Identity Guard vs IdentityForce: Which One Protects Better

Last Updated on August 21, 2023

In the Identity Guard vs. IdentityForce competition, Identity Guard comes out on top. Weeks of testing revealed it’s the better service for families, especially those on a tight budget. Both of these services are above average but below the best

If you want your family’s best identity theft protection, you want Aura. Really, Aura is more than identity theft protection – it’s an all-in-one digital security service that includes everything from comprehensive monitoring to parental controls.

Identity Guard vs IdentityForce

And, with our discount code, Aura is extremely affordable, too – especially given the number of services it includes. 

But that doesn’t mean there’s no place for Identity Guard and IdentityForce. For some, these services might fit the bill.

So in this review, I’ll walk you through how each service did during our extensive tests. We’ll review their pros and cons in-depth so you can decide whether either of them is right to protect you and your family online.

While a comparison can be made with a reasonably effective identity theft protection service, I highly recommend Aura, which provides superior product and coverage. Take advantage of the limited-time offer today and save as much as 50% on Aura.

IdentityForce vs. Identity Guard: Head-to-Head Comparison

Aura
Identity Guard
IdentityForce
Monitoring
Found nine dark web alerts, comprehensive coverage.
Found nine unique dark web alerts, comprehensive coverage.
Found ten unique dark web alerts, less comprehensive coverage.
Threat Resolution
24/7/365 U.S.-based threat resolution and customer service team.
white-glove concierge threat resolution only available with top-tier coverage.
white-glove threat resolution standard, including family members with or without a family plan. 
Family Plans
Five adults and unlimited children; includes parental controls and safe gaming.
Five adults and unlimited children, no parental controls.
Two adults and unlimited children, includes ChildWatch social media monitoring.
Theft Insurance
$1 million per adult (up to $5 million total per plan)
$1 million total coverage.
$1 million total coverage.
Ease of Use
Easy to use but could be more intuitive.
Good user interface.
Dated but easy to use
Online Safety Features
VPN, antivirus software, password manager, ad tracker blocker, email alias, data broker removal services, family storage vault.
Password manager, safe browser.
VPN, password manager, online identity vault, anti-phishing software.
Cost
Justifiable price given services included; Discount code makes it most affordable option.
Very budget-friendly low-tier plan but includes very little coverage.
Reasonably priced. 

Monitoring: Winner – IdentityForce 

Technically, IdentityForce comes ahead in this category, but it was tough to call. 

When I evaluate a service’s monitoring capabilities, I look for several things: 

  1. Comprehensiveness
  2. Accuracy
  3. Timeliness
  4. Actionability

Identity Guard and IdentityForce offer all of the above to some degree, but they fall short of the best identity protection services available. While one is very accurate, the other is more comprehensive, and neither features the breadth of monitoring services I’d really like to see – they miss specialized tools like auto title monitoring. 

For discussion purposes, I’ve broken this category into two parts – identity monitoring and credit and financial monitoring

We’ll start with identity monitoring services, which you should focus on when choosing identity protection

Credit monitoring, though useful, is secondary. Many free tools help you monitor your credit outside of your chosen ID protection company. Or, if you have the energy and time, you can monitor your credit on your own. 

Related Article: A Detailed Review on Identity Guard

Identity

Both Identity Guard and IdentityForce offer the following identity monitoring services: 

Dark web monitoring
SSN monitoring
Court record monitoring
Sex offender monitoring
Address change monitoring 

Identity Guard goes a step further by also including home title monitoring. That makes it one of the most comprehensive monitoring options. Still, there are better options – Aura, for example, also includes auto title monitoring, and it does this with its standard plan (you don’t have to pay more for it)

Meanwhile, Identity Guard only looks comprehensive when you opt for its top-tier plan. 

It’s crucial to note that Identity Guard’s lower-tier options offer a much narrower breadth of monitoring services. Its “Value plan” only includes dark web monitoring and data breach notifications, meaning it’s truly the bare minimum in identity protection. 

Meanwhile, IdentityForce offers all of the above lists with all of its plan options.  

Regarding accuracy, both Identity Guard and IdentityForce are more accurate than most other services I’ve tested. But, perhaps surprisingly, IdentityForce takes the cake here – it found ten unique dark web alerts during testing. Identity Guard only found nine. 

In judging timeliness and actionability, both services get an A+. 

After signing up, alerts started pouring in from both services at a rate far better than other big-name companies I’ve tested. LifeLock, Allstate, and Costco Complete took hours (or days) to find the same vulnerabilities that IdentityForce and IdentityGuard found in minutes

And both services offered alerts that were easy to act on. Take a look. 

Here’s one from Identity Guard:

Identity guard alert

It offers everything I need, including the compromised e-mail, when the leak occurred, and what I can do to prevent potential problems later. 

