Identity Guard Review (2026)
Identity Guard, owned by Aura, suits people who want identity monitoring with a $1 million insurance policy and a discounted first year, without paying for antivirus or a VPN. The one thing to know: the cheapest plan, Value, has no credit monitoring at all, and annual plans renew at full price after the first year. Value for one adult is $8.99 a month, or $53.88 to $90.00 for the first year depending on the offer shown, then $107.88 a year.
By Wealthy Pot Editorial · Facts checked October 19, 2026
Facts checked October 19, 2026 against Identity Guard's own pricing, help and policy pages (7 sources, listed below). We re-check prices about once a month. We do not earn a commission from Aura (Identity Guard).
Identity Guard at a glance
| Value (1 adult) | $8.99 a month; yearly plan $53.88 to $90.00 for the first year depending on the offer shown, renews at $107.88 a year [1] |
|---|---|
| Total (1 adult) | $19.99 a month; yearly $119.88 or $200.04 the first year, renews at $239.88 [1] |
| Ultra (1 adult) | $29.99 a month; yearly $179.88 or $300.00 the first year, renews at $359.88 [1] |
| Family plans (5 adults, unlimited kids) | Value $14.99, Total $29.99, Ultra $39.99 a month; yearly renewals $179.88, $359.88, $479.88 [1] |
| Free tier and trial | No free tier; no free trial advertised on the plans page [1] |
| Bureaus monitored | Value: none. Total and Ultra: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion [1] |
| Score | Monthly score calculated from your Equifax credit file (Total, Ultra); model not named [1] |
| Credit lock and reports | Experian credit lock and an annual three-bureau credit report on Ultra only [1] |
| Identity theft insurance | $1 million on every tier; underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant company [1] |
| Insurance terms | $1,000,000 expense reimbursement per membership per 12 months; stolen-funds recovery is part of that limit, one occurrence per 12 months [3] |
| Restoration | US-based customer care on all tiers; white glove fraud remediation on Ultra only [1] |
| Extras | Safe browsing and a password manager; no VPN, antivirus or data broker removal listed [1] |
| Refunds | 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans bought on the website or through customer support [1] |
| Company | Aura Sub, LLC; Identity Guard was bought by Aura's predecessor in 2018 [2] |
What Identity Guard costs
| Plan | Paying monthly, 1 year | Annual plan, 1 year | 3 years (cheapest way) | Annual plan saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value1 adult; first year $53.88 or $90.00 | $107.88 | $107.88 | $323.64 | $0 (0%) |
| Total1 adult; first year $119.88 or $200.04 | $239.88 | $239.88 | $719.64 | $0 (0%) |
| Ultra1 adult; first year $179.88 or $300.00 | $359.88 | $359.88 | $1,079.64 | $0 (0%) |
| Value Familyfirst year $89.88 or $150.00 | $179.88 | $179.88 | $539.64 | $0 (0%) |
| Total Familyfirst year $179.88 or $300.00 | $359.88 | $359.88 | $1,079.64 | $0 (0%) |
| Ultra Familyfirst year $239.88 or $399.96 | $479.88 | $479.88 | $1,439.64 | $0 (0%) |
Our arithmetic from the listed prices, before sales tax, assuming today's prices hold; subscriptions can renew at a different rate. Yearly figures above are the renewal prices. On October 19, 2026 Identity Guard's plans page carried two first-year offers for every annual plan, "Save 16%" and "Save 50%", and which one you see can vary; the renewal price is the same in both. Monthly plans renew at the same monthly price. The terms say a plan renews at the price shown in your account dashboard, and Identity Guard emails you before renewal.
How Identity Guard works
Identity Guard has three tiers, each for one adult or a family of 5 adults and unlimited kids. Value is identity-only: data breach notifications, dark web monitoring, high-risk transaction monitoring, safe browsing, a password manager and the $1 million insurance policy, with no credit monitoring or score. Total adds bank account monitoring, three-bureau credit monitoring and a monthly score calculated from your Equifax file; Identity Guard does not name the score model, and lenders may see a different score. Ultra adds card, 401(k) and investment monitoring, home and auto title, social media, criminal records and USPS address change monitoring, an Experian credit lock, an annual three-bureau report and white glove fraud remediation. Children on family plans get online account and SSN monitoring only. Unlike its sister brand Aura, Identity Guard lists no VPN, antivirus or data broker removal.
