 1 million Americans a year have been the victims of identity theft. Identity theft protection services like LifeLock and ID Watchdog not only supply you with funds and resources if you’re a victim of identity theft, but they also provide remediation specialists who will help you deal with the lawyers and government agencies responsible for restoring your good name.

Here's how two of your best options compare when put head-to-head.

In this article

At a glance
Prices
Monitoring and alerts
Safety
Compatibility and customer support
FAQs
Which is better?

LifeLock vs. ID Watchdog review at a glance

If you’re wondering whether ID theft protection is worth it, remember back to the last time you had to contact tech support about literally anything. Now, think about doing that, only now you’re trying to recover your identity. While not all identity theft protection services are made equal, there are quality products like LifeLock and ID Watchdog that can help protect you.

LifeLock has a variety of plans that make it great for couples and families. ID Watchdog also has a family plan but really shines for individuals. Let’s get into the specifics of these two services.

LifeLock: Best for couples or families
ID Watchdog: Best for individuals

LifeLock vs. ID Watchdog compared


Price	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr	$14.95–$34.95/mo
Identity theft insurance	Up to $3 million	Up to $1 million
Credit monitoring
3-bureau credit reports
Credit score
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Social media account alerts
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get ID Watchdog Read ID Watchdog Review

LifeLock pros and cons

Pros

$3 million in insurance
Plans for couples without children
Home title monitoring

Cons

No bonus features like a VPN or password manager
Expensive renewal prices

ID Watchdog pros and cons

Pros

No high renewal fees
Extras like a VPN and password manager
Backed by Equifax

Cons

No home title monitoring
No plans for couples without children

Which identity theft protection service is the better value?

Overall, LifeLock has more options to make choosing the right plan for you even easier. You'll also get access to a free 30-day trial and money-back guarantees.

	Our Pick
Paid annually	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr	$12.50-$29.17/mo
Paid monthly	$11.99–$79.99/yr	$14.95-$34.95/mo
Best value plan	Ultimate Plus starting at $19.99/mo (billed annually) for first year	Premium starting at $21.95/mo
Identity theft insurance	Up to $3 million	Up to $1 million
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get ID Watchdog Read ID Watchdog Review

LifeLock plans

LifeLock may be pricey, but it does offer a lot. Each of the plans we listed below is intended for a single person. Couples receive the same features per person, and family plans include special features for children.

LifeLock offers a 60-day money-back guarantee for annual plans and a 14-day money-back guarantee for monthly plans.

Standard: Basic coverage with identity theft insurance, ID and Social Security number (SSN) alerts, and one-bureau credit monitoring. Identity theft insurance up to $1.05 million.
Advantage: Everything in the Standard plan plus identity lock, phone takeover monitoring, alerts on crime in your name, and buy now pay later alerts. Identity theft insurance up to $1.2 million
Ultimate Plus: Everything in the Advantage plan plus credit scores, three-bureau credit monitoring and reports, investment and 401(k) alerts, home title monitoring, and social media takeover alerts. Identity theft insurance up to $3 million

ID Watchdog plans

ID Watchdog includes single and family plans. The family plans can include up to two adults and four children. There's no money-back guarantee or free trial, though you can get some months refunded if you cancel early. There are no partial month refunds.

Select: Monitors and detects credit, loans, and high-risk transactions. Offers a one-bureau credit report and VantageScore and credit score tracker. Also includes identity theft insurance and remediation.
Premium: Includes everything in the Select plan plus social media and financial account monitoring, security tools like a NordVPN subscription and password manager, and healthcare network monitoring.

Winner: LifeLock. LifeLock offers a money-back guarantee and plans for couples without children as well as a lower starting price for basic coverage.

Which service has better monitoring and alerts?

When it comes to overall features, ID Watchdog comes out on top because it offers all but one monitoring options that LifeLock does, but also gives you access to VPNs to top it off.

Feature		Our Pick
Credit monitoring
Financial activity alerts
3-bureau credit reports	Yes — Experian, Equifax, TransUnion	Yes — Experian, Equifax, TransUnion
Credit score
Credit lock and freeze
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Social media account alerts
Social Security number monitoring
Home title monitoring
Address change alerts
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get ID Watchdog Read ID Watchdog Review

While there are a lot of similarities between these two services, there are a few key differences that might make one more viable for you than another.

If you’re a homeowner, LifeLock will monitor your home title to make sure someone doesn’t fraudulently transfer it to their name. That said, you'll have to pay extra to bundle your subscription with other Norton products.

If you’re in search of additional protection tools, ID Watchdog offers a NordVPN subscription with its premium plan, which is a quality virtual private network (VPN) that can keep you safe online, and a NordPass subscription.

ID Watchdog offerings for a personal VPN with NordVPN and a password manager with NordPass.

