LifeLock offers several tiers of identity theft protection, each with varying features and costs. This guide breaks down the different plans to help you determine if LifeLock suits your needs.
Understanding LifeLock’s Plans and Pricing
LifeLock provides three main levels of protection. The best way to compare the features in detail is to visit the NortonLifeLock website.
LifeLock Standard
The Standard plan provides a basic level of identity theft protection:
- Standard Individual: $11.99 per month.
- Standard Family (two adults): $23.99 per month.
- Standard Family (two adults, up to five children): $35.99 per month.
You can save over 30% by paying annually. This plan includes monitoring the use of your Social Security number, name, birth date, and address in applications. It also offers credit monitoring at one of the three major credit bureaus and patrols the dark web to find your data. LifeLock Standard will verify any change of address and offers up to $25,000 in reimbursement for stolen funds or personal expenses.
LifeLock Advantage
The mid-tier option, Advantage, provides more comprehensive coverage:
- Monthly Cost: $22.99
- Annual Price: $239.99
- Reduced Annual Price: $179.88, if paid upfront
Stolen money and personal expense reimbursements increase to $100,000, but credit monitoring is still limited to one of the three credit bureaus. The annual price also lowers 34% if you pay for a full year upfront, but will renew at the regular annual price.
LifeLock Ultimate Plus
The Ultimate Plus plan offers the most comprehensive protection:
- Monthly cost for two adults: $41.99
- Reduced Annual Price: $34.99 per month for the first year if paid upfront, higher cost thereafter.
This tier increases stolen money and personal expense reimbursements to $1 million each, adds credit monitoring at all three major credit bureaus, and monitors investment activity. Additional features include phone takeover and social media monitoring, home title monitoring, and alerts on crimes in your name, and more.
If you have children, the Ultimate Plus plan for two adults and up to five children costs $79.99 per month. Purchasing a year’s subscription in advance offers savings under all plans. There’s also the possibility of lowering costs by discovering discount codes.
Is LifeLock Worth the Cost?
Deciding if LifeLock is worth the price hinges on your individual security concerns and financial priorities. A NortonLifeLock product may be worth the cost if:
- You are unwilling to freeze your credit.
- You want assistance with identity theft resolution or have other security concerns.
- You have more money than time to regularly monitor your accounts for potential signs of identity theft.
Consider these pros and cons:
LifeLock Pros
- Offers wide-ranging monitoring and alerts, suitable if you prefer not to monitor your credit and other accounts.
- Searches the dark web for your data and provides actionable steps like changing passwords, or notifying relevant agencies.
- Beneficial if you’re at elevated risk, a prior identity theft victim, or desire specific monitoring like dark web or criminal activity checks.
- Might be a good choice to bundle virus protection with identity theft monitoring, potentially saving money and simplifying management.
LifeLock Cons
- More expensive than some other identity protection services, with costs escalating when adding family members.
- Auto-renewal can be either convenient or inconvenient, depending on your preferences.
If you are budgeting, consider free ID theft prevention services, such as employee benefits and services provided after a data breach. LifeLock can help detect problems and aid recovery, but it can’t prevent identity theft.
Remember, identity theft services usually alert you to a problem after an incident, and LifeLock doesn’t monitor all transactions at every business. Also, a lot of the identity theft protection services can be self-managed for free:
- **Regularly check your credit accounts online, read statements, and set activity alerts.
- Use secure passwords.
- Track your credit score and monitor your credit report for free.
If you’re a victim of identity theft, IdentityTheft.gov provides a free, personalized recovery plan.
Besides benefits, there are risks associated with LifeLock or other ID theft monitoring systems:
- Alert fatigue can occur, leading to a diminished response to warnings.
- Over-reliance on the service might lead to a decline in your personal cyber hygiene.
Freezing your credit reports with the three major credit bureaus is the best way to prevent identity theft. Freezing and unfreezing your credit at each bureau is free. NerdWallet recommends freezing credit for those not actively seeking new credit.
