LifeLock Identity Theft Protection Review 2024

LifeLock’s Plans

LifeLock offers a list of services as long as your arm, so the best place to start is by getting a handle on what they offer. I have more on this in my guide to LifeLock’s subscriptions, but I’ll give you a cheat sheet here. They offer three plans and three different ways to subscribe: Individual, Couple and Family. That’s two adults and up to five kids. Here’s the quick breakdown:

Two things to keep in mind — this is a summary of the primary features of each package. There are minor features I left out like password managers and ad-tracker blockers, but this should give you a good idea of what LifeLock brings to the table. Second, these are the costs for the individual plan. For couples and families, it’s more expensive. Here’s a breakdown of those costs for couples:

And here’s a breakdown of those costs for families:

LifeLock is pretty expensive. If you compare LifeLock to Aura, another one of my favorite identity theft protection services, you’ll see it offers comparable features at a reduced cost. Is it true with LifeLock that you get what you pay for, though? Let’s take a closer look at their features to find out.

LifeLock’s Features

When I tested LifeLock, I noticed that each feature falls into one or more of these categories: alerts, identity monitoring, credit monitoring, financial monitoring, and digital protections.

Even the cheapest LifeLock plans offer a wealth of features, so let’s discuss them one category at a time and see what you can expect from each.

Monitoring and Alerts

You’re probably wondering why you need monitoring when LifeLock is supposed to be protecting you from identity theft already. That’s because LifeLock – or any other similar service, for that matter – isn’t a sure-fire way to protect yourself. Just like having a home security system doesn’t guarantee your home won’t be burglarized, using an identity theft protection service doesn’t mean you’re completely safe from identity theft.

LifeLock is mostly reactive, which means if someone did steal your identity, it will work to make sure you can recover it and avoid the consequences. The first thing it does is alert the user and to be able to do that, it needs to constantly monitor areas where stolen identities or signs of identity theft might pop up. That includes data breaches, the dark web, and even public and court records. For example, when I applied for a mortgage using my Social Security number, LifeLock reported to me that my SSN might have been used to secure a loan.

The extent of monitoring depends on your LifeLock subscription package though. I signed up for the top-tier Ultimate Plus plan, which gave me full access. Lower tier plans offer fewer features. But at least with LifeLock, all plans include some level of identity and credit monitoring. When I tested Identity Guard, its entry-level plan didn’t include any credit monitoring features at all.

>> Compare: A Comprehensive Comparison of Identity Guard and LifeLock

Identity Monitoring

Let’s zoom in and discuss further what areas LifeLock monitored to catch potential identity theft. This is particular to the Ultra Plus plan, but at the very least, all plans include dark web and data breach notifications. For me, though, these were the areas included in identity monitoring:

• USPS address changes
• Crimes registries
• Court records
• Sex offender registries
• Dark web content
• Data breach notifications

If any changes occur, or if your personal information appears in areas where it shouldn’t, like in home address change requests, dark web forums or data breach lists, LifeLock will let you know. That is vital, because if any of those identity theft signs start to appear, it’s likely that someone got ahold of your personal information. And if you don’t do something about it, it could lead to costly consequences. With LifeLock on the watch, you stand a fighting chance to prevent identity theft.

I didn’t receive a lot of notifications during my testing period, but that doesn’t mean LifeLock didn’t work. I take my privacy seriously and do my best to mitigate my online exposure. I did receive some notifications about past data breaches involving old accounts I no longer use, so I headed to those websites and deleted my accounts permanently. Knowing that LifeLock was constantly scanning gave me peace of mind.

While LifeLock focuses on monitoring, it also does proactive identity theft prevention work. One feature I liked was its Privacy Monitor. That helped cut down my digital footprint and made it harder for identity thieves to find information on me.

People-search sites — also known as data brokers — are websites that contain databases of people’s personal information. Contact information can commonly be found on such sites, but they can also include details like people’s birthdays, job history and so on. In short, these people-search sites make money off of other people’s data while exposing them to greater risks of identity theft.

LifeLock’s Privacy Monitor searches those data broker sites for your information. In my case, it found one website that had personal information about me. Using the service, I was able to request this information be taken down.

Word to the wise, keep a list of the data broker sites. Some sites grant opt-out requests but don’t remove your information from their databases. They just take it off the site. That means your data might reappear again. Or you can invest in one of my favorite data removal services — they automate the process, so you don’t have to think about it.

Credit Monitoring

With our Ultimate Plus subscription, LifeLock provided me with comprehensive triple-bureau credit monitoring complete with credit reports and score updates from all three bureaus. Credit reports arrived monthly, while the credit score on the app updated daily.

By identity theft protection standards, three-bureau credit monitoring is the industry best. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why LifeLock is one of the best identity protection services with credit monitoring and reporting.

Not all LifeLock plans include three-bureau credit monitoring. Only the Ultimate Plus plan offers it. The lower-tier plans will only monitor one credit bureau, and with the most basic subscriptions, free credit reports are not included.

Just as with identity monitoring where you have the Privacy Monitor feature to proactively protect your personal information, LifeLock offers easy access to locking your TransUnion credit file to protect your credit. Locking your credit prevents anyone, including yourself, from using your credit file for opening new credit lines or taking out loans. Since LifeLock makes it easy to lock and unlock your TransUnion file, you’ll be able to unlock it when needed, preventing others from using it.

I found out this works by accident. My partner and I were trying to set up a joint savings account, and the bank said it couldn’t access my credit file. I logged on to my computer, switched the lock off and it was smooth sailing from there. Happy to know that LifeLock’s functionality works in that regard.

