Aura vs Optery
We give Aura a 2.6 GPA and Optery a 2.8, out of 4.0. Optery grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Aura
Identity theft protection plans that include data broker removal
Optery
Data broker removal with a free exposure report and screenshot proof
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAAuraGood | 2.8GPAOpteryGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CIndividual is $12 a month billed annually, $15 monthly: dear for removal alone. It also packs credit monitoring, $1M insurance, antivirus, a VPN and passwords, so we graded it against its listed alternatives like Norton 360, and it's an ordinary price. The renewal price isn't stated. | BCore is $3.25 a month billed yearly at $39, the second-cheapest way into this category, and Optery says it covers 375+ sites. But it's one name and one city and state only. Past addresses, name variations and a human agent need Extended, at $149 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CAny plan is free for 14 days, once per customer, the only trial in this category. The listing doesn't say whether it wants a card, and full access depends on identity and credit checks. | CFree Basic gets you an exposure report with screenshots, a scan of Google and Bing results and do-it-yourself opt-out tools, rescanned about every 3 months. What it won't do is remove anything for you, and that's the job you'd be paying for. |
| Features | BAura says it sends opt-outs to 425+ broker sites and rescans daily, and it files Google removals for links you pick. Around that sit credit and dark web monitoring, insurance, antivirus, a VPN and a password manager. Nothing in the removal job is missing. | BRemovals Optery says run monthly, at 375+ sites on Core and 625+ on Ultimate, before-and-after screenshot reports, custom requests on Ultimate, map blurring and a family admin. Nothing in the core job is missing, though the good extras sit on the dearer plans. |
| Ease of use | B4.67 from about 110,000 App Store ratings, just shy of the top band. One account covers the lot, though full access waits on identity and credit checks. | BNo App Store rating on record, but there's next to nothing to set up. You sign up, look through the report with its screenshots and links, and a paid plan files the opt-outs for you from then on. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, plus browser extensions, so it's on everything you own. There are no integrations or API on record, so it stops at B. | BThe web plus iPhone and Android apps. There's no computer app and no integrations on record, so it stops at B. Personal plans are only for adults in the US, Canada outside Quebec, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. |
| Best for | data removal bundled with identity protection | a free exposure report, then cheap removals |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Aura and Optery. How we grade
Where they differ
- Aura starts at $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly). Optery starts at $3.25 per month, billed yearly at $39 ($3.99 billed monthly).
- Optery has a free plan. Aura does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Aura lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Only Aura lists a browser extension.
- Aura also covers password manager, vPN, ad and tracker blocking and malware protection.
- Optery also covers reports.
At a glance
| Aura | Optery | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $3.25 per month, billed yearly at $39 ($3.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Free Basic: an exposure report with screenshots, a scan of Google and Bing results and self-service opt-out tools. Optery rescans free accounts about every 3 months and removes nothing for you. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of any plan, once per customer | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Aura | Optery |
| Price read from | aura.com | optery.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Aura
- People who want data removal and identity theft protection on one bill
- Families covering up to 5 adults and their children
- Replacing a separate antivirus, VPN and password manager
Optery
- Seeing where your details are posted for free before paying anything
- People who want screenshot proof that profiles were removed
- Families covering several adults under one administrator
Worth knowing
Aura
- Aura's terms limit the service to residents of the US and Canada.
- Data removal is not sold alone; it comes in the Individual, Couple and Family plans, and the $10 Kids plan does not include it.
- Yearly plans renew at the price shown in your account, which Aura's pages do not state, and the 'Save 50%' badges beside the prices are not explained.
- The 60-day money-back guarantee covers annual plans bought direct, not via Amazon, and not renewals; full access depends on identity and credit checks.
Optery
- Personal plans are for residents of the US, Canada (excluding Quebec), Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and only for adults aged 18 and over.
- Core removes profiles for one name and one city and state only; unlimited name variations, past cities and a human agent start on Extended.
- There is no free trial; Optery offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on individual accounts instead, not on business accounts.
