Aura vs. LifeLock: What You Need To Know Before You Choose

Aura and LifeLock Head-to-Head: What You Need To Know

On the surface, Aura and LifeLock offer some of the most robust identity theft protection packages available, including identity and credit monitoring, 24/7 support, and a minimum of $1 million in identity theft insurance.

But while both services share common features, there are fundamental differences between their levels of service, plan options, and pricing that you should know about. 

The main difference between Aura and LifeLock is that:

• LifeLock advertises lower-priced plans, but only provides critical features (three-bureau credit monitoring, Norton 360 digital security tools, etc.) on its most expensive Ultimate Plus plan or with additional add-ons. LifeLock plans renew at prices up to 40–70% higher after your first year as a customer.
• Aura provides simpler plans for individuals, couples, and families, that all include the same high-level of features (the only exception is its family plan, which includes parental controls and child identity theft protection).

Here’s how Aura and LifeLock stack up:

How To Choose Which Identity Theft Protection Provider Is Right For You

To distinguish between LifeLock's and Aura's identity theft protection services, this guide focuses its comparison on five key areas: 

1. Extensive monitoring. Identity theft protection services provide different levels of monitoring that may include: public records, financial accounts, the Dark Web, and credit files from up to three bureaus. 
2. Proactive protection. Protection that prevents ID theft, fraud, and cyberattacks comes in the form of digital security tools like antivirus software, VPNs, parental controls, and Safe Browsing and Gaming features. 
3. Timely notifications. Quick alerts can prevent losses and improve the chances of a full recovery. Depending on the service, you may receive alerts for information leaks, account breaches, bank or credit fraud, and suspicious transactions. 
4. Reliable resolution support. Readily accessible fraud resolution support is crucial for identity fraud victims and may include insurance coverage and dedicated remediation specialists to communicate with financial institutions and credit bureaus on your behalf. 
5. Value for money. Identity theft protection packages vary by the number of perks and level of service provided. The lowest-priced packages often exclude useful services that could leave users exposed to threats. 

Aura Overview: Pros and Cons, Features, and Pricing

Founded in 2014, Aura has quickly become an industry leader in identity theft protection, thanks to its easy-to-use all-in-one solution. Aura is available on iOS and Android devices as well as desktops and most major browsers. 

Aura also owns Identity Guard — another top-rated identity theft protection solution that has been trusted by over 38 million Americans for more than 25 years.

Along with three-bureau credit monitoring (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) and the industry's fastest fraud alerts on all plans, Aura’s standout features include unusual transaction monitoring on bank accounts, advanced cybersecurity tools, and family plans offering award-winning parental controls.  

As of September 2024, Aura is rated the #1 identity theft protection solution by Forbes, Security.org, and TechRadar, while also coming out on top of many other LifeLock vs. Aura comparisons.

What’s included in Aura’s 14-day free trial?

Unlike LifeLock, every Aura plan comes with a fully featured 14-day free trial — giving you access to everything you would enjoy as a full-time member. Annual plans also come with a 60-day money-back guarantee to ensure that Aura is right for you.

In just two weeks of your free trial, you can use Aura to:

• Scan the Dark Web for your leaked personal data, including passwords and credit card numbers
• Remove malware and suspicious mobile apps by using the included antivirus software
• Clean up your online privacy and remove your personal information from data brokers
• Instantly lock your Experian credit file to protect against scams and fraud
• Encrypt your data and network connection when using public Wi-Fi or traveling
• Access your monthly credit scores and reports from all three bureaus
• Check public records, criminal convictions, and sex offender lists for your Social Security number (SSN), full name, and other information that could indicate your identity has been stolen
• Access 24/7 support from Aura’s team of U.S.-based customer support specialists

In just two weeks, you can vastly increase your digital security, improve your privacy, and make sure that you’re not a vulnerable target for identity thieves. Sign up for your free 14-day trial of Aura today →

LifeLock Overview: Pros and Cons, Features, and Pricing

LifeLock was founded in 2005, making it one of the oldest identity theft protection services on the market. Symantec, the creator of Norton Antivirus, acquired LifeLock in 2017 and changed its name to NortonLifeLock in 2019, and then Gen Digital Inc. in 2022.

