Last Updated on June 6, 2023
In the IdentityForce vs. LifeLock competition, IdentityForce comes out ahead. After weeks of testing and research, LifeLock proved to have a lot of features. Ultimately, though, IdentityForce had more going for it where it counts.
IdentityForce is more accurate at detecting threats and offers better customer service than LifeLock, but truth be told, it’s still not what I’d recommend for most families. Instead, I’d recommend Aura.
- Looking for the best credit monitoring, identity theft protection, and fraud alerts.
- Looking for a personalized security score to help them understand their financial security.
- Want to access your credit score from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – for free.
- Want to dispute errors on your credit report directly from the app.
IdentityForce vs LifeLock – Which One Is Worth Your Money?
Here’s why – IdentityForce isn’t transparent about its family plan offerings, and it doesn’t have all the extra features parents need – Aura DOES.
Plus, Aura features award-winning identity threat and credit monitoring, the best in parental controls, excellent customer service, and generous theft insurance coverage. Aura’s family plans are also flexible, allowing you to include up to five adults and unlimited children.
Unlike IdentityForce and LifeLock, Aura does all of this at a very affordable rate (especially when you use our discount code).
So, Aura is the best for most families. Whether you’re a parent of young children or an empty-nester that wants to cover their college-aged kids, Aura helps you protect the things that matter most.
But that’s not to say LifeLock and IdentityForce don’t have a few outstanding features. Below, I’ll dig into everything these two services have to offer, focusing on where they each stand out. That way, you know why people might choose to sign up for them (and why Aura is the better service overall).
IdentityForce vs. LifeLock: Head-to-Head Comparison
Monitoring: Winner – IdentityForce
Identity protection services need three things to succeed in monitoring your assets:
- Comprehensive breadth
- Speed
- Accuracy
A wide and comprehensive breadth of services means the service is capable of monitoring all your assets, from your credit score to your car title.
Speed means that it finds and alerts you to potential threats in near real-time, so you can take action to prevent damage.
And accuracy is fairly self-explanatory – you don’t want a service that can’t find and alert you to the vulnerabilities it should.
IdentityForce and LifeLock both offer an impressively wide breadth of monitoring services, LifeLock offering just a bit more than IdentityForce, but not enough to make a substantial difference.
Both are also quick. Their initial scans took less than 15 minutes. However, as you’re about to see, IdentityForce is far more accurate, finding threats that LifeLock missed.
Identity
LifeLock and IdentityForce offer a wide array of identity monitoring with their top-tier plans, including:
Impressively, LifeLock also offers home title monitoring, which few other services include. Aura is one of the only ones I’ve tested that includes home title monitoring as a standard (they also offer auto title monitoring, which LifeLock does not).
On top of that, LifeLock includes file sharing monitoring which keeps tabs on sites like DropBox. And LifeLock watches for signs of utility fraud – meaning they look for new water, power, or gas accounts opened in your name.
LifeLock’s comprehensiveness would probably win it this category, but, unfortunately, it fails when it comes to accuracy.
When I tested it, LifeLock found eight unique dark web alerts. IdentityForce found ten.
That tells me, IdentityForce is better at finding alerts, which makes it a more powerful tool. A comprehensive service that isn’t accurate isn’t very useful.
Credit and Financial
LifeLock and IdentityForce also both offer extensive credit tools. With their top-tier plans, each offers:
Notably, LifeLock also includes an in-portal credit lock with Transunion for adults on their top-tier plan. And they offer a guided credit freeze for any children under 18 on the family plan.
IdentityForce doesn’t have an in-portal credit lock, but they do offer credit freeze assistance. I prefer the credit lock tool because it’s so easy to use. You don’t have to call customer service (which is a very good thing, given LifeLock’s customer service record). Instead, you just log in and toggle a switch.
However, IdentityForce does offer a credit tracker and simulator tool. These might be useful if you’re trying to build or repair your credit score, but as far as protecting your identity goes, they’re not really necessary.
Threat Resolution: Winner – IdentityForce
Monitoring is only half the equation when it comes to identity protection.
Since no service can guarantee a criminal won’t hack into your most valuable things (though LifeLock tried to say that was the case…and had to settle an FTC lawsuit because of it), good identity protection services also offer superb threat resolution.
Threat resolution means they have an easy-to-reach customer service team that can help you navigate through the alerts you receive. They should also have experts available to help you repair your identity if it’s stolen.
And most services also include some form of lost wallet protection. Since your wallet is a treasure trove of personal information, losing it makes you particularly susceptible to identity theft. The best services offer to help you cancel and replace your wallet’s contents. They may also offer to look a bit more closely at your credit in the weeks following the event.
On paper, these two services look evenly matched in this category. But IdentityForce comes out ahead because, frankly, LifeLock’s customer service team is very underwhelming.
