Identity Guard vs LifeLock: Which one is better?

Identity theft is one of the leading cybercrime methods that often affects the most vulnerable. According to the 2023 FBI Internet Crime Report, over 24% of all identity theft scams target individuals over 60, but it is also prevalent among teenagers.

Digital privacy issues are my area of expertise, so with the Cybernews research team's assistance, I have reviewed numerous identity theft protection services. LifeLock and Identity Guard both have over 20 years of cybersecurity experience, so I paid close attention to what they have to offer.

In this LifeLock vs Identity Guard comparison, I'll explore their numerous benefits and shortcomings. Below, you will find a general features overview and a closer look at their identity theft protection features, data monitoring options, additional cybersecurity tools, and pricing.

Overview of Identity Guard vs LifeLock

LifeLock by Norton was released in 2005. It focused on identity theft prevention but added a firewall, spam filtering, and phishing protection tools later on. In 2017, it was acquired by the renowned American software development company Symantec, which then merged with the Czech cybersecurity experts Avast to rebrand as Gen Digital. Visit my LifeLock review for more details.

While Identity Guard does not have just as impressive a corporate journey as LifeLock, it shows that brand name isn't everything. Identity Guard dates back to 1996 and merged with iSubscribed in 2019 to rebrand as Aura, our current top identity theft protection choice! My Identity Guard review has more information.

Evidently, these companies have separate histories, but let's see how they compare regarding identity theft protection.

Winner

Visit LifeLock

LifeLock outperforms Identity Guard in several essential categories, such as better identity theft insurance offering and a free password manager.

Features overview

An increasing number of identity theft cases is nothing short of alarming, so choosing a reliable protection tool is essential. Your chosen service should offer elaborate data monitoring and sufficient insurance policies but also provide additional cybersecurity benefits like a VPN. The following Identity Guard vs LifeLock chapter provides an in-depth comparison to help you choose.

Credit monitoring

Identity theft often results in financial fraud, so vigilant credit monitoring is an essential protection tool component. In the US, there are 3 major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. The best identity theft protection services must monitor all 3, but often, there are some strings attached.

Both LifeLock and Identity Guard offer 3 credit bureau monitoring on more expensive plans, that is, from the middle-tier subscriptions. However, LifeLock offers 1 bureau monitoring on its cheapest plan, while Identity Guard omits that at all, which is a significant disadvantage. Identity Guard reviews also pinpoint this as a palpable setback, as it makes the most affordable plan extremely limited.

I also recommend checking out Aura if credit monitoring is your top priority, as it monitors all 3 from the start. Drop by my Aura vs LifeLock review if you’re interested in learning more.

Dark Web monitoring

It is easier to buy stolen personal data than steal it from protected databases. Usually, such information is sold on the Dark Web on illegal black markets. The best identity theft protection services monitor the Dark Web for personal data leaks, like email, address, phone number, and other information.

LifeLock begins by scanning the Dark Web for email leaks and allows adding more criteria, like driver's license or bank account numbers, later on. During my test, it detected intentionally leaked information between 24 to 48 hours, which is an average response time. However, it detected all associated data leaks.

Similarly, Identity Guard also looks up named personal data units for leaks over the Dark Web. It also has a free email leak checkup on its website, but it's hardly an advantage as there are dozens of such tools. Overall, LifeLock vs Identity Guard Dark Web monitoring features are essentially identical.

Antivirus

The antivirus situation is tricky on both fronts. Firstly, neither Identity Guard nor LifeLock provide antivirus services on their identity theft protection plans. Although Identity Guard offers a Safe Browsing mode that offers limited phishing protection, it doesn't come close to fully-developed antivirus capabilities.

You can get an antivirus to supplement LifeLock's identity theft protection plans as a separate subscription. The Norton 360 with LifeLock is its feature-rich cybersecurity bundle that includes an antivirus. You can upgrade to Norton 360 with LifeLock to combine both services into 1.

This solution could be more straightforward, as LifeLock and Norton 360 with LifeLock use separate apps, so be sure to subscribe to the right plan. However, because Identity Guard does not offer an antivirus at all, LifeLock has the upper hand.

Social media review

I give bonus points to both services for providing social media monitoring. Social networks are filled with personal data, which can be used for identity fraud, so protecting it from unauthorized access or surveillance is paramount.

LifeLock monitors Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat accounts. It alerts you of changes to your account settings or infectious backlinks on the platform. What's more, you can set up child monitoring for cyberbullying, adult content, and even threatening TikTok challenges, which I think is vital to all concerned parents.

Similarly, the Identity Guard also monitors suspicious social media activity. After asking for access to chosen accounts, it will look for dubious account setting changes, suspicious and malicious posts, and check for account credential leaks. I haven't identified any significant differences between LifeLock and Identity Guard social media monitoring.

VPN

Similarly to antivirus, neither service includes a VPN in identity theft protection plans. While Identity Guard does not offer a VPN at all, you can get one on Norton 360 with the LifeLock bundle.

Although Norton VPN does not disclose the exact number of servers, according to numerous Norton and LifeLock reviews, it is somewhere between 500+ and a few thousand. The network size is sufficient, but it cannot keep up with the best VPN services that offer up to 10,000.

Furthermore, its servers are located in 29 countries, which is significantly more limited compared to NordVPN servers spread in 118 countries. On the other hand, Norton VPN also uses the industry standard AES-256 encryption and claims no-logs policies, which should be verified due to headquarters in the US.

Password manager

Both Identity Guard and LifeLock offer browser-based password managers with mobile apps. Although I find password manager browser extensions comfortable, I like having a stand-alone app desktop that is independent of browser vulnerabilities and offers advanced cybersecurity features, like NordPass XChaCha20 encryption.

