DeleteMe Review: How It Works, What It Costs and Where It Falls Short
A research-based DeleteMe review: how its removals and privacy reports work, which sites each plan covers, pricing and refund terms as of September 2026, and the free alternatives.
By Editorial Team
8 min read
DeleteMe is a long-established paid data removal service run from the US. You submit the details you want removed, DeleteMe works to remove matching listings on data broker sites, and you get a first report within 7 days and quarterly privacy reports after that. This DeleteMe review finds it a solid choice for US residents who want a managed service with clear reporting, and a less obvious fit if you need the widest coverage on the cheapest plan or live outside the countries it serves.
Our review is research-based. We haven’t used a DeleteMe account. Every fact below comes from DeleteMe’s own public pages, checked in September 2026. Prices and plan details change, so check DeleteMe’s pricing page for current plans before you buy.
Quick verdict
| DeleteMe suits you if | Look elsewhere if |
|---|---|
| You’re a US resident who wants people-search listings handled for you | You live outside the countries DeleteMe sells plans in |
| You value regular written reports and a named contact | You want the lowest possible yearly cost and don’t mind doing some opt-outs yourself |
| You’d like email aliases and email and phone masking in the same plan | Your concern is an article, a review, a court record or a social post |
| You’d like the option of custom removal requests for sites outside the main list | You want identity theft insurance and credit monitoring in the same subscription |
What DeleteMe is
DeleteMe is a personal data removal service built and run by Abine, Inc., a privacy company. DeleteMe’s site says it has offered the service since 2011. Its US plans cover one person, two people or four people. This review covers those personal plans.
Its terms of service are refreshingly direct about limits: they state that DeleteMe will not remove all of your information. That’s true of every provider, and it’s good to see it written down.
For background on how this whole category works, see our guide on what a data broker removal service does.
How DeleteMe works
In outline, based on DeleteMe’s homepage and pricing page:
- You submit your information. After signing up you tell DeleteMe what you want removed. Check its sign-up pages for exactly what it asks for and what you authorize it to do in your name.
- You get a first report. DeleteMe says you receive your first report within 7 days.
- Scans continue through the year. The Standard plan includes 4 scans a year, with quarterly privacy reports.
The Standard plan also includes custom removal requests, a personal DeleteMe expert, unlimited email aliases plus email and phone masking, and support by email, chat and phone.
One honest point from DeleteMe itself: it can’t delete Google search results directly. It removes the source listing on the data broker site, and Google then stops showing it once it recrawls the page.
Coverage
DeleteMe’s “Sites We Remove From” page, updated September 17, 2026, lists 969 data brokers. That headline number needs a careful read, because the page has a key marking how each site is covered, and most entries are marked as custom-request, international or higher-tier sites:
- sites included in the Standard plan and above
- sites included only in higher business or premium tiers
- sites covered by its international plans
- sites handled as custom requests
In other words, the 969 figure is the full list across every plan and request type, not what a Standard subscription covers automatically. Before you buy, open that page and check the markers next to the specific sites where you’ve found yourself. List size alone isn’t the best measure of a removal service.
A good way to prepare is to search yourself first on the big people-search sites, using our data broker opt-out list, and note where you appear.
DeleteMe pricing (as of September 2026)
DeleteMe’s pricing page, checked in September 2026, shows US plans for one person, two people and families of four, on one-year or two-year terms. Plans renew automatically unless canceled, and US plans are for US residents only. There’s no monthly plan. The page also has separate local-currency plans for Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, whose prices we haven’t listed here.
| US plan | Price shown | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard, 1 person, 1 year | $129 billed annually | Core DeleteMe plan |
| Standard, 1 person, 2 years | $209 for the two-year term | Lower cost per year in exchange for a longer commitment |
| Standard, 2 people | $229 (1 year) or $349 (2 years) | Same Standard features for two people |
| Standard, 4 people | $329 (1 year) or $499 (2 years) | Same Standard features for four people |
| Premium | $180 a year ($15 a month billed annually) | Adds 15 more brokers and more reporting. DeleteMe’s own two comparison tables disagree on its scan frequency and custom-request count, so confirm with DeleteMe |
Refund terms come from DeleteMe’s terms of service: you can cancel at any time, you’re entitled to a full refund if you cancel before your first DeleteMe Privacy Report, and a prorated refund for the remaining time if you cancel after that. DeleteMe also advertises a “100% Satisfaction Guarantee”. Check DeleteMe’s pricing page for current prices before you buy. Our DeleteMe pricing guide breaks down each plan, renewals and cheaper options.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Managed service with a personal DeleteMe expert and email, chat and phone support | The large coverage figure spans all tiers, so the Standard plan covers fewer sites than the headline suggests |
| A first report within 7 days, then quarterly privacy reports | Plans are sold on one-year or two-year terms, with no monthly option shown on the pricing page |
| Unlimited email aliases plus email and phone masking | The pricing page lists plans for only four countries, and US plans are for US residents |
| Custom removal requests included in the Standard plan | Can’t remove news, reviews, court records or social posts |
| Clear refund terms in its terms of service, including prorated refunds | Premium tiers are needed for some sites on its list |
Privacy and trust considerations
- Know what you authorize. Read what DeleteMe’s terms say it can do in your name, and for how long.
