IdentityForce vs. Identity Guard: Which Is Better?

Overview

Both IdentityForce and Identity Guard alert you of any suspicious activity and help you monitor both your identity and your credit. IdentityForce offers comprehensive packages that help keep your identity and credit secure, with unique bonus features like a credit score simulator and anti-phishing software.

Identity Guard’s main draw is its use of IBM Watson, a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence that helps identify where your identity is vulnerable. Still, Identity Guard isn’t as comprehensive, and you’ll have to pay more to get some of the perks IdentityForce offers at its lower tiers.

Of the two, we prefer IdentityForce. Both its identity theft monitoring and its credit monitoring services are more comprehensive than Identity Guard’s. Plus, its prices are better, so it’s a better value overall. If you’re curious about how else IdentityForce and Identity Guard with Watson compare, read on.

Otherwise, sign up for IdentityForce now.

IdentityForce vs. Identity Guard: Identity theft protection services

IdentityForce’s UltraSecure membership keeps you safe from identity fraud with advanced fraud monitoring, bank account and credit card monitoring, and anti-phishing software to protect your online mail.

Identity Guard offers identity protection at two tiers, but they’re both fairly limited. The Identity Guard Value plan is the more basic, with dark web monitoring and access to a risk management score. Identity Guard Total covers a bit more, offering bank account and address monitoring. (Identity Guard also offers a Premier plan, but it doesn’t add any additional identity protection.)

Compare IdentityForce and Identity Guard identity protection services

* Data effective 3/1/2021. Offers and availability subject to change.

IdentityForce identity protection plans and prices

At $9.99 per month, IdentityForce UltraSecure gives you great ID theft coverage at an affordable price. We recommend it if you’re looking to make a serious effort to monitor your identity and catch any suspicious activity.

The UltraSecure plan is also available for families for $24.90 per month. That will cover two adults and an unlimited number of children under the age of 25. You’ll have to call to get it, though, as IdentityForce doesn’t offer any family plans online.

What comes with IdentityForce UltraSecure

• $1 million identity theft insurance
• Advanced fraud monitoring
• Address monitoring
• Court records monitoring
• Dark web monitoring
• Payday loan monitoring
• Social Security number monitoring
• Social media monitoring
• Bank and credit account monitoring and alerts
• Identity threat alerts
• Anti-phishing and anti-keylogging software
• Lost wallet help

Identity Guard identity protection plans and prices

At $8.99 per month for individuals and $19.99 per month for families, Identity Guard’s Value plan will give you some basic tools against identity thieves, but not much out of the ordinary. The main thing recommending Identity Guard’s basic package is the IBM Watson AI technology—which constantly monitors your identity for vulnerabilities and alerts you as soon as it finds any.

What comes with Identity Guard Value

• $1 million identity theft insurance
• Dark web monitoring
• Social Security number monitoring
• IBM Watson

Identity Guard’s Total plan, priced at $19.99 per month for an individual and $29.99 per month for a family, is a bit more comprehensive. You’ll get an added layer of protection for your finances with lost wallet help in case you misplace your credit card and driver’s license. You’ll also get bank account monitoring that alerts you when any changes are made to your checking, savings, or IRA accounts.

What comes with Identity Guard Total

• Everything from the Value plan
• Lost wallet assistance
• Address monitoring
• Bank account monitoring

IdentityForce vs. Identity Guard: Credit monitoring

IdentityForce and Identity Guard both have good credit monitoring coverage too. IdentityForce offers a more comprehensive—and affordable—package with UltraSecure+Credit. The UltraSecure+Credit plan gives you a full picture of where your credit stands, with daily credit monitoring and access to credit reports and scores from all three major credit bureaus.

Identity Guard gives you decent credit monitoring at its highest two tiers. Identity Guard’s Total plan offers credit monitoring from all three bureaus and a monthly credit score. The Premier plan adds an annual three-bureau credit report—something you’re already entitled to by law, even without a credit monitoring service. It also monitors your kids’ social media use and watches for signs of cyberbullying.

Compare IdentityForce and Identity Guard credit monitoring services

* Data effective 3/1/2021. Offers and availability subject to change.

IdentityForce credit monitoring plans and prices

For $17.99 per month, the UltraSecure+Credit plan adds some hefty credit monitoring to the already solid UltraSecure plan. Daily three-bureau credit monitoring can alert you to signs of fraud or changes in your credit report. And its monthly credit score tracker gives you an idea of how and why your credit has changed with a month-to-month graph.

Family plans, available only over the phone, are priced at $35.90 per month.

What comes with IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit

• Daily three-bureau credit monitoring and alerts
• Quarterly three-bureau credit reports and scores
• Monthly credit score tracker
• Credit score simulator

Identity Guard credit monitoring plans and prices

At $19.99 per month for individuals and $29.99 per month for families, Identity Guard’s Total plan provides basic credit monitoring. While it’s a great way to keep an eye on your credit, it costs more money than IdentityForce—which has a lot more features and coverage.

What comes with Identity Guard Total

• Three-bureau credit monitoring
• Monthly one-bureau credit score

Identity Guard Ultra, priced at $29.99 per month for individuals and $39.99 per month for families, adds access to an annual credit report. We don’t think it’s worth the cost though, since you’re already legally entitled to a credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus every 12 months. The other benefit offered at this level is cyberbullying alerts for your children.

What comes with Identity Guard Premier

• Everything from the Total plan
• Annual three-bureau credit report
• Cyberbullying alerts

Standout features

IdentityForce

Credit score simulator

IdentityForce’s credit score simulator is a helpful tool that lets you see how different financial decisions could impact your credit score. If you’re looking to make a big purchase or take out a loan, the simulator lets you test it out first to see if it’ll ding your credit.

Anti-phishing and anti-keylogging software

IdentityForce keeps your computer safe with anti-phishing and anti-keylogging software. Its anti-phishing program keeps your personal information safe in your email inbox and opts you out of junk mail.

Anti-keylogging software keeps you protected from software that tracks your keystrokes. So it’s especially helpful for online shopping, bill pay, or wherever else you’re entering personal information like your credit card information or your Social Security number.

Identity Guard

IBM Watson

All Identity Guard plans include IBM Watson, an AI that looks at billions of data points to see where your identity is the most vulnerable. It also alerts you when your identity could be at risk.

Cyberbullying alerts

Identity Guard’s Premier family plan also helps you monitor your children’s online activity with cyberbullying alerts. Identity Guard will alert you about potential cyberbullying, including details of content, who is involved, and advice on next steps.

Customer service

IdentityForce

IdentityForce offers 24/7 customer service availability via phone and email. Customers are largely happy with the brand and describe positive experiences with IdentityForce’s customer service representatives.

Issues with IdentityForce are largely technical. Some users complain about issues with logging in on the app and website, via both app and browser.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard’s customer service is available via phone from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET) on Saturdays. Most customers are happy with the service, although some say that Identity Guard’s prices are too high for the limited services offered—and we agree.

Our recommendation

Both IdentityForce and Identity Guard offer decent credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Of the two, we think IdentityForce is the better option. It offers comprehensive identity monitoring and excellent credit coverage at an affordable price, making it a great value. It’s a great pick if you want to keep track of your identity and your credit in one place. You can read more about IdentityForce in our full review.

>>Get protected. View IdentityForce plans here.

>>Still want more options? Check out our full lists of identity theft protection and credit monitoring companies.