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TrustedID Equifax vs LifeLock: Keep Your Identity Safe Online

Equifax is an excellent online security service that can freeze your credit if you need to and offers comprehensive coverage for both individuals and families.

  • You will know almost immediately if there is any activity on your accounts
  • With robust surveillance techniques, Equifax will make sure your info stays safe.
  • Additionally, Equifax watches medical records and criminal records for added security

With Norton 360’s unparalleled defenses, LifeLock is an excellent online security defense service that monitors the dark web and offers a generous $1 million insurance coverage.

  • Norton 360 is some of the strongest and most robust online defenses money can buy
  • With the Ultimate Plus plan, LifeLock monitors all 3 credit bureaus and keeps tabs on the dark web for any of your information
  • If you’re a victim of identity fraud, LifeLock offers incredibly bountiful insurance coverage

In the modern world, you are vulnerable to online threats. Thieves can steal your financial resources or your personal information, which can be used to open new accounts or other nefarious activity. 

In the competition of Equifax vs. LifeLock, LifeLock is a step above the competitor with estimable security services that monitor credit bureaus and lets you know immediately if anything untoward happens.  

LifeLock reviews are unanimous: It is an excellent online security service that offers 4 tiers of protection and $1 million in coverage should you fall victim to any cyber thievery. You can protect yourself and your family from threats with LifeLock’s security services.

Equifax vs. LifeLock: Comparison

WHAT YOU GET

EQUIFAX

LIFELOCK

Coverage

  • $1 million
  • $1 million
  • $25,000 personal expenses
  • $25,00 additional coverage

Technology

  • No Antivirus technology
  • Data Breach Defense keeps your sensitive info as safe as possible


  • Norton 360 Antivirus technology
  • Social media monitoring
  • Identity restoration agents help you resolve your cases quickly

Accessibility

  • 24/7 customer service
  • Equifax app
  • Alerts come in text, email, or through app
  • 24/7 customer service
  • LifeLock app
  • Alerts come in text, email, or through app

Credit Coverage

  • Covers all 3 credit bureaus
  • Equifax credit reports delivered annually
  • Credit freeze available
  • Monitors the dark web for activity
  • CreditLock freezes credit score and offers customers maximum security online
  • Identity threat score assess individual credit scores and helps them learn to monitor it themselves
  • Basic LifeLock plans only cover 1 bureau, upper-tier plans cover all 3
  • Dark web monitoring

Other Features

  • Sex offender alerts
  • Family plan offered
  • Lost wallet assistance
  • Sex offender notifications
  • Family plans available
  • Lost wallet assistance
  • 5 million happy customers, both individuals, and families

QUICK FACE-OFF

Similarities

  • Both have generous insurance coverage policies at up to $1 million for any financial losses due to identity fraud.
  • Both companies robustly screen all online digital resources to make sure that you stay protected.
  • Annual plan reductions for lump sums or paying all at once for the year.
    LifeLock and Equifax both monitor the dark web, where a lot of personal information is bought and sold.
  • Both security companies offer family plans.
    LifeLock and Equifax will alert you about local sex offenders that pop up in your area.
  • Once a year, both companies give you access to your credit records so that you can also learn how to self-monitor your online identity and accounts.
    24/7 customer service lets you feel assured that you will always have someone to talk to if your identification info is accessed.
  • Lost wallet assistance helps you if you lose your wallet or it gets stolen.
    Both companies surveil any activity that includes your Social Security number to keep you as safe as possible.
  • Financial restoration helps you concentrate first on making your online information more secure instead of having to scramble and recoup your losses.
    You can pay monthly or annually. 