- You’re sharing a lot. Past names, addresses and email addresses help any service find more listings, but they also build a detailed file on you with one more company. Read the privacy policy on retention and deletion.
- Use the masking tools. Email and phone masking, included in plans, can stop your real details spreading to new sign-ups.
- Check the reports against your own searches. Keep a short list of the sites that showed you before you signed up, and re-check them after each quarterly report.
A worked example
This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.
Tom, a warehouse manager in Ohio, gets an unsettling message from a man he once had a parking dispute with, and it mentions his street. He searches his name and finds his home address on six people-search sites, two of them under his old surname.
- He opens DeleteMe’s coverage page and checks the markers next to all six sites. Five are marked as Standard-plan sites; one is listed only as a custom request.
- He signs up for a one-year Standard plan and gives DeleteMe both his current and previous surnames.
- When the first report arrives, he compares it with his list. He submits a custom request for the sixth site.
- He also reports the message to his employer and, because this is a safety concern, looks into whether his state offers an address confidentiality program, which no removal service can handle for him.
Not sure where to start?
Get a free audit of your search results and review profiles, with a prioritized fix list.
Get a free auditAlternatives to DeleteMe
Our free options first
- Our free Reputation Scanner, launching soon. It’s a self-search tool that will find harmful results about you, rank the top 10 negative results by seriousness, and draft removal requests you review and send yourself, including requests about personal information and doxxing. It will be free to use, with no account and no billing, and it isn’t a data broker subscription. Read what the scanner will do.
- DIY opt-outs. Our guide to removing yourself from people-search sites covers the main free opt-outs, and individual guides like the Whitepages opt-out walk through each one.
- Free official tools. Google’s Results about you can request removal of search results showing your phone, address or email, and Californians can use the state’s DROP platform to reach registered brokers in one request.
Another paid option: Optery
Optery offers a free tier with exposure reports, paid plans billed monthly or yearly, and screenshot reports on its Extended plan. Read our Optery review, or compare the two directly in Optery vs DeleteMe. If you’re weighing DeleteMe against a more automated option, see Incogni vs DeleteMe. For a wider list, see our roundup of DeleteMe alternatives.
Not sure any paid service is worth it for you? Our guide to whether data removal services are worth it explains when paying makes sense.
When you need more than DeleteMe
DeleteMe works on data brokers and people-search sites. If the result that worries you is a news story, a mugshot, a lawsuit or a review, it needs a different route. Our personal reputation management service starts with a free audit and tells you honestly which problems can be removed, which can be updated, and which are better outweighed.
Frequently asked questions
Is DeleteMe worth the money?
It can be if you’re a US resident on several people-search sites and won’t keep up with repeat opt-outs yourself. It’s less worthwhile if you appear on only a few sites, or if the sites you care about are marked on its list as higher-tier or custom requests. Compare its coverage page with the sites where you’ve actually found yourself.
How much does DeleteMe cost?
As of September 2026, DeleteMe’s pricing page shows the Standard one-person, one-year US plan at $129 billed annually, and a two-year one-person plan at $209. Two-person plans are $229 (1 year) and four-person plans $329 (1 year), and a Premium plan is $180 a year. Check DeleteMe’s pricing page for current prices.
Can I get a refund from DeleteMe?
According to DeleteMe’s terms of service, you get a full refund if you cancel before your first DeleteMe Privacy Report, and a prorated refund for the remaining time if you cancel after it. You can cancel by email or phone.
Does DeleteMe remove Google search results?
Not directly, as DeleteMe itself says. It works on the source listing on the data broker site, and a removed page usually drops from Google once Google recrawls it. For results showing your contact details, Google’s free “Results about you” tool is also worth using.
Is DeleteMe available outside the US?
DeleteMe’s pricing page has local-currency plans for Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom as well as US plans, which are for US residents only. Check its site if you live elsewhere.