Customer Service
24/7/365 U.S.-based customer service lines are the gold standard for identity protection services, and both LifeLock and IdentityForce offer it. LifeLock goes a step further by offering a 24/7 live chat.
So, in theory, getting a hold of someone at LifeLock should be easy. But, when I tested this, that was far from the case.
I called LifeLock on a Tuesday morning at 4:00 a.m. – I know, early, but why not put their availability promise to the test?
I didn’t have high hopes for LifeLock from the start. Just finding their customer service number was harder than it needed to be. They seem to do everything they can to try and get you not to call by directing you to help articles and their live chat service first.
By the way – this is what their live chat service relies on a bot, and not a very helpful one. Here’s what it looked like when I tried it.
It wasn’t a very helpful conversation.
Sadly, neither was the conversation I had with their customer service team. LifeLock promises U.S.-based threat resolution, but I couldn’t verify that. I am pretty certain that their customer service team is not in the U.S.
While it only took them about three minutes to reach a representative, they were hard to understand and didn’t seem knowledgeable about their product.
When I asked if their threat resolution team was separate from the customer service team, their representative responded with the same repetitive questions regarding the type of alert I had received and whether they could guide me to a useful help article rather than connect me to a resolution specialist.
My conversation with IdentityForce was much better. I reached a representative in under one minute. She was clearly U.S.-based and could answer all of my questions.
In this area, IdentityForce rivals my top choice for identity protection – Aura. They’re easy to get a hold of, knowledgeable, and compassionate. I’d have no issue calling them for help with an identity threat.
Identity Restoration Services
Both IdentityForce and LifeLock offer concierge identity restoration services. I’m a bit dubious about LifeLock after my interactions with their customer service team, but they do say their restoration specialists will do all of the following if your identity is stolen:
IdentityForce pulls way ahead in this area, though, by doing everything LifeLock promises and then some.
See, IdentityForce is unique in this category because it provides concierge restoration services, similar to LifeLock’s, for more than just plan members. They also include identity restoration help for immediate family, including parents, children, and siblings of the plan holder.
And, if that weren’t enough, IdentityForce also offers this for deceased plan members. So, if a plan member passes away and then falls victim to identity theft (which is a heartbreaking and, sadly, somewhat common occurrence), IdentityForce will still work to restore their identity.
This means, IdentityForce provides some of the best restoration services available. I’m still partial to Aura’s restoration team because I know each of their restoration specialists has an average of seven years of industry experience. But, IdentityForce’s unique features here certainly make them worth considering.
Lost Wallet Protection
Unfortunately, this is the area where IdentityForce stops looking so brilliant. Their lost wallet protection is a little weak compared to LifeLock’s.
If you lose your wallet, IdentityForce will help you cancel and replace your bank cards. That’s it.
Many other services go beyond this by offering to help you replace all of your wallet’s contents, including your insurance cards and ID. Some, like Aura, also offer to monitor your credit more closely after the event in case there are any signs of fraud.
And others, like LifeLock, include up to $500 in cash reimbursement with their identity theft insurance policy.
So, when it comes to lost wallet protection, LifeLock is the better choice. Of course, you’ll have to call them to report the theft – a task I wouldn’t wish on anyone after my experience.
Family Plans: Winner – LifeLock
I have an issue with IdentityForce when it comes to family plans – you have to call them for pricing!
There’s a serious lack of transparency over what they charge and what a family plan includes, and I don’t understand why.
As a parent with young children, I know this much – I don’t have time to sit on the phone with a sales rep. I want to protect my family by signing up with just a few clicks like I can with any other service.
It’s too bad because if IdentityForce made it a little easier to sign up for family plans, I’d probably put them ahead in this category. They offer some great features for families, which I’ll dig into momentarily.
Of course, LifeLock excels here too. They offer a great suite of parental controls that parents of school-aged kids will find helpful. And, LifeLock makes it easy for families to sign up.
The only place LifeLock could do better is with its family plan structure. They only offer plans that include two adults and up to five children under 18.
The best family plan options allow you to include more adults and unlimited children. That way, you can cover college-aged kids, your parents, your in-laws, etc. Aura’s family plan, for example, allows you to cover five adults and as many underage kids as you need.
Parental Control Features
As I mentioned, LifeLock’s parental control features are top-notch. When you purchase a family plan with them, you get access to Norton Family.
With Norton Family in place, parents can block websites, set time screen time limits, and track their children’s internet usage. It also includes device locations, so you can see where your kids are going online.
IdentityForce doesn’t offer regular parental controls – meaning they don’t include the ability to block websites or set screen time limits. However, they do offer a unique and award-winning service to protect kids online. It’s called ChildWatch, and it falls more under anti-bullying than it does parental controls.
Anti-bullying monitoring and Safe Gaming
One of the biggest concerns for parents who have kids online is cyberbullying. It can wreak havoc on a child’s self-esteem and lead to all sorts of dangers. It’s also hard for parents to spot.
