LifeLock vs Identity Guard: Plans, Prices and Refunds Compared (2026)

LifeLock and Identity Guard are both US identity theft protection services with three tiers each, but they differ in three ways that matter. LifeLock includes data broker removal on every plan and offers a 30-day trial and broader refunds. Identity Guard starts cheaper on monthly billing, covers up to five adults on its family plans, and lists no data broker removal at all.

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

Quick answer: which suits whom

• Choose LifeLock if you want some data broker removal included, higher reimbursement tiers, scam reimbursement on the upper plans, a trial before you pay, or a refund option on monthly billing and annual renewals.
• Choose Identity Guard if you want monitoring and alerts at a lower monthly price, or need to cover three to five adults on one family plan.
• Choose neither yet if you haven’t frozen your credit. That’s free, and it does more to stop new-account fraud than any alert.

If you searched “Identity Guard vs LifeLock”, the answer is the same either way round: match the plan to what you’d actually use.

LifeLock 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.

	LifeLock (standalone plans)	Identity Guard
Owner	Gen Digital	Aura
Tiers	Core, Advanced, Total	Value, Total, Ultra
One adult, monthly billing	$12.49, $19.99, $34.99	$8.99, $19.99, $29.99
One adult, annual	$124.99, $199.99, $349.99 a year	Discounted first year (varies with promotions), then renews at $107.88, $239.88, $359.88
Family plans	2 adults and up to 10 kids: $344.99, $479.99, $749.99 a year, or $34.49, $47.99, $74.99 monthly	5 adults and unlimited kids: $14.99, $29.99, $39.99 monthly; annual renews at $179.88, $359.88, $479.88
Two-adult plans	$224.99, $359.99, $629.99 a year, or $22.49, $35.99, $62.99 monthly	Not offered separately (use a family plan)
Credit monitoring	Two bureaus on Core; three on Advanced and Total	None on Value; three bureaus on Total and Ultra
Identity theft coverage	Up to $1.05M, $1.2M or $3M by plan	$1M on each plan; up to $5M on family plans
Scam reimbursement	$5K on Advanced, $10K on Total (not for New York residents)	Not stated
Data broker removal	All plans, every 90 days; Core page says 60 broker sites	Not listed on any plan
Custom removals	Not stated	Not stated
Hands-on fraud resolution	US-based restoration specialists on all plans	White glove fraud resolution on Ultra only
Countries	US site and US benefits; other countries not stated	Prices in US dollars; its terms set no country limit
Free trial	30 days; payment method required	Not advertised on the plans page
Refunds	60 days on annual plans, including each renewal; 14 days on monthly plans; pro-rated refund if a breached company later gives you free protection	60 days on annual plans bought direct; monthly plans not refundable

LifeLock’s standalone plans showed the same price for the first year and renewal in September 2026, but its pages say prices are subject to change and annual plans can be billed up to 35 days before they expire. Identity Guard’s terms (last updated March 4, 2026) say plans renew automatically at the renewal price and fees can change with 30 days’ notice.

How each service works

LifeLock

LifeLock’s tiers change the depth of monitoring and the reimbursement limits:

• Core: identity monitoring, bank and credit alerts on up to 2 accounts, two-bureau credit monitoring, a credit and payday loan lock, data broker removal, and up to $25,000 for stolen funds.
• Advanced: alerts on up to 5 accounts, three-bureau credit monitoring, $5,000 scam reimbursement and up to $100,000 for stolen funds.
• Total: alerts on unlimited accounts, home title monitoring, 401(k) and investment alerts, $10,000 scam reimbursement and up to $1 million for stolen funds.

Every plan includes up to $1 million for lawyers and experts. LifeLock’s Restoration Guarantee refunds up to 12 months of payments if you’re not satisfied with its resolution, on auto-renewing plans not paid for by a third party. LifeLock says insurance benefits are provided by third parties, and its scam coverage is issued by HSB Specialty Insurance Company. Its data broker removal scans for your information and submits removal requests every 90 days once set up. Our LifeLock review and LifeLock pricing guide have more detail.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard is a monitoring-first service owned by Aura; its plans page says the brand is a trademark of Aura Sub, LLC. Based on its plans page in September 2026:

• Value: dark web monitoring, data breach notifications, high-risk transaction monitoring, safe browsing, a password manager and $1 million identity theft 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 title monitoring and an Experian credit lock.