Of course, for complete protection, you’ll also need to freeze or lock your accounts with the other two major credit reporting bureaus: Experian and Equifax. You can’t do that with the help of LifeLock, unlike with TransUnion, but you can contact Experian and Equifax directly to freeze your credit for free.

Financial Monitoring

Here’s a two-part feature: First, using their Ultimate Plus subscription, LifeLock monitored my financial accounts, such as credit, checking and savings accounts. It alerted me when my money moved in those accounts, as well as if someone requested information changes that indicate an account takeover was taking place. It also monitored for new account openings under my name and gave me activity alerts on my 401(k) investment accounts. There wasn’t a lot of movement happening during my test period. If you’re getting these types of notifications, it’s a good indication your identity has been compromised.

The second part involves reimbursement in the event that I experienced losses due to identity theft. My Ultimate Plus subscription covers up to $1 million in losses, which is standard across the identity monitoring industry. Also worth noting — LifeLock covers $1 million in personal expense compensation and another $1 million for legal expenses. That’s a $3 million coverage total.

The $1 million legal fee coverage is included in every LifeLock plan, but the compensations for personal and legal expenses scale with the plan you have. It starts at $25,000 for each if you have the lowest-tier plan and increases to $100,000 each for the mid-tier Advantage plan. The $1 million coverage I mentioned applies only to the Ultimate Plus plans.

Digital Protections

Here comes the Norton part of the package. Norton is best-known for its Norton antivirus software, the software it offers in Norton 360 with LifeLock bundles.

The monitoring features from LifeLock help in early detection of identity theft. On the other hand, Norton’s role is preventative. The antivirus software offers protection from any type of devastating malware, including those used to steal sensitive information from your devices.

Norton also provides additional tools. For example, some bundles include a VPN, which is the same as the Norton Secure VPN we reviewed. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of some of my favorite VPNs, but it does function well in helping you stay anonymous online. There’s also a password manager, which can help you secure your passwords and online accounts from hacking.

Collectively, Norton’s tools can help you secure your online and digital data, but to benefit from them, you have to use them. After buying our Norton 360 with LifeLock bundle, I installed the antivirus software and VPN on every device I regularly use. I also activated the password manager on my browsers. This helped me get a sense of how comprehensive LifeLock’s protections are — something I really appreciated throughout my testing period.

Now that you have a good idea of the features included with LifeLock, let’s change gears and talk about what it’s like to use this service on a daily basis.

Setting Up and Using LifeLock

Now that I’ve introduced what a LifeLock bundle can do for you, let’s zoom out and look at the user experience. Was LifeLock easy to use despite having the features of an identity protection service and antivirus software? How was the setup process? Are there any downsides to expect?

To set up LifeLock, I created a password and entered my basic information. Then, I entered my billing information and paid for the year. Once I made the purchase, the LifeLock dashboard appeared on my screen.

Once at the dashboard, I was asked if I wanted to add more personal information including:

• Insurance information.
• Bank account numbers.
• Driver’s license number.
• Credit card numbers.

I recommend putting in as much personal information as possible. This gives LifeLock a better chance at catching signs of identity theft. Remember: LifeLock — and other identity theft protection services — can only protect the information it has on you.

Other than that, there isn’t much more to talk about when it comes to the setup process. It took me about 15 minutes from start to finish, and I was on my way to being protected within an hour. On the day to day, the desktop app is easy to use, and the dashboard is intuitive. This is more than I can say for a lot of providers — some of them can get convoluted at times.

That said, let’s take a minute to discuss some of the potential drawbacks of using LifeLock.

LifeLock Drawbacks

One of the biggest drawbacks of LifeLock is that it can be confusing. When you’re purchasing your subscription package, you need to pay close attention to make sure you get the features you want because there are so many options.

Technically, Norton and LifeLock are two different entities, so it can get confusing if you’re trying to use these features on your mobile device — you’ll have to download two separate apps. Ultimately, I didn’t mind this during my testing period, but it did cause some confusion when I was looking around for the right functionality.

The second drawback is the price. Like I said above, these services aren’t cheap. They aren’t outrageous, but make sure you understand what your security needs are and budget accordingly. Also, if you pay annually — which you should, as you’ll save in the long run — the price goes up after a year. In some cases, the increase is almost double.

I don’t consider this a bait and switch, but it’s definitely something to be aware of when you’re making your purchase. Whichever identity theft protection service you go with, you’re likely going to want to keep it for the long haul. If you go with LifeLock, you want to make sure you can afford it.

With those two drawbacks in mind, let’s move on to the final word. Do I recommend LifeLock or not?

Is LifeLock Worth It?

Despite the drawbacks, I give a full-throated recommendation of LifeLock. While they are more expensive than some competitors, you know where that money goes when you use this service. Their protections are among the most comprehensive I’ve seen, and the ease at which you’re able to deploy them makes this service one of the best in the industry.

I’d go with LifeLock if you’d like…

• Identity monitoring and device security: LifeLock, through its Norton 360 with LifeLock plans, offers more features than any other similar service we’ve reviewed.
• Powerful protections: From credit freezes to dark web monitoring, LifeLock’s protections are comprehensive.
• User-friendly dashboard: LifeLock’s online dashboard is easy to navigate.

But you might consider…

• Convoluted purchasing process: Since they offer so many features, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
• Confusing app: With two apps, it can be confusing to know which one to use and how to sign in.
• Price increase: After the first year, all of LifeLock’s plans increase in price.