IdentityForce’s alerts are similar, providing everything I needed to take proactive and protective steps.  

Credit and Financial

Both IdentityForce and Identity Guard allow you to purchase plans without credit and financial monitoring tools. If you opt for those low-level plans, you’ll save money, but you’ll have to monitor your credit score and financial accounts yourself, which takes significant time and effort

I prefer to have my identity protection service monitor my credit and financial accounts for me. It just makes it easier to have everything in one place. If you’re like me, you’ll need to opt for at least the mid-tier plan from Identity Guard or IdentityForce’s upper-tier option, “UltraSecure + Credit.” 

Then, you’ll receive: 

Three-bureau credit monitoring
Credit scores
Bank account alerts
Investment account and 401(k) account alerts

IdentityForce also comes with several credit tools, including a credit score tracker and credit score simulator. 

The simulator is sort of handy if you’re trying to make a big purchase or improve your credit score since it lets you play out several scenarios. You can see what might happen if you took out a loan or paid off a credit card, or transferred a credit card balance. 

IDForce credit simulator

Identity Guard doesn’t offer tools like this, but it does include an in-portal Experian credit lock with its top-tier plan.

IdentityForce only offers credit freeze assistance, but it does include that as a standard. So, even if you opt for its lower-tier plan, you’ll have expert help freezing your credit at all three bureaus.

Threat Resolution: Winner – IdentityForce  

Whether or not a service is good at threat resolution comes down to a few key questions

Do they offer solid, 24/7 customer service? In other words, will you be able to reach a knowledgeable representative if a threat comes through that you need help with – regardless of when that threat comes through?
Do they include white-glove concierge service? This means they’ll handle all the parts you don’t want to – filling paperwork, arranging phone calls, etc.
What’s their lost wallet protection policy? Most services include one, but the policy details may differ. 

Identity Guard and IdentityForce both do well in this area, but as you’ll see, Identity Force is a step ahead. 

Customer Service

Identity Guard and IdentityForce offer excellent customer service. I called them back-to-back one Monday afternoon and was impressed. In both cases, I reached a friendly and helpful representative in under two minutes. 

Unfortunately, Identity Guard’s customer service team isn’t 24/7/365. They have limited hours: Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. (EST) and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (EST). 

IdentityForce, meanwhile, offers 24/7 customer service (except on major holidays), putting them out in front of Identity Guard. 

Identity Restoration Services

IdentityForce also looks better when it comes to identity restoration services. While Identity Guard offers top-notch white-glove identity restoration services with their top-tier plan, it’s not available with their mid or low-tier options

IdentityForce offers the same level of restoration services with all of its plans

IdentityForce also includes several features that other services don’t in this area, including:

Family member identity restoration: Even if you don’t have a family plan, IdentityForce’s restoration team will work to restore the identities of immediate family members. 
Decreased member fraud remediation: Sadly, many identity thieves target the recently deceased, creating a huge mess for surviving family members. With IdentityForce, you don’t have to worry about that. Their experts will help you resolve fraud, even after death

Lost Wallet Protection

Though both IdentityForce and Identity Guard offer lost wallet protection policies, Identity Guard is slightly above average.

While both services will help you cancel and replace your wallet’s contents if it’s lost or stolen, only Identity Guard will send emergency funds, up to $2,000, from another one of your accounts. Depending on where and how your wallet ends up stolen or lost, that could be a huge help!

Family Plans: Winner – Identity Guard

When I’m evaluating family plans, I look for family-specific features and flexibility.  

Family-specific features might include parental controls, secure family vaults, or other things that make the Internet a little safer for you and yours. And flexibility is important because families come in all shapes and sizes – not everyone fits the two-parents-plus-kids mold

Identity Guard wins this area

Even though it doesn’t offer much in the way of family features, it does offer lots of flexibility. With Identity Guard, you can have up to five adults and unlimited children on any plan. That means you can cover your college-aged kids, parents, in-laws, and siblings – whoever you need to protect

IdentityForce’s family plans are more rigid. They only allow for two adults. They also make it difficult to sign up – you have to call their sales team. That’s unnecessarily difficult, as it takes additional time that many of us (especially parents of young children) don’t have. 

That said, IdentityForce does include a unique feature. Their ChildWatch suite includes comprehensive social media monitoring that alerts parents to signs of violence, racism, bullying, and harassment on kids’ social media accounts. 

In truth, though, neither of these services offers everything a family needs. If you want full protection from cyberthieves, bullies, online predators, fraudsters, and scammers, I suggest looking at Aura. 

