Best for Quality Features

4.9

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On Aura Identity Theft's website

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Aura Identity Theft

• Excellent identity theft protection service
• Includes a password manager and VPN
• Robust tools for children’s security
• Provides VantageScore and not FICO score updates

Best for Insurance Premiums

4.9

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On LifeLock's website

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LifeLock

• Top-rated identity theft protection service
• Provides up to $3 million in coverage
• Multiple monitoring features including dark web, home title, and social media monitoring
• Customer support experience is lacking

In the first half of 2023, there were over half a million cases of identity theft reported in the United States [1]. That’s why services like Aura and LifeLock are important preventative measures that can help you get back to normal faster if you end up a victim of data breaches, stolen funds, or other suspicious activity. Both of these cybersecurity companies offer monitoring services and online security (to keep you aware of hackers and identity thieves), dark web monitoring, and other digital security woes.

LifeLock ID theft protection comes from Norton, a trusted security name with decades of experience. The Norton line of products includes antivirus, virtual private networks (VPNs), parental control software, and identity theft protection services like LifeLock. You can purchase these individually or bundle them together, but both options are pricey.

Aura identity theft protection offers customers a variety of robust features, including parental controls and antivirus, all bundled into a single service. The pricing structure is simple and can be scaled depending on the number of people you want to protect. We took a look at these two services side by side to see which we feel is the stronger product.

Aura vs. LifeLock review at a glance

• Aura: Best for quality features
• LifeLock: Best for insurance premiums

Aura vs. LifeLock compared

	Aura	LifeLock
Price	$12.00–$45.00/mo	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr
Identity theft insurance	Up to $1 million/adult	Up to $3 million/adult
Credit monitoring
3-bureau credit reports	Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax	Yes — Experian, TransUnion, Equifax
Credit score
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Social media account alerts
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura pros and cons

LifeLock pros and cons

Aura vs. LifeLock: prices

	Aura Our Pick	LifeLock
Monthly price range	$12.00–$45.00/mo	$7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr
Best value plan	Individual for $12.00/mo	LifeLock Advantage Individual for $14.99/mo for first yr
Identity theft insurance	Up to $1 million/adult	Up to $1.2 million+/adult
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura plans

Aura offers a 14-day free trial with a 60-day money-back guarantee. To sign up for this trial, you’ll need to input a payment method: either a credit/debit card, Apple Pay, or PayPal. We love using services like Apple Pay and PayPal because it makes canceling easier, but you can also use your card.

Aura’s plans are pretty simple because most of the features are available on all levels. The only real difference, other than increased storage and devices, is the addition of parental controls on the Family plan. Otherwise, Aura offers most of its great features to all customers.

• Individual: This plan provides all features available for adults, including identity theft insurance, $1 million in insurance, a cloud storage vault (1GB), online and device security for up to 10 devices, a privacy assistant, and more.
• Couple: The Couple plan provides all features available in the Individual plan but doubles insurance premiums to $2 million ($1 million per adult), cloud storage increases to 2 GB, and online and device security increases to up to 20 devices.
• Family: This tier provides all features available in the Individual and Couples plans, increases insurance to $1 million for up to five adults, cloud storage to 5 GB, online and device protection to 50 devices. It also includes parental control features like spam call and message protection, safe gaming with cyberbullying alerts, and child identity theft protection with the ability to freeze children’s social security numbers.

Aura protects against malware with antivirus software offered on all of its plans. It also offers you protection for unlimited children and three-bureau credit monitoring. It has less insurance coverage for identity restoration than LifeLock, but more features are included on lower-priced plans to help anyone avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.

LifeLock plans

LifeLock is a little more confusing and may require you to compare a few plans side by side. It offers nine plans: Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus, and each plan is customized in individual, couple, or family tiers.

Depending on the features you need, you may have to pay more, even as an individual, just to get your credit score. LifeLock does offer a 30-day trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee. Similar to Aura, you’ll need a payment method to begin your trial.

• Standard: Offers one-bureau credit monitoring, identity and social security number alerts, and $1,050,000 in identity theft insurance and remediation reimbursement costs
• Advantage: Offers all features included in the Standard plan but adds identity lock, phone takeover monitoring, criminal alerts with your name, and buy now pay later alerts
• Ultimate Plus: Offers all features included in the Standard and Advantage plans but adds daily credit scores, annual three-bureau credit reports, investment account alerts, home title monitoring, and social media account monitoring

The family version of each of these plans includes special features for children’s identity theft protection. If you want parental controls, however, you’ll have to purchase a different Norton 360 plan that includes LifeLock and Norton’s antivirus. The first year of Norton LifeLock offers identity fraud monitoring at a lower cost, while renewal pricing can jump to nearly double for some plans.

Aura vs. LifeLock: monitoring and alerts

Feature	Aura Our Pick	LifeLock
Credit monitoring
Financial activity alerts
3-bureau credit reports	Yes - Experian, TransUnion, Equifax	Yes - Experian, TransUnion, Equifax
Credit score
VantageScore
Credit lock
Identity recovery
Dark web alerts
Parental Controls
Social media account alerts
Social Security Number monitoring
Home title monitoring
Address change alerts
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura and LifeLock are pretty neck and neck in terms of features, with the exception of social media account fraud alerts, parental controls, and insurance payouts. Aura offers parental controls built into its product, while LifeLock sells Norton Family separately or as part of a much larger Norton 360 package. LifeLock offers social media fraud alerts, but Aura doesn’t have an equivalent available.

