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
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We recommend Norton LifeLock as an above-average identity theft protection service. It’s affordable (starting from about $7.50/mo for first yr ), provides up to $3 million in coverage, and offers loads of different monitoring options.
We think it’s worth going for the Ultimate Plus plan (LifeLocks’s most extensive plan) for additional protection, including three-bureau credit monitoring, as well as credit reports and scores. Our primary drawback with LifeLock was our lackluster customer service experience.
Let’s explore our Norton LifeLock identity theft protection review and see if it’s the right fit for you.
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
| Price | $7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr |
| Identity theft insurance | Up to $3 million |
| Credit monitoring | Yes (Advantage and Ultimate Plus plans) |
| Credit reports | Yes — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion (only the Ultimate Plus plan has all three) |
| Credit score | Yes (Advantage and Ultimate Plus plans) |
| Identity recovery | Yes |
| Dark web alerts | Yes |
| Social media account alerts | Yes (Ultimate Plus plan) |
| Home title monitoring | Yes (Ultimate Plus plan) |
| Details | View Lifelock Plans |
"We also found that LifeLock is generally affordable when compared to other popular providers, especially if you choose an annual plan. But we wish the customer service reps were more knowledgeable."
Norton LifeLock offers three different subscription plans – Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus. You can receive up to $1.05 million in coverage with LifeLock Standard, up to $1.2 million in coverage with LifeLock Advantage, and up to $3 million in coverage with LifeLock Ultimate Plus.
LifeLock’s primary services include credit monitoring, dark web monitoring, and suspicious activity alerts for your identity and Social Security number. You can also take advantage of U.S.-based identity restoration specialists if you’re dealing with an identity theft situation.
The more expensive LifeLock plans also include options like credit reports and credit scores, financial monitoring, and a TransUnion credit lock.
Whether ID theft protection is worth it for you and your family depends on what you’re looking for. LifeLock pricing is competitive compared to other services, and it provides plenty of useful features in each of its plans.
We think Norton LifeLock makes a lot of sense if you want a service to help monitor your personal information and protect against identity theft. It can monitor all three credit bureaus with its Ultimate Plus plan and has a few unique features, including home title monitoring and crime alerts related to your name.
Norton LifeLock helps protect you against these identity theft situations:
Norton LifeLock provides plenty of useful features, especially if you opt for one of its higher-priced plans. This includes general credit monitoring of up to three credit bureaus, but you can also monitor financial transactions, social media accounts, dark web activity, and others.
We like that you can customize the different categories of information you want to monitor by simply adding and editing the information straight from your account. For example, your name, Social Security number, and date of birth are automatically monitored. But you can also monitor your email, address, phone number, driver’s license, credit cards, bank accounts, and more.
We didn’t find many issues with our experience using the different LifeLock features. It did take a few days for TransUnion and Experian data to populate on the plan that includes information from all three credit bureaus, but our Equifax credit report and credit score information were available almost immediately.
Norton LifeLock primarily uses Equifax for its credit monitoring services, so that’s the only bureau you’ll have access to on the LifeLock Standard and Advantage Plans. The Ultimate Plus plan monitors Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
LifeLock uses credit monitoring to alert you if any new credit inquiries are made in your name, and you can see a list of inquiries straight from the Credit Services tab on the dashboard. If you don’t recognize an inquiry, you can dispute it by selecting “Report an Inaccuracy.”
But it could still be worth using a paid credit monitoring service like Norton LifeLock because it could help you recover more quickly from different identity theft situations.
You may not want to receive an alert that shows you are possibly a victim of identity theft, but if the costs start piling up because your identity has been stolen, you’ll likely be grateful for up to $1.05 to $3 million in coverage from LifeLock. And having a dedicated agent to help restore your identity is an added bonus for peace of mind.
Up to $3 million in coverage on the Ultimate Plus plan includes the following:
You can see any active restoration cases directly from your dashboard.
Depending on your LifeLock plan, you can receive extensive financial transaction monitoring.
The types of financial transactions you can monitor include the following:
You can set up transaction alert preferences in your account settings for:
The process for setting up financial account monitoring is fairly straightforward. You simply have to select an available financial institution, verify your credentials, and start monitoring. You can do all of this directly from the “Transactions” tab on your dashboard.
It’s important to keep an eye on your credit reports and credit scores to make sure no unwanted changes are happening to your credit or personal information. It’s nice to monitor changes with one credit bureau, but it’s best to use the three major credit bureaus because lenders tend to report information differently.
For example, some lenders might report your credit information to all three credit bureaus, while other lenders only report information to one or two. This could result in different information between your three credit reports, which is why it’s important to check each report for any errors.
