Start with the free steps: freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, check your reports weekly at AnnualCreditReport.com, and use IdentityTheft.gov if your identity is stolen. If you want a paid service, Aura is our top pick for three-bureau monitoring on every plan from $12 a month billed yearly, LifeLock Total has the highest stolen funds coverage, and Zander is the cheapest at $6.75 a month. Choose by how many bureaus a plan watches and how much stolen money it will repay.
Identity theft protection services watch your credit and personal data, alert you to signs of misuse and help you recover if it happens. We compared plans from Aura, LifeLock, IDShield, Identity Guard and Zander.
The biggest differences are how many credit bureaus a plan monitors, whether it repays stolen money or only recovery costs, and how the price changes at renewal. Several of the cheapest plans skip credit monitoring entirely.
Below you will find the free protections to set up first, each pick with its listed terms and weak spots, and the regulator actions worth knowing before you buy.
Company reviews
People with large bank, brokerage or retirement balances who want the highest stolen funds reimbursement and are willing to pay for it.: LifeLock
Why we picked it. LifeLock, owned by Gen Digital (Norton), sells three identity plans from $124.99 a year: Core, Advanced and Total, with up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement on Total.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement on Total, the highest we found
- Scam reimbursement on Advanced and Total
- Investment and 401(k) account alerts on higher plans
- Owned by a large public company with an A+ BBB rating
- 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans
Cons
- Core monitors only 2 credit bureaus
- Total costs $349.99 a year for one adult
- Scam reimbursement not available in New York
- $112 million in FTC settlements in 2010 and 2015
- Auto-renewal can charge up to 35 days before the term ends
People who want hands-on identity restoration by a licensed investigator and a single plan with every feature included.: IDShield
Why we picked it. IDShield, from LegalShield's parent Pre-Paid Legal Services, costs $14.95 a month with one-bureau monitoring or $19.95 with three. Licensed private investigators handle restoration.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Licensed private investigators handle restoration
- Every plan has the same features; you only choose 1 or 3 bureaus
- Up to $3 million identity fraud protection plan
- VPN, password manager and malware protection included
- 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot
Cons
- Cheaper plans monitor Experian only
- No published money-back guarantee
- Cancellations must be in writing; annual plans lock you in for 12 months
- Family plan covers one other adult, not several
- Often sold by independent associates in an MLM model
Households that want identity and 3-bureau credit monitoring for several adults on one plan and will watch the renewal price.: Identity Guard
- 3-bureau credit monitoring
- Total and Ultra only; Value has none
Why we picked it. Identity Guard, owned by Aura, sells Value, Total and Ultra plans from $7.50 a month billed yearly. First-year prices rise at renewal, and the cheapest plan has no credit monitoring.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Family plans cover up to 5 adults and unlimited kids
- Low entry price on the Value plan
- 3-bureau monitoring and an Experian credit lock on Total and Ultra
- 60-day refund on annual plans bought directly
- Up to $5 million of insurance on Ultra
Cons
- Value plan has no credit monitoring at all
- Annual plans renew at higher prices after the first year
- Credit lock covers Experian only
- White glove fraud remediation only on Ultra
- Trustpilot score of 3.1 with billing and cancellation complaints
Show all 5 picks2 more, ranked 4 to 5
Families or couples who want credit monitoring at all three bureaus, insurance and device security tools in one subscription.: Aura
Why we picked it. Aura is a Boston identity theft protection service with 3-bureau credit monitoring on every adult plan from $12 a month billed yearly. We checked its prices, refunds, ratings and March 2026 breach.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Monitors all three credit bureaus on every adult plan, starting at $12 a month billed yearly
- $1 million of identity theft insurance per adult, from an Assurant insurer
- Antivirus, VPN, password manager and data broker removal included
- 14-day free trial and a 60-day refund on annual plans
- A+ BBB rating and 4.6 to 4.7 star app ratings
Cons
- Built-in credit lock covers Experian only, not Equifax or TransUnion
- Renewal prices aren't listed on the pricing page
- Monthly plans and third-party purchases get no refund
- March 2026 breach exposed about 900,000 records, mostly marketing contacts
- 199 BBB complaints in three years, many about billing and cancellation
Budget-minded people who will freeze their own credit and mainly want restoration help and reimbursement if identity theft happens.: Zander Insurance
Why we picked it. Zander Identity Theft Solutions costs $6.75 a month or $75 a year, with unlimited recovery help and up to $1 million in reimbursement, but no credit bureau monitoring.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Lowest price we compared: $6.75 a month or $75 a year
- Unlimited recovery help from a U.S.-based team, 24/7
- Up to $1 million reimbursement per member from an Assurant insurer
- Family plan covers any 2 adults and up to 10 children
- Annual plans refundable pro rata
Cons
- No credit bureau monitoring on any plan
- Reimbursement excludes scam losses and events before you enrolled
- No refund on monthly plans
- Some customers report unwanted sales calls and texts
- Few public reviews of the identity theft plan itself
Free identity theft protection to use first
The most effective protections are free and take about 30 minutes to set up.
