IdentityIQ offers more affordable and customizable identity theft protection plans than most competitors. Plans start at just $7 per month and you can add individual services based on your preferences.
For example, you can choose to add a virtual private network and antivirus protection to any plan for an additional fee. The same applies to adding dependents to any plan, other than the Secure Max plan which already includes ID theft insurance for up to four children. You can mix and match services to build the plan that works best for you.
Even if you don't opt for add-ons to your plan, all IdentityIQ tiers include dark web monitoring, SSN alerts, $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement, lost wallet assistance and restoration services.
IdentityIQ
From $7 per month
Key Features
Antivirus and VPN
Dark web monitoring
Three bureau credit monitoring
Checking account reports
Social Security number monitoring
$7 for individuals
$12 for Families
$10 for Individuals
$16 for Families
$20 for Individuals
$32 for Families
$30 for Individuals
$48 for Families
Key Features
Antivirus and VPN
Dark web monitoring
Three bureau credit monitoring
Checking account reports
Social Security number monitoring
$7 for individuals
$12 for Families
$10 for Individuals
$16 for Families
$20 for Individuals
$32 for Families
$30 for Individuals
$48 for Families
Who should use IdentityIQ?
IdentityIQ's identity theft protection might work for you if you want to customize your service and don't want to pay for options you'll never use. You can add customizations to your plan, including:
- VPN and antivirus protection
- A legal protection plan
- A legal document generator
- Credit and debt personal finance AI tools
- Financial coaching
All of IdentityIQ's plans also offer one bureau credit monitoring, which is not the case with some other competing ID theft protection companies like Identity Guard and IdentityForce.
Identity IQ might be right for small families, even though its family plans aren't well advertised on its website. It offers identity theft insurance for kids, which is a huge plus since many top competitors, except for LifeLock by Norton, only offer insurance for adults.
Despite offering insurance for dependents, IdentityIQ's plans aren't ideal for big families. That's because the family plans allow two adults and up to three kids, whereas ID theft companies like Aura and Identity Guard offer coverage for unlimited children and five adults. Some customers may also prefer a more straightforward identity theft protection plan without multiple add-ons to choose from.
What plans does IdentityIQ offer?
IdentityIQ offers four tiers of coverage: Secure, Secure Plus, Secure Pro and Secure Max. Prices for each go up if you choose to add on antivirus and VPN protection or a family plan.
Individuals who want to save on premiums can also consider paying for a year of IdentityIQ coverage upfront to save 15%. IdentityIQ offers a 7-day trial for only $1, which helps potential customers try out the service for a week before they commit to the full plan cost.
Secure
The Secure Plan costs $7 per month and includes benefits like dark web monitoring, up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, real-time fraud alerts with application monitoring, SSN alerts, synthetic ID theft protection -- to check to see if someone used your data to create a fake identity -- change of address monitoring, US-based ID restoration services and more. Users also get daily one credit bureau monitoring to help protect their credit and spot the early signs of identity theft.
With antivirus and VPN protection added, this plan costs $9 per month.
Secure Plus
The Secure Plus Plan from IdentityIQ costs $10 per month (or $8.50 per month if paid annually) and includes all the benefits of the Secure Plan. Users also get annual reports and scores from all three credit bureaus -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You won't receive credit monitoring from all three bureaus. You'll need to upgrade to Pro for that.
With antivirus and VPN protection added, this plan costs $12 per month (or a little over $10 per month if paid annually).
Secure Pro
The Secure Pro Plan from IdentityIQ costs $20 per month (or $18 per month if paid annually) and includes all the benefits of the two lower-tier plans plus credit score change alerts and alerts on crimes committed in your name. Users also get three credit bureau monitoring, instead of one, as well as biannual reports and credit scores.
With antivirus and VPN protection added, this plan costs $22 per month (or about $19 if paid annually).
Secure Max
The top tier Secure Max plan costs $30 per month (or $25.50 monthly if paid annually) and includes all the benefits of the other plans, plus a credit score simulator and tracking, fraud restoration services with a qualified professional and $25,000 in ID theft insurance for up to four eligible children.
According to a company spokesperson, eligible dependents can also have their personal information monitored for identity theft if the primary account member enters their information. If you choose to add another adult to Secure Max, you'll only receive protection for three children.
Like Secure Pro, Secure Max plan also includes monitoring of all three credit bureau reports but also includes monthly credit reports and scores from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
With antivirus and VPN protection added, this plan costs $32.99 per month (or $28.04 per month if paid annually).
IdentityIQ products, compared
| Secure Plan | Secure Plus | Secure Pro | Secure Max | |
| Individual | $7 per month | $10 per month | $20 per month | $30 per month |
| With antivirus and VPN | $9 per month | $12 per month | $22 per month | $33 per month |
| Upgrade to Family Plan | $12 per month | $16 per month | $32 per month | $48 per month |
| Top features | Dark Web & Internet Monitoring; SSN Alerts; synthetic ID theft protection; change of address alerts; checking account report; US-based ID restoration service; daily 1-bureau credit monitoring | Benefits of Secure Plan, plus annual three bureau credit reports and scores | Benefits of Secure and Secure Plus Plan plus three bureau credit monitoring; biannual three bureau credit reports and scores; and alerts on crimes committed in your name. | Benefits of all lower tier plans, plus monthly three bureau credit reports & scores; family ID theft insurance; and fraud restoration with a limited power of attorney |
| Identity theft insurance | $1 million stolen funds reimbursement | $1 million stolen funds reimbursement | $1 million stolen funds reimbursement | $1 million stolen funds reimbursement |
What’s it like to use IdentityIQ?