Differences

  • LifeLock offers social media monitoring but not Equifax.
    Equifax does not have Norton 360 and cannot offer this tech platform’s benefits.
  • With Equifax, you can lock your credit report, but with LifeLock you can’t.
    LifeLock has a dedicated resource just for resolving fraud cases, but Equifax does not.
  • Equifax doesn’t monitor as many credit bureaus as LifeLock does.
    Equifax doesn’t monitor criminal records or public records.
  • LifeLock has a comprehensive customer service base, whereas Equifax has spotty customer service. 
  • Equifax has been in business since 2004, whereas LifeLock has been in business for only 3 years.
    2 Equifax plans, whereas LifeLock has 4.
  • With a secure VPN, LifeLock can help protect you on public Wi-Fi services.
    You can customize LifeLock’s plans more easily than Equifax.
  • Lifelock does not work directly with a credit reporting agency like Equifax, which owns Equifax and operates closely with the security company.
    It is easier to sign up your partner or spouse to your Equifax plan than sign them up as a family member for LifeLock.
  • With LifeLock, you are assigned a case restoration specialist, whereas Equifax does not offer this customization of its plans.
    You cannot assign temporary power of attorney with Equifax, but with LifeLock credit monitoring services, you can.

LifeLock Features and Services

Antivirus Software

With Norton 360, you know you have the best digital defenses to ensure that you will not fall victim to malware and phishing attacks. The technology that LifeLock uses is top-of-the-line and ensures you never have to worry about cyber theft with LifeLock’s identity theft protection.

Credit Bureaus and Dark Web Monitoring

Not only does LifeLock keep an eye on activity that involves your credit score, but the security company makes sure that nothing about you, account numbers, or personal information turn up on the dark web, where a lot of that information is bought and sold. 

Extensive Insurance Coverage

With up to $1 million in protection, you know that you’ll be covered with LifeLock. LifeLock’s generous insurance covers any financial losses you suffer from online identity theft or fraud. 

Family Protection

For an additional $5.99 per month, you can add your children to your LifeLock family plan if they’re under the age of 18. You may want to sign your partner or mate up for another individual plan as adding another adult becomes pricey.

Loss of Wallet Assistance

With protection from losing or having your wallet stolen, LifeLock’s Lost Wallet Assistance will help you cancel your credit cards and recoup your losses from an accidental misplacement or theft. 

Plans and Pricing

Standard

LifeLock monitors 1 credit bureau and activity with your Social Security number. The same services are offered, but with a family plan, you can add family members. This plan has generous coverage and offers $1 million for any digital crime, $25,000 for financial losses, and personal expenses. 

Advantage

The benefits of the standard plan, plus the financial and personal expense coverage, increase to $100,000 each. You get an Equifax credit report monitoring and a Equifax VantageScore 3.0 credit score annually.

Ultimate Plus

Personal expense coverage raises to a cool $1 million, and the credit bureau monitoring increases to 3 bureaus, not just 1. With sex offender alerts, you can be sure of your cyber safety with these excellent security measures.

4

Family Plan

Any children under the age of 18 can be added to your family plan and benefit from all of the assets LifeLock offers in its individual plans. However, adding a spouse or domestic partner can be expensive, so you may want to buy another plan.

Pros and Cons

PROS

  • Personal expense compensation can help you recoup any losses from cyber threats.
  • If you lose money due to identity theft or fraud, LifeLock has you covered.
    LifeLock even covers any attorneys or lawyers you have to hire to recoup your losses.
  • Monitors the dark web for any mention of your private information.
    5 million families,
  • individuals, and businesses use LifeLock to safeguard their digital presence.
    Multi-layered, real-time response to online threats.
    ]
  • Password bank to help create, manage, and save your online passwords.
    SafeCam blocks thieves from taking over your webcam on your computer or laptop.
  • 100 GB of secure cloud backup to ensure all your stored information won’t get into the wrong hands. 

CONS

  • Standard plans only cover 1 credit bureau, not all 3.
  • More expensive than other plans on the market.
    You can’t lock your credit report with LifeLock.
  • You can do much of the same with online tools on your own.
  • Too many alerts can make you complacent or start to ignore some of the issues.
    You may feel as if you are covered and not pay attention to warning signs of cybertheft.
    Service auto-renews, which is either a benefit or a nuisance.
  • Adding a spouse to the family plan is expensive.
    The least expensive options from LifeLock only offer $25,000 to $100,000 worth of coverage.
  • You do not receive a discount for annual payments of a lump sum

Equifax Features and Services

Prompt Alerts

Equifax reviews note that you will know almost immediately when something occurs that involves your name or any of your accounts. Through email and texts, Equifax alerts you to any nefarious actions so that you can address the issue promptly and ferociously. 

