In this article:
Identity theft and fraud protection for your finances, personal info, and devices.
Is IdentityForce Better Than LifeLock?
IdentityForce and LifeLock are two of the best identity theft protection services out there — each offering its own combination of monitoring and protection tools to help keep you and your family safe from scammers.
But while the two platforms offer similar services, there are critical differences you should know about before picking one over the other.
Aside from comprehensive identity monitoring, IdentityForce places heavy emphasis on credit monitoring, while LifeLock provides robust antivirus and digital security tools through its protection plans with Norton 360.
The biggest differences between IdentityForce and LifeLock are that:
- IdentityForce plans are more expensive, but include more credit protection and simulation tools (when you opt for the credit-bundled plan).
- LifeLock offers a cheaper introductory plan but reserves critical credit monitoring features, higher insurance coverage, and digital security for its more expensive plan.
IdentityForce vs. LifeLock: Head-to-Head Comparison
Both IdentityForce and LifeLock provide solid identity monitoring and protection, but the service you choose ultimately depends on which you value more highly: credit protection or digital security tools.
IdentityForce’s UltraSecure+Credit plan provides advanced credit tracking and simulation tools that you won’t get with LifeLock. But LifeLock offers stronger device protection and digital security due to its partnership with Norton 360 — though this protection comes at an additional cost.
IdentityForce Review: Best Features, Pros & Cons, and Pricing
IdentityForce is an identity protection service that was founded in 2005. It has since been acquired by TransUnion (one of the three major credit bureaus) and is highly rated as one of the best identity protection services.
IdentityForce offers two different plan tiers — with options to protect just yourself or you and your family (two adults and up to 10 children). The UltraSecure plan includes identity and PC protection but no credit monitoring features. The UltraSecure+Credit plan bundles credit monitoring with the standard plan’s identity protection features.
Regardless of which plan you choose, IdentityForce has one glaring drawback when stacked up against competitors: price. Even its most basic plan with limited features is double or triple the cost of competitors offering more features.
Here are IdentityForce’s plans & pricing as of September 2024:
- UltraSecure Individual: $19.90/month
- UltraSecure+Credit Individual: $34.90/month
- UltraSecure Family: $24.90/month
- UltraSecure+Credit Family: $39.90/month
While IdentityForce is more expensive than most identity protection providers out there, it does offer a free 30-day trial on its UltraSecure plans. This allows you to get a feel for the service before investing in its more expensive credit bundle plan.
You should choose IdentityForce if:
- You only want to protect your PC. IdentityForce offers a suite of digital security tools to protect you while you browse, shop, and bank online. The caveat is that these tools are only available for PCs, not mobile devices.
- Monitoring your credit is your primary concern. IdentityForce offers three-bureau credit monitoring, monthly credit scores, and a credit score simulator on its UltraSecure+Credit plan so you can keep your credit health top of mind.
- You’re not ready to commit to an identity protection provider just yet. IdentityForce offers a 30-day free trial, which is more than many competitors offer and allows plenty of time to test out its features before purchasing a subscription.
📚 Related: Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce Comparison and Showdown →
LifeLock Review: Best Features, Pros & Cons, and Pricing
Founded in 2005, LifeLock is one of the most well-known identity protection providers, claiming to serve more than 80 million users worldwide.
LifeLock offers three different plan tiers, with options for individuals, families, and families with children, as well as an optional Norton 360 add-on. All this leads to a confusing array of plan options with no real online guidance available to help you decide which plan is best for you.
Regardless of which LifeLock plan you opt for, you’ll get identity and Social Security number (SSN) alerts, one or three-bureau monitoring, home title and 401(k) monitoring, social media fraud alerts, and more. LifeLock also offers some of the highest insurance coverage in the industry — up to $3 million per adult on family plans.
LifeLock’s standard plans focus on identity and credit monitoring; but if you also want to protect your devices and online activity, you’ll need to purchase the LifeLock with Norton 360 bundle.
Here are LifeLock’s plans & pricing for individuals (without Norton 360) as of September 2024:
- Standard: $11.99/month
- Advantage: $22.99/month
- Ultimate Plus: $34.99/month
Keep in mind that if you opt for LifeLock’s discounted annual plans, the listed prices are only for your first year as a customer. After that, you’ll be paying anywhere from 30–50+% more for your plan. For example, LifeLock Ultimate Plus for two adults costs $395.88/year for the first year and $679.99/year after that.
You should choose LifeLock if:
- You want flexibility in plan options. LifeLock offers three tiers of plans each for individuals, families, and households with kids. It also has annual plan options, which will save you some money compared to paying monthly.
- You want more insurance coverage. LifeLock’s Ultimate Plus plan offers $3,000,000 in identity theft coverage — triple the industry standard of $1 million.
- You’re looking for a recognizable household name. LifeLock has been around since 2005 and holds a Trustpilot rating of 4.6 stars. LifeLock is also partnered with Norton 360, another household name, to offer a digital security suite to its customers.
📚 Related: Identity Guard vs. LifeLock Comparison and Showdown →
Is Identity Guard Better Than Both LifeLock and IdentityForce?
IdentityForce and LifeLock are both solid products, but they have drawbacks and compromise on certain features that could potentially put you at risk.
