Aura vs Identity Guard: Same Owner, Different Plans (2026)

Aura owns Identity Guard, but they sell different products. Aura is the full bundle: every adult plan includes three-bureau credit monitoring, antivirus, a VPN, a password manager and data removal from 425+ sites. Identity Guard is the lower-priced, monitoring-focused line: its plans don’t list data broker removal, antivirus or a VPN, and credit monitoring starts at its middle tier.

This Aura vs Identity Guard comparison is research-based. We haven’t used either service; every fact comes from Aura’s and Identity Guard’s own pricing pages, refund terms and terms of service, checked in September 2026. Prices change, so check each company’s pricing page before you buy.

Is Identity Guard part of Aura?

Yes. Identity Guard’s plans page says the Identity Guard name and designs are trademarks of Aura Sub, LLC, and its terms of use refer to “Aura Identity Guard”. Aura’s own service terms are also issued by Aura Sub, LLC. Both brands name the same insurer: American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant company.

Shared ownership doesn’t make them the same service. They have separate plans, separate prices and separate feature lists, and you buy one or the other. So whether you searched “Aura vs Identity Guard” or “Identity Guard vs Aura”, the real question is whether Aura’s extra features are worth the difference to you.

Quick answer: which suits whom

• Choose Aura if you want data broker removal, device security and three-bureau credit monitoring in one subscription, or a free trial before you pay.
• Choose Identity Guard if you want monitoring and alerts, already have antivirus and a VPN, and are happy to handle people-search listings yourself.
• Choose neither yet if you haven’t frozen your credit. It’s free, and it stops most new-account fraud before it starts.

Aura vs Identity Guard: side-by-side

All figures are as of September 2026, from each company’s own site. “Not stated” means we couldn’t confirm it on their public pages.

	Aura	Identity Guard
Plans	Individual, Couple, Family, Kids	Value, Total, Ultra, each individual or family
One adult	$12 a month billed annually, or $15 monthly	Monthly: $8.99 (Value), $19.99 (Total), $29.99 (Ultra). Annual: discounted first year, then renews at $107.88, $239.88, $359.88
Two adults	Couple: $22 a month billed annually, or $29 monthly	Not offered separately (use a family plan)
Family	$32 a month billed annually, or $50 monthly; 5 adults, unlimited kids	Monthly: $14.99, $29.99, $39.99. Annual renews at $179.88, $359.88, $479.88; 5 adults, unlimited kids
Credit monitoring	Three bureaus on all adult plans, plus an Experian credit lock	None on Value; three bureaus on Total and Ultra; Experian credit lock on Ultra
Identity theft insurance	$1M per adult ($1M, $2M, $5M by plan)	$1M on each plan card; up to $5M on family plans
Data broker removal	425+ brokers, people-search sites and junk mailers, plus Google results you pick	Not listed on any plan
Custom removals	Not stated	Not applicable
Antivirus and VPN	Included on adult plans	Not listed
Password manager	Included	Included
Fraud resolution	US-based fraud remediation on all adult plans	White glove fraud resolution on Ultra only
Countries	Terms limit eligibility to US and Canada residents	Prices in US dollars; its terms set no country limit
Free trial	14 days, once per customer	Not advertised on the plans page
Refunds	60 days on annual plans bought on Aura’s site or through support (not Amazon); not monthly plans	60 days on annual plans bought direct; monthly plans not refundable

Both companies’ terms say subscriptions renew automatically. Aura’s service terms (effective October 1, 2026) say renewals are charged at the renewal price shown in your dashboard. Identity Guard’s terms (last updated March 4, 2026) say its plans renew at the renewal price and fees can change with 30 days’ notice.

What each plan includes

Aura

Aura’s Individual, Couple and Family plans share the same features and change the number of people and devices covered: 10 devices on Individual, 20 on Couple and unlimited on Family. Each includes three-bureau credit monitoring, an instant credit lock, home and auto title monitoring, financial transaction alerts, antivirus, a VPN, a password manager, data removal, 24/7 customer support and US-based fraud remediation. The Family plan adds parental controls and AI spam call and message protection. The Kids plan covers parental controls and online safety only, with no data removal.

On data removal, Aura says it sends opt-outs to 425+ sites, that processing can take up to 30 days, and that it re-scans and re-submits when data reappears. It’s also candid that some brokers refuse or delay. Our Aura review and Aura pricing guide cover the details.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard’s tiers add monitoring as you go up:

• Value: dark web monitoring, data breach notifications, high-risk transaction monitoring, safe browsing, a password manager and $1 million insurance.
• Total: adds bank account monitoring, three-bureau credit monitoring and a monthly credit score.
• Ultra: adds white glove fraud resolution, social media monitoring, 401(k) and investment monitoring, home and auto title monitoring, an Experian credit lock and three-bureau annual credit reports.

