LifeLock alternatives: 5 better identity theft services (2025 review)
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Norton’s LifeLock has long been the go-to option for identity protection with great reimbursement rates and financial monitoring. It also has around-the-clock support, three optional plans with distinct features, and custom alerts on SSN and credit fraud.
Still, its pricing is a bit on the higher side, and there are options with far greater insurance coverage. Options like NordProtect, Aura, and IDShield all have far more convenient pricing plans, while still offering most of the features.
In this article, I’ll break down the selected alternatives through a meticulous ranking methodology crafted with the help of my fellow Cybernews experts. I’ll discuss the pricing, features, and security details to help you decide.
Our top picks for LifeLock alternatives
- NordProtect – best overall LifeLock alternative on the market
- Aura – feature-rich alternative to LifeLock
- IDShield – reliable LifeLock alternative with a private investigator
- IdentityForce – LifeLock alternative for TransUnion customers
- Identity Guard – budget-friendly alternative to LifeLock
Our team combines cybersecurity experts and consumer protection specialists who rigorously test each identity theft protection service. All findings undergo verification from our fraud prevention experts to ensure accuracy and relevance. We maintain complete transparency about our testing methodology and regularly update our reviews as services evolve or when new threats emerge. Our testing includes a detailed examination of monitoring capabilities, alert systems, and recovery services across multiple scenarios. Learn more about our testing process.
Comparison of LifeLock vs alternatives
To see how LifeLock stacks up against other identity theft protection services, I researched its features, pricing, and monitoring capabilities side by side with alternatives. The key differences come down to cybersecurity extras and overall value. Check out how LifeLock compares to its strongest contenders:
| Identity theft protection services | 1st year price | Renewal price | Online data monitoring | Credit monitoring | Insurance cap |
| LifeLock by Norton | $7.50/month | From $49.99 to $249.99 | ✅ Yes | Up to 3 bureaus | Up to $1 million |
| NordProtect | $5.49/month | Starting from $5.49/month | ✅ Yes | 1 bureau | Up to $1 million |
| Aura | $10.00/month | Starting from $10.00/month | ✅ Yes | 3 bureaus | Up to $1 million |
| IDShield | $14.95/month | Starting from $124.99/year | ✅ Yes | Up to 3 bureaus | Up to $3 million |
| IdentityForce | $19.90/month | Starting from $19.90/month | ✅ Yes | 3 bureaus as an additional service | Up to $2 million |
| Identity Guard | $7.50/month | Starting from $107.88/year | ✅ Yes | 3 bureaus | Up to $1 million |
LifeLock alternatives
Below, I have gathered 5 LifeLock alternatives that add improvements or offer a different cybersecurity focus. Let's see what is better than LifeLock and how the following services enhance your digital identity protection.
1. NordProtect – best overall alternative to LifeLock in 2025
| Dark Web monitoring: | Yes |
| Credit monitoring: | Yes, 1 credit bureau |
| Insurance coverage: | Up to $1 million |
| Free trial: | 30-day money-back guarantee only |
| Price starts from: | $7.49/month |
| Identity restoration: | Dedicated manager assistance |
| Customer support: | Email, help center |
NordProtect offers strong identity theft protection and fast alerts, which is the main reason why I listed NordProtect as the best overall alternative for LifeLock.
During my research, I noticed that NordProtect and LifeLock both offer credit monitoring, but LifeLock reserves it for its highest-tier subscription. Also, I found NordProtect’s dark web monitoring to be significantly faster. In my tests, it flagged compromised data in minutes, while LifeLock sometimes took hours to issue an alert.
Another area where NordProtect stood out for me was its usability. It has a single dashboard interface that makes managing alerts, credit reports, and security settings effortless. In my opinion, LifeLock’s split setup between identity protection and Norton tools adds unnecessary complexity.
NordProtect evaluation showed me it does everything LifeLock does – only faster, more efficiently, and without hidden costs. If you’re looking for an all-in-one identity protection solution, NordProtect is a solid alternative.
