With cybersecurity and identity protection features, IdentityForce is among our top picks to protect your credit and identity. However, it's also one of the most expensive.
Business Insider's personal finance team compared IdentityForce to the best credit monitoring services and best identity theft protection services and found it to be an industry leader with added features such as social media and bank activity monitoring. Read on to see if IdentityForce is right for you.
IdentityForce Overview
How IdentityForce works
Operated by TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus, IdentityForce is a top-notch service that provides various solutions to prevent, identify, and resolve instances of identity theft.
IdentityForce's cybersecurity features, including anti-phishing and anti-keylogging software and a virtual private network (VPN), particularly stand out. IdentityForce also includes an online vault for storing sensitive digital documents. These features should go a long way toward preventing identity theft. If that fails, IdentityForce provides up to $1 million in identity theft insurance and credit experts who can help you recover from identity theft.
The company reserves some key identity theft monitoring features for its premium plan, UltraSecure+Credit. Features such as tri-bureau credit monitoring and a credit scoring simulator are only available for an added fee. UltraSecure+Credit is one of the most expensive identity theft plans available, and the most expensive plan included on our list of the best identity protection plans.
IdentityForce's annual plans, free trial for UltraSecure, and return policy soften the blow of this relatively expensive service. IdentityForce also offers family plans geared toward preventing child identity theft with ongoing identity monitoring and some social media monitoring.
Compare IdentityForce Identity Theft Protection
$17.99 monthly or $179.99 annually
- Refund on service if Norton can’t remove virus from device
- Cybersecurity features
- Identity theft recovery assistance
- Only monitors one credit bureau
$15 monthly or $144 annually
- Solid range of protections including parental controls
- Includes antivirus, VPN, and password manager features
- Reasonable pricing for couples and families
- No social media monitoring
Aura ID Theft Protection offers comprehensive identity protection at some of the best prices on the market, which should be expected from one of the services we included in both our credit monitoring and identity theft protection guides.
Aura All-In-One- All plans come with 24/7 customer support
- Every adult member on your plan is backed by $1,000,000 insurance policy to cover eligible losses and fees due to identity theft.
- Enjoy a 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans.
- 60-day money back guarantee is only available for annual plans purchased through Aura’s websites (excludes Amazon) or via the Customer Support team.
Starting at $14.95/month
- Well-rated mobile app
- In-house licensed private investigator for identity theft victims
- All plans have dark web and court record monitoring
- No free trial
- No annual plan discount
IDShield was named the best well-rounded protection plan by Insider in our guide to the best identity theft protection services. With restoration, consultation, and monitoring services, it's clear why IDShield provides all the essentials at a relatively low price compared to the other services.
IDShield- $1 million coverage for lawyers and experts needed to fix identity theft that occurs while you’re a member.*
- Full-service identity restoration. Gain peace of mind knowing that licensed private investigators help restore your identity to pre-theft status, saving you time and money.
- Monitor for fraud and alerts. 24/7 monitoring of your identity, reputation, finances, credit, alerts you about potential fraud, and so much more.
- *An Identity Fraud Protection Plan (“Plan”) is issued through a nationally recognized carrier. IDShield is not an insurance carrier. This covers certain identity fraud expenses and legal costs as a result of a covered identity fraud event.
Key Features of IdentityForce
IdentityForce offers two tiers of service, each with an additional family plan, totaling four plans overall.
| UltraSecure | UltraSecure+Credit | UltraSecure Family | UltraSecure+Credit Family | |
| Price (monthly) | $19.90 | $34.90 | $24.90 | $39.90 |
| Fraud monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSN tracker | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit monitoring | No | Three-bureau monitoring | No | Three-bureau monitoring |
| Credit reports | No | Quarterly reports and scores | No | Quarterly reports and scores |
| Credit score simulator | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Identity theft insurance | $1 million | $1 million | $1 million | $1 million |
| Bank and credit card activity | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social media monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Online PC protection tools | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VPN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ChildWatch | No | No | Yes | Yes |
IdentityForce Pros and Cons
Pros
- Comprehensive monitoring: IdentityForce extensively tracks personal data, including Social Security numbers, financial details, and credit reports.
- Real-time alerts: IdentityForce works to detect suspicious activity and alert users in real time.
- Access to credit reports: IdentityForce provides access to credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Cons
- Expensive: IdentityForce can be more expensive than alternative services.
- Add-ons: Adding coverage for children will cost extra.
- No guarantee: There is no guarantee against identity theft.
IdentityForce Cost and Fees
IdentityForce plans range from $19.90 to $39.90. However, IdentityForce does offer a discount for its annual subscriptions. The prices are as follows:
| Monthly | Annual | |
| UltraSecure | $19.90 | $199.90 |
| UltraSecure+Credit | $34.90 | $349.90 |
| UltraSecure Family | $24.90 | $249.90 |
| UltraSecure+Credit Family | $39.90 | $399.90 |
The IdentityForce website tends to funnel users to its UltraSecure + Credit plan, the more expensive of its two plans. However, you can access all plans by visiting the IdentityForce homepage and clicking "personal trial." There, you'll find a 30-day free trial for UltraSecure.
Once you reach this page, you can select which plan you want and if you want to pay monthly or spring for the discounted annual plan and pay less overall. After adding your personal information, your service will start. You can also download the accompanying IdentityForce app, though it has received mediocre reviews from both Apple and Android users.
