LifeLock Review
Here’s a complete LifeLock review and breakdown of all their services.
You’re probably already aware that LifeLock and their identity protection services are one of the most popular in the country.
After all, they do a lot of advertising.
But does that mean they are the best company?
Do they give you the protection you need at a worthwhile cost?
In this LifeLock review, we’ll detail their services and the different pricing options. You’ll see what they can do for you and how they compare to other companies in this industry.
Most importantly, you’ll know whether they are worth your money.
If you’re thinking about choosing them to protect your identity, then this analyses of their service is going to be an eye-opener.
Detailed Review of LifeLock Services
First, keep in mind that no company can stop identity fraud from happening to you. Identity theft protection can only alert you when they detect something problematic with a financial transaction made in your name.
Basically, all identity theft protection companies are “alert systems”.
They let you know about suspicious activity going on in your name and social security number. They monitor, then alert.
So what kind of alerts and monitoring does LifeLock offer and how much do they charge for these services?
They offer 3 types of plans and pricing…
Standard Plan – The least expensive option protects your credit cards, bank accounts, and personal information. It provides reimbursement up to $25,000. Does not monitor your credit reports from the 3 credit bureaus.
Advantage Plan – The midrange subscription adds extra layers of protection for large-scale breaches and withdrawals using your bank account or credit cards directly. Get up to $100,000 of compensation if theft occurs. This package also does not monitor your reports from the 3 credit agencies. You only get credit report monitoring from one credit bureau.
Ultimate Plus Plan – This is the package we recommend because it gives you $1 million dollars of compensation and legal coverage. Plus, it gives you the most important monitoring needed of all. It monitors your credit reports from the 3 bureaus, not just one bureau like the Advantage Plan listed above. This makes it the only package you should consider.
Besides the regular protection, you also have peace of mind that your bank accounts, retirement funds, and shared files are safe.
After grading and ranking the leading companies in this field, we currently grade LifeLock as one of our top 5 companies.
But they aren’t our first choice for online identity theft protection services.
So keep that in mind when choosing your provider.
Which LifeLock Membership Level is Best for You?
Because the first 2 membership levels don’t include credit report monitoring from the three credit bureaus, the third option (Ultimate Plus) is your best choice. Credit reports reveal more about fraudulent transactions than any other kind of monitoring.
Without the monitoring of credit reports from all 3 bureaus, you have the weakest type of protection.
And the Ultimate Plus plan is the only plan from LifeLock that gives you monitoring for all three.
Here’s a closer look at this plan…
The Ultimate Plus Plan
Here’s what you get with the Ultimate Plus Plan…
This plan costs $24.99/month the first year, then $34.99/month every subsequent year. It includes all coverage under the Advantage plan, plus…
- Bank account takeover alerts
- Security and VPN on unlimited devices
- Up to $1 million reimbursement in stolen funds
- Credit monitoring with all three bureaus (not just one)
- 401(k)/investment account alerts/possible fraud
- Monthly credit score tracking with one credit bureau
- Social media monitoring (protects your spouse, kids and family)
- You also get up to 500 GB PC cloud storage
This plan incorporates the highest reimbursement, along with unlimited VPN and security for unlimited devices. It also includes protection for phishing and online scams.
This is the only plan that gives you monthly credit monitoring from all 3 credit bureaus.
That’s why we recommend you go with the Ultimate Plus Plan if you decide to choose LifeLock as your company for identity theft protection.
The LifeLock Advantage Plan Review
This is the second-best plan they offer. It costs $19.99/month for the first year, and $24.99/month every subsequent year. Here’s what you receive…
- Up to $100K in stolen funds/reimbursement, rather than only $25K
- Security for up to 10 devices and VPN on those devices
- Alerts on crimes committed in your name
- Annual credit report/score with one bureau
- Credit/checking/saving account alerts
- Bank account/credit alerts
- Up to 250 GB PC cloud storage
You’ll also have anonymous monitoring of your browsing, 100% virus protection promise, ad tracker, and Norton360 antivirus protection.
The Standard Plan Review
The Standard Plan is their cheapest plan.
For the first year of service, you’ll pay $9.99/monthly with this plan. After year one it jumps to $11.99/monthly. With the Standard Plan you’ll receive…
- Identity and social security number alerts
- Credit monitoring with one of the three bureaus
- Up to $25K reimbursement, for lost/stolen funds
- USPS change of address verification
- Data breach notifications
- Lost wallet protection
- LifeLock privacy monitoring
Bear in mind that with all 3 of these plans, you’ll receive:
- instant access to online protection once you choose your annual plan
- A 60-day money back guarantee if you aren’t happy with the service (with annual membership plans)
How Does LifeLock Work?
LifeLock is now monitored with Norton360, so you now have added protection online. Here’s what they will do for you…
- Block cyber threats online
- Detect and alert you of online activity/threats
- Restore your private and reimburse you for loss
- Norton Antivirus protects your PC from unwarranted viruses
- Norton monitors hundreds of millions of sites/threats online to protect you
- If your identity is being used/potentially being used inappropriately, you're instantly alerted
- Your info is blocked using a VPN (virtual private network) and protected when using public wifi
- Stolen funds are reimbursed immediately (up to coverage limits/based on your plan) if confirmed that they were stolen in ID theft
- Protects your family members; your kids and spouse's info is monitored through social media and other online avenues which cyber criminals use
- Phone, text, email alerts are sent immediately, to confirm/deny you were the person who made changes, added new accounts, made purchases, etc
- If your ID is stolen, online experts work meticulously to ensure your info is instantly restored, protected, and safeguarded from future threats
Basically, they will monitor your activity online, inquire if something seems odd/possibly threatening, and work with you to ensure your privacy and peace of mind are restored.
The Top LifeLock Alternatives
With so many more companies offering identity theft protection services today, it’s much easier to find a good alternative than it was just 10 years ago. Instead of going through all of them, we’ll show you who our top choice is and why they are so popular.
The top replacement for LifeLock is Identity Guard because they offer as much protection plus, they give you Artificial Intelligence from a real tech company.
And it’s their use of AI that separates them from the pack and put them head-and-shoulders above everyone else. For this reason , their reviews online are wildly positive.
See our Identity Guard review for a more complete analysis of their service and why they rate so high across the board.
Another great alternative would be IdentityForce because they give consumers good protection at great prices.
Is LifeLock for You?
As you can see, LifeLock safeguards you and your personal information. It’s not simply providing you updates on your credit score (which is useful), but also ensures your information is protected from the almost all corners of the web, and protects you from online criminals looking to do harm to your finances.
They are not only one of the most reputable online ID theft companies, they are one of the oldest, dating back to 2002. It has an A rating with the BBB, solid customer reviews, and various price tiers to choose from.
Plus, you are backed by the money-back guarantee, as long as you choose an annual plan, so you can try it out, and if you aren’t happy with the services, you can always cancel them for a full refund.
So you really don’t have much (if anything) to lose!
No matter how safe you are with your data online and protecting your kids, there are many threats out there that can do severe damage to your finances and reputation.
Social media, data breaches, major companies getting hacked, and online phishing and scams occur every second of the day.
With dark web monitoring, you know you’re safe, your personal information is safe, your identity is, and your family is protected. Online identity protection is a must-have today.
LifeLock is one of the oldest, most reputable companies offering services, so check out these plans, to see which one best suits your online protection needs!