Creating an account with IdentityIQ only takes a few minutes, and requires minimal information. I tested the Secure Max plan by providing my full name, home address, phone number and Social Security number.
Once you're signed up, IdentityIQ provides you all kinds of information right off the bat. Your IdentityIQ dashboard includes information on your credit scores and factors that contribute to them, including negative accounts, credit utilization, recent hard inquiries and more.
The navigation for the IdentityIQ website is listed on the left-hand side of the page. Everything you need to keep tabs on your identity can be found here.
From this menu, you can view more information about your credit reports and scores, identity theft protection and credit monitoring. There's also an offers tab where you can see credit card and loan offers from affiliate partners based on your credit profile. Unlike some identity theft services, we like that these partner offers are tucked away and you don't have to sift through them to navigate your account.
The monitoring tab is especially helpful because this is where you can view your identity monitoring alerts. With the Secure Max plan, these alerts include:
- Your personal information exposed on the Internet or Dark Web
- New bank accounts
- Alerts when someone tries to use your SSN
- Changes of address reported to the USPS
- Criminal records that match your name or SSN
- New cell phone applications
- New utility accounts in your name
The "plan ahead" tab also lets you navigate to other pages where you can complete a range of tasks. For example, you can request lost wallet assistance, add yourself to junk mail and do-not-contact list or add dependents on your plan with family protection.
You can sign up for notifications from IdentityIQ via email, text message or both. This helps you keep tabs on your identity and credit when you don't have time to manually check your accounts.
Other notable features
I like that IdentityIQ lets you read over and even print your credit reports from all three credit bureaus directly from your account dashboard. This is much more efficient than downloading each of your reports from the three credit bureaus separately at AnnualCreditReport.com, and the IdentityIQ report offers additional insights.
For example, my credit reports included information on all accounts I have opened and closed, my payment history with each, current balances and other details all in one place. It also shared information on a few of the bureau's views on my credit, including the fact they think I have too many accounts and that the balances on my cards may be too high.
That's good information to know, but it wasn't particularly helpful for me. The fact my credit scores are all above 800 means I'm considered a low-risk borrower. I also know that my credit utilization is high sometimes, but I pay off every credit card bill in full each month and carry $0 in revolving debt.
Another interesting feature IdentityIQ offers is the ability to boost your credit with utility payments for an extra fee. This is yet another add-on feature provided by IdentityIQ for $2 a month. (Some companies, like Experian Boost, offer this for free. If you're interested in this feature, you might want to try it out with a free service first.)
How do IdentityIQ's restoration services work?
The goal of using IdentityIQ is to spot signs of identity theft and fraud as soon as possible. This happens when the company reports suspicious activity to you, and when you take steps to limit further damage like reporting fraudulent activity to your credit card providers, freezing your credit reports and disputing incorrect information on your credit reports.
If your identity is stolen, IdentityIQ offers restoration services that can help repair damage and prevent further instances of fraud. If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, call IdentityIQ customer service toll-free at 877-875-4347. This will connect you with a Certified Fraud Restoration Specialist who will open a case on your behalf.
Some examples of assistance they provide include:
- Credit report analysis
- Fraud alert and credit freeze consultation
- Police report filing
- Disputing fraudulent accounts with credit reporting agencies, the FTC, the postal service and the Social Security Administration
- Collection agency consultation assistance
- Discovery and consultation on deceased and minor ID theft
- Prevention best practices (avoiding email/phishing and pharming scams)
- Help resolve any additional identity theft issues
IdentityIQ also comes with identity theft insurance that can cover:
- Replacement of funds stolen by electronic funds transfer
- Replacement of lost wages
- Approved lawyers fees
- Reasonable and necessary expenses associated with ID restoration
Is IdentityIQ Secure Max worth the price?
I believe the IdentityIQ SecureMax plan is worth the price if you're considering identity theft protection. This is especially true if you have kids you want to add to your plan and would gain peace of mind by having $25,000 in identity theft protection for each of your dependents. You can also upgrade the top-tier Secure Max plan to full family coverage for $48 per month, which lets you add a spouse and protect up to three dependents.
If you opt to get the plan that includes antivirus protection and a VPN, you should also know that the VPN applies to up to 10 devices. This is a crucial detail if you're someone like me who wants security and privacy on all computers, laptops and phones used within your household.
That said, IdentityIQ plans may not work for large families, and other plans can be a better value. For example, Aura offers an ID theft plan for up to five adults and unlimited kids that costs less than the top-tier IdentityIQ plan when you pay annually instead of monthly.
Is IdentityIQ right for me?
Before you decide if IdentityIQ is right for you, you should take the time to compare it to other ID theft protection providers, which may offer better pricing or features you would like included in your plan.
Where IdentityIQ thrives in its level of customization offered to customers. VPN and antivirus, credit building through payments and adding children to your plan are just some of the options policyholders have.
Also, remember that you can try IdentityIQ for seven days for only $1. This gives you the chance to try out the service without a big financial commitment, and you can always cancel if you feel the product falls short of your expectations.
