Identity protection has become a necessity, so much so that statistics show that the market for identity theft protection services is expected to reach $28 billion by 2029. LifeLock is a popular choice for an identity protection service, but there are various other options you can explore. To help you make an informed choice, we’ll compare its service to some LifeLock alternatives in terms of their pros, cons, and pricing. We’ll also present a more affordable option with diverse identity protection features that may fit your needs better.

LifeLock

LifeLock was founded in 2005, but in 2017, it was purchased by Symantec, a company that sells the widely used Norton antivirus software. LifeLock now has 80 million users, making it one of the most popular identity protection services. The three main areas its services cover include:

1. Monitoring for identity theft threats
2. Providing alerts when threats are detected
3. Helping you with identity theft recovery

LifeLock’s main purpose is to detect threats and alert you of any suspicious activity. It can also help you resolve ID theft-related issues and reimburse lost money if you become a victim of identity theft.

LifeLock offers a wide selection of services, but some of them are only available in higher-tier plans. This includes services like credit checking, credit reports, 401K, and investment account activity alerts, to name a few. Still, some of the services included in all plans are:

• Dark web monitoring
• Credit monitoring
• Data breach notifications
• USPS address change notification
• Lost wallet protection

LifeLock Pros and Cons

While LifeLock is a popular service, it has its drawbacks. Here’s an overview of its pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
Provides a wide array of services and plans Offers family plans  Has customer service that’s available 24/7 Provides coverage for lawyers and experts up to $1 million in all pricing tiers Includes up to $1 million in reimbursement for stolen funds in its higher pricing tiers Offers a 30-day free trial  Includes two-factor authentication to secure your account	There’s a significant increase in prices in the second year, making it more expensive than some competitors Some features are only available in higher-tier plans The lower-priced tiers only offer basic features and don’t include financial account monitoring Dashboard performance is slow The service sends a lot of unsolicited email marketing messages Alerts are sometimes delayed

LifeLock Pricing

LifeLock offers multiple tiers and pricing options for individuals and families. Find the details of its pricing for family-friendly plans below:

LifeLock Plan	Individual	Family (Two Adults)	Family (Two Adults and Five Children)
Select	$14.99/month	$26.99/month	$38.99/month
Advantage	$24.99/month	$47.99/month	$59.99/month
Ultimate Plus	$34.99/month	$69.99/month	$81.99/month

Family plans offer full identity protection and theft insurance for two adults and five minor children, but their costs can increase by up to 60% after the first year. This makes LifeLock one of the priciest services for identity theft protection.

Why Consider LifeLock Competitors?

Norton LifeLock may be a popular identity theft protection service, but its trustworthiness was brought into question after the 2022 LifeLock data breach, which compromised the sensitive information of thousands of LifeLock users. Besides this incident, you may also want to consider alternatives to LifeLock due to:

• High cost—LifeLock is one of the most expensive options on the market, and its prices increase significantly after only one year. Even if you opt for one of its cheaper plans, you’ll only get access to a limited range of features. Exploring LifeLock competitors may help you find a more cost-effective service without compromising on the number or quality of the included features
• Limited features—Different services come with diverse features and benefits, so looking into alternatives may help you find specific perks that fit your needs better. For example, while LifeLock only offers credit checking at its higher pricing tiers, an alternative service may offer these features as a part of more affordable plans
• Customer complaints—While LifeLock generally has a good reputation, Norton LifeLock (listed separately on Trustpilot as a service dedicated exclusively to cyber threats) has a large number of negative reviews. Common complaints include high renewal costs debited without the user’s knowledge, difficulties canceling the service, and a lack of helpfulness in case of identity theft

Top LifeLock Alternatives

Here are some LifeLock alternatives that can keep your personal information and identity protected:

1. ID Watchdog
2. Identity Guard
3. IdentityForce
4. ID Shield

ID Watchdog

ID Watchdog is owned by Equifax, and it provides identity theft protection services for the whole family. It’s a fraud monitoring and identity protection solution that offers features like dark web monitoring, credit report monitoring, and public records monitoring. The service also helps you protect your children from cyber attacks and cyberbullying through child account locks, child identity threat alerts, and social media monitoring.

