Identity theft is more rampant than ever. The latest figures show that Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received nearly 1.4 million reports of identity theft in 2021 alone.

The significant spike in recent years has much to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, as con artists have preyed on consumer fear and confusion. How fraudsters steal your information and how it’s used varies greatly — it could be more than an unauthorized charge on your credit card. With stolen Social Security numbers, identity thieves are filing false unemployment claims, applying for auto loans and filing tax returns to claim fraudulent refunds.

The good news is that the technology to reduce cybercrime, including identity theft, also continues to grow. With identity theft protection services, you can more easily monitor your personal and financial information across the internet.

Bankrate’s picks for best identity theft protection services

  • Best all-in-one system: Aura
  • Best for monitoring credit: Identity Force
  • Best for property owners: LifeLock
  • Best for device security: IdentityIQ
  • Best for scanning the web: Identity Guard
  • Best for families: Allstate Identity Protection
  • Best for restoring identity: IDShield
  • Best for affordability: Zander
Best all-in-one system

Aura

Highlights
  • Free two-week trial
  • Up to $1 million in insurance
  • 60-day money-back guarantee
Best for monitoring credit

IdentityForce

Highlights
  • 30-day free trial
  • Up to $1 million in insurance
  • Credit score simulator
Best for property owners

LifeLock

Highlights
  • Many plan options
  • Extra device security tools available
  • Home title monitoring available
Best for device security

IdentityIQ

Highlights
  • Unique cybersecurity software
  • Up to $1 million insured
  • Enhanced credit monitoring available
Best for scanning the web

Identity Guard

Highlights
  • Enhanced AI web monitoring
  • Wide variety of plans
  • Up to $1 million in insurance
Best for families

Allstate Identity Protection

Highlights
  • 30-day free trial
  • Includes visualized digital footprint
  • Family plans available
Best for restoring identity

IDShield

Highlights
  • Personalized identity theft restoration
  • Extensive monitoring on all plans
  • Family plans available
Best for affordability

Zander

Highlights
  • Low-cost plans available
  • Up to $1 million in insurance
  • Family plans available

Compare the best identity theft protection services of 2023

Company Best for Monthly Plans*
Aura Best all-in-one system
  • $15 for the individual plan
  • $29 for the couple plan
  • $50 for the family plan
Identity Force Best for monitoring credit
  • $17.99 for UltraSecure
  • $23.99 for UltraSecure+Credit
LifeLock Best for property owners
  • $9.99 for LifeLock Standard for the first year, then $11.99
  • $17.99 for LifeLock Advantage for the first year, then $22.99
  • $23.99 for LifeLock Ultimate Plus for the first year, then $34.99
IdentityIQ Best for device security
  • $6.99 for the Secure Plan
  • $9.99 for Secure Plus
  • $19.99 for Secure Pro
  • $29.99 for Secure Max
Identity Guard Best for scanning the web
  • $8.99 for the individual Value plan, or $14.99 for families
  • $19.99 for the individual Total plan, or $29.99 for families
  • $29.99 for the individual Ultra plan, or $39.99 for families
Allstate Identity Protection Best for families
  • $9.99 for an individual Essentials plan, or $18.99 for families
  • $17.99 for an individual Premier plan, or $34.99 for families
IDShield Best for restoring identity
  • $14.95 for an individual for one credit bureau, or $19.95 for three credit bureaus
  • $29.95 for a family for one credit bureau, or $34.95 for three credit bureaus
Zander Best for affordability
  • $6.75 for the individual Essential Plan, or $12.90 for families
  • $9.99 for the individual Cyber Elite Bundle, or $19.49 for families

*Several of the ID theft protection services offer discounts if billed annually.

The bottom line

Most people today have at least some of their personal information stored online, which makes them susceptible to data breaches and other privacy threats. While identity theft services can’t prevent someone from stealing your identity, they can help you catch any suspicious activity early, minimize the fraudulent use of your identity and aid in recovery.

These various identity theft services largely offer similar features — monitoring, alerts and identity theft insurance — but they differ in how much information they monitor and what enhanced features they provide. Some services have added monitoring capabilities, while others focus more on shielding your information with antivirus software. When shopping around for identity theft protection, you’ll want to consider your situation, budget and which security features are most important to you.

Identity theft advice and resources

Methodology

Bankrate analyzed and compared nearly a dozen identity theft protection services to find the best option for every type of consumer. We evaluated the monthly price of each company’s plans, considering each plan’s value relative to what it provides. We found that the price of a plan for an individual, on average, is no more than $20 per month and no more than $50 per month for a family. With that in mind, we only included identity theft protection services on our list that offered plans below those price ranges because affordability matters. We also prioritized identity theft services that offered at least two or more plans for consumers to choose from and at least one channel of customer support — whether phone, email or live chat.

We also researched the most common features these services offer and the most prevalent types of identity theft and considered advice from the FTC to determine what factors to consider in our analysis. The best identity theft protection services should include more than just the basics. We found that certain features are more critical than others, such as credit report monitoring, ID monitoring, device security tools such as a VPN, theft recovery assistance and identity theft insurance. With careful consideration, we chose eight identity-theft protection services that met both our standards for cost and provided a comprehensive variety of features across its plans.

– Bankrate’s data reporter Alex Gailey contributed to this article.