2. Aura – feature-rich LifeLock alternative
| Dark Web monitoring: | Yes |
| Credit monitoring: | Yes, 3 major credit bureaus |
| Insurance coverage: | Up to $1 million per adult |
| Free trial: | 14-day free trial |
| Price starts from: | $10.00/month |
| Identity restoration: | White Glove Fraud Resolution |
| Customer support: | Phone number, live chat, email, online knowledge base |
Aura is one of those LifeLock competitors that is hard to distinguish at first glance. They share the 2nd and 3rd spots in our best identity protection service list and offer a broad spectrum of cybersecurity benefits.
Both Aura and LifeLock offer 3 major credit bureau monitoring but Aura includes it in all plans. LifeLock monitors 1 bureau on Standard and all 3 on Ultimate Plus subscriptions. Both services also assist with credit lock in case of identity theft.
Aura is a more family-friendly service that offers Safe Gaming mode, parental controls, and a plan explicitly dedicated to children's protection. LifeLock lacks these features but offers social media monitoring instead.
During my Aura vs LifeLock comparison, Aura had a much better Dark Web monitoring response rate. It's also worth noting that both services monitor various data types, including driver's licenses, but faster alerts are a significant Aura's advantage.
Different pricing models also set these services apart. Aura includes additional tools like VPN and antivirus on all plans; meanwhile, you will have to buy a pricier Norton 360 with a LifeLock bundle to get all these benefits.
To summarize, Aura is similar to LifeLock but is more family-friendly and accessible. Aura also offers much broader tri-merge credit report coverage, with the report price included in all plans. For the sake of comparison, LifeLock only has it in the premium one. Aura also offers far better bundles at fairer price rates, including everything from Dark Web monitoring to lost wallet remediation and home and auto title monitoring.
3. IDShield – LifeLock alternative with a private investigator
| Dark Web monitoring: | Yes |
| Credit monitoring: | Yes, 1 or 3 bureau monitoring |
| Insurance coverage: | Up to $3 million in identity fraud protection |
| Free trial: | 30-day free trial |
| Price starts from: | $14.95/month |
| Identity restoration: | Assigns a licensed private investigator |
| Customer support: | Phone number, live chat, email, online knowledge base |
Like LifeLock, IDShield offers elaborate personal data monitoring. Both services scout the Dark Web and provide plans for 1 or all 3 credit bureau monitoring. However, IDShield also checks court and public records and offers some child safety features that LifeLock lacks.
Similarly to Aura, IDShield also encompasses its many features into simplistic payment plans. It lets you choose between Individual and Family plans, and all of them have VPN, password manager, and antivirus software. Although Norton also offers these benefits, the purchase process is more complicated.
This LifeLock alternative also has a different approach towards stolen identity restoration. IDShield offers a trained and licensed private investigator assistant who will deal with credit bureaus and law enforcement agencies and provide an identity restoration plan. LifeLock assigns a dedicated restoration specialist who performs similarly, but IDShield's approach feels more personal.
Ultimately, IDShield offers an equally comprehensive solution across all plans, comparable to LifeLock’s premium tier. It also provides higher insurance coverage of up to $3 million in the event of identity fraud or theft, as well as affordable family plans starting at $29.95/month. Additionally, I preferred their app due to its highly intuitive layout.
4. IdentityForce – alternative to LifeLock for TransUnion customers
| Dark Web monitoring: | Yes |
| Credit monitoring: | 3 bureaus as an additional service |
| Insurance coverage: | Up to $2 million |
| Free trial: | 30-day UltraSecure plan free trial |
| Price starts from: | $19.90/month |
| Identity restoration: | Dedicated restoration specialist |
| Customer support: | Phone number, email, online knowledge base |
I recommend IdentityForce as a Norton LifeLock alternative for users that use TransUnion as its primary, or the only, credit bureau. TransUnion purchased this service in 2021 and added identity theft protection to its services.
IdentityForce offers 2 plans: UltraSecure Individual and UltraSecure+Credit Individual. Only the latter offers 3 credit bureau monitoring, and the former focuses on digital personal information safety. However, IdentityForce offers advanced credit fraud monitoring from the get-go, while LifeLock requires above Standard subscription for that.