Unlike Aura, LifeLock advertises tiered plan options, with a lower-priced basic plan offering very limited features. As the reviewers at Security.org write [*]:

“Once LifeLock’s one-year promotional period expires, prices go up significantly… The top-level plan for families with kids is $40.99 per month for the first year. It renews for $68.33 per month, a monthly increase of over $25.”

LifeLock’s Standard plan includes identity monitoring, one-bureau credit monitoring, and up to $1,050,000 in identity theft insurance. The caveat is that they offer up to $1 million for coverage for lawyers and experts collectively, and only up to $25,000 as reimbursement and expense compensation.

If you want features that are standard with Aura — including three-bureau credit monitoring, financial account monitoring, and up to $1 million in insurance coverage for stolen funds and expenses — you’ll need to upgrade to the Ultimate Plus plan with LifeLock at nearly triple the monthly price of the Standard plan.

For an additional fee, you can also add Norton 360 to your LifeLock subscription, which includes antivirus software, a VPN, parental controls, and Cloud file backups (Windows PC only). 

How to cancel your LifeLock subscription

If you’re a current LifeLock member and are ready to switch to Aura, here’s how to cancel your LifeLock subscription:

• Log in to your LifeLock account at https://memberportal.lifelock.com/ and select “Request Support” and then “Cancel.” 
• Alternatively, contact LifeLock support to request an account cancellation — especially if your account renewed automatically against your wishes.
• If you paid for bundled services (LifeLock + Norton 360), make sure that you’ve canceled all of your services. 
• For annual subscriptions, you’re eligible for a full refund within 60 days of starting your LifeLock membership or 60 days from your membership renewal, as per LifeLock’s refund policy. 
• For monthly subscriptions, you’re eligible for a full refund within 14 days of purchasing your membership.

Aura vs. LifeLock: In-Depth Feature Comparison

Aura is a strong contender for the top spot in this showdown. But the details matter when it comes to picking a service to protect your identity and finances. 

Here’s how Aura and LifeLock compare on each specific feature set:

Identity monitoring and protection

Both Aura and LifeLock include similar levels of identity monitoring that track your personally identifiable information (PII) and alert you if anything is found. Where they differ is in how much information they monitor and where they look for leaks.

Final verdict: Aura may provide more detailed alerts, while LifeLock monitors a slightly wider area.

Credit monitoring with all bureaus

Changes to your credit files can be among the earliest warning signs of identity theft. Aura provides three-bureau credit monitoring on all plans, while it’s only available on LifeLock’s more expensive Ultra Plus plan. 

Final verdict: Only LifeLock's most expensive plans can compete with Aura when it comes to credit monitoring.

Financial account monitoring and alerts

Financial account monitoring tracks activity in your linked bank accounts as well as your credit card, investment, and retirement savings accounts, and warns you if someone is trying to steal your money or use your identity to make transactions that don’t get reported to the credit bureaus — such as payday loans. 

Again, Aura includes financial account monitoring and alerts on all plans, while LifeLock reserves it for only higher-priced plans. 

Final verdict: Aura provides powerful financial account monitoring on all plans, whereas LifeLock provides limited monitoring on its Standard plans. 

Identity theft insurance

If your identity is stolen, getting your life back to normal can be expensive. Identity theft insurance provides the funds that you’ll need to pay for recovery and recoup what you’ve lost — including stolen funds, lawyer fees, child or elder care, and more. 

Both Aura and LifeLock offer at least $1 million in coverage — but differ in how those funds can be used.

Final verdict: LifeLock and Aura offer similar insurance policies, but the limited stolen funds coverage on LifeLock’s Standard plan may be an issue for some.

Customer support and fraud resolution 

Aura and LifeLock both advertise 24/7/365 support, plus White Glove remediation services for victims of fraud. 