Since identity theft losses can be substantial, Norton’s $3 million in remediation assistance is generous but is only offered on its most expensive plan. Aura’s $1 million in insurance is standard across the industry and would likely cover what you need.

When we’re looking at the differences between the two products, we value parental controls over social media fraud alerts. Maybe it’s because we just don’t use social media that much. Maybe it’s also that we see paying for parental controls in addition to Norton’s higher prices as a waste. Either way, for us, Aura definitely has the better offer when it comes to features with respect to pricing.

People without kids or influencers who rely on their social media as their job may feel differently, but even then, we think Aura offers a more reasonably priced product for the features you get. If you’re looking at the overall price, Aura starts lower and renews at a lower price. This isn’t an instance of “you get what you pay for” because Aura is powerful and secure.

Aura identifies and helps you replace weak passwords.

LifeLock offers a variety of information at a glance.

Which is safer, Aura or LifeLock?

Identity theft protection services are privy to a lot of your personal data. It can be a nerve-wracking amount of information you offer, so you want to make sure the service you’re using is protecting your data.

We took a look at Aura and LifeLock to see if your data is protected by two-factor authentication (2FA), if either service collects that information internally, and if it’s sold or given to a third party. You shouldn’t have to worry about additional security and potential scams and spam while you’re working to protect your identity.

Aura vs. LifeLock data security

Aura	Aura	LifeLock
Two-factor authentication
Collects data
Shares data with third parties
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Both Norton LifeLock and Aura collect data on you so they can perform the services necessary for identity theft protection. Norton shares a lot of that personal data with third parties for marketing and other purposes. Aura doesn’t sell your data, but we weren’t thrilled to find out that they still share some data with third parties. 

It’s not clear exactly from either Norton or Aura who all of these third parties are or for what specific purposes they get access to your data. We would love to see a list of the who's and what for, but for right now, know that these are both reputable companies with a vested interest in your security.

Aura vs. LifeLock: compatibility and customer support

Platform	Aura Our Pick	LifeLock
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS	Yes — VPN only
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Support guides, chat, phone	Support guides, chat, phone
Learn more	Get Aura Read Aura Review	Get LifeLock Read LifeLock Review

Aura and LifeLock both have web-based portals, so you don’t have to worry about being able to log in on your device via an app. Aura’s mobile apps for device security work on all operating systems, but you’ll only get the VPN and not the antivirus on iOS.

LifeLock offers its service on The Big Four (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS) as well. However, you’ll need to purchase a VPN and antivirus separately as they aren’t included with any LifeLock plans. Norton does offer antivirus packages that include LifeLock, but they cost more.

Both services offer 24/7 support via support guides and chat, as well as a phone number you can call. The 24/7 support via phone appears to be more geared towards assisting with an identity theft complaint and less towards general troubleshooting. For that, it’s suggested you reach out to the chat boxes.

Two-factor authentication offers extra security for Aura customers.

LifeLock also offers two-factor authentication for a security boost.

Aura vs. LifeLock FAQs

Aura vs. LifeLock: which is better?

Aura is definitely the better service. LifeLock is part of the Norton family, and Norton has been around as a leading name in security for a long time. Unfortunately, that also means Norton has a large variety of products that all cost enough to make you second guess whether or not they fit in your monthly budget. Aura decided to include all of these in a single service.

Aura and LifeLock alternatives

If you’re looking for the best identity theft protection services, we think Aura holds that title. In case Aura or LifeLock isn’t the right choice for you, however, we’ve offered up additional products we’ve reviewed that might better fit your needs. Identity theft can be a nightmare to resolve, which is why identity theft protection services are worth it, even if just for the peace of mind.

• Identity Guard: If you’re looking for another identity theft protection service that includes extras like a VPN, Identity Guard should be on your list. We also found it easy to use. Individuals may find the Value plan to be extremely cost-effective, while families can look forward to a variety of options without sacrificing too much of their monthly budget.
  
  Get Identity Guard | Read Our Identity Guard Review
• IdentityForce: IdentityForce offers multiple categories of features that can assist you with anything from monitoring your accounts to remediation in the case of a lost or stolen wallet. IdentityForce will help you every step of the way if you require remediation services, and the overall monthly price will fit reasonably into a monthly budget.
  
  Read Our IdentityForce Review
• IDShield: The dashboard for IDShield may not be the flashiest thing you’ve ever seen, but it offers a lot of different services and features in one convenient location. We were especially impressed with the licensed private investigators feature that can be used during remediation services. IDShield doesn’t have the lowest monthly prices, but they aren’t the highest either. It’s a service worth checking out.
  
  Read Our IDShield Review

4.9

Learn More

On Aura Identity Theft's website

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Aura Identity Theft

• Excellent identity theft protection service
• Includes a password manager and VPN
• Robust tools for children’s security
• Provides VantageScore and not FICO score updates

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

Mary lives in Los Angeles and has been a cybersecurity writer for over five years. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, her career in online security began in sales and content creation for a private cybersecurity firm.