You can typically find free access to your credit reports and credit scores using different types of services that are available online. For instance, you can receive a free copy of your credit report from each of the credit bureaus every 12 months through AnnualCreditReport.com.
But you might prefer using a service like Norton LifeLock to have more consistent access to credit reports and scores. On the Ultimate Plus plan, you can access credit reports and scores from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
You get unlimited access to your Equifax credit report and score, meaning you can check your report on a daily basis rather than once per year. Access to other credit reports is still limited to an annual check.
We saw our Equifax credit score and credit report information almost immediately after signing up for the Ultimate Plus plan.
We couldn’t see any information about our Experian or TransUnion credit reports or scores directly after signing up. That was expected, though, because we read about it on the LifeLock plans page. The terms state, “Any credit monitoring from Experian and TransUnion will take several days to begin after your successful plan enrollment.”
So don’t be surprised if you initially see blank spaces for your TransUnion and Experian information in the Credit Services tab.
Monitoring services provide alerts to help you act quickly when keeping your identity protected. Norton LifeLock provides these types of alerts (availability may depend on your specific plan):
We had no issues setting up and using the Norton LifeLock identity theft protection service. There’s nothing to install on a desktop computer; you can access your dashboard after logging in to your account on the LifeLock website.
The dashboard itself is simple to use and navigate, and we could easily see if there were any new alerts and click on those if we wanted more information.
Overall, we had a good experience with Norton LifeLock, including installing and using the iOS app on our iPhone.
Our only real area of concern was our experience with the LifeLock customer support team. We chatted with a few different representatives using the live chat feature, and we called the main line and talked with someone there too.
In general, the representatives didn’t seem to be very knowledgeable about the different options, as many of the things they said were different from what we could see directly on the LifeLock website. You might have a different experience depending on who you talk with, but that’s how it was for us.
Norton LifeLock logs any data that you give it, which could be a lot since it is a service that provides identity theft protection. LifeLock can’t monitor something if it doesn’t have enough information, so the more information it has, the better.
When signing up for Norton LifeLock, you have to provide your name, email address, phone number, birth date, and Social Security number. Depending on what you want monitored, you might have to connect bank accounts, social media accounts, investment accounts, and as well as others.
Fortunately, only LifeLock appears to use your personal information to provide you with its services. According to their privacy policy, Norton doesn’t sell your personal information.
Note, however, that Norton LifeLock might have to share your information with some of its partners for certain features to work correctly. This is common for identity theft protection services, as they sometimes use other providers for specific purposes.
For example, we were notified that “Envestnet Yodlee” would need access to our data to help monitor certain financial transactions.
Note also that LifeLock offers two-factor authentication (2FA) as an option in your account settings; it’s not turned on by default. It’s easy to set up and provides an added layer of security, which we like.
We also like that you can set up a verbal passcode in your account settings as a way for Norton LifeLock agents to identify who you are.
You can access your Norton LifeLock account by using a web browser on any compatible device, such as a computer or tablet. Or you can use the LifeLock Identity by Norton Android or Apple iOS mobile apps on your compatible smartphone.
The LifeLock Identity Android app on Google Play has an excellent 4.6 out of 5 rating, while the LifeLock Identity iOS app on the App Store has a 4.3 out of 5 rating.
We noticed the iOS app was rated slightly lower than the Android app, so we took it for a test run. We found it was easy to set up and log in, and it had a clean, intuitive interface. We didn’t notice anything too different from using Norton LifeLock on the app versus a web browser other than the screen size.
Norton provides multiple customer support options.
We typically prefer using live chat features to talk to customer service representatives, as they’re often a quick and easy way to get answers to our questions. Unfortunately, our experience with the Norton live chat left a lot to be desired.
We wanted to ask which credit bureau the LifeLock Standard and LifeLock Advantage plans monitor since they only provide credit monitoring for one bureau. The representative started copying random information about the plans in the chat, and the information had nothing to do with our question.
Eventually, they told us the LifeLock Advantage plan provides monitoring for both the Equifax and TransUnion bureaus, which is wrong (it’s only Equifax, according to the website). The rep then ended the chat.
We opened another chat and got the same representative. They then changed their answer to Equifax being the one bureau that the two lower-priced LifeLock plans monitor. That’s correct, but our frustrating experience didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
It might make more sense to get as much information as you can from the website itself, using the help center and the online forums, rather than depending on Norton live chat reps.