The insurance is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant company, the same insurer Aura uses. Aura's $1 million summary sets that as the expense reimbursement limit per membership per 12 months, with stolen-funds recovery inside that limit, not on top. Identity Guard's comparison table also shows "Up to $5M" without spelling out which plans that applies to. These are policy limits, not payout promises. Before paying, know what is free: a credit freeze at each bureau costs nothing and lasts until you lift it, a fraud alert is free for a year (seven years for identity theft victims with a report), and AnnualCreditReport.com gives free weekly reports from all three bureaus. Our guide on whether identity theft protection is worth it sets the two side by side.
A hypothetical two years on Value for one adult: the yearly plan costs $53.88 + $107.88 = $161.76 with the 50% offer, or $90.00 + $107.88 = $197.88 with the 16% offer. Paying monthly costs $8.99 x 24 = $215.76. From the second year on, the yearly plan ($107.88) costs exactly 12 monthly payments ($8.99 x 12), so the saving is in year one only.
Pros
- First-year price cut of 16% or 50% on annual plans
- Family plans cover 5 adults and unlimited kids
- Insurer named, with a published summary of benefits
- 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans
Cons
- Value has no credit monitoring or score
- Annual plans renew at full price after year one
- Score model not named; score is Equifax-based and monthly
- Credit lock and white glove remediation on Ultra only
- No VPN, antivirus or data broker removal
Who Identity Guard fits, and who should skip it
A good fit if
- You want identity monitoring and $1 million insurance, and already freeze or watch your credit yourself (Value).
- You want three-bureau credit monitoring for a family of up to 5 adults on one plan (Total or Ultra Family).
- You will pay a year upfront to get the first-year discount and the 60-day refund window.
Look elsewhere if
- You want antivirus, a VPN and data broker removal included: Aura bundles them.
- You want a price that does not rise after year one: LifeLock showed the same first-year and renewal price on October 19, 2026.
- You only want a free score: CreditWise shows a free FICO Score 8.
Limitations to know
- The first-year price you are offered can differ: the plans page holds both a 16% and a 50% first-year offer. Renewal prices are the same either way. [1]
- The Experian lock on Ultra is a product feature. A credit freeze placed with each bureau is free to place and lift and lasts until you lift it. [6]
- Only Ultra includes a three-bureau report, once a year. Free weekly reports from all three bureaus are available at AnnualCreditReport.com. [7]
- You cancel by phone (1-855-443-7748), by email or in your account, at least 1 day before the next billing cycle. [2]
- The 60-day refund covers annual plans bought on Identity Guard's websites or through its support team; monthly plans are not covered. [1]
Identity Guard compared with alternatives
| Service | Free tier | Price | Score shown | ID-theft insurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity Guard | No free tier | Value $8.99/mo, Total $19.99, Ultra $29.99 (individual); first-year discounts | Equifax-based score, monthly (model not stated) | $1M (American Bankers Insurance Co. of Florida) |
| Aura | No free tier (14-day trial) | $12/mo billed yearly or $15 monthly; Couple $22/$29; Family $32/$50 | VantageScore (Equifax data, monthly) | $1M individual, $2M couple, $5M family (American Bankers Insurance Co. of Florida) |
| LifeLock | No free tier (30-day trial, card required) | Core $12.49/mo or $124.99/yr; Advanced $19.99 or $199.99; Total $34.99 or $349.99 | One-bureau score (model not stated) | $1.05M, $1.2M or $3M per adult by tier (United Specialty Insurance Co.) |
| IdentityIQ | No free tier | Secure Basic $8.49/mo ($86.61/yr) to Secure Max $31.49/mo ($321.21/yr) | Not stated | $1M stolen funds reimbursement ("underwritten by AIG") |
| Credit Karma | Fully free: scores, reports, alerts (no paid tier) | Free | VantageScore 3.0 (not FICO) | None |
- Pick Aura if you want the same insurer plus antivirus, VPN and three-bureau monitoring on every plan.
