Kanary vs Optery
We give Kanary a 1.8 GPA and Optery a 2.8, out of 4.0. Optery grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kanary
Threat-based personal data removal for people at risk of doxxing
Optery
Data broker removal with a free exposure report and screenshot proof
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAKanaryWeak | 2.8GPAOpteryGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DCore is $250 a year paid yearly, or $25 a month paid monthly, the dearest way into this category by a distance. Advanced, where social media and AI chatbots come in, is $500 a year. Family members are half price, $125 a year on Core. | 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 | FNo free plan and no trial. The 30-day money-back guarantee only covers the first month, and it isn't a trial anyway. | 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 | BSearch engines and data brokers on Core, with scans and requests it says run monthly, and it asks Google to drop dead links. Advanced adds social media, AI chatbots, weekly scans and attorney general escalation, though some of those may cost extra. | 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 | CNo App Store rating on record, and it wants some of your time. You approve or deny unfamiliar results in the app, and Kanary says removals average 60 to 80% for hands-off members against 90 to 95% for those who answer identity 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 | BA web dashboard plus iPhone and Android apps for reviewing results and approving removals. There's no computer app and no integrations on record, so it stops at B. It's built for US residents, with UK users only recently added. | 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 | people at risk of doxxing or harassment | 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: Kanary and Optery. How we grade
Where they differ
- Kanary starts at $250 per year, billed yearly ($25 a month billed monthly). Optery starts at $3.25 per month, billed yearly at $39 ($3.99 billed monthly).
- Optery has a free plan. Kanary does not.
At a glance
| Kanary | Optery | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $250 per year, billed yearly ($25 a month 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 | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kanary | Optery |
| Price read from | kanary.com | optery.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Kanary
- Public figures, executives and creators facing doxxing or harassment
- People who want social media and AI chatbot exposures covered
- Adding family members at half price
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
Kanary
- Built for US residents or people with a US address; Kanary says it has recently added UK users and helps others case by case.
- No free plan or trial; the 30-day money-back guarantee covers the first month only.
- Weekly and daily scans, unlimited custom removals and address confidentiality enrollment are Advanced options that may cost extra.
- Kanary says removal rates average 60 to 80% for hands-off members and 90 to 95% for those who answer identity 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
Kanary
- Threat model per person
- Kanary weighs each exposure by how likely it is to lead to doxxing, impersonation or phishing and works on those first, not only the easy opt-outs. It says it has covered more than 68,000 sites.
- Search engines, brokers, social and AI
- Core covers search engines and data brokers. Advanced adds social networks such as LinkedIn, X and YouTube, and AI chatbots, with full-site monitoring.
- Google cleanup
- After a source page is cleaned, Kanary asks Google to drop the link, handles Google's doxxing and harassment removals for sites that will not cooperate, and updates your Google settings to block new results.
- Approve before removal
- Unfamiliar results get a quick approve or deny check from you in the app, and known business-safe sites are skipped, which suits people who need a public profile.
- Scans and reports
- Core scans and sends removal requests monthly and emails a report once a month; Advanced scans weekly and reports twice a month, with live stats on the dashboard.
- Escalations on Advanced
- Advanced can enroll you in a state address confidentiality program, escalate stubborn sites to an attorney general and research active incidents. Some of these may cost extra.
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
Kanary
Core$250
per year, billed yearly ($25 a month billed monthly)
Search engines and data brokers, monthly scans and removal requests, managed removals and 24 to 48 hour email support. Family members $125 a year.
Advanced$500
per year, billed yearly ($50 a month billed monthly)
Adds social media and AI chatbots, weekly scans and requests, attorney general escalation, priority support and incident research. Family $250 a year.
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
Kanary
- Annual discount
2 months free with yearly billing
Kanary's pricing page shows Core at $250 a year against $25 a month, and Advanced at $500 a year against $50 a month, which it calls 2 months free.
- Other savings
50% off each family member
Family members added to an account cost half: $125 a year on Core and $250 a year on Advanced, or $12.50 and $25 a month.
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.