Norton LifeLock costs between $7.50–$38.99/mo for first yr, depending on which individual plan you choose, and paying annually costs less per month compared to paying monthly. For example, the first year of a LifeLock Standard plan costs about $90, which is about $7.50 per month. By comparison, paying for the Standard plan on a month-to-month basis costs about $12.00 per month.
However, annual renewal prices (the price to renew after the first year) are higher than the first-year price. To renew a LifeLock Standard annual plan after the first year costs about $125, which is about $10.40 per month. So it’s still cheaper overall to go with an annual plan if you know you want the subscription to last at least a year.
Norton LifeLock prices are comparable to plans from other identity theft protection providers. Here are some pricing examples from a few popular competitors.
Keep in mind that you might be able to find cheaper monthly rates for the above services, too, if you choose to pay by the year.
| Plan | LifeLock Standard Individual | LifeLock Advantage Individual | LifeLock Ultimate Plus Individual |
| Price per month | $7.50/mo for first yr | $14.99/mo for first yr | $19.99/mo for first yr |
| Price per year | $89.99/first yr | $179.88/first yr | $239.88/first yr |
| Who’s covered | 1 adult | 1 adult | 1 adult |
| Identity theft insurance | Up to $1.05 million | Up to $1.2 million | Up to $3 million |
| Credit monitoring | Yes — Equifax | Yes — Equifax | Yes — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion |
| Social Security number monitoring | |||
| Identity alerts | |||
| USPS address change alerts | |||
| Dark web alerts | |||
| Credit lock and freeze | Yes — TransUnion | Yes — TransUnion | |
| Credit reports | Yes — Equifax | Yes — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion | |
| Credit score | |||
| Financial account alerts | |||
| Phone takeover monitoring | |||
| Social media account alerts | |||
| Home title monitoring | |||
| Details | View Plan | View Plan | View Plan |
Alternatively, you could opt to pair Norton antivirus software with LifeLock for more comprehensive set of protections. While the pricing isn't much different for Norton 360 with LifeLock Select and similar bundles, you'll get access to antivirus, a virtual private network (VPN), a password manager, parental controls, and additional cybersecurity features.
Norton also provides family plans for LifeLock, which offer all the same features. You still have the option of Standard, Advantage, or Ultimate Plus plans, but you can choose to buy them for two adults or two adults and up to five children.
The monthly price for a family plan with two adults ranges from about $13 to $40 per month at the time of writing. For plans with two adults and up to five children, it ranges from about $19 to $47 per month at the time of writing.
Similar to the individual plans, you can lower your overall monthly price by paying for your subscription by the year. Keep in mind that the first year is typically cheaper; you will probably have to renew at a higher price.
| Plan | LifeLock Select for Family with Kids (2 adults + 5 kids) |
LifeLock Advantage for Family with Kids (2 adults + 5 kids) |
LifeLock Ultimate Plus for Family with Kids (2 adults + 5 kids) |
| Price per month | $18.99/mo for first yr | $30.99/mo for first yr/td> | $40.99/mo for first yr |
| Price per year | $221.87/first yr | $359.88/first yr | $467.88/first yr |
| Details | View Plan | View Plan | View Plan |
LifeLock's Ultimate Plus plan may be worth it if you are looking for the most extensive monitoring and protection against identity theft, home title theft, and other forms of fraud. Other plans might not be as beneficial because you only get one-bureau credit monitoring and fewer monitoring features overall.
They’re the same thing. LifeLock used to be its own company but was acquired by Symantec in 2017, and its name was changed. You can still purchase LifeLock as a standalone product for identity theft protection, or you can include it with your purchase of other Norton products like the Norton 360 cybersecurity suite.
LifeLock Standard and LifeLock Advantage, the lower-priced LifeLock plans, only include credit monitoring with one credit bureau. You must purchase the more expensive LifeLock Ultimate Plus plan if you want credit monitoring with all three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
LifeLock Junior is available for children under 18, starting at about $6 per month for the first year. LifeLock members can add a LifeLock Junior membership to an existing adult membership. You can also purchase a family plan that includes two adults and up to five children. These plans start at about $36 per month.
We think Norton LifeLock provides an above-average identity protection service based on our testing and research. The Ultimate Plus plan easily provides the best monitoring solutions of their available options because you get three-bureau monitoring and up to $3 million in coverage.
We also found that LifeLock is generally affordable when compared to other popular providers, especially if you choose an annual plan. We didn’t love our customer service interactions, however, and wished the representatives could at least be more knowledgeable about the different LifeLock options.
If you're not sure LifeLock is the right service for you, take a look at our guide to the best identity theft protection companies for alternatives.
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