Its insurance is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant company, and may not be available in all jurisdictions. Our Identity Guard review covers each tier.

Where each is stronger

Where LifeLock is stronger

• Data removal included. Every plan has it, though Core’s stated 60 sites is a modest list.
• Credit monitoring at entry level. Core has two bureaus; Identity Guard Value has none.
• Trial and refunds. A 30-day trial, 60-day refunds that also cover annual renewals, and 14 days on monthly plans.
• Higher reimbursement tiers. Total lists up to $3 million in identity theft coverage and up to $1 million for stolen funds.
• Two-adult plans. Couples can buy a plan sized for two.

Where Identity Guard is stronger

• Lower monthly entry price. Value is $8.99 a month against LifeLock Core’s $12.49.
• Larger families. Family plans cover five adults and unlimited kids; LifeLock’s cover two adults and up to 10 kids.
• Cheaper top tier for one adult. Ultra is $29.99 a month against LifeLock Total’s $34.99, though the two include different things.

What neither service can do

• Stop all identity theft. LifeLock’s own site says no one can prevent all identity theft. Monitoring tells you after something happens.
• Remove everything about you. Identity Guard doesn’t list removal, and LifeLock’s is limited. Listings reappear, some sites ignore requests, and public records stay public. Our guides on whether data removal services are worth it and how data broker removal services work explain why.
• Fix a reputation problem. A news story, review or post about you isn’t identity theft.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

Dana lives with her partner and two grown children who are still at home. After a breach letter from her health insurer, she wants alerts for all four adults.

1. She freezes credit for all four adults at the three bureaus first, at no cost.
2. She notes that LifeLock’s family plans cover two adults, so four adults would mean two plans. Identity Guard’s family plans cover five adults.
3. She wants three-bureau credit monitoring, which rules out Identity Guard Value and points to its Total family plan.
4. She compares the Total family plan’s renewal price with two LifeLock Advanced two-adult plans, and checks which refund terms she’d rather have.
5. Because Identity Guard doesn’t list data removal, she plans to handle people-search listings separately with free opt-outs.

A single person who wants some data removal and a trial first could reasonably land on LifeLock Core instead.

The free alternative to LifeLock and Identity Guard

123 Reputation Management doesn’t provide credit monitoring, identity theft insurance or breach monitoring. For those, the official free 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 what to do if your identity is stolen walks through recovery, and our guide to ways to prevent identity theft covers the free protections.

For the exposure side:

• 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 free.

For more options, see our Aura vs Identity Guard comparison, our LifeLock alternatives and our guide to the best identity theft protection. If a news story, review or post about you is the real worry, our personal reputation management service starts with a free audit.

Frequently asked questions

Is LifeLock better than Identity Guard?

Neither is better for everyone. LifeLock includes data broker removal, credit monitoring on every tier, a 30-day trial and broader refunds. Identity Guard costs less per month to start and covers up to five adults on a family plan, but lists no data removal. Compare the tier you’d actually buy.

Which is cheaper, LifeLock or Identity Guard?

On monthly billing, Identity Guard is cheaper as of September 2026: Value is $8.99 a month against LifeLock Core at $12.49. Identity Guard’s annual plans have a discounted first year, then renew at $107.88 a year for Value against $124.99 for LifeLock Core. Check both sites for current prices.

Does Identity Guard remove data from people-search sites?

Its plans page doesn’t list data broker removal on any tier as of September 2026. LifeLock includes it on every plan, scanning and submitting requests every 90 days.

Is Identity Guard owned by LifeLock?

No. Identity Guard is owned by Aura, and LifeLock is owned by Gen Digital, which also owns Norton.

Which has the better refund policy?

LifeLock’s is broader: 60 days on annual plans, including each annual renewal, and 14 days on monthly plans. Identity Guard offers 60 days on annual plans bought through its websites or support team, and its FAQ says monthly plans aren’t refundable.