After taking it for a three-month test drive, I can say IDShield isn’t a bad identity protection service. It checks almost all the boxes… whereas another service, Aura, got them all ticked.
Aura offers the same and often better features, including $5 million in family insurance coverage, for a much better price
You can lock in our OFF discount on Aura, they won’t increase your price next year.
- You want comprehensive monitoring and threat alerts to protect you and your family.
- You want up to $5 million in theft insurance coverage for your family.
- You want top-notch additional features, including a full parental controls suite.
- You want the best value.
- 60-Day Money Back Guarantee
- You want their reputation management service.
- You want to work with a licensed private investigator rather than an identity restoration specialist.
- You’re willing to pay a lot more for less accurate monitoring.
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IDShield has good monitoring coverage, an excellent threat resolution service, a great user interface, and meets the industry standard for theft insurance.
There’s just one glaring issue:
It’s expensive.
Now, I’m not one to be cheap about protecting my identity (or my family’s). I’m all for paying more if you get more, but with IDShield, you don’t get more.
I’m not saying there’s no one out there who should consider IDShield. As you’re about to see, the company offers a few unique perks that I haven’t seen anywhere else. If you want those, maybe it is worth it.
Below I’ll dive into all the details of IDShield’s services so you can be the judge. We’ll talk about everything from their monitoring system to their insurance policy. By the time I’m through, you’ll know if IDShield is worth it for you.
But First, Why Should You Trust Us?
You can learn more about our testing process here.
IDShield Reviewed: Is It Worth Getting?
IDShield is worth getting if you want specific features, like their reputation management service.
It is a comprehensive identity theft protection service that offers an array of credit and identity monitoring services, aiming to keep your personal data safe and intervene in case of theft or loss.
But for those who want identity protection, first and foremost, it’s not the best choice.
Aura offers more comprehensive service, more features, and more insurance coverage for your family (up to $2M for couples and $5M for 5 adults on the family plan!) at a better price.
I’ll delve into the details of IDShield’s services below, including some of their unique features, like their use of licensed private investigators. Just know that to protect your identity and your family from identity thieves is your top priority, Aura is the best pick.
Our Video Review
Editor’s Ranking
- Aura found 15 unique dark web alerts, the maximum in our test
- Found 8 unique dark web alerts
- White Glove support standard on all plans
- Excellent customer service
- $5M Theft Insurance total on the Family plan with 5 adults
- $1M per adult on all plan
- $1M total Theft Insurance on all plans
- Aura wins with their US-based 24/7 support
- US-based 24/7 support
- VPN
- Antivirus
- Parental Controls
- Password Manager
- VPN
- Antivirus
- Parental Controls
- Password Manager
- Aura offers an incredibly low price and highest bang for your buck
- More expensive than Aura with lesser protection
- No. You lock in the price for life
- No
Monitoring and Alerts: 9/10
IDShield’s monitoring and alerts are pretty good.
It’s not the best in the industry, but it’s far from the worst when it comes to accuracy. The alert dashboard is streamlined and easy to use. And the breadth of services is substantial.
With IDShield, you get all of the following:
- Data breach and dark web monitoring
- Social security number monitoring
- Social media monitoring
- Credit monitoring
- Bank account monitoring
- Payday loan monitoring
I’ll discuss the ins and outs of its monitoring and alerts below, but the main point is this:
IDShield isn’t bad at monitoring and alerting you to identity threats. It’s just not as good as some other services (like Aura).
Dark Web Monitoring
After signing up, it requires 24 hours to process payments (a little annoying, but ok). By the time I logged back in, the initial scan was complete. So, I’m not sure how long it took, but the results were more than decent.
IDShield found 8 unique dark web alerts.
That’s not amazing (Aura found 15), but it’s far from bad. Compared to some of the best identity theft protection, it’s pretty good.
Alerts Dashboard
This is an area where IDShield stands out.
IDShield’s dashboard is sleek and functional. It gives the information I want to see at a glance, and it keeps things organized.
Here’s what I mean:
When alerts appear, they are displayed by category.
