LifeLock vs. IdentityIQ 2024: Which Service Provides Better Protection?

LifeLock and IdentityIQ are top identity theft protection services with features like identity and credit monitoring and insurance coverage, but only one can be the winner of this head-to-head matchup: IdentityIQ.

LifeLock is one of the original identity theft protection services, with its extensive $3 million in insurance coverage from the Ultimate Plus plan. Comparatively, IdentityIQ offers a smaller range of monitoring features but provides access to monthly credit reports through its Secure Max plan.

Keep reading to discover how each service stacks up in this LifeLock vs. IdentityIQ comparison.

LifeLock vs. IdentityIQ review at a glance

Both LifeLock and IdentityIQ can help protect you from identity theft losses. However, LifeLock provides a more comprehensive package, while IdentityIQ has more affordable pricing.

• LifeLock: Best for comprehensive protection
• IdentityIQ: Best budget-friendly service

LifeLock vs. IdentityIQ compared

Star rating	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.	4.0 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	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr	$5.94–$29.99/mo
Types of monitoring	Identity and SSN, dark web, phone takeover, home title, social media	SSN, fraud, dark web and internet, change of address
Credit monitoring
Identity theft insurance	Up to $3 million	Up to $1 million
Identity restoration services
24/7 customer support
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get IdentityIQ Read IdentityIQ Review

LifeLock offers monitoring services for individuals and couples. It provides alerts on any suspicious activity from your social media accounts, financial institutions, home titles and other areas.

If you discover your identity has been stolen, LifeLock offers between $1.05 and $3 million in identity theft restoration insurance and stolen funds reimbursement depending on your plan tier. It also has U.S.-based restoration specialists to assist with identity theft complications.

While LifeLock provides many valuable features, it can be expensive, especially for the Ultimate Plus plans with more features or if you’re protecting multiple people.

Comparatively, IdentityIQ’s plans are generally more affordable but don’t have as many monitoring services. Its notifications are similar to LifeLock’s, and its Secure Max plan offers monthly access to credit reports, scores, and a credit score simulator.

Still, IdentityIQ doesn’t monitor home titles, social media accounts, or phone takeover schemes. It also only offers up to $1 million in identity theft restoration insurance.

LifeLock pros and cons

IdentityIQ pros and cons

Which identity theft protection is the better value?

		Our Pick
Paid annually	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr	$5.94–$29.99/mo
Paid monthly	$11.99-$79.99/mo	$9.99-$29.99/mo
Best value plan	LifeLock Standard for $7.50/mo (billed annually) for first year	IdentityIQ Secure for $5.94/mo (billed annually)
Identity theft insurance	Up to $3 million	Up to $1 million
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get IdentityIQ Read IdentityIQ Review

LifeLock plans

LifeLock is considered one of the best identity theft protection services available. It provides extensive monitoring and restoration access but can be expensive, and prices typically increase dramatically after the first year of service.

LifeLock has three membership plan levels with various features:

• Standard: LifeLock Standard provides basic identity monitoring, like Social Security number (SSN) monitoring, and includes credit monitoring with one credit bureau. It offers up to $1 million in insurance coverage with assistance from lawyers or other experts and up to $25,000 each for personal costs and stolen funds reimbursement.
• Advantage: LifeLock Advantage adds features including credit file lock, phone takeover monitoring, and alerts on crimes in your name. You’ll also get monthly credit scores from one bureau and up to $1.2 million in insurance coverage.
• Ultimate Plus: The Ultimate Plus plan provides the most extensive monitoring services. Among its features are three-bureau credit, home title, and investment account monitoring. It also increases insurance coverage to a total of $3 million.
• Family plans: LifeLock also offers family plans for two adults as well as plans for two adults and up to five children for an additional cost. These plans include the features mentioned above but also provide an option to add Norton 360 antivirus software and a virtual private network (VPN) for multiple devices.

LifeLock offers a free 30-day trial when you sign up for one of its plans, although you must provide a credit card at the time of initial sign-up.

If you find that LifeLock isn’t right for you, the company offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on its monthly memberships and a 60-day money-back guarantee on its annual memberships. Just be sure that you cancel within the stated time frame.

IdentityIQ plans

IdentityIQ offers four membership plans for individuals. Once you’ve completed signing up, you’ll be given the option to protect a spouse or children for an additional cost.

IdentityIQ’s plans include:

• Secure: This basic plan provides up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement, and alerts if your SSN, address, or other personal information appears online. It also offers daily monitoring from one credit bureau.
• Secure Plus: The plan also includes $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement, plus annual access to your credit report and score.
• Secure Pro: Provides access to your credit report and score every six months, enhanced credit monitoring, and alerts if crimes are committed in your name.
• Secure Max: The highest tier includes access to a credit score simulator and fraud restoration services. It also offers up to $25,000 in ID theft insurance for family members.
• Add-ons: VPN and antivirus software through Bitdefender can be added to any plan for an additional charge. These add-ons include advanced parental controls, VPN for up to 10 devices, antivirus and antispyware, and a password manager.

IdentityIQ offers a seven-day trial for $1 when you first sign up, and you’ll need to provide credit card information.