Our Identity Guard review goes through each tier.

Where each is stronger

Where Aura is stronger

• Data removal. 425+ sites plus Google results, against none listed at Identity Guard.
• Device security. Antivirus and a VPN come with every adult plan.
• Credit monitoring at the entry level. Aura Individual has three bureaus; Identity Guard Value has none.
• A trial. 14 days free, once per customer. Identity Guard’s plans page didn’t advertise one.
• A couples plan. Aura sells a two-adult plan; Identity Guard doesn’t.

Where Identity Guard is stronger

• Lower entry price. Value is $8.99 a month on monthly billing, against $15 for Aura Individual billed monthly.
• Less you don’t need. If you already pay for security software, you’re not paying twice.

For like-for-like features, Identity Guard isn’t the cheaper option. Getting three-bureau monitoring and full fraud resolution means Ultra, which costs $29.99 a month on monthly billing, and it still has no data removal. Aura Individual is $15 on monthly billing and includes both, plus removal and device security. Our breakdown of Identity Guard’s prices lists every tier’s renewal figure.

What neither service can do

• Stop all identity theft. Monitoring alerts you after something happens. A credit freeze prevents most new accounts being opened.
• Remove everything. Even Aura’s removal has limits: listings reappear, some brokers refuse, and public records stay public. Our guides on whether data removal services are worth it and how data broker removal services work explain why.
• Deal with reputation content. A news story, review or post about you isn’t a data broker listing.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

Luis, a nurse, already uses a paid antivirus and a password manager. He wants credit alerts and help if fraud happens, and he’s tired of his address appearing on people-search sites.

1. He freezes his credit at all three bureaus, at no cost.
2. He wants three-bureau monitoring, which rules out Identity Guard Value. Identity Guard Total gives him that, but no data removal or white glove fraud help.
3. He compares Identity Guard Total with doing people-search opt-outs himself, against Aura Individual, which includes removal but also security tools he already has.
4. He decides removal matters more to him than the overlap, starts Aura’s trial on an annual plan so the 60-day refund applies, and notes the renewal date.

Someone who doesn’t care about people-search listings and only wants alerts could reasonably pick Identity Guard Value or Total instead.

The free alternative to Aura and Identity Guard

123 Reputation Management doesn’t provide credit monitoring, identity theft insurance or breach monitoring. The free official tools are a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, free reports at annualcreditreport.com, and the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov if something goes wrong. Our guide to ways to prevent identity theft explains each one, and readers in Britain can start with our guide to identity theft in the UK.

• Our free Reputation Scanner, launching soon. A self-search tool that will find harmful results about you, rank the top 10 negative results by seriousness, and draft removal requests, including for personal information and doxxing, that you review and send yourself. It will be free to use, with no account and no billing. See how the scanner will work.
• Do-it-yourself opt-outs. Our guide to removing yourself from people-search sites and our data broker opt-out list cover the major sites.

For other comparisons, see Aura alternatives, LifeLock vs Identity Guard and our guide to the best identity theft protection. If what worries you is a story or review that shows up for your name, our personal reputation management service starts with a free audit.

Frequently asked questions

Does Aura own Identity Guard?

Yes. Identity Guard’s plans page says its name and designs are trademarks of Aura Sub, LLC, and its terms refer to “Aura Identity Guard”. The two brands still sell separate plans with different features.

Is Aura better than Identity Guard?

Aura includes more: data removal from 425+ sites, antivirus, a VPN and three-bureau credit monitoring on every adult plan, plus a 14-day trial. Identity Guard costs less to start but lists none of those on its Value tier. If you’d use the extras, Aura is usually better value; if you only want alerts, Identity Guard may be enough.

Which is cheaper, Aura or Identity Guard?

Identity Guard Value is cheaper at $8.99 a month on monthly billing as of September 2026, against Aura Individual at $15 monthly or $12 a month billed annually. For comparable features, Identity Guard Ultra costs more than Aura Individual. Check both pricing pages for current prices.

Does Identity Guard include data removal like Aura?

No. As of September 2026, Identity Guard’s plans page doesn’t list data broker removal on any tier. Aura includes it on every adult plan.

Can I get a refund from Aura or Identity Guard?

Both offer 60-day money-back guarantees on annual plans bought directly through their websites or support teams. Neither refunds monthly plans under those guarantees. Aura’s also excludes Amazon purchases.