The main difference is that all of Aura’s support agents are based in the United States, whereas many LifeLock customers have complained about hard-to-reach overseas agents and frequent misunderstandings. 

Here’s an example of what one LifeLock customer recently wrote on third-party review site Trustpilot:

"Interestingly, the only way I could speak with a human agent was by pretending to be a new customer interested in signing up. Once I explained I was an existing customer, I was once again directed to the same verification process and robot."

Compared to a similar review of Aura:

"I contacted Aura support and they put me through to Deijah in the White Glove support team. In less than an hour we had all my credit alert history verified, locked down, and extra steps in play with their team to monitor my action and activity for the next 90 days."

Final verdict: Customer service stands out as one of Aura's greatest strengths.

Digital security for proactive protection

Modern identity theft protection services focus on proactively protecting you against hacking and data leaks. 

With Aura, online security features come standard on all plans — including antivirus, VPN, and a password manager. With LifeLock, you’ll have to pay extra for a Norton 360 subscription to get any protection.

Final verdict: When paired with the Norton add-on, LifeLock offers comparable digital security to Aura — but at a price.

Phishing protection

Scams and scammers have become very convincing, which has resulted in fraud losses increasing by 14% between 2022 and 2023 [*]. Phishing protection prevents scammers from stealing your information (and money) by blocking malicious websites, phone calls, and intrusive site trackers. 

Final verdict: LifeLock offers phishing protection with Norton 360, while Aura makes it a priority across plans.  

Family safety and parental controls

Parental controls give parents peace of mind when their kids are online. These tools allow you to monitor your children's activity, control what they can access, and receive alerts about any concerning behavior. 

Both companies offer family plans that include some form of parental controls and child identity theft protection.

Final verdict: While Aura offers more robust parental controls and child safety features, LifeLock includes identity theft insurance coverage for children as well as adults. 

Online privacy 

Identity theft protection providers utilize various methods and tools to keep user data private, such as encrypting information with a VPN and helping users remove their personal information from data broker lists. 

Final verdict: Both providers include strong online privacy features, but Aura includes these with all plans, while LifeLock requires the Norton360 add-on to get these features. 

Device compatibility and ease of use

Identity theft protection is only powerful if people can use it properly. The most effective services run on many different devices and feature easy-to-use interfaces. 

Both Aura and LifeLock are available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices — however, some reviewers have complained that LifeLock’s dashboard is difficult to access [*].

📚 Related: The 6 Best Aura Alternatives Right Now (Ranked and Rated) →

Protecting your data

Identity monitoring services are only as secure as the company’s treatment of customer data. Aura and LifeLock both need to know your personal information in order to monitor it, but they protect it differently.

Final verdict: While both providers promote high-quality data protection services, LifeLock has a checkered history when it comes to user data. 

Pricing and plans

Identity theft protection isn't always cheap — so you want to make sure you’re getting the best value for your money. While LifeLock advertises lower prices than Aura with the LifeLock Standard plan, it quickly becomes the more expensive option when you opt for comparable tools. 

You should also be aware of LifeLock’s renewal pricing model — which sees service costs increase drastically after your first year as a customer. 

Here’s how the total cost of LifeLock and Aura compare for plans offering similar services:

Final verdict: LifeLock may seem like a more affordable option to begin with, but it quickly adds up when you try to get the same level of protection as provided by Aura. You can even save up to 68% on Aura when you sign up today.

Aura vs. LifeLock: Which service is better overall?

Choosing an identity protection provider is a personal decision that only you can make. But there are a few key factors to consider as you decide between Aura and LifeLock.

The main difference between Aura and LifeLock is that Aura offers a comprehensive, all-in-one solution, whereas LifeLock requires upgrades and add-ons to reach the same level of coverage. 

Aura also offers enhanced features where it matters most, including more robust identity theft and credit monitoring — along with faster alerts. 

Finally, you need a partner you can trust to protect your identity. LifeLock has been in trouble with the FTC in the past [*]. Aura, however, has been consistently rated by third parties as one of the best identity theft protection services.

Ready for ironclad digital security? Try Aura free for 14 days.