To keep your family safe while fighting off fraudsters, you’ll want to choose a security solution with the best identity theft protection for families there is.
It’s no news that theft is a nerve-wracking and time-consuming experience that can end up costing you an arm and a leg – especially if more than one family member falls into the same trap.
Lately, it seems that not a single day goes by without front-page news shouting about some company being hit by a data breach or targeted by cyber-attacks that are compromising the safety of its customers, employees, and partners, as well as making their future uncertain.
However, you don’t have to be big or part of a large organization to be targeted by all sorts of cybercriminals. It is somewhat shocking that a crafty criminal, or simply someone feeling curious, can find a surprising amount of information about a stranger online – and it’s not all about data breaches.
While some of this information is taken through data breaches, much of it is already available to the public (for instance, on social media accounts) and even more can be collected thanks to unsafe browsing, marketplaces on the dark web, malware (opens in new tab), phishing attacks, Wi-Fi hacking, and so forth.
If you or anyone else in your family are currently using the internet to shop online, mingle on social media platforms, conduct business, or do anything else that’ll reveal something about your identity and personal information – you’re unwittingly putting yourself and your family at risk of identity theft (opens in new tab).
Fortunately, there are plenty of identity protection solutions on the market made with families in mind, and they won’t only protect your identity but also restore it if you fall victim to identity theft.
Using one of the best identity theft protection services to support you in data privacy and staying safe online has never been more important. ID theft protection software use can:
✔ Save you money long term, by protecting you from having your online banking details stolen
✔ Keep your credit rating realistic to you. If your online payment details are stolen and your spending history is manipulated, this may lead to a poor credit score which can potentially lead to housing and employment obstacles, or paying higher interest rates on loans
✔ Protect your online reputation and stop fraudsters accessing sensitive information
With large-scale data breaches continuing to plague businesses around the globe, it's no wonder many folks are worried about identity theft, but the best identity theft protection tools can help.
So, if you want to keep your family on the safe side, check out our top picks for identity theft protection services for families. We’re going to look into the price-performance ratio with an emphasis on security and family-specific features.
However, before diving into the solutions themselves, let’s clear up what exactly identity theft protection is and how can you find one to fit your family.
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(opens in new tab)What is identity theft protection for families?
Why you can trust TechRadar Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
In simplest terms, identity theft protection for families is a collection of security services designed for safeguarding the whole household from identity theft and fraud.
The three critical services any identity theft protection solution should provide include: monitoring of your credit files and warning you about any suspicious activities, alerts about your personal information being used (like for opening a bank account), and identity recovery and insurance policies (usually up to $1 million).
Identity theft protection that was made with families in mind does all this but at a higher level that often includes multiple devices and an extra layer of security to keep up with rebellious teens in your home.
How to choose the best identity theft protection for your family?
So, how do you know which identity theft protection solution aimed at families is worthwhile?
Besides checking out our choices (and giving us your utmost trust) you could consider what sort and scope of information are monitored (such as credit records, Social Security numbers, and bank accounts) and how often it is done.
In addition to this, you’ll want to know more about the company’s recovery services, their identity theft insurance terms, as well as additional tools and services you can add to your packages such as anti-malware, VPN, or a password manager (opens in new tab).
Also, you should check the pricing, the range of family plans the company provides, the scope of their customer support, and their track record in recent years.
The best identity theft protection for families: How we test them?
First of all, we check the available plans and evaluate their main and family-friendly features. Then we take a look at pricing options, price-performance ratio, and how the app holds in comparison to its competitor.
While these are not fully firsthand reviews given that a thorough evaluation of an identity theft protection app is next to impossible – not only it would require months of testing but also intentionally hacking accounts to check if the app works, handing over personal information, performing series of credit checks, and putting the reviewer at serious risk of identity theft and fraud.
The best identity theft protection for families of 2023 in full:
Identity theft may not be cheap, but identity theft protection with Aura isn’t cheap either. Aiming to become an all-in-one digital security solution, Aura will safeguard your identity, devices, finances, and home - and outmatch its competitors with the comprehensiveness of its service.
One of the things that Aura understands better than the majority of its competitors is that in most households the complete family is using some sort of digital service, so it’s critical to make this usage safe, secure, and frustration-free.
Even with its entry-level plans, Aura offers top-notch protection for multiple devices, while its upper-tier plans offer multilayered monitoring and a couple of superb cybersecurity tools more than its competitors.
All its plans include an intuitive, novice-friendly interface, antivirus software, VPN, and password manager. The cheapest family plan starts at $25.00 (if billed annually) and it will support a family of up to ten people and get you round-the-clock customer support.
Although there is a plentiful 60-day money-back guarantee, it applies to annual plans only.
Read our full Aura review. (opens in new tab)
While Allstate Identity Protection isn’t as well-known as other solutions on this list, it’s a solid, well-rounded identity theft protection app that doesn’t come stingy on features.