IdentityForce Reviews and Ratings
IdentityForce has decent reviews on Trustpilot, earning an average rating of 3.9 stars across 904 reviews, with 59% giving the service four or five stars. Its iOS and Google Play apps fare worse, receiving an average of 3.0 and 2.6 stars, respectively.
IdentityForce has a C rating with the Better Business Bureau and received 1.11 stars out of five. Most negative reviews on the BBB website say the customer service was less than desired and it was hard to cancel the membership through the website.
IdentityForce Alternatives
IdentityForce covers all the bases its competitors cover and adds value with cybersecurity capabilities as well as its credit score simulator. However, it's more expensive than many of its competitors. It's worth noting that IdentityForce offers annual subscription discounts, which many competitors do not.
| Company | Monthly subscription cost | Annual subscription cost |
| Ultra Secure+Credit | $34.90 | $349.90 |
| IDShield | $19.95 | N/A |
| Aura All-In-One | $12 | $108 |
| PrivacyGuard Total Protection | $24.99 | N/A |
| Identity Guard | $29.99 | $215.88 |
| Complete ID | $13.99 or $8.99 based on Costco membership type | N/A |
| LifeLock Ultimate Plus | $34.99 | $339.99 |
IdentityForce vs. Aura
At their best, Aura and IdentityForce both offer comprehensive identity protection with cybersecurity features and tri-bureau monitoring. However, Aura's best is much cheaper than IdentityForce's, costing less than half of IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit.
IdentityForce does have some notable benefits. For one, IdentityForce offers a 30-day free trial and a pro-rated refund for unused services. Notably, IdentityForce also offers a credit score simulator that roughly predicts how certain actions may affect your credit score. However, these features aren't worth paying nearly three times as much.
Read our Aura review.
IdentityForce vs. LifeLock by Norton
Like IdentityForce, LifeLock by Norton also charges premium prices. That said, IdentityForce has the features to justify its price. It provides a robust selection of cybersecurity measures and a credit scoring simulator, all of which LifeLock lacks.
It's also worth noting that the price bump for IdentityForce's family plans compared to its individual plans is far less than the price increase for LifeLock's family plan. However, when paired with Norton 360, the competition between LifeLock and IdentityForce is less stark.
Norton 360 with LifeLock SelectNorton 360 with LifeLock, while more expensive than IdentityForce, offers more features than IdentityForce, like its ad-blocker for the Safari browser. It also offers child identity monitoring without added cost, unlike IdentityForce. Additionally, your service comes with the Norton Virus Protection Promise, which means that your service gets refunded if Norton can't remove a virus from a covered device.
Read our LifeLock review.
IdentityForce vs. Experian IdentityWorks
IdentityWorks, Experian's identity protection service, is less expensive than IdentityForce but offers less identity protection. IdentityForce outmuscles IdentityWorks with a comprehensive selection of identity theft and cybersecurity features.
When performing at their highest levels, IdentityForce has Experian IdentityWorks beat. However, Experian IdentityWorks has a free plan, Experian IdentityWorks Basic Plan, which is something IdentityForce doesn't offer. While not nearly as comprehensive as a paid plan, Experian IdentityWorks still provides some value with dark web monitoring. IdentityWorks' free plan doesn't offer any recovery services.
IdentityForce also offers better quality-of-life features, such as its 30-day free trial, refunds on unused services, and family plans.
Read our Experian IdentityWorks review.
Frequently Asked Questions About IdentityForce
IdentityForce is as effective as any other ID-theft protection service, if not more. It uses advanced technology and comprehensive services to effectively protect your identity from fraud and scammers.
You can cancel IdentityForce by calling customer service or through your member dashboard. For unused services, you'll receive a pro-rated refund.
Yes, IdentityForce is easy to use, with a user-friendly interface and easy-to-navigate features.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Rated IdentityForce
We evaluate each identity protection service based on how well it can protect, monitor, and recover your identity. We'll look for key services that all identity protection services should have, such as dark web monitoring and public records monitoring, as these two features are difficult to find elsewhere.
We also look at whether an identity theft protection service includes credit monitoring and how comprehensive that monitoring is (single-bureau monitoring, tri-bureau monitoring, etc.). However, this isn't as important to us as you can find pretty decent credit monitoring services for free. We also look for features that help the customer recover their identity if it's stolen, such as stolen wallet protection, identity theft insurance, and dedicated fraud experts who can help you regain your identity.
Identity theft protection services often follow a tiered pricing system, offering a greater variety of features with their more expensive plans. Once you reach the highest tier of service, you'll find a similar set of features across all services, which is why we pay particular attention to how high up their tier system you have to get to unlock certain features and how much the most expensive tier costs.
While this is our primary consideration when we rate identity theft protection companies, we also look at a company's customer ratings to identify any issues. We also consider QoL features such as return policies, family plans, free trials, and annual discounts.
Using these criteria, IdentityForce is one of the best identity protection services. Its cybersecurity software offers comprehensive protection, a feature not often seen among identity protection services. Its premium service comes with a credit scoring simulator, which can help you see how another line of credit might affect your credit score.
While you'll have to pay a high price for IdentityForce's premium service, annual discounts, free trials, and refund policy can soften the blow.
You can read our full explanation of how we rate identity theft protection services.
