TrueIdentity vs. LifeLock: Complete Protection is Critical |

by Calvin Fellows

Topic: ID Theft

> 3 min read

Designed to be straightforward credit protection, with theft insurance and essential services provided in a Premium plan.

One of the leading credit bureaus monitors your credit for you
Manage access to your TransUnion credit file
Simple, affordable credit protection for people that are comfortable securing the other aspects of their identities

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A very comprehensive identity protection suite that is designed to secure your complete identity. Guards your devices, public records, and digital identity.

Provides notifications for all known identity theft activities
Convenient app that receives alerts and lets you manage your identity
Can provide identity security for your entire family

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Identity thieves use your personal information to access your money or take out loans in your name and use your credit. Advances in technology have made it easier for criminals to acquire a consumer’s bank account and Social Security numbers or other information to assume their identities.

To protect your complete identity, you have to monitor your bank accounts, credit files, and personal information. You have to search public records and court documents, hoping that no one has your information and is selling it on the dark web. There is simply not enough time for this. In TrueIdentity vs. LifeLock, we’ll discuss the services that automate this enormous task for you and help you decide which one might be best for you.

TrueIdentity vs. LifeLock: Comparison

WHAT YOU GET	TRUEIDENTITY	LIFELOCK
Pricing	We Recommend Identity Guard Get 60% off Sign up now!	Check Latest Price
Coverage	Adults	Adults and children
Insurance	Up to $1 million in coverage	Up to $1 million in coverage
Identity Theft Protection	Dark web scanning and alerts Criminal record scanning Credit score simulator Debt analysis tool Scanning for address and name changes	Social Security number alerts Alerts for crimes in your name Stolen wallet protection Dark web and regular web scanning Home title monitoring Bank account takeover alerts Retirement funds and investing accounts alerts Data breach notifications Virtual Private Network servers for anonymous internet access Device security suite for unlimited devices (Ultimate Plus plan)
Identity Restoration	Fraud assistance experts	Restoration experts help your restore your identity
Credit Monitoring	Lock your TransUnion credit file from the app Receive alerts if an inquiry on your credit is initiated Unlimited credit report access	Up to 3-bureau credit monitoring Credit, checking, and savings account alerts Annual credit reports

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Similarities

1- or 3-bureau credit monitoring provides notices and protection against unwanted credit file activity.
You can cover both you and your domestic partner or spouse.
Identity theft insurance covers costs for lawyers, experts, and document recovery up to $1 million.
You can lock your TransUnion credit file from the convenient app when you need to access your credit and lock it back up again when you’re done.
You’ll receive alerts if anyone tries to use your credit, which initiates an inquiry on your TransUnion credit file.
Scanning technology can scour the regular and dark web for your information and send you alerts if it’s found on any known information exchanges.
Receive alerts from all 3 credit bureaus if there are any changes to your credit files.
Identity theft insurance covers up to $1 million in expenses related to identity theft.
Technology scans criminal records for your information to ensure your name is not used to commit crimes.
Both providers monitor your address to ensure no one changes the name and sends you alerts if it happens.
Assistance is available through both providers in the form of experts that guide you through the process of restoring your identity to its original status.

Differences

TrueIdentity is an identity protection plan from
TransUnion, one of the three credit bureaus. The plan is free for anyone who creates an account.
TrueIdentity focuses on credit and credit only. There is no protection offered for credit cards, bank accounts, or if your personal information is in use by someone else in the free plan. The lowest-tier service only provides notices if someone tries to use your credit.
Since the TrueIdentity basic plan only monitors your credit file, none of your personal information is protected. You won’t receive any assistance unless you’re trying to dispute an item on your credit report.
TrueIdentity lets you access your credit report an unlimited number of times so that you can monitor your credit yourself.
TrueIdentity doesn't offer any child protection but directs you how to freeze their credit, so no one uses it.
LifeLock offers device protection with Norton Antivirus and a virtual private network that secures your connection to the outside world.
You can backup your Windows PCs with LifeLock. Up to 500 GB of storage is available (Ultimate Plus plan).
LifeLock can monitor your financial accounts and send you alerts if there is suspicious activity. The accounts can include checking, savings, retirement account, and your investments.
You can place a fraud alert on your credit file using the LifeLock app to alert retailers and merchants that they need to perform a thorough identification verification.

TrueIdentity Features and Services

Coverage

TrueIdentity offers free and paid identity protection service for consumers, provided by the credit bureau TransUnion. The free service only covers credit alerts for attempts to access or use your credit, while the subscription offers other features.

If you sign up for their service, you’ll receive an unlimited number of credit reports from TranUnion, something unheard of for other protection providers.

Insurance

The free account insures you up to $25,000 for identity (or credit) theft with the free service and $1 million insurance in the subscription. The insurance is designed to help you pay for the expenses for restoring your credit file and credit score to their status before the theft occurred.

Identity Theft Protection and Restoration

TransUnion, or TrueIdentity, scans the dark web, court documents, and criminal records to ensure your personal information is not sold or used by criminals (subscription plan). You’ll receive access to TransUnion’s fraud assistance experts who can help you recover from theft.

Credit Monitoring

The only credit monitoring you receive on the free plan is on your credit file, while the subscription plan provides 3-bureau monitoring. Each plan sends alerts to your mobile using the TrueIdentity app. TrueIdentity refreshes your score and credit report daily in the Premium plan, which gives you updated information daily.

Plans and Pricing

Free

The Free plan monitors your credit file and sends you alerts. The plan is free to anyone that sets up an account on the TrueIdentity website.