Both services offer good personal data monitoring options. For example, both look for 401(k) and similar frauds. IdentityForce is better than LifeLock regarding criminal activity alerts because it also checks court records, does sex offender monitoring, and offers child credit monitoring.
LifeLock and IdentityForce assign a dedicated restoration specialist in case of identity theft. Simultaneously, both provide lost wallet protection, so their professional support is alike. However, IdentityForce needs to catch up regarding additional features like VPN, which is only available for mobiles.
To summarize, this LifeLock alternative excels at credit monitoring (especially TransUnion) but falls behind in additional cybersecurity features. It still makes for a great substitute in terms of ID fraud alerts, stolen funds replacement, and fully covered identity restoration. Plus, it has a few standout features that LifeLock simply doesn’t provide, like medical ID fraud protection.
5. Identity Guard – inexpensive alternative to LifeLock
| Dark Web monitoring: | Yes |
| Credit monitoring: | 3 bureaus on higher tier plans |
| Insurance coverage: | Up to $1 million in identity theft insurance |
| Free trial: | No |
| Price starts from: | $7.50/month |
| Identity restoration: | White Glove Fraud Resolution |
| Customer support: | Phone number, email, online knowledge base |
You may notice Identity Guard's similarities to Aura. That's because this alternative to LifeLock has merged with Aura, so they offer overlapping benefits, like the White Glove Fraud Resolution specialists.
In turn, this service is not that different from LifeLock. For example, both offer 3 credit bureau monitoring only on more expensive plans; both offer social media and 401(k) investment monitoring, monthly credit score assessment, and Dark Web lookup. One of the few differences I found is that Identity Guard offers criminal and sex offender records lookup and USPS address change monitoring.
The starting features and additional cybersecurity tools are what set these two identity theft protection services apart. Although both start from the same price, Identity Guard includes safe browsing and password management tools from the start but offers no bureau monitoring. LifeLock, on the other hand, includes 1 bureau monitoring, but additional cybersecurity tools come with a more expensive Norton 360 bundle.
To summarize, each offers high-quality identity theft protection with a different set of tools at varying prices. Still, I have to raise my voice for Identity Guard for its highly affordable pricing starting at just $7.50/month. It’s also a great solution in terms of safe browsing tools and safety features, such as a password manager, which are included in all plans.
How we tested these LifeLock alternatives
If you’re curious about my identity theft protection tools’ testing methodology, I’ll be happy to share some details below. I’ve tested dozens of solutions based on key metrics like identity data monitoring, insurance types and coverage, credit monitoring, and real-time alerts. This methodology helped me narrow it down even further to the 5 best picks:
- Real-time alerts (20%). According to the 2024 study conducted by the FBI, U.S. residents and companies have lost over $16.6 billion to cyberattacks. Still, the damage of some could have been prevented with real-time response systems offered by the tools I’ve listed. For example, Aura has a reporting speed of under 5 minutes, while Identity Force follows right up, allowing you to take proper action after the report.
- Data monitoring (35%). I also wanted to bring you comprehensive solutions that feature thorough identity data monitoring. While LifeLock performs decently in this category with real-time dark web and financial tracking, options like Identity Force, which also includes medical data monitoring, do even better.
- Credit monitoring features (15%). LifeLock’s premium plan features a tri-merge report check, but it comes at a rather hefty price. Plus, you can only do free checks once per month, so I’ve included options like Aura with detailed credit monitoring included in all plans for higher convenience.
- Insurance coverage and limits (30%). Last but not least, if you can’t prevent identity theft, it’s at least handy to have solid insurance coverage. Some of my recommended options, like IDShield, offer up to $3 million in coverage.
Why look for a LifeLock alternative?
The primary reason to seek LifeLock alternatives is the steep price increase in year 2. Aside from that, I’ll give you a few more solid reasons why it may be worth keeping your options open:
- Steep price hikes. While you can get Norton LifeLock today for $179.88 via annual subscription, the price of that same package jumps to $239.99 for year two. For the sake of comparison, you can get the whole first year of using NordProtect for that price difference alone.