Identity Guard has been providing award-winning identity theft protection for more than two decades. With robust identity and credit monitoring, Safe Browsing tools, and accommodating family plans that cover up to five adults, Identity Guard can keep your family safe at just a fraction of the cost of IdentityForce or LifeLock.
You’ll also get 24/7 access to U.S.-based customer support and identity restoration specialists, as well as a 60-day money-back guarantee on all annual plans.
And with the Identity Guard mobile app, you’ll have convenient access to all of these features at your fingertips.
Now, let’s take a closer look at how all of these services compare with the features that matter most:
Identity monitoring
Identity monitoring is the very core of what identity theft protection services provide. A good service should monitor for your information in a variety of places and be able to alert you quickly if your identity could be compromised.
Both IdentityForce and LifeLock provide comprehensive identity monitoring — including financial accounts, social media, court records, sex offender lists, and Dark Web monitoring. IdentityForce also provides you with a “risk score” for each instance in which your personal information has been found on the Dark Web so that you can better understand the seriousness of the compromise.
Identity Guard provides similar protection, but the level of monitoring you get depends on your plan. For example, the Ultra plan includes data breach notifications and Dark Web monitoring, as well as monitoring of financial accounts, credit card transactions, investment accounts, home titles, social media, public records, and more.
The bottom line: IdentityForce, LifeLock, and Identity Guard are all solid choices for identity monitoring.
Credit monitoring
One of the biggest risks of identity theft is if scammers are able to take out credit or open new accounts in your name. Credit monitoring tracks activity on your credit files and alerts you of suspicious activity.
Both IdentityForce and LifeLock require you to be subscribed to their highest plan tier in order to get credit monitoring with all three of the major credit bureaus. If you’re subscribed to one of the cheaper plans, you’ll still receive some protection — but you’ll be vulnerable to fraud that happens with the bureaus that aren’t being monitored.
Identity Guard offers three-bureau credit monitoring and monthly credit scores on its mid-tier plan. If you upgrade to the Ultra plan, you also get annual credit reports from each of the three bureaus and the ability to easily lock or unlock your Experian credit file.
The bottom line: Yes, IdentityForce, LifeLock, and Identity Guard all offer three-bureau credit monitoring, but not on their most basic plans. Overall, Identity Guard’s Total plan with three-bureau monitoring works out to be the cheapest.
Support and insurance
If you’re a victim of identity theft, the last thing you want is to be stuck dealing with the fallout on your own. The industry standard for identity protection providers is $1 million in insurance coverage. Identity Guard offers $1 million per adult, for a total of up to $5 million on family plans.
IdentityForce offers $1 million in coverage on its most basic plan, and $2 million if you upgrade to the credit bundle package.
The coverage you get with LifeLock greatly depends on your specific plan. For example, Lifelock’s standard plans only cover up to $25,000 in personal expenses and stolen funds reimbursement. But if you’re subscribed to the Ultimate Plus plan, you’ll get $3 million in coverage per adult.
The bottom line: If you’re looking for a service that offers the most ID theft insurance coverage, LifeLock is the best choice. However, many customers have complained about poor customer service when reaching out to LifeLock for help [*].
Online safety
While IdentityForce offers a suite of digital security tools to help protect you against threats, there’s one major caveat: those tools are only available for PCs. IdentityForce does offer a virtual private network (VPN) that you can use on any device, but that’s the extent of protection available for multiple devices.
LifeLock offers online safety tools for mobile devices as well as PCs; but to access them, you need to pay extra for the LifeLock with Norton 360 bundle.
Every Identity Guard plan comes equipped with a secure password manager and Safe Browsing tools to help protect you against phishing scams and keep you safe online. With the Ultra plan, you also receive alerts if a hacker is trying to log in to your social media accounts.
The bottom line: When it comes to cybersecurity online, Identity Guard offers the most value for your money with a password manager and Safe Browsing tools available on all plans at no extra cost to you.
Pricing
When selecting an identity theft protection provider, pricing is one of the most important factors. Most identity protection providers have plans that are priced similarly, but the value and exact features you get can vastly differ.
For example, Identity Guard offers the cheapest monthly plans at just $4.49/month. Even its mid-tier plan is relatively inexpensive at $9.99/month and offers the most comprehensive protection compared to similarly priced IdentityForce and LifeLock plans.
Starting at $19.90/month for individuals, IdentityForce is by far the most expensive option of the three. LifeLock appears to be inexpensive at first glance, but there’s a catch — subscription costs increase by up to 37% after the first year.
The bottom line: IdentityForce’s pricing is very steep, and LifeLock’s plans lack transparency with an unexpected price increase after the first year. Identity Guard offers the same features at just a fraction of the cost — and pricing is completely transparent.
The Final Verdict: Identity Guard Offers Better Peace of Mind
While IdentityForce offers decent protection against some types of fraud and scams, its features aren’t comprehensive enough to keep you safe from the most sophisticated cybercriminals.
LifeLock is a trusted household name and offers comprehensive protection through its partnership with Norton 360. However, its subscription prices increase so much after the first year that it may have you questioning whether it’s actually worth the cost.
Identity Guard offers more robust monitoring services and coverage than IdentityForce or LifeLock at a much lower price point. Identity Guard plans include award-winning identity monitoring, Dark web monitoring, social media account takeover alerts, and more.