IdentityIQ doesn’t advertise a money-back guarantee, but you can cancel the service anytime by calling IdentityIQ customer service or from within your dashboard under Manage Your Plan.

Which identity theft protection has the better features?

		Our Pick
Credit monitoring
Financial activity alerts
3-bureau credit reports	Available with Ultimate Plus	Available with Secure Max
Credit score
FICO 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 IdentityIQ Read IdentityIQ Review

LifeLock Ultimate Plus provides many notifications to help you catch problems quickly. However, if you don’t own a home or investment accounts, you might end up paying for services that aren’t of use to you.

With LifeLock Advantage, you can lock (or freeze) your TransUnion credit report directly, which can help you save a little time. However, you must still lock your credit reports directly with the other two bureaus: Experian and Equifax. IdentityIQ doesn’t offer this feature with any bureau.

Comparatively, IdentityIQ’s Secure Pro and Secure Max plans have data breach and identity theft monitoring notifications, but the key feature is monitoring your credit reports and score with all three bureaus. LifeLock provides monitoring for all three bureaus only with the Ultimate Plus plan.

While you can request your credit report for free every week through annualcreditreport.com, using IdentityIQ can help you save time and hassle by viewing all three on one platform and getting alerts to changes.

Which identity theft protection is more secure?

Online security is vital, especially when it comes to your personal information. To ensure your data is as safe as possible, we look for features like two-factor or multi-factor authentication, the type of data collected, and how a company uses your data.

While it’s normal for a site to collect some data for administrative purposes, recurring payments, and, in this case, fraud monitoring, be wary of companies that keep extensive records of your personal information.

It's also important to note that while both companies monitor various aspects of your online life, no identity theft protection service can catch all instances of fraud. To protect yourself, maintain good cyber habits like using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication when available.

LifeLock vs. IdentityIQ data security

	Our Pick
Two-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication
Collects data		Minimal
Shares data with third parties
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get IdentityIQ Read IdentityIQ Review

LifeLock uses two-factor authentication, an added safety feature that can help protect you and your data from hackers. IdentityIQ requests your login information, password, and the last four digits of your SSN to complete your login.

According to their online privacy policies, LifeLock and IdentityIQ collect your information for internal and third-party use. Both policies state that customer data is used for monitoring and administrative purposes. However, each company also shares your information with third parties for various reasons, such as third-party monitoring, marketing, and payment processing, among other activities.

Which identity theft protection has the better compatibility and customer support?

	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Phone, live chat, online guides	Phone, online guides
Learn more	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review	Get IdentityIQ Read IdentityIQ Review

LifeLock and IdentityIQ are available on a desktop computer or via an iOS or Android app. Both are relatively easy to set up. You must provide your full name, address, SSN, and billing information for monitoring.

Once you’ve completed setup, LifeLock and IdentityIQ will ask if you want to add various features for an additional cost, such as adding family members, utility accounts to your credit report, or antivirus software.

IdentityIQ customer service is available only by phone, Monday through Saturday, during standard business hours. On the other hand, LifeLock offers 24/7 customer service via phone and live chat. Both services do provide online guides for you to learn more about identity theft protection or for troubleshooting.

FAQs

LifeLock vs. IdentityIQ: Which is better?

There is little doubt that having identity theft protection is worth it, and in this comparison, IdentityIQ comes out on top. LifeLock can monitor almost every area of your life, but it’s more expensive than other companies and provides only limited access to your credit report. 

However, Norton's 24/7 customer service and identity restoration services make it stand out, and its various monitoring services can help you catch problems early.

IdentityIQ offers three-bureau monitoring and scores with every plan. You won’t receive these features with LifeLock unless you opt for the highest tier.

Due to this, IdentityIQ is likely a better fit for most people unless you need the extra identity theft insurance and are willing to pay for it. While IdentityIQ’s customer service is lacking, its features are geared more toward everyday identity protection and management versus LifeLock’s more expensive coverage.

LifeLock vs. IdentityIQ alternatives

If neither LifeLock nor IdentityIQ meets your needs, don’t worry. There are a lot of other identity theft companies available, including:

• Aura: Aura is a low-cost alternative to both LifeLock and IdentityIQ and has many of the same features. It starts at $9.00/mo (billed annually) and offers plans for individuals, couples, and families. Features include up to $1 million in identity theft insurance per person, three-bureau credit monitoring, spam list removal, and more across all plans.

  Get Aura | Read Our Aura Review

• IDShield: If you’re looking for simplicity, IDShield offers just two types of accounts: individual and family. Its plans provide access to one or all three credit bureaus and cover identity protection, restoration, and financial monitoring. It also provides a VPN, device protection, and malware or ransomware protection as standard features — not for an additional cost, like LifeLock and IdentityIQ.

  Get IDShield | Read Our IDShield Review

• Identity Guard: Like LifeLock and IdentityIQ, Identity Guard offers three membership plans for individuals and families. However, unlike the other services, Identity Guard protects up to five adults and unlimited children for a low starting cost of $8.99/mo.

  Get Identity Guard | Read Our Identity Guard Review