IDShield vs. LifeLock: How To Choose The Best One For You

IDShield vs. LifeLock: Head-to-Head Comparison

While IDShield and Norton LifeLock are both included on many lists citing the best identity theft protection services, there are unique distinctions between these platforms that you should be aware of when considering which provider is right for you.

The main differences between IDShield and LifeLock are that:

• IDShield heavily markets its full-service identity restoration services — including access to licensed private investigators, 24/7 support, and up to $3 million in identity theft insurance. By comparison, LifeLock doesn’t have private investigators but does include 24/7 member support.
• LifeLock advertises lower-priced plans but only provides critical features (such as Norton 360 and three-bureau credit monitoring) on its most expensive Ultimate Plus plan. IDShield includes common digital security tools like antivirus software and a password manager on its basic plans. 

The service you choose will ultimately depend on your specific situation, needs, and how much you trust the company with your sensitive data. 

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Here’s how IDShield and LifeLock compare:

Note: Companies often periodically change their plans, pricing, and features. While we try our best to share the most up-to-date information, data is only current to the publishing date. 

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

1. Extensive monitoring. Identity theft protection services differ in what and how much personal and financial information they track, as well as where they monitor for leaks or misuse (Dark Web, data breaches, public records, sex offender lists, etc.). The more coverage you have, the better chance you’ll have of catching identity theft early. 
2. Financial fraud alerts. Scammers almost always target victims for financial gain. Almost all services provide some form of credit monitoring, but the best ones track your credit report at all three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), as well as monitor your credit card, bank, and investment accounts. 
3. Proactive protection. In the past, traditional identity theft protection services only provided monitoring and alerts — but modern tools help prevent theft before it happens by offering phishing protection, spam call warnings, automatic data broker removal, and other more proactive features. 
4. Fast and actionable alerts. Speed counts when it comes to safeguarding your identity. The sooner you’re alerted to potential fraud, the faster you can act to shut down scammers. A 2020 report showed that 40% of account takeovers happen within a day of a criminal gaining access to the victim’s data [*].
5. Helpful resolution. If you are a victim of identity theft, you’ll want an identity protection provider that offers 24/7 support to help resolve the problem, along with insurance to cover eligible expenses and losses related to identity theft incidents.

IDShield Overview: Pros and Cons, Features, and Pricing

IDShield is an identity theft monitoring service owned and operated by LegalShield, an online prepaid legal platform. IDShield offers products for individuals and families, with a special emphasis on identity restoration and support. 

Every IDShield plan includes 24/7 emergency assistance with “guaranteed identity theft restoration.”

If you become the victim of identity theft, an IDShield Licensed Private Investigator will work with you to restore your identity to its pre-theft status. 

IDShield has no history of misconduct and has even won accolades — including Gold Winner status in the 2023 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards [*]. 

Standout features of IDShield include 24/7 identity monitoring protection, credit threat alerts, dedicated licensed private investigators, and guaranteed identity theft restoration services. The suits of cybersecurity tools — including a Virtual Private Network (VPN), password manager, and malware protection — can protect up to three devices on the Individual Plan, while the Family Plan protects up to 15 devices.

Here's a snapshot of IDShield's major pros and cons:

What do people say about IDShield?

On the third-party review site Trustpilot, one IDShield user praised the customer support: “IDShield was the first to contact me on a new threat from info found on the Dark Web & walked me through the simple steps to protect myself. The other agencies monitoring were both slower to advise & I couldn't talk to a person about my concerns.” [*] 

On the other hand, several people are unhappy with the app interface, including one customer who said: ”Very frustrating user experience for the website - forget the app, it's just basically a link to the website.” [*]

What you should know before signing up for IDShield

• Price: Individual plans start at $14.95/month (or $19.95/month for three-bureau credit monitoring). Family plans — with basic child monitoring — start at $29.95/month (or $34.95/month for three-bureau credit monitoring). 
• Best plan: At $19.95/month, the Individual plan with optional three-bureau credit monitoring provides a decent level of protection, when compared to alternatives like LifeLock, Aura, or Identity Guard.
• Why choose IDShield? If you are vulnerable to fraud and need hands-on support to recover, IDShield’s private investigator service will provide you with excellent support.
• Why avoid IDShield? Considering the feature limitations and added expenses for three-bureau monitoring, IDShield is not a great fit for families or anyone unwilling to spend extra for comprehensive coverage.

💡 Related: Is IDShield Worth It? What You Need To Know →

LifeLock Overview: Pros and Cons, Features, and Pricing

LifeLock is a well-established identity theft protection provider that monitors personal information, financial accounts, and credit scores for signs of identity theft. 

While LifeLock was one of the first providers to offer robust ID theft protection, the company’s reputation has taken significant hits over the years.

This includes a 2022 security incident compromised the passwords of nearly one million users [*], and incurring more than $100 million in fines by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for failing to protect customer data [*]. 

Standout features of LifeLock include Dark Web monitoring, privacy monitoring, as well as phone takeover monitoring. This helpful feature protects your smartphone and linked financial accounts if someone attempts a SIM swap scam.

If you purchase the Norton 360 add-on, you can also get digital security tools, including a password manager, VPN, and antivirus software. One big caveat is that three-bureau monitoring is only available on LifeLock Ultimate Plus — the most expensive plan that starts at $34.99/month [*]. 

Here's a snapshot of LifeLock’s major pros and cons:

What do people say about LifeLock?