Internet Surveillance

This online security service watches all 3 bureaus for Equifax’s credit monitoring to ensure nothing is going on that could threaten your financial or personal security. Thieves often sell your information that could let people take over your personal accounts; most of the time, losing some of your money is ONLY the beginning of the problem. 

Social Security and Medical Record Surveillance

Some of the most vulnerable information you may record online is your medical history’s specificities and your Social Security number. Equifax will pay special attention to these areas to ensure they are not undefended. 

Access to and Surveillance Records of Credit Reports

You can help yourself by monitoring your credit reports, and Equifax will make sure you have the reports so that you can. Around-the-clock surveillance of your Social Security number means you never have to worry that someone will get their hands on your SSN, and they won’t be able to steal your identity or wreak havoc on your personal, professional, and financial security. 

Pricing and Plans

IDEssentials Individual

For only a little over $10 a month, this affordable plan monitors all 3 credit bureaus, medical records, and dark web monitoring. If you buy a whole year in advance, you save 23%, bringing the annual cost to a practical $125.

IDEssentials Family

With up to $1 million in insurance coverage, you can add up to 6 family members to make sure that your whole family remains safe from cyber threats. There is also a discount for an annual purchase, with savings of up to 21%, only paying $240 for an entire year of coverage for all the members of your family.

Pros and Cons

PROS

  • Equifax family plan for up to 6 people if kids are under the age of 18.
  • Monitors your Social Security number and any activity related to it.
    You ONLY have to pay for a partial month if you don’t employ the service for a full month.
  • Annual subscribers receive a 50% discount if you cancel within 180 days.
  • CreditLock for IDEssentials is an added service.
  • IDAssure is the core service of Data Breach Defense and reduces the vulnerability of lost or stolen information.
  • Identity Threat Score assesses customers’ vulnerability to cyber threats and lets you maintain control of your online presence

CONS

  • You cannot have more than 2 adults on the family plan.
    All CreditLock fees are non-refundable.
  • Customer service can be spotty.
  • No social media monitoring.
    The restoration process is complicated because you can’t grant limited power of attorney to Equifax.
  • There is no dedicated resource for case resolution.
    No added anti-virus software to help safeguard against phishing attacks or malware.
  • Doesn’t monitor public records or criminal records.
    Doesn’t have Norton 360 antivirus technology.
  • Alerts may not be as timely as other security services.
    Is as expensive as other services with fewer benefits.
  • Up until 2018, Equifax offered free sign-ups but have since rescinded that offer. 

Conclusion

If you live and work in the modern digital world, you are susceptible to online cyber threats. Thieves can steal money, but that is often the least of your problems. If cyber thieves get their hands on your personal information, they can start new accounts, apply for new credit cards, and wreak havoc on your financial and personal security.

To stay as safe as possible in the digital world, you need a defense service that will monitor all the credit bureaus, keep an eye on your credit score, and offer resources to help you restore any compromised information. The service you chose should offer up-to-the-minute alerts on anything that may look even remotely suspicious.

Between 2 top competitors, LifeLock and Equifax, LifeLock is the clear winner. With excellent customer service, family plans, and a generous insurance coverage plan, LifeLock will keep you safe through thick and thin.

Both Equifax and LifeLock will notify you through email, text, or mobile app, but LifeLock has special fraud restoration specialists to help you through your crisis and to help train you to avoid any potential trouble in the future.

LifeLock also monitors social media activity online and pays explicit attention to your Social Security number, medical records, or any criminal records that exist with which you had nothing to do.

When you need a reliable, experienced security service to help you manage your online accounts, you can do no better than choose LifeLock.

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About the Author

Calvin Fellows is a former military security agent and police detective who headed security administration. Calvin is experienced and knowledgeable in all avenues of personal and corporate security, and is dedicated to educating people on how to preempt any physical or cyber security attacks before they happen.