IdentityIQ vs Optery (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Optery: it is first in our ranking of data removal services, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 1.6.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Optery grades higher on value for money, 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.
IdentityIQ
Identity theft protection with credit monitoring and insurance
Optery
Data broker removal with a free exposure report and screenshot proof
Which one is for you
Pick IdentityIQ if
- Fits if you are in the US and want credit and identity monitoring
- Works for people who want insurance behind the monitoring
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you are outside the US, as the credit bureaus and SSN alerts are US-only
- Skip it if data removal is the reason, since the plans do not say which tiers include it
- Watch out: family insurance of $25K per member appears only on Secure Max
- Tight if you want a trial, because there is none
- Pricey if you want 3-bureau scores: Plus is $11.49 and Max $31.49
Pick Optery if
- Fits if you want to see where you're listed, with screenshots, before paying anything
- Works for one adult with one name and one city, on Core at $39 a year
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you've lived in several places, as Core covers one name and one city only; more starts at $149 a year
- Not for you if you live outside the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, or in Quebec
- Skip it if you want to try removals for free: there's no trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee, and none on business accounts
- Pricey if you're buying for a family: each member needs a plan, and the discount reaches 30% only at 4 plans
- Watch out: the free plan removes nothing and rescans only about every 3 months
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAIdentityIQWeak | 2.8GPAOpteryGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$8.49 a month for Secure Basic, level with the data-removal category's middle of $8.49. Three-bureau reports start on Plus at $11.49. | BCore is $3.25 a month billed yearly at $39, the second-lowest price in 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 | FNo free plan, and the FAQ says it does not typically offer a trial. | 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 | CDark web monitoring, credit monitoring, insurance and restoration help. The gap is in the listing: data removal is named but the plans do not show which tiers include it. | 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 custom requests, map blurring and the human agent sit on the dearer plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up monitoring with your personal details. | 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 | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. | 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 | US identity theft protection with credit monitoring | a free exposure report, then paid 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: IdentityIQ and Optery. How we grade
Price against what you get
IdentityIQ starts at $7.22 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Optery starts at $3.25 a month and scores 3.0.
Optery scores higher and starts $3.97 a month lower. Of the other data removal services on the chart, 2 score higher than IdentityIQ for less, and none scores higher than Optery for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- IdentityIQ also covers vPN and malware protection.
- Optery also covers reports.
At a glance
| IdentityIQ | Optery | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.49 per month, or $86.61 billed yearly (Secure Basic) | $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 | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | IDIQ | Optery |
| Price read from | identityiq.com | optery.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
IdentityIQ
- Data removal is listed among its features, but the plan comparison does not show which tiers include it, so confirm before buying if that is the reason.
- The pricing page lists no free trial; the FAQ says it does not typically offer one.
- Family insurance of $25K per member appears only in the Secure Max list.
- Aimed at US consumers: credit bureaus and SSN alerts are US-specific.
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
IdentityIQ
- Dark web and internet monitoring
- Every tier scans the dark web and the wider internet for your personal information and sends alerts.
- Credit monitoring
- Basic and Plus watch one bureau; Pro and Max watch all three. Pro and Max add enhanced monitoring and score change alerts.
- Identity theft insurance
- Each tier lists $1 million in identity theft insurance and stolen funds reimbursement, underwritten by AIG per the page footnotes.
- Restoration support
- Certified restoration specialists work on recovery under a limited power of attorney, and lawyers and experts are covered.
- Opt-out IQ
- Every tier lists a junk mail and Do Not Call opt-out tool.
- VPN and anti-virus add-on
- A toggle on the pricing page adds a VPN for up to 10 devices plus anti-virus and parental controls to any tier.
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
IdentityIQ
Secure Basic$8.49
per month, billed monthly ($86.61 billed yearly)
Daily 1-bureau credit report monitoring, dark web monitoring, SSN alerts and $1 million identity theft insurance. $10.49 with VPN and anti-virus.
Secure Plus$11.49
per month, billed monthly ($117.19 billed yearly)
Adds annual 3-bureau credit reports and scores and IQ Alerts with application monitoring. $13.49 with VPN and anti-virus.
Secure Pro$21.49
per month, billed monthly ($219.19 billed yearly)
Adds 3-bureau credit report monitoring, bi-annual 3-bureau reports and scores, enhanced monitoring and score alerts. $23.49 with VPN.
Secure Max$31.49
per month, billed monthly ($321.21 billed yearly)
Adds monthly 3-bureau reports and scores, a score simulator and tracker, and $25K family identity theft insurance. $34.99 with VPN.
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
IdentityIQ
- Annual discount
Save 15% with yearly billing
IdentityIQ's pricing page shows a 15% saving on every tier when billed yearly instead of monthly.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, IdentityIQ or Optery?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Optery is cheaper to start with: $3.25 a month, against $7.22 a month when paid by the year for IdentityIQ. IdentityIQ starts at $8.49 per month, or $86.61 billed yearly (Secure Basic), and Optery starts at $3.25 per month, billed yearly at $39 ($3.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, IdentityIQ or Optery?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Optery has a free plan. IdentityIQ does not.
Which platforms do IdentityIQ and Optery run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Optery lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.