Norton offers its password manager for free. I found it intuitive and easy to use with a password health checker, password generator, and form filling. Similarly, Identity Guard password manager also offers the same set of features, as there's no reinventing the wheel here. However, the Identity Guard password manager is only available on its identity theft protection bundle with no stand-alone or free version.

LifeLock wins the password manager competition, but I also recommend checking out our best password manager list for more options.

Winner

Visit LifeLock

LifeLock wins this section by providing an excellent antivirus, a decent VPN, and better credit bureau monitoring on the starter plan.

Pricing and plans

Identity theft protection, and cybersecurity in general, can get costly. However, the investment is way more affordable compared to potential losses, exceeding $4.6 billion in investment scam losses in the US in 2023 alone.

Although you should set a reasonable budget for your cyber safety, I also recommend carefully going over the required features to avoid overpaying. Take a look at a detailed LifeLock pricing and features vs Identity Guard comparison below.

At first glance, the pricing looks similar, but there's an important twist. LifeLock identity theft protection cost goes up after the first year, renewing at: $124.99/year for Standard, $239.88/year for Ultimate Plus, and $364.99/year for Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus. Meanwhile, Identity Guard plans renew at the same price.

As you can see from the table, their identity theft protection benefits are similar, except that Identity Guard lacks phone takeover protection. However, it also does not offer a VPN or an antivirus, which are available on Norton 360 with the LifeLock bundle. In other words, the additional $125/year comparing the most expensive plans is primarily for Norton VPN and antivirus.

Winner

Visit LifeLock

Although LifeLock is more expensive (especially after the 1st year discount), its robust cybersecurity benefits are well worth the reasonable price increase.

Identity Guard vs. LifeLock: interface and ease of use

The best identity theft protection services must be accessible to all. That is, even a person unfamiliar with such software should be able to use it efficiently to provide safety to as many people as possible. Let's see how LifeLock vs Identity Guard compares regarding user experience.

Desktop apps

Setting up both applications is straightforward. LifeLock starts with asking for personal details, like SSN, birth date, financial account information, etc. Identity Guard follows a similar path, also asking for this information from the get-go, which is the identity theft protection setup standard flow.

The Identity Guard dashboard is neatly organized with a selection menu on top. The app is filled with information, like credit score updates, suspicious transaction alerts, the overall risk management score, and more. I found the data abundant yet easily understandable. Identity Guard has a great TrustPilot score of 3.8, with a 71% of 4 and 5-star rating ratio.

I was skeptical about Norton's dual-app decision to separate Norton 360 with LifeLock app from the stand-alone LifeLock application. However, it might be as well to my habit of managing cybersecurity components from a single dashboard, as user LifeLock reviews are stellar.

LifeLock displays an option menu to the right and also shows various usage statistics, but less than Identity Guard. Although it has more additional features, I found the LifeLock layout more manageable. My experience is backed by an excellent LifeLock Trustpilot score of 4.7, with 87% of user reviews consisting of 4 and 5-star ratings.

Mobile apps

Smartphone protection is paramount as these devices are at hand most of the time. Both Identity Guard and LifeLock offer Android and iOS apps that are easy to use. Compared to the desktop version, the mobile apps, as expected, are more limited. For example, desktop apps have advanced cybersecurity settings customization.

Otherwise, both mobile apps were particularly easy to use. LifeLock is exceptionally user-friendly and feels smoother, but I had no issue managing real-time alerts or monitoring credit scores on Identity Guard as well. However, because Norton 360 with LifeLock adds a VPN and an antivirus, it wins this round also.

Identity Guard vs. Lifelock: customer service

Regarding identity theft protection, responsive and professional customer service can make a huge difference. Let's see available LifeLock and Identity Guard customer support options.

LifeLock is a clear winner of this section as it provides 24/7 live chat customer support that Identity Guard lacks. Both services have dropped the email contact option, but provide a US phone number to contact them at all times. However, I consider the lack of live chat option a significant setback as it is a much better channel for casual consultations and short queries.

Winner

Visit LifeLock

LifeLock has better customer support availability as it provides a 24/7 live chat option, which is perfect for casual identity theft queries.

Our testing methodology

Together with the Cybernews research crew, we established transparent identity theft protection software testing guidelines. Here's a short breakdown of what I considered to prepare an informative LifeLock vs Identity Guard review.

• Credit bureau monitoring: this feature is at the core of identity theft protection to prevent identity fraud in action. Verifying LifeLock and Identity Guard 3 credit bureau reporting was my first step.
• Cybersecurity features: I studied both services' additional cybersecurity benefits, like VPN and password manager, closely to understand the overall digital protection width.
• Personal data monitoring: The Cybernews team helped me test the monitoring options by intentionally leaking selected personal data online, marking down the response time, and monitoring success rates.
• Price-value ratio: I have compared the initial cost for available identity theft protection plans but also looked for additional features, like the Norton 360 bundle. Additional features take precedence over reasonable price increases.

Identity Guard vs. LifeLock: which is right for you?

Both LifeLock and Identity Guard offer efficient identity theft protection plans. They provide elaborate personal data monitoring, Dark Web lookup, good insurance policies, and valuable social media reviews.

However, LifeLock outperformed Identity Guard every step of the way, although sometimes by a close margin. Firstly, this service offers credit bureau monitoring from the very start, while the Identity Guard basic plan does not monitor it at all. Norton 360 bundle also provides an antivirus and a VPN, which are essential for all-encompassing online safety.

On the other hand, Identity Guard is more affordable and does not increase its price after the first year. It might be your priority if you require only identity theft protection without additional cybersecurity tools. In the end, I recommend LifeLock as a reasonable price increase is worth a more elaborate cybersafety bundle.

FAQ