A distinct heading might say “Financial” or “Social Media” alert. Then, beneath the heading is a brief but informative description, like “credit card information” or “login credentials.” So, you instantly know what was compromised.
The dashboard itself has a decent amount of white space. This keeps it from looking cluttered and allows you to pull the information you need fast for your online security.
Overall, I really like the alerts dashboard. In this area, at least, I have no complaints.
Credit and Financial Monitoring
IDShield is unique in that it divides its pricing tiers by how many credit bureaus it monitors. For a lower price, you can opt for 1-bureau rather than 3-bureau monitoring. And, by “bureau,” I mean the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
I recommend the 3-bureau monitoring if you opt for IDShield.
Why?
Because though 1-bureau monitoring is likely to alert you of any fraudulent activity, it may not catch credit reporting errors. If the error is only on one report, and a lender for a mortgage or car loan decides to pull that report, they might deny you financing for something that’s not your fault.
That said, with the 3-bureau credit monitoring from IDShield, you’re pretty set. They’ll alert you to any sort of fraudulent activity and help you freeze your credit if needed.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer all of the financial monitoring tools I like to see. Sure, it will monitor your bank account, but it’s not going deeper than that. For something like 401(k) monitoring, you need a better service – Aura and Identity Guard come to mind.
Public Records Monitoring
IDShield offers basic public records monitoring but fails to offer truly comprehensive coverage.
Here’s what I mean:
While IDShield monitors all the basics, like court and criminal records, it doesn’t cover your home title. Top-end services include home title protection, which is a huge plus for homeowners.
So, it isn’t bad at monitoring public records, it just doesn’t monitor all of them.
Threat Resolution: 9/10
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Some of the best IDShield alternatives services help you resolve fraudulent activity with a highly skilled customer service team – one that’s available 24/7.
So, how does IDShield stack up in this area?
I have to say, I’m impressed. It offers:
- Excellent customer service
- Top-notch white glove restoration
- Solid wallet protection
That said, the biggest flaw is its limited customer service hours.
Customer Support
IDShield’s customer support team is knowledgeable and fast to answer. It took them less than a minute to pick up their phone, and they handled my questions with ease.
There’s a problem, though.
They only staff their support line Monday-Friday from 8 am-6 pm CST. Several other services offer 24/7 help. So, these limited hours don’t make IDShield look good.
IDShield makes up for their limited hours with a 24/7 emergency line for members, but that’s only for emergencies. If you’re having a site issue or just have a simple question over the weekend, you’ll have to wait until Monday to deal with it.
Concierge Services
What IDShield lacks in availability, they make up for in service.
If you find yourself dealing with an identity fraud issue, it will provide you with a licensed private investigator to help. Whether or not a licensed P.I. is going to be that much better than other restoration professionals when it comes to fixing your identity is up for debate.
However, there is one thing a licensed P.I. is exceptionally helpful for…
Finding out who stole your identity.
They may not always be able to crack the case, but if you’re a victim of identity theft, nothing is more satisfying than finding the person or persons responsible. That way, you can report them to the proper authorities and hopefully avoid issues in the future.
Whether they find the thief or not, IDShield’s private investigators will work until they restore your identity to pre-theft status as part of their restoration guarantee. So, even if you don’t get to bring a criminal to justice, you will get back your credit, reputation, and anything else they tried to destroy.
Wallet Protection
IDShield’s wallet protection service is nothing special.
If you lose your wallet (or have it stolen), they’ll help you cancel your credit and debit cards. They’ll also assist you with getting a new ID.
It’s not the most thorough wallet protection I’ve seen. Other protection companies offer to go above and beyond by wiring you emergency funds if you’re traveling when your wallet is stolen. But it offers what the vast majority of identity protection companies offer, and given that their customer service team is responsive, it’s enough for most people.
Theft Insurance: 7/10
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IDShield offers a $1 million dollar insurance policy.
That means they’ll reimburse you for up to $1 million in expenses and lost wages should you have to restore your identity after a theft incident.
A policy like this is good, but not fantastic – $1 million is the industry standard, and if you’re protecting an entire family, it may not be much. Aura’s $5 million in family coverage is a much better deal, and for couples, it’s $ 1 million per person.