Pros and Cons of ID Watchdog

ID Watchdog may offer numerous benefits for family and child identity protection, but it also brings several disadvantages:

Pros	Cons
Offers identity theft monitoring services of various types Provides up to $1 million identity theft insurance Is owned by Equifax, one of the major consumer credit bureaus Includes social networking alerts that protect against cyberbullying directed at family members Provides fraud alerts via the mobile app	Credit score tracker only works for one credit bureau in the lower-priced tier May have security concerns due to previous Equifax data breaches The mobile app for iOS devices has a poor performance

ID Watchdog Pricing

ID Watchdog has a simple pricing structure as it offers two plans:

ID Watchdog Plan	Individual	Family (Two Adults and Four Children)
Select	$14.95/month	$23.95/month
Premium	$21.95/month	$34.95/month

Comparing ID Watchdog vs. LifeLock

When considering an alternative to LifeLock, ID Watchdog may be a fine choice due to its affordability and the focus on protecting the identity of your children, although LifeLock still offers a wider selection of services. However, ID Watchdog’s owner, Equifax, has experienced a data breach in the past, just like LifeLock, which leaves many users wondering if either option is safe and reliable.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard is an identity protection service founded in 1996 by Intersection Inc. and acquired by Aura in 2019. It monitors user information and provides alerts for detected risks that may indicate identity theft. More specifically, some of its plans offer the following features:

• Three-credit bureau monitoring
• Dark web monitoring
• Home title monitoring
• Bank account monitoring
• Risk management reports

Pros and Cons of Identity Guard

The main pros and cons of Identity Guard include the following:

Pros	Cons
Provides up to $1 million in identity theft insurance on all plans Uses AI to detect identity threats Offers credit monitoring services Has good customer service Offers timely alerts for suspicious activity	There’s no free plan available It can be more expensive than its competitors Full credit reports or credit scores aren’t included in the lower-priced tiers There are no fraud alerts with credit bureaus

Identity Guard Pricing

Identity Guard has a different pricing structure for individuals and families. Find the overview of its pricing plans in the table below:

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

Comparing Identity Guard vs. LifeLock

While LifeLock provides more identity protection features, its pricing structure is more complex than that of Identity Guard. This may deter users from choosing LifeLock and encourage them to turn to services with more transparent pricing plans like Identity Guard.

IdentityForce

Owned by TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus, IdentityForce is known for its many identity monitoring and protection features. It combines risk detection and real-time alerts to ensure the safety of its customers. What makes IdentityForce a viable alternative to LifeLock are features like:

• Identity monitoring
• ID theft alerts
• ID theft recovery services

Pros and Cons of IdentityForce

Here are the main pros and cons of using IdentityForce:

Pros	Cons
Offers up to $1 million insurance for identity theft recovery costs Provides up to $1 million reimbursement for stolen funds in higher pricing tiers Includes a 30-day free trial for standard plans Offers medical fraud detection  Has a mobile app that scans for malware and spyware on your smartphone Provides educational resources	You won’t get refunds if you cancel the plan before your subscription period expires The website may be challenging to navigate, making it difficult to find information The website can lag when you click on buttons No credit reports or credit scores are available in lower-priced tiers Plan options are limited

IdentityForce Pricing

IdentityForce offers two pricing plans for individuals and families:

1. UltraSecure—$17.99 per month per member, including various services like advanced fraud monitoring, dark web monitoring, identity threat alerts, and fully managed restoration
2. UltraSecure+Credit—$23.99 per month per member with extra features such as a secure VPN, investment accounts alert, and credit monitoring services

You can also add child identity theft protection for $2.75/month per child in both plans. 

Comparing IdentityForce vs. LifeLock

IdentityForce may be a good LifeLock alternative for those looking for features like medical ID fraud protection and a mobile app in both pricing tiers, which LifeLock doesn’t include. However, the service only provides credit reports every few months, giving identity criminals more time to steal and exploit your personal information.

ID Shield

Available in the U.S. and Canada, ID Shield is an identity protection service that offers full identity monitoring and alerts for any suspicious activity on your banking accounts or credit reports. It also includes credit bureau monitoring with the three major credit bureaus: 

1. Transunion
2. Equifax
3. Experian

The service also monitors the dark web and social media for any content that may damage your reputation. Additionally, it provides defense against ransomware, malware, and other threats to help safeguard your identity online. 