These include a couple of useful alerts such as proactive social media and advanced dark web monitoring, student loan monitoring, $1 million in insurance protection, and a Digital Footprint feature that serves as a central console from which you can visualize your family’s online activity, spot potential threats, and act before they turn into trouble.
Allstate’s user interface is in love with azure blue (as is its official site), so if you’re not a fellow fan, it’ll take a bit for your eyes to adjust. More importantly, it’s well-designed, easy to use, and it puts a spotlight on the alerts.
Although this isn’t the most powerful identity theft solution out there, it provides a solid value for money with the cheaper plan starting at $18.99 for families (you plus ten members) and a 30-day trial period, which is plenty of time to see if Allstate works for your family.
Read our full Allstate review. (opens in new tab)
As the identity theft protection industry leader and one of the most popular services of this kind, LifeLock provides plenty of features that’ll help you keep your family safe from identity theft and other cyber threats - and you can protect up to five devices with all plans.
In addition to this, LifeLock offers a comprehensive Norton 360 security suite of financial protections with a focus on your credit reports, social security number, and other sensitive personal information. So, if you don’t want to spend time monitoring your credits and accounts, LifeLock will do the job for you and warn you about any potential threats.
While Life Lock’s plans for individuals are pretty pocket-friendly (starting at $7.50 per month at annual billing), family plans come at a significantly higher cost. For instance, if you had in mind a family with a few kids (five is the upper limit), it will cost you $18.49 per month for the first year.
All annual plans are backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full LifeLock review. (opens in new tab)
This AI-powered identity theft protection app can safeguard your whole household from various cyber threats thanks to its active approach to monitoring, near-real-time alerts about suspicious activity, and complete coverage.
Although this app offers a wide variety of powerful features (like monthly credit reports, alerts about a tax refund, and a phishing attack blocker), it fails to provide additional details about its built-in mechanisms to its potential users, making it less user-friendly than our previous entries.
While Identity Guard scores its major points in the prevention of identity theft, if any family member falls victim to an identity fraud they’ll be assigned a dedicated case manager to assist the victim’s identity recovery and cover up to $1 million of associated costs.
To get peace of mind with Identity Guard, you’ll have to spend at least $12.50 per month for the entry-level family plan. And if you choose an annual plan you’ll get a refund if you cancel within 30 days of the purchase.
Read our full Identity Guard review. (opens in new tab)
Some of the most pocket-friendly, family identity theft protection packages that aren’t short on features are produced by Zander, an actual insurance agency that has extended its scope to cyberspace.
The core features of this solution are relatively standard as they cover all sorts of identity theft protection services, malware protection, meticulous monitoring, unlimited recovery services available 24/7, and up to $1 million in recovery compensation (which spikes up to $2 million for family packages).
The simplest family plan starts at $12.90 per month (when billed annually), and it covers two adults and any number of children – which is a great bargain for big families.
If you give Zander a go and then happen to change your mind, you can say goodbye to your cash since Zander provides no refund policy.
Read our full Zander review. (opens in new tab)
Pick up your identity theft protection app to watch over your family
While there are tons of simple things you can do to protect yourself and your family from identity theft (such as using a strong password, safeguarding your devices, and keeping tabs on your personal information), despite the greatest efforts you’ll reach a limit sooner or later.
To avoid the headaches of getting your identity stolen, consider utilizing some of the best identity protection (opens in new tab) services geared towards individuals and families alike.
How to choose the best identity theft protection for you?
When choosing an identity theft protection service, start with considering the type of monitoring you require, like — credit reports, social media, criminal and court record, or bank account monitoring.
You'll then want to check their availability and quality of customer support, ease of use, and ease of setup. Make sure to assess the alerting system, the speed of alerts, and the channels through which you can receive notifications.
Lastly, look out for the compensation and insurance features that the company offers, and their pricing plans for individuals and families.
The best identity theft protection: How we test
Our tests of the best identity theft protection apps will evaluate the features, pricing options, competition, and also the overall value of using each app.
These are not full hands-on reviews, since evaluating identity theft protection apps is almost impossible, requiring months of testing, purposefully hacking accounts to see if the protection app works, handing over personally identifiable information, performing multiple credit checks, and risking exposure of the reviewer’s personally identifiable information.
We’ve deliberately chosen programs from big hitters in the security world as well as lesser-known gems that are worth your while. There are also free and paid-for programs to choose from. So which identity theft protection service is worth it? Well, we chose the eleven ID theft protection services listed on this review because they cover a broad spectrum of use cases, including credit monitoring and scouring the dark web.
If you were in any doubt, we can easily say that identity theft protection is definitely worth it. Digital ID protection is huge online problem, with recent research reported on by TechRadar from NordVPN data revealing that 33% of Americans encountered at least one cybersecurity issue in 2021.
Whether it’s by using phishing emails or social engineering tricks, fraudsters are constantly looking for ways to steal identities for their own monetary gain. Fortunately, the best identity theft protection services can help prevent this.
