Guarding against identity theft is an ongoing battle, but you don't have to wage it yourself. Signing up for an identity theft protection service can go a long way toward preventing identity theft. IDShield is one of the top identity theft protection services, with services like credit monitoring, password protection, and dark web monitoring.
Business Insider's personal finance team compared IDShield to the best identity theft protection services and found it to be a well-rounded option.
Overview of IDShield
What is IDShield?
With restoration, consultation, and cybersecurity protection, IDShield gives you all the essentials at a relatively low price compared to the other services.
While most identity theft services offer roughly the same services, IDShield's in-house private investigator service caught our eye. If you're dealing with a stolen identity, a dedicated investigator is assigned to you and works with you to restore your identity to its pre-theft state. IDShield also has a very well-reviewed mobile app available for both iOS and Android devices. To top it off, LegalShield, IDShield's parent company, is Better Business Bureau-accredited with an A+ in customer responsiveness.
IDShield also offers annual discounts and a family plan, which covers your partner and unlimited dependents.
User Ratings and Reviews
IDShield reviews from customers are generally positive. IDShield received an average of 4.6 stars out of five across 208 reviews on Trustpilot, with 89% of reviewers leaving four or five stars. Its mobile apps on the Google Play store and Apple app stores received averages of 4.4 and 4.8 out of five stars, respectively.
IDShield Identity Theft Protection Pricing and Plans
IDShield offers four plans that vary between the number of credit bureaus monitored and the number of people covered.
| Individual: One-Bureau plan | Individual: Three-Bureau plan | Family: One-Bureau plan | Family: Three-Bureau plan | |
| Price (Monthly) | $14.95 | $19.95 | $29.95 | $34.95 |
| Identity theft insurance | $3 million | $3 million | $3 million | $3 million |
| Credit monitoring | TransUnion Only | All three bureaus | TransUnion Only | All three bureaus |
| Monthly credit score | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Annual three-bureau credit report | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Data breach notifications | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Private investigators | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lost wallet assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Password manager | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VPN services | Up to three devices | Up to three devices | Up to 15 devices | Up to 15 devices |
| Anti-malware protection | Up to three devices | Up to three devices | Up to 15 devices | Up to 15 devices |
| Credit Freeze | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social media monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit & debit card monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Court record monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Child identity monitoring | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Address change monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
IDShield Features and Services
While some of these features, like credit and debit card monitoring, are easier to understand, some are less obvious. Let's break down a few of IDShield's offerings.
Child Identity Monitoring
Exclusive to the family plan, child monitoring services encompass several services that give parents control over how their children interact with the internet. For one, parents can limit the timeframes their children can be on the internet. They can also set content filters and block certain web pages.
Social Media Monitoring
IDShield will notify you if someone is impersonating you on social media or if your social media presence poses a "reputational risk" through discriminatory language, drug references, or foul language. It will also track your accounts to ensure you don't inadvertently expose your personal information in your posts.
Parents can also monitor their dependent children's social media as long as they're under 18.
Private Investigators
If you're the victim of identity theft while under any of IDShield's plans, you're provided a licensed private investigator who walks you through the steps of identity restoration tailored to your specific situation. This service includes consultation support on safeguards, data exposure, and educational support.
Dark Web and Court Records Monitoring
We pay particular attention to dark web and court record monitoring when we evaluate an identity theft protection service. That's because these services are hard to replicate on your own. Dark web monitoring scans the dark web for private information to see if it's for sale. This includes your Social Security number, driver's license number, credit card information, and other protected personal information.
Court records monitoring goes through the same process but targets court and public records. If your name is included in these records, that could be a sign you've been the victim of criminal identity theft, in which someone gave the police your name and information instead of theirs.
Credit monitoring and credit reports
If you sign up for IDShield 3 Bureau Individual Plan, you'll get notifications when anything changes on your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. If you sign up for the one-bureau plan, you'll only see updates from TransUnion.
Overview of Pricing
IDShield has individual and family plans, each with an option for one- or three-bureau monitoring. The family plan includes coverage for the primary user, their spouse/partner, and dependent children under 18. Dependent children of the primary user between the ages of 18-26 are eligible for consultation and restoration services but not monitoring.
The monthly subscription fees are as follows:
| One-bureau monitoring | Three-bureau monitoring | |
| Individual | $14.95 | $19.95 |
| Family | $29.95 | $34.95 |
Note: IDShield does not offer an annual subscription discount or free trials.
How to Enroll in IDShield
Buying IDShield comes down to choosing a plan that suits you and filling out the necessary information. While the choice between individual and family plan ultimately comes down to who you want to cover and if you have any dependents, choosing between the three-bureau and one-bureau plans is a little less clear-cut. Ultimately, it comes down to whether Equifax and Experian monitoring is worth the extra $5 monthly. Note that some of the best credit monitoring services are free of charge.
Once you make a decision, you need to create an account, which can be done over the phone or on IDShield's website. You'll need to input your address, Social Security number, your birth date, and your payment information for the first monthly fee. You will then receive a member ID and account number, and your plan will start immediately.
You can download its mobile app on iOS or Android or use IDShield's browser interface.
Drawbacks to consider
You will have to just take the plunge with IDShield because unfortunately, it does not offer a free trial.
IDShield vs. the Competition
IDShield's service is cheaper for tri-bureau protection services but offers comparable protection to some of the best identity theft protection services on the market.
| Company | Monthly subscription cost |
| Identity Guard | $8.99 to $29.99 monthly for individuals, $14.99 to $39.99 monthly for families |
| LifeLock Ultimate Plus | $34.99 monthly or $239.88 for first year, then $339.99 upon renewal |
| Aura All-In-One | $15 monthly or $144 annually |
| IDShield | Starting at $14.95/month |
| PrivacyGuard | $9.99 per month |
| Complete ID | $8.99 monthly for Executive members, $13.99 monthly for Business and Gold Star members |
| IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit | $29.95 monthly or $299.50 annually |
Frequently Asked Questions About IDShield
IDShield is as effective as any other identity theft protection service. It offers comprehensive identity monitoring and restoration services to protect against identity theft.
Yes, IDShield offers a money-back satisfaction guarantee with terms and conditions.
Yes, IDShield provides credit monitoring and score tracking from the major bureaus.
Can I cancel IDShield?
You can cancel your membership plan with IDShield anytime. You have to call 800-654-7757 and tell them you want to cancel your service. They will email you a form to confirm the cancellation. According to a representative from IDShield, you will receive a refund for unused services.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Evaluate ID Theft Protection Companies
Most identity theft services follow the same tiered pricing system, offering more features for more money. Because these companies also offer similar services for their premium service, we rate companies based on what they offer at what price point. Along the way, we note exceptional inclusions and exceptional exclusions. We pay particular attention to public records and dark web monitoring as those services are difficult to replicate on your own.
IDShield stands above most other identity protection services given that, with the exception of three-bureau monitoring and family-related monitoring, all the plans offer the same level of protection. On the other hand, a service like IdentityForce reserves its VPN access for its most expensive service at $29.95.
While this is our primary consideration when we rate identity theft protection companies, we also look at a company's Better Business Bureau rating to see how responsive it is to its customers. We also consider other miscellaneous features like free trial periods, mobile apps, and refund policies.
Read our full explanation of how we rate identity theft protection services.