- Freeze your credit at all three bureaus. A credit freeze is free, lasts until you lift it and stops most new credit from being opened in your name. You must contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion separately. Parents can also freeze credit for children under 16 for free.
- Check your credit reports. AnnualCreditReport.com lets you check your report from each bureau once a week for free, a program the bureaus have permanently extended.
- Place a fraud alert if you are at risk. An initial fraud alert is free, lasts one year and only needs one bureau, which must tell the other two. Identity theft victims can get a free extended alert that lasts seven years.
- Use IdentityTheft.gov if it happens. The FTC’s site gives you a free personal recovery plan with next steps.
A paid service makes sense if you want alerts across many accounts, someone to handle recovery for you, or reimbursement for losses.
How much identity theft protection costs
For one adult, the plans we compared start at $6.75 a month (Zander) and run to $34.99 a month (LifeLock Total), as listed October 2026. Three-bureau credit monitoring starts at $12 a month billed yearly (Aura).
| Service |
Cheapest plan |
Cheapest 3-bureau plan |
| Aura |
$12 a month, yearly |
$12 a month, yearly |
| LifeLock |
$10.42 a month, yearly |
$16.67 a month, yearly |
| IDShield |
$14.95 a month |
$19.95 a month |
| Identity Guard |
$7.50 a month, yearly |
$16.67 a month, yearly |
| Zander |
$6.75 a month |
None listed |
Annual billing saves money at Aura, LifeLock and Identity Guard, and their 60-day refunds apply only to annual plans. Identity Guard’s first-year annual price rises at renewal, so check the renewal line before you pay.
How to choose an identity theft protection service
- Decide if you need credit monitoring. If your credit is frozen, new-account alerts matter less. If you keep it unfrozen to apply for loans, choose a plan that watches all three bureaus.
- Check which bureaus each tier covers. LifeLock Core covers 2 bureaus, IDShield’s base plan covers 1, and Identity Guard Value and Zander list none.
- Read the stolen funds limit, not just the headline. A $1 million figure often bundles expenses, lawyers and lost wages. LifeLock lists stolen funds separately: $25,000, $100,000 or $1 million by plan.
- Count the people you need to cover. Family plans differ: Aura and Identity Guard cover up to 5 adults, Zander covers any two adults and IDShield covers you, a spouse or partner and dependents under 18.
- Prefer an annual plan with a refund window. Aura, LifeLock and Identity Guard refund annual plans within 60 days.
What identity theft insurance does and does not cover
Identity theft insurance usually reimburses the costs of reclaiming your identity, such as lost wages, legal fees and document costs. The FTC notes that this insurance generally will not reimburse money scammers stole from you, and that monitoring services will not alert you to every kind of theft, such as a withdrawal from your bank account or a tax return filed with your Social Security number.
Some services now add stolen funds coverage. LifeLock lists it on every plan with limits from $25,000 to $1 million. Zander’s coverage is an administrative services contract with reimbursement benefits rather than an insurance policy. Coverage is subject to each plan’s terms, and LifeLock notes different benefits for New York residents.
Red flags and regulator actions
- Promises of total protection. In 2010, LifeLock paid $12 million ($11 million to the FTC and $1 million to 35 states) to settle charges that it falsely claimed its service prevented identity theft. The FTC said its fraud alerts only addressed new-account fraud.
- Broken promises after a settlement. In 2015, LifeLock paid $100 million to settle FTC charges that it violated the 2010 order, including failing to secure members’ data and falsely advertising that it sent alerts immediately.
- Headline coverage that hides low limits. Look for the separate stolen funds figure.
- Cheap first-year prices. Check the renewal price before you buy an annual plan.
- Paying for what is free. No service can freeze your credit in a way you cannot do yourself at no cost.
Terms to know
- Credit freeze
- A free block that stops credit bureaus from sharing your report with most new lenders until you lift it.
- Fraud alert
- A free note on your credit file that tells lenders to verify your identity before opening credit.
- Three-bureau monitoring
- Alerts for changes at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, the three nationwide credit bureaus.
- Stolen funds reimbursement
- Coverage that repays money taken from your accounts, separate from recovery expenses.
- Dark web monitoring
- Scans of criminal marketplaces and breach data for your email, Social Security number or account numbers.
- Identity restoration
- Help from a case manager or investigator to fix accounts and records after identity theft.
