Identity theft is on the rise, so safeguarding your private information has never been more important. Billions of dollars are lost to this crime annually, so it’s worth investing in professional protection.

There are many services to choose from, but a few stand out due to their popularity and services. This Identity Guard vs. LifeLock review compares two of the most popular options to help you see which can meet your needs better.

You’ll also learn about an alternative worth considering if you’re looking to protect your young ones from child identity theft while helping them build credit for a better financial future.

LifeLock vs. Identity Guard—Overview

LifeLock is owned by Norton, a well-known antivirus company. With over 80 million global users, it’s among the industry leaders in the identity protection space. It’s far from the most affordable options, but there are numerous services included in the price.

Identity Guard isn’t as widely adopted as LifeLock—it has around 47 million users, so almost half of LifeLock’s user base. It’s still a trusted and reputable option—the company has been around for over two decades and has resolved over 140,000 ID fraud cases.

Features and Key Differences

Identity Guard and LifeLock share many similarities, as both options offer decent coverage and encompass the most critical security measures. There are still significant differences between these services, so we’ll compare them according to the following factors:

1. Identity monitoring
2. Additional security
3. ID restoration and fraud remediation
4. Pricing

Identity Monitoring

Both LifeLock and Identity Guard offer the basic services you’d expect from an identity protection provider, most notably:

• Credit profile monitoring—Looks out for signs of credit fraud using someone’s Social Security number (SSN) and other information
• SSN monitoring—Tracks information connected to the user’s SSN to proactively detect any misuse
• Dark Web monitoring—Overseen traffic from hard-to-reach Dark Web sites to scan for any potential trading of the user’s personal information

Where the two options differ significantly is feature availability across plans. Identity Guard doesn’t offer credit profile monitoring with the lowest tier, while LifeLock supports it for one credit bureau. Monitoring only levels out with both providers’ highest-paid tiers, which support all three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion).

Additional Security

Identity theft can happen in many ways, and not all cases are financially motivated. You need comprehensive online and offline protection to cover as much ground as possible. While LifeLock and Identity Guard come with a few useful features, the latter lacks some valuable security measures.

For example, LifeLock offers computer security, which includes Norton’s VPN and antivirus software. Note that these are add-ons, so you’d have to pay a premium on the existing tiers or choose a bundle. Identity Guard doesn’t support such protection at all, so it may be limiting for users who spend a lot of time online.

LifeLock supports another useful feature unavailable with Identity Guard—phone takeover monitoring. It can help prevent someone from getting access to your device and using it to open new accounts.

These extra features justify LifeLock’s higher price point to an extent, but they might be unnecessary or available from another provider at a more affordable price. Despite omitting them, Identity Guard still gives users adequate protection. Both options include social media monitoring, which can be useful for preventing social engineering attacks like phishing or catfishing.

They also support sex offender monitoring, which tracks offenders to alert you if they use your name to register under a new identity.

ID Restoration and Fraud Remediation

Capable as they may be, identity protection services aren’t almighty. No reputable provider will ever give you a guarantee that your identity will never be compromised. That’s why it’s important to choose a service with a proper contingency plan and extensive restoration coverage.

LifeLock is certainly a winner from this perspective, as it offers better insurance than Identity Guard. Both options have a $1 million insurance policy covering restoration service if your identity is stolen, but LifeLock also supports two additional reimbursements:

1. Stolen funds reimbursement
2. Personal expense reimbursement

Each policy ranges between $25,000 and $1 million depending on your chosen plan, so you get up to $3 million in total insurance with the highest tier. This can prove valuable if you run into financial hardship as a result of identity theft.

Pricing

LifeLock and Identity Guard offer different plan categories for individuals and families. Identity Guard is far more affordable, especially if you want to protect your whole family. The following table breaks down the available tiers:

Identity Guard Plan	Individual	Family (Five Adults and Unlimited Children)
Value	$8.99/month	$14.99/month
Total	$19.99/month	$29.99/month
Ultra	$29.99/month	$39.99/month

Besides the individual plan, LifeLock has two family plans—one supporting two adults and the other with up to five children as well. Not only is the pricing structure more complicated than Identity Guard’s, but the tiers are also significantly pricier:

LifeLock Plan	Individual	Family (Two Adults)	Family (Two Adults and Five Children)
Standard	$11.99/month	$23.99/month	$35.99/month
Advantage	$22.99/month	$45.99/month	$57.99/month
Unlimited Plus	$34.99/month	$69.99/month	$79.99/month

As you can see, it costs much more to invest in LifeLock for your family than Identity Guard. You do get discounts if you make an annual commitment, which vary between plans but still don’t bring the prices close enough to Identity Guard. 

Should You Choose LifeLock or Identity Guard?

Neither service is universally better than the other—it all comes down to your budget and needs. If you want more advanced features and are willing to pay for them, LifeLock can be your choice.

Still, many users might consider LifeLock’s features an overkill. If you need decent protection that doesn’t come at high costs, Identity Guard is a solid service. It also has a cleaner reputation than LifeLock, which has gotten in trouble with the FTC in the past.

Whichever option you choose, you can’t avoid monthly subscriptions without expensive annual fees, especially with LifeLock and its pricey tiers offering protection for children. Minors are up to 51 times more likely to have their identity stolen than adults, so securing their information is paramount.

If you need a budget-friendly service that helps safeguard children’s identities and offers numerous other benefits you can’t get with typical ID protection, check out FreeKick.

Never Fall Victim to Identity Theft With FreeKick

With a child’s identity being stolen every 30 seconds, this crime is more common than you might think—and it’s important to take every precaution you can. That’s where FreeKick by Austin Capital Bank comes in—it’s a two-in-one platform that protects your family’s identities and helps build credit for your children.

How FreeKick Protects Identity

FreeKick offers multiple identity protection features for both adults and minors. For you and your adult children, FreeKick offers the following services:

• Credit profile monitoring
• SSN monitoring
• Dark web monitoring for personal information
• Up to $1 million identity theft insurance
• Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration
• Lost wallet protection
• Court records monitoring
• Change of address monitoring
• Non-credit (Payday) loan monitoring
• Free FICO® Score monthly
• FICO® Score factors
• Experian credit report monthly

For minor children, FreeKick offers:

• Credit profile monitoring
• Social Security number (SSN) monitoring
• Dark web monitoring for children’s personal information
• Up to $1 million identity theft insurance
• Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration
• Sex offender monitoring—based on sponsor parent’s address

How FreeKick Builds Credit

Once you’ve secured your family’s identities, it’s time to think about their financial future.

With FreeKick’s credit building service, which is available for children aged 13 to 25, you can give your child up to five years of credit history once they turn 18. This will help them save $200,000 during their lifetimes by giving them access to more favorable loan terms and other financial perks.

You have to take three steps:

1. Create an Account—Go to FreeKick.bank, sign up for an account, and choose a deposit amount you’re comfortable with
2. Set It and Forget It—FreeKick will automatically start building 12 months’ worth of credit history for your children
3. Keep Growing—After 12 months, you can close the account without any fees or continue building credit for your family for another year

FreeKick Pricing

FreeKick offers flexible pricing. There are two plans you can choose from:

FDIC-Insured Deposit	Annual Fee
$3,000	$0 (Free)
No deposit	$149

Each plan offers:

1. Credit building for six children aged 13 to 25
2. Identity protection for two parents and six children aged 0 to 25

Protect your family from identity theft and financial hardship—sign up for FreeKick today.