Pros and Cons of ID Shield

Like other Norton LifeLock competitors, ID Shield has both advantages and drawbacks. Here are the main ones:

Pros	Cons
Provides real-time fraud alerts Offers support from ID theft specialists  Includes credit report monitoring Is less expensive than some of the alternatives Includes credit monitoring and credit reports	Individual plans offer protection for only three devices Family plans may be more expensive than some competitors’ plans Only higher-priced plans include three-bureau credit monitoring

ID Shield Pricing

ID Shield offers two pricing tiers for individuals and families, depending on whether you want one-bureau credit monitoring or three-bureau credit monitoring. Here are the pricing details:

ID Shield Plan	Individual	Family (Two Adults and Unlimited Children)
1-Credit Bureau Monitoring—only TransUnion	$14.95/month	$29.95/month
3-Credit Bureau Monitoring	$19.95/month	$34.95/month

Comparing ID Shield vs. LifeLock

While ID Shield isn’t much more affordable than LifeLock, considering the number of services it offers, it’s a good LifeLock alternative since it offers consultations with an ID theft specialist. This way, you can talk to a professional one-on-one, and they can guide you on how to handle suspicious activity on your accounts and prevent fraud in the future.

Which Identity Protection Service Should You Choose?

The identity theft protection service you choose will depend mainly on your needs and budget. Although popular, LifeLock is among the priciest options on the market, and its pricing plans are complex. The alternatives to LifeLock we’ve explored also come with various limitations—ID Watchdog raises safety concerns due to a previous Equifax data breach, while Identity Guard is more expensive than some of its competitors. Meanwhile, IdentityForce doesn’t include child ID protection from the start, and ID Shield offers three-bureau credit monitoring only at higher-priced tiers.

If you’re looking for an affordable identity protection service that offers a comprehensive suite of features to protect your whole family, FreeKick is a great option. This service also offers credit building for children as young as 13, which other ID protection services don’t include in their offer.

FreeKick—Premium Identity Protection and Credit Building Services

FreeKick is a subscription service and a deposit account powered by Austin Capital Bank. Its identity theft protection services help you monitor, protect, and recover the identities of up to two parents and six children aged 0 to 25. FreeKick also offers parent-sponsored credit building features for children between the ages of 13 and 25.

Keep Your Identity Protected With FreeKick

Protecting your child’s personal information is essential nowadays as statistics show that a child’s identity is stolen every 30 seconds.

FreeKick helps you reduce the risk of identity theft for your whole family by offering a comprehensive set of security features for adults and minor children. Here’s what FreeKick’s plans cover:

Services for Adult Children and Parents	Services for Minor Children
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	Credit profile monitoring 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

Build Strong Credit for Your Children with FreeKick

FreeKick gives your child a head start in establishing strong credit through an automated credit building feature. By building credit from an early age, your child can develop positive credit habits and secure a solid financial future, potentially saving more than $200,000 during their lifetime.

With FreeKick’s credit building service, you can start building your child’s credit once they reach the age of 13. When your child is no longer a minor, they can activate credit reporting, and a credit account of $1,000 will be reported to the three major consumer credit bureaus.

Here’s how the process works:

1. Create a FreeKick Account—Register at FreeKick.bank and choose a plan that suits your needs and budget
2. Set It and Forget It—Once the account is activated and the credit building process begins, FreeKick will create a 12-month credit history for your child using a no-interest installment loan
3. Keep Growing—When the first 12-month period passes, you can choose to renew your account and keep building your child’s credit or close it and get a 100% refund of your initial deposit

FreeKick Pricing

FreeKick’s two pricing tiers are designed to fit any family’s budget. Both plans come with FDIC insurance coverage of up to $250,000. Find more details in the table below:

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

Unlike LifeLock, which is known for its high-priced plans, FreeKick offers more coverage while being cost-effective. Here’s a comparison of how much you can save with FreeKick vs. LifeLock:

Cost Details	FreeKick1	FreeKick1	LifeLock2
FDIC-insured deposit	$3,000	$0	$0
Cost per year	$0	$149	$600
Annual savings	$600	$451
Savings over 18 years	$10,800	$8,118

¹ FreeKick plans cover up to two parents and six children

² LifeLock Advantage for Family with Kids plan covers up to two parents and five children. The annual plan is $599.99 after the first year, while the monthly plan is $59.99/mo, $719.88 for 12 months

Keep your whole family protected from identity theft and secure a solid financial footing for your children through credit building—sign up for FreeKick today.