- Limited credit bureau coverage. With the Standard plan, LifeLock only offers a credit checkup from one bureau. Even with Ultimate Plus, you’ll still only be able to get monthly reports from individual bureaus, or one free annual tri-merge report, while options like Aura offer much better terms.
- FTC settlement issues. Another reason to look for alternatives is the issue of trust. The company has already gone through a court case against the Federal Trade Commission and had to pay over $100 million for failing to keep consumers’ information safe from harm in deceptive advertising.
- Slower alert speed. Finally, I’ve seen numerous user feedback quotes stating that options like Aura process identity breach alerts a lot faster than LifeLock, which is said to take up to 24 hours at times.
How to cancel LifeLock and move your data: step-by-step
If you decide it’s finally time to move from LifeLock to a more convenient alternative, you’ll be happy to know it only takes about 10 minutes. The cancellation is said to be rapid, assuming you’ve got details like your login, member ID, and billing date handy. Here’s how to handle the process from there:
- Log in to your account and go to the My Subscriptions page.
- Click on Cancel Subscription Renewal.
- You may have to provide a reason for your renewal cancellation. Alternatively, you can also use LifeLock’s live chat to terminate contract renewal.
- Wait for the confirmation email and save a screenshot of it.
- If you’ve lost access to your account or purchased the service on mobile, you’ll also need to reach out to live support via the 1-800-543-3562 helpline.
- You can then go ahead and download or export your case files and reports. Simply navigate to the dashboard panel, and go to Alerts and then Export CSV.
- Remove your remaining details from the account by going through the settings and selecting the Identify option. From there, you’ll be able to erase your SSN, financial information, and account numbers.
- Sign up with a new provider by using the exported personal data and set your alert preferences.
Conclusion: which LifeLock alternative is the best for me?
So, is there anything better than LifeLock? The honest answer is that it boils down to your needs. LifeLock carries decades of cybersecurity experience from its parent companies but Norton LifeLock competitors still have something to add.
I recommend NordProtect as the best LifeLock alternative. Firstly, it offers a similar set of features but at a more straightforward and predictable price. While LifeLock’s pricing jumps significantly after the first year, NordProtect keeps costs steady, making it a better long-term investment for identity protection.
Alternatively, take a look at IdentityForce if you primarily use TransUnion, as this identity theft protection tool belongs to the major bureau. IDShield is an excellent identity recovery support provider, so go over each in detail to see which fits you best.
FAQ
Is there anything better than LifeLock?
Yes, NordProtect is a stronger alternative. It offers faster alerts, built-in security tools, and no surprise price hikes after the first year.
Is there a free alternative to LifeLock?
You can stumble across free identity theft protection services, but they are not worth the risk. Firstly, free identity theft tools often lack features like comprehensive fraud insurance, regular credit reports, or responsive customer support. Instead, try out the 14-day Aura or 30-day IDShield free trials.
What are the disadvantages of LifeLock?
The most noticeable LifeLock disadvantage is the steep price for a limited service. Although its identity theft protection is robust, you will have to pay for the Norton 360 bundle to get an antivirus, a VPN, and a password manager. Simultaneously, LifeLock lacks the parental controls that Aura offers.
Who owns LifeLock?
Currently, LifeLock is owned by Gen Digital, which acquired LifeLock by Norton in 2017 under Symantec's brand name, later renamed Gen Digital.
Is LifeLock worth the cost after the first year?
While LifeLock offers some essential identity protection features, such as real-time alerts and Dark Web protection, its price increases rapidly after the first year. I would say it’s not worth the extra charge, considering the hefty $239.88 renewal price.
What’s cheaper than LifeLock but still monitors 3 bureaus?
You can find various affordable options that still monitor credit reports across all three major credit bureaus. Some examples include Aura, IDShield, Identity Force, and Identity Guard.
Does Aura really alert faster than LifeLock?
Yes, based on the current user feedback, Aura reports security alerts up to 5 times faster than LifeLock. Based on my findings, it sends real-time alerts in under 5 minutes.