- Each account covers one person, so a family buys a plan for each member; the family discount reaches 30% only at 4 plans or more.
Key features
Aura
- Data broker removal
- Sends opt-out requests to 425+ data broker, people-search and junk-mail sites by Aura's count, rescans daily and resubmits when your details reappear. Aura says requests can take up to 30 days.
- Google search cleanup
- You review your Google results and choose the links you want gone, and Aura files the removal requests with Google for you.
- Identity and credit monitoring
- 3-bureau credit monitoring, an Experian credit lock, alerts when your Social Security number or accounts turn up on the dark web, and home and auto title monitoring.
- Insurance and fraud help
- Each adult is covered by identity theft insurance, $1M per adult on Individual, and a US-based team helps resolve identity theft or fraud cases.
- Antivirus, VPN and passwords
- Antivirus for Windows, Mac and Android, a VPN with 100+ locations for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, and a password manager with Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions.
- Account cleanup and ad blocking
- Finds forgotten accounts linked to your email so you can close them, and a browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Safari blocks ads and trackers and sends opt-out requests.
Optery
- Exposure report with screenshots
- The free account gets a report of where your name, address and phone number appear, with a screenshot and link for each profile found and a scan of Google and Bing results.
- Monthly automated removals
- Paid plans scan and file opt-outs at least once every 30 days, Optery says, and are opted out of newly supported brokers automatically. Core says it covers 375+ sites, Extended 555+ and Ultimate 625+.
- Removals reports
- Extended and Ultimate send a report about every 90 days with before-and-after screenshots showing which profiles were taken down, and assign a human Privacy Agent for cases the automation cannot handle.
- Custom removal requests
- Ultimate accepts unlimited requests for sites outside the automated list, 940+ sites in all by Optery's count, after your first 30 days. It also submits outdated pages to Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo.
- Map blurring
- Extended and Ultimate request that your home be blurred on Google Maps and Apple Maps street imagery.
- Family administration
- One administrator can invite relatives and friends, see each person's exposure and removal counts, and manage their plans and billing, while each person's detailed reports stay private to them.
Plans
Aura
Individual$12
per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
1 adult and 10 devices: data removal, 3-bureau credit monitoring, $1M identity theft insurance, antivirus, VPN and password manager.
Couple$22
per month for 2 adults, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
Individual's features for 2 adults and 20 devices, with $2M of identity theft insurance and Trusted Family Access.
Family$32
per month for up to 5 adults, billed annually ($50 billed monthly)
Up to 5 adults, unlimited children and devices, $5M of insurance, child identity monitoring, parental controls and AI spam call protection.
Optery
Free Basic$0
Exposure report with screenshots and self-service removal tools, with unlimited name variations and past cities for doing it yourself.
Core$3.25
per month, billed yearly at $39 ($3.99 billed monthly)
Automated monthly removals from 375+ sites by Optery's count (150+ without Expanded Reach), for one name and one city and state, with no human agent.
Extended$12.42
per month, billed yearly at $149 ($14.99 billed monthly)
Says it covers 555+ sites, with unlimited name variations and past cities, an assigned human Privacy Agent, removal reports about every 90 days and map blurring.
Ultimate$20.70
per month, billed yearly at $249 ($24.99 billed monthly)
Says it covers 625+ sites automatically, plus unlimited custom removal requests for 940+ sites in all after 30 days, and priority email support.
Ways to pay less
Aura
- Annual discount
Lower monthly rate with annual billing
Aura's pricing page shows Individual at $12 a month billed annually against $15 billed monthly, and Family at $32 against $50.
Optery
- Annual discount
About 17% off with yearly billing
Optery's pricing page says switching to yearly saves 17%: Core is $39 a year against $3.99 a month, and Ultimate $249 a year against $24.99 a month.
- Other savings
Family discount of up to 30% off all plans
Optery for Family lowers the price of every plan the more people you cover, reaching 30% off all plans at 4 plans or more, according to its help desk.