Premium

The TrueIdentity family plan, Premium, offers internet and dark web scanning, has interactive credit tools, and offers insurance covering the cost of identity theft. The plan is $19.95 per month, per person.

Pros and Cons

PROS

TrueIdentity’s basic plan has the lowest price on the market — free.
You can receive unlimited credit reports from TransUnion.
You’ll be alerted if anyone initiates a credit inquiry in your name.
If you find an inquiry you didn’t initiate, you can dispute it for free.
You can use the app to lock your TransUnion credit file.
TransUnion sends monthly tips to you via the app about credit cards, loans, and more.
Receive email alerts any time there is a critical change to your TransUnion file.
No confusing dashboards or new jargon to learn; you’re merely having your credit monitored.
Easy for elderly consumers to understand.

CONS

The only options are free credit alerts or a plan that is equal to LifeLock’s lowest-tier plan.
No plans for children’s credit, although you can freeze or lock their credit file on your own.
Free generally means many features are missing, and
TrueIdentity doesn’t have much to offer you.
The subscription is focused on credit only.
No options to add services to a TrueIdentity account, which might make it more attractive.
Device security is paramount in modern society. There should be more security in the app.
Alerts are sent through email instead of the app. Ideally, alerts should be sent to both.

LifeLock Features and Services

Coverage

LifeLock offers 4 plans that let you add family members. You add a spouse or domestic partner by purchasing a plan for them and add children with a junior plan. You receive theft insurance with each package in varying amounts and restoration assistance services.

Insurance

Theft insurance differs between plans. Standard, the lowest tier plan, insures up to $50,000 for stolen funds and up to $1 million for lawyer and expert fees. Each plan increases coverage up to a maximum of $3 million for stolen funds, personal expenses, and costs (the Ultimate Plus plan).

Identity Theft Protection and Restoration

Your identity is protected by scanning technology that looks for your information on the dark and regular webs. If any of your identity info is found, you receive alerts through the app so you can address it. You can have a fraud alert put on your credit file that alerts merchants to verify your identification.

Your savings accounts and other financial accounts are monitored for suspicious activities, and you’ll receive alerts if there are any. If your identity is stolen, you can contact the restoration experts, who will guide you through the process of restoring your identity.

LifeLock Credit Monitoring

Your credit file receives an entry if someone tries to use your credit. Your credit is monitored for access, which ensures that you receive alerts if there are any attempts.

Pricing and Plans

Standard Plan

The Standard plan includes insurance ($25,000 for funds, $25,000 for expenses, $1 million for fees), identity alerts, and 1-bureau credit monitoring. You don’t receive any credit checking or device security, but you have the essentials to notify you and help you restore your credit for $9.99 monthly for the first year or one payment of $99.99 for the first year.

Select Plan

The Select plan includes everything the Standard plan has but adds device security and VPN for 5 devices. Virus protection is added, along with 100 GB of cloud storage. The plan costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 for the first year, then renews at $14.99 per month or $149.99 annually.

Advantage Plan

The first LifeLock family plan, Advantage, further adds to the previous two plans by including alerts for crimes in your name and bank account and credit card alerts. Insurance goes up to $100,000 for funds, $100,000 for personal expenses, and $1 million for fees. Additionally, device protection bumps up to 10 devices. Pricing for the Advantage plan $17.99 per month, or $179.99 for the first year, and renews at $24.99 per month or $249.99 per year.

Ultimate Plus Plan

The Ultimate Plus plan adds 3-bureau credit monitoring, home title monitoring, and investment accounts monitoring. You’ll be able to add unlimited devices to the VPN and antivirus, and insurance increases for up to $1 million each for funds, expenses, and fees.

Pros and Cons

PROS

4 plans give you options to find the best coverage for your needs.
Automated scanning of the dark and regular web finds your information much faster.
Device security and the VPN adds additional security measures to your family’s identities.
Receive notices regarding data breaches faster than waiting for a corporation to release the information.
Lock your TransUnion credit file in one swipe with the LifeLock app.
Unlimited device security means the growing number of devices in your home will be secure.
You can receive alerts for all of your financial accounts, reducing financial anxiety.
LifeLock’s plans offer the most insurance coverage compared to most competitors.

CONS

It is tempting to purchase more coverage than you need with LifeLock
Customer support is available 24/7, but restoration service experts are not.
Covering a family can become very expensive. A family of four might cost over $700 annually.
The standard plan should have some form of device security added to it.
Plan prices increase quite a bit after the first year.
Most credit monitoring features, like the annual credit report, can be done by consumers.
There is no plan with just device security and internet scanning.
You cannot purchase a child plan without having purchased an adult plan first.

Conclusion

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Identity protection is a concern for everyone. Thieves gather our personal information from many different sources, using it themselves or selling it to others for profit. If you’re worried about the theft of your identity, TrueIdentity doesn't offer much in the way of identity protection.

LifeLock offers 4 comprehensive packages to help you protect the identities of you and your family. Everything from Social Security number tracking to device security and high amounts of insurance has been included in its plans. TrueIdentity offers an alert for a credit access attempt, unlimited credit reports, and insurance.

Deciding between these identity protection providers should not be too difficult. If you only want insurance coverage and alerts if someone tries to use your credit (and hope the merchant sends the inquiry to TransUnion), you can choose TrueIdentity.

However, if you want the most features to protect your family’s identities, even LifeLock’s most basic plan includes support, dark web and internet monitoring, 1-bureau credit monitoring, and more. LifeLock’s device protections are among the most effective methods of preventing identity theft — if thieves cannot get your information because it is secured and private, they cannot use it. LifeLock keeps your information locked up, reducing your chances of becoming a victim.