- Pick LifeLock if you want no first-year price jump and higher reimbursement limits on upper tiers.
- Pick IdentityIQ if you want monthly three-bureau reports and scores.
- Pick Credit Karma if you only need free score tracking from two bureaus.
Security and privacy
- Identity Guard says it does not sell your personal data for money, but its use of cookies and pixels may count as a "sale" under state privacy laws. [1]
- The service is run by Aura Sub, LLC and its affiliates; the Identity Guard name is an Aura Sub, LLC trademark. [2]
- On July 1, 2015 the CFPB took action against Intersections Inc., then Identity Guard's owner, for unfair billing of credit card add-on identity protection products. Intersections reported a $1.2 million civil penalty plus about $63,000 in refunds. The order ended February 4, 2026. [5]
- We found no FTC or CFPB action against Identity Guard or Aura since the Aura acquisition.
Recent changes
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| Invalid Date | Identity Guard brought into the Aura brand family. [4] |
| Invalid Date | iSubscribed (now Aura), WndrCo and General Catalyst acquired Intersections Inc. and Identity Guard, by Aura's own timeline. [4] |
Identity Guard FAQ
Is Identity Guard free?
No. There is no free tier and the plans page advertises no free trial. Annual plans have a 60-day money-back guarantee when bought on Identity Guard's websites or through its support team.
How much does Identity Guard cost?
For one adult, Value is $8.99 a month, Total $19.99 and Ultra $29.99. Billed yearly, Value costs $53.88 to $90.00 for the first year depending on the offer shown, then renews at $107.88; Total renews at $239.88 and Ultra at $359.88. Family plans for 5 adults cost $14.99 to $39.99 a month. These were the prices on October 19, 2026.
Does Identity Guard monitor my credit?
Only on Total and Ultra, which monitor all three bureaus and show a monthly score calculated from your Equifax file. Identity Guard does not name the score model. The Value plan has no credit monitoring. See <a href="/what-is-a-good-credit-score/">what is a good credit score</a> for how scores differ.
Identity Guard vs Aura?
Both are owned by Aura and use the same insurer. <a href="/credit-monitoring/aura/">Aura</a> monitors all three bureaus on every main plan and adds antivirus, a VPN and data broker removal. Identity Guard has a cheaper identity-only Value plan and a first-year discount, but no device security.
Is Identity Guard worth it?
It depends on what you already do yourself. If you place free credit freezes and check free weekly reports, the identity-only Value plan adds breach and dark web alerts plus $1 million insurance from $53.88 the first year. If you want credit monitoring, you need Total or Ultra.
How we researched this review
We did not get paid or receive a free account for this page. We read Identity Guard's own pricing page, help center, security and privacy pages and app-store listing on October 19, 2026, quoted each fact from those pages, and link every one below. We did not run a long-term hands-on test, so we do not score the app; where a point rests on what the company says rather than something we can check, we attribute it to Identity Guard. Cost figures are our own arithmetic. We re-check prices and plans about once a month and log changes in the table above.
Sources
- Identity Guard, Plans and pricing, checked October 19, 2026.
- Identity Guard, Terms of use, checked October 19, 2026.
- Aura, $1 million identity theft insurance summary of benefits, checked October 19, 2026.
- Aura, About, checked October 19, 2026.
- CFPB, Enforcement action: Intersections Inc., checked October 19, 2026.
- FTC, Credit freezes and fraud alerts, checked October 19, 2026.
- FTC, Free credit reports, checked October 19, 2026.
This review is general information, not financial or legal advice. A credit freeze at each bureau and weekly reports from AnnualCreditReport.com are free under federal rules; a paid service adds alerts, insurance and help, not protection you cannot get yourself.