Still, the reason I knocked off a few points in this area is less about the dollar amount and more about the lack of transparency.
Let me explain.
Most identity protection services give a straightforward breakdown of their insurance coverage. Some even list the entire policy statement on their site for anyone to read. That way you know what you’re getting when you sign up.
IDShield fails to post its insurance breakdown anywhere. So, you can’t look up or reference details before you purchase the service. Even after your purchase, you’ll need to call them for specific details.
Family Plans: 8/10
IDShield family plans are straightforward. They include the same coverage as their individual plans but for more people.
The plans cover up to two adults and an unlimited number of children. That’s pretty standard coverage, but it’s not the best I’ve seen.
Aura will cover up to five adults and an unlimited number of children under the age of 18. So, with Aura, you can cover adults, children, grandparents, or your in-laws. With IDShield, once your child turns 18, they’ll have to purchase their own plan (or you’ll have to purchase one for them).
Ease of Use: 8/10
Overall, IDShield is intuitive and easy to use.
The dashboard has a minimalist design, and it’s easy to see where everything is. The site also loads quickly and doesn’t seem to have any glitches.
Alerts are sorted by category, which I like. Of course, some may find it a little annoying because you’ll have to click into each alert category to read full alert details (rather than having a central “Alerts” page).
There was only one major issue with IDShield’s interface, and you’ll only encounter it once…
Their onboarding process is sort of annoying.
After you sign up, it takes 24 hours for your payment to process. Then, you’ll receive a welcome email with a link.
When you click the link, it takes you to a page that looks like an identity protection service dashboard. But it’s not. It’s actually the LegalShield dashboard.
A box on that page asks for your customer number, which you’ll have to go back to the welcome email to get. Once you enter that, you’re redirected to the dashboard.
It’s not a great way to start your experience with IDShield. The process feels clunky and disorganized, but as I already mentioned, you only have to go through it one time. Once you’re in, the rest of the user experience is streamlined and intuitive.
Additional Services: 9/10
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IDShield offers several additional services, including:
- A VPN
- Antivirus Software (with 15 device licenses)
- A Password Manager
- Reputation Management Tool
The only thing missing on this list is parental controls (Aura has a full parental control suite, for example).
I’m impressed by the 15 device licenses that come with antivirus software, but you should note that the antivirus service is from a separate company –Trend Micro. In this case, that’s a good thing. Trend Micro has a great reputation for malware protection.
There’s only one problem.
Locating IDShield’s antivirus software and VPN after signup is tricky. You have to set up a separate account with TrendMicro. Once you have that set, everything for the VPN and antivirus software is manageable through your TrendMicro account, not through your account dashboard.
I wish it was a little more transparent about how this setup works from the start. Clear instructions would get rid of a lot of frustration. At first, I thought maybe it was lying about offering antivirus and a VPN. It took a healthy amount of research to figure out how it worked.
IDShield’s reputation management tool is easier to find and use.
This tool scans your social media for old pictures and content you may want to delete, so you can clean up your social media accounts quickly and protect your online security.
Cost: 7/10
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IDShield isn’t the most expensive service to protect your identity, but it’s also not the cheapest.
Full 3-bureau credit protection will cost you $19.95 per month as an individual, and $34.95 per month for a family.
Given the full breadth of services it offers, you might think it’s worth the price.
But here’s the thing…
Aura offers better quality services, better added features, and better insurance coverage for a lower price (especially when you use our promo code).
Aura’s very existence means IDShield is overcharging.
FAQ
Is IDShield Worth It?
Is IDShield Legit or a Scam?
Does it Offer a Free Trial?
Does it Offer a Promo or Coupon Code?
Final Score: 8/10
IDShield isn’t a bad service. It offers decent monitoring, a sleek user interface, great added features, and has some real perks included (a licensed private investigator running your identity restoration, for example).
There’s only one issue – it’s overpriced.
Aura offers many of the same, and often better features, for a much lower price. So, if you want the best in identity protection coverage, check out Aura instead.
How does it compare to other similar products? Let’s compare to other services like…
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