IdentityForce helps combat this with a thorough social media monitoring suite aimed towards children. It’s part of their ChildWatch program, which you can add on to any plan for a nominal monthly fee.
On top of providing identity and credit monitoring for kids, ChildWatch monitors children’s social media use, looking for signs of fraudulent activity, scams, and cyberbullying.
The only other service I know of that pays attention to kids in a similar way is Aura.
Aura gives parents the ability to protect their young children online more comprehensively than either LifeLock or IdentityForce. Not only does it provide full parental controls, similar to Norton Family, but it also includes cyberbullying monitoring on over 200 online games.
Aura’s AI and machine learning technology analyzes voice and text interactions for signs of grooming, bullying, racism, and harassment, allowing parents to step in when needed. No other service is so extensive, which is why Aura is my top pick for those with young children they need to protect.
Theft Insurance: Winner – LifeLock
IdentityForce offers $1 million in theft insurance coverage for plan members. This is very normal and what most services include.
The breakdown looks like this:
LifeLock offers a lot more if you’re willing to pay for it.
With their top-tier family plan, LifeLock provides up to $3 million in coverage for adults and $100,050,000 for each child. That includes $1 million each for legal fees, stolen fund reimbursement, and expenses related to identity theft.
But there’s a catch.
LifeLock’s lower plan options offer significantly less than the IdentityForce. While they still include $1 million in coverage for legal fees, their lowest-level plan only offers $25,000 in stolen funds and expense reimbursement.
Because they offer $1 million in legal fee coverage only, LifeLock still calls this a $1 million protection plan, which I find a little deceptive.
If you want the best in family identity theft coverage, look at Aura instead. They offer $1 million in coverage per adult on the plan (and that $1 million isn’t restricted to legal fees). Because Aura allows for up to five adults, you get up to $5 million in total coverage, which is FAR more generous than most other services.
Ease of Use: Winner – LifeLock
This was a harder category to judge.
LifeLock wins for having a very modern, aesthetically pleasing dashboard that’s intuitive to use and full of the right information.
IdentityForce isn’t bad, it just feels a little more dated.
That said, IdentityForce does come with an app that works very well. LifeLock’s app is okay, but it can be a little glitchy, especially if you’re an Android user.
So, while I’m giving this category to LifeLock, it’s not because anything is wrong with IdentityForce. Both services are easy enough to use.
Online Privacy Features: Winner – LifeLock
There are many reasons not to like LifeLock, but its online privacy features aren’t among them.
LifeLock comes with Norton antivirus software and a fantastic VPN. It also includes an anonymous browser, an ad-tracker blocker, and a privacy monitor.
IdentityForce also offers a large suite of privacy tools, including anti-phishing software, a password manager, an online ID vault, and a VPN. However, none of them are of the same quality as LifeLock’s.
Here’s the thing, though.
I’m a fan of Norton antivirus software, but you don’t have to purchase LifeLock to get it. Instead, I recommend purchasing a better identity protection service. Then, buy Norton’s antivirus as a standalone product. That way, you can have top-notch identity protection AND virus-free devices.
Cost: Winner – IdentityForce
IdentityForce isn’t the most inexpensive product I’ve reviewed (their rep quoted me $35.90 per month for a family plan), but it brings a lot of value to the table. It offers highly accurate monitoring and a great customer service team. So, I think its price point is justifiable.
LifeLock is much more expensive, which might make sense if it were as accurate as IdentityForce. But it’s not, and its customer service is subpar. I weigh those features heavily when it comes to identity protection, so I don’t think LifeLock is worth the price tag.
Even worse, LifeLock ups its price after the first year. A top-tier family plan starts at $467.88 for the first year of service, but when you renew, it jumps to $799.99. That’s a huge jump, and it’s completely unwarranted.
LifeLock vs Identity Force Overall Winner – IdentityForce
Okay, technically, LifeLock won more categories in this review, but I can’t give them the trophy. Their monitoring is comprehensive but it misses blatant threats. And their customer service team is way below average.
IdentityForce wins because it offers accurate monitoring and great customer service at a relatively reasonable price.
I could go as far as to recommend IdentityForce to you – but I’m not going to.
IdentityForce isn’t bad, but there’s better out there. If you want to protect everything from your home title to your children’s social security number, you want Aura’s award-winning identity threat and credit monitoring. You also want their expert threat resolution team and generous theft insurance coverage.
And, if you have college-aged kids or elderly parents to protect, you want Aura’s family plans, which allow for up to five adults. If you have younger children at home, you’ll love Aura’s parental controls that include safe gaming features.
Best of all, Aura is cheaper than IdentityForce when you use our discount code. And, unlike LifeLock’s pricing, your price with Aura doesn’t change. You’re locked in at a low rate for life.
So, if you want the best identity protection service for you and yours, you want Aura, not LifeLock or IdentityForce.
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