Many customers complain about LifeLock’s level of support, including one customer who wrote: “The website claims to offer support access via 24-hour chat or a phone number. But in reality, neither is reachable from the website. Terrible customer support!” [*] 

Other users have complained about the complicated and confusing sign-up process with inconsistent pricing:

“I've been trying to sign up for LifeLock with an AARP discount. Norton's website is a mess — it gives options for the three tiers of LifeLock subscriptions, but only for individuals, not couples. I called their help center in India twice and kept getting prices that didn't line up with the web info or what I'd been told before.” [*] 

What you should know before signing up for LifeLock

• Price: LifeLock regularly changes its pricing structure and promotional offers, but typical plan prices range from $3.33/month for the barebones Identity Advisor plan to $19.99/month for the Ultimate Plus plan. These discounted prices are only for annual plans (you’ll pay $39.99 for Identity Advisor and $239.88 for Ultimate Plus upfront) and only apply for your first year as a customer.
• Best plan: If you pay annually, the mid-tier LifeLock Advantage plan is $14.99/month for the first year ($179.88 paid upon sign-up). This option gives individuals cost-effective access to industry-leading protection and key features, such as phone takeover monitoring and the TransUnion credit file lock — but only one-bureau credit monitoring.  
• Why choose LifeLock? If you trust LifeLock’s brand name and aren’t concerned with its previous security and data incidents, it can provide reliable service at a reasonable price — for your first year, at least. 
• Why avoid LifeLock? While LifeLock offers a generous discount for the first year, the subscription price increases when you renew. This increase makes LifeLock a much more expensive option in the long run than other alternatives.

💡 Related: Aura vs. LifeLock Rated and Reviewed: Which One Is Better? →

Is Aura Better Than Both IDShield and LifeLock?

While LifeLock and IDshield are good options for protection against identity thieves, scammers, and cybercriminals, they aren’t your only choices.  

Aura is an all-in-one digital security solution that combines award-winning identity theft protection, three-bureau credit monitoring, powerful digital security tools, and comprehensive fraud resolution support — all at an affordable price.

While Aura is a relatively new name in identity theft protection, it’s already been rated #1 by Forbes, Money.com, TechRadar, Security.org, and more. 

Here's a quick rundown of how Aura stacks up against IDShield and LifeLock:

Let’s take a closer look at the differences between the key protection and monitoring features of each of these three services.

Identity monitoring

While IDShield has private investigators, LifeLock advertises extensive threat scanning that scans “hundreds of millions of data points” every day to keep you informed about data leaks or at-risk personally identifiable information (PII) on the Dark Web.

However, Aura has won awards for its identity theft protection, which includes Dark Web monitoring and Social Security number (SSN) monitoring, as well as protection for personal data, bank accounts, home titles, and more. 

Where Aura has the edge is in its more comprehensive family protection that covers unlimited kids — even if plan members live in different households. This family protection is bolstered by award-winning parental controls powered by Circle.

Credit monitoring

IDShield and LifeLock only provide three-bureau credit monitoring on their higher-paid plans. You can get one-bureau monitoring on the lower-tier plans, but this leaves you open to the risk of missing critical notifications about changes to your other credit reports. 

By contrast, all Aura plans include 24/7 three-bureau credit monitoring with the industry’s fastest fraud alerts³. 

Aura also gives you access to monthly credit scores. This ensures that you have no blind spots to worry about and can get notified about early warning signs of identity theft or suspicious activity on your credit files.

Support and Insurance

The limited coverage for stolen funds on LifeLock’s more affordable plans may be an issue for some people. Also, customers on Trustpilot have shared mixed reports about the customer service provided by both IDShield [*] and LifeLock [*].  

All Aura plans include 24/7 access to U.S.-based support, as well as White Glove Fraud Resolution Specialists who can help you navigate issues with banks, vendors, and government agencies. Plus, every adult member is covered by $1 million in identity theft insurance (up to $5 million total for families).

Online Safety

IDShield includes a password manager, antivirus software, and a virtual private network (VPN) in its basic plans for protection against hacking and malware.

LifeLock, however, doesn’t include common digital security tools on its lower-priced plans — unless you pay extra for the Norton 360 add-on.

Aura includes proactive digital security tools on all plans, including powerful antivirus software, a secure password manager, military-grade VPN, phishing protection, parental controls, automatic data broker opt-outs, and online privacy tools for an unlimited number of devices on family plans. For even more protection, Aura also offers an optional AI-powered spam call and text blocker for your Android or iOS smartphones. 

Pricing

LifeLock imposes a significant price hike in the second year, while IDShield charges extra for essential features like three-bureau credit monitoring. When it comes to value for money, Aura easily outdoes both competitors on comparable plans — and is a much better value when you want to protect your entire family. 

All Aura premium plans offer a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee. You can test out all the premium features on the mobile app before committing to a paid subscription, and get a refund if you’re not happy after the first two months. 

Final Verdict: Aura Offers Peace of Mind at a Better Price

If you fall victim to identity theft, you could potentially lose your savings, credit standing, reputation, and months of your time trying to recover. Having a dedicated platform to watch your back is essential. 

Many people compare IDShield to LifeLock, looking for the best cybersecurity option — but neither offers the value for the money that Aura does. 

You’ll also get peace of mind knowing that Aura provides the most comprehensive protection to prevent you from falling victim and supports you with the best fraud recovery services and insurance coverage if disaster strikes. 

Keep your entire family safe from online threats. Try Aura free for 14 days.