Aura offers two things in particular that Identity Guard and IdentityForce don’t…

Parental Control Features

First, Aura includes parental controls. These allow parents with young children to: 

Filter and block websites
Set screentime limits
Track internet usage
Pause the internet with one click

And, unlike other services (such as LifeLock), Aura’s parental controls work on the devices you need them too, including your children’s Android or iPhone

Safe Gaming and Anti-bullying Monitoring

Aura also includes safe gaming controls

Online multiplayer games are extremely popular, especially among teens and tweens. Unfortunately, they’re also littered with risks that are difficult for parents to navigate. Many children report experiencing bullying, violence, and predatory behaviors when interacting with other players online.

Aura helps parents monitor this. Their safe gaming controls monitor player voice and text interactions for signs of bullying, harassment, and other targeting behaviors so that parents can step in when needed.

Theft Insurance: Winner – Tie

As far as theft insurance coverage goes, neither IdentityForce nor Identity Guard stands out. Both are right in line with the industry average – $1 million in aggregate theft insurance coverage. 

And, their limits are strikingly similar…

Here’s Identity Guard’s: 

Identity Guard’ limit insurance

And here’s IdentityForce’s: 

IdentityForce insurance

They’re almost exactly the same

There’s only one obvious downside here. If you opt for a family plan through Identity Guard and include five adults, that insurance coverage has to go a long way. You better hope multiple people in your family don’t experience a theft event within the same year!

As a side note, Aura avoids that problem by offering increasing insurance coverage with each adult on your plan. Like Identity Guard, they allow you to have up to five adults – unlike Identity Guard, they increase your insurance by $1 million with each addition. That’s up to $5 million total.

Ease of Use: Winner – Identity Guard

I like both Identity Guard and IdentityForce’s user interfaces. They’re organized and easy to understand. They’re also both relatively simple to sign up for and get started with. 

But Identity Guard wins here for two reasons: 

  1. Its interface is sleek and modern. It’s aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. 
identity guard welcome dash

IdentityForce, meanwhile, comes off a little dated and cluttered. 

Identityforce dashboard
  1. Identity Guard streamlines the signup process. Families can sign up online in a matter of minutes. With IdentityForce, you have to call to signup for a family plan which takes extra time and effort. 

Online Privacy Features: Winner – IdentityForce

While I would never pick a service on online privacy features alone, Identity Guard really drops the ball in this area. All that’s included are a password manager and a safe browser. 

With IdentityForce, you at least get a VPN, an online storage vault, and anti-phishing software

Just to be clear, though, neither of these services is going to completely protect your family from digital thieves. They’re missing key things like antivirus software, spam call protection, and data broker removal services. 

If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, Aura includes all of the above and then some – yet another reason I recommend it over Identity Guard or IdentityForce, 

Cost: Winner – Identity Guard  

Identity Guard offers one of the most affordable family plans I’ve ever encountered. It gives families basic protection for under $15 per month. 

Plan Type
Annual Billing
Monthly Billing
Individual Value
$86.40 /year
$7.20 /month
Individual Total
$191.88 /year
$15.99 /month
Individual Ultra
$287.88 /year
$23.99 /month
Family Value
$143.88 /year
$11.99 /month
Family Total
$287.88 /year
$23.99 /month
Family Ultra
$383.88 /year
$31.99 /month

But the protection is minimal, really only including dark web monitoring and data breach notifications. There are no credit tools, online security features, or restoration services. Still, it’s better than forgoing protection altogether if you’re on a tight budget.

IdentityForce’s family plans run $35.90 per month. Alternatively, you can add their ChildWatch suite to any regular plan at just under $3 per month per child. If you have more than one or two kids, that add-on price will add up fast!

Plan Type
Annual Billing
Monthly Billing
Ultra Secure
$179.50 /year
$17.95 /month
UltraSecure
$239.40 /year
$19.95 /month
UltraSecure + Credit Monitoring
$239.50 /year
$23.95 /month
Get 25% NOW

The Winner Is…Identity Guard

This was a tough race to call. These services are both high quality, but they both have room for improvement, too. I’d give them each a solid B+ rating. 

Ultimately, though, I choose Identity Guard as the winner because it’s slightly more comprehensive when it comes to monitoring and offers a more flexible family plan. It’s also easier to sign up for and use. Plus, if budget is your main concern, Identity Guard gives you a low-cost option. 

All of that said, if you want complete digital security for your family, I wouldn’t recommend IdentityForce or Identity Guard – I’d recommend Aura

Aura gives you total peace of mind when your family spends time online because it includes award-winning identity theft and credit monitoring, 24/7/365 access to U.S.-based threat resolution experts, a massive number of digital security tools, and parental controls with safe gaming. 

Plus, when you use our discount code, you can get Aura for less than IdentityForce or Identity Guard’s top-tier plan. And our discount code is compatible with Aura’s 14-day free trial and 60-day money-back guarantee, making it risk-free. 

Ultimately, neither IdentityForce nor Identity Guard is a bad service, but Aura is the better pick for family protection.


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