One of LifeLock’s standout features is the identity theft protection insurance up to $3 million you receive with the Ultimate Plus plan. It’s higher than the insurance offered by almost every competitor, including ID Watchdog.

Neither service has any giant red flags, so we feel that choosing between the two is going to come down to personal preference and need. LifeLock is likely better for a variety of families, while ID Watchdog may be a better choice for single people. It’s up to you to ultimately choose which product fits you best.

You can access your dashboard after logging in to your account on the LifeLock website. — LifeLock monitoring dashboard

Winner: ID Watchdog. Even though LifeLock offers more identity theft protection insurance, we like ID Watchdog’s inclusion of NordVPN and NordPass, which will help us save money on all three services combined.

Which is safer, LifeLock or ID Watchdog?

Both options are backed by trusted companies (Norton and Equifax) and share similar amounts of information. Either option is a good choice.


Two-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication
Collects data
Shares data with third parties
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get ID Watchdog Read ID Watchdog Review

Identity theft protection plans get access to a lot of your personal information. This is why it’s important to make sure that the plan you choose is keeping your data safe.

We were glad to see that both identity theft protection companies include two-factor authentication (2FA), but both failed to offer multi-factor authentication (MFA). Even without the MFA offering, you’re receiving an extra layer of protection from a service holding all of your information in its vaults.

While neither option is going to blast your data out to everyone with an internet connection, we were surprised to find that they still shared data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Winner: This is a tie. Both services are backed by reputable companies, and both unfortunately share information with their advertisers.

Which has better compatibility and customer support?

Thankfully both options offer 24/7 customer service, but LifeLock pulls out in front thanks to having additional ways available to contact the service team.

Platform	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Online guides, community forums, chat, phone	Online guides, phone, email
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get ID Watchdog Read ID Watchdog Review

If customer support options are important to you, then LifeLock is the better choice by far. While both services offer 24/7 support as well as compatibility on most major platforms, LifeLock offers community forums and chat options as well as self-help guides and phone support.

Community forums are a great resource tool because people can get granular in their experiences and answers to others’ questions. If you’re having a niche issue, someone has likely already encountered it. We also love a good chatbot for helping us narrow down exactly what we’re looking for without having to wait on hold.

Winner: LifeLock. Both services offer the same compatibility, but LifeLock offers more customer support options.

FAQs

Is there a better option than LifeLock?

We believe Aura identity theft protection is actually the best service out there. Aura offers a variety of features like parental controls, Safe Gaming with cyberbullying alerts, spam call and message protection, and device protection, just to name a few.

Aura’s prices are comparable to LifeLock’s first-year prices, but you can trial the product for 14 days before you decide to purchase. Overall, we feel Aura offers more for your money.

Is ID Watchdog worth it?

Yes, ID Watchdog is a good identity theft protection solution that works for certain people. While we don’t feel ID Watchdog is right for everyone, if the features and price points match what you’re looking for, then ID Watchdog is definitely a quality product worth getting.

Which is better, LifeLock or IDShield?

We found in our testing that LifeLock was the better product, especially for couples or families. It has a lot of options, which can work for someone looking for a specific set of features. IDShield, on the other hand, offers all of its features on both the individual and family plans, so there's less customization.

LifeLock vs. ID Watchdog: Which is better?

Overall, Norton LifeLock is the better option, especially if you're looking to cover your entire household for a good price. That said, ID Watchdog is still a good option that comes with bonuses like a free NordVPN and NordPass subscription.

If you’re looking for the best identity theft protection services, either option would definitely work, but we definitely lean towards LifeLock for more focused coverage.

No matter what you decide, you should definitely consider using identity theft protection. Identity theft can leave you with rippling repercussions for years, but the insurance and remediation you get from these services can help you clean it up quickly and without lingering issues.

Top alternatives

Identity theft losses can disrupt your life, destroy your credit, and even lead to legal issues. An identity theft protection service will help you rectify any issues that come up and restore your identity quickly and painlessly. If neither LifeLock nor ID Watchdog suits your needs, consider one of these alternatives:

Service
Individual monthly price	Starts at $14.95/mo	Starts at $9.00/mo (billed annually)	Starts at $14.99/mo
Family monthly price	Starts at $29.95/mo	Starts at $25.00/mo (billed annually)	-
ID theft insurance	Up to $3 million	Up to $1 million per adult	Up to $2 million
Credit monitoring
3-bureau credit reports
Details	Get IDShield Read Our IDShield Review	Get Aura Read Our Aura Review	Get Omniwatch Read Our Omniwatch Review

4.9

Editorial Rating

On LifeLock's website

Identity Protection

LifeLock

Up to 52% off first year when paid annually

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

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.