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Best for Phone and Email Protection
Best for Hands-Off Data Removal
Best for Bundling Protection
Data brokers are constantly collecting your personal data to sell for people searches, marketing purposes, and basically to anyone who wants to pay for it. Data removal services can help you track down the broker databases and simplify the removal process.
Some services like Aura come with full identity protection as well as data broker services, while others like Surfshark's Incogni can be bundled with tools like a virtual private network (VPN). We also like DeleteMe for reducing phone and email spam, HelloPrivacy for its low-maintenance approach, and Optery for its freemium service that can help your DIY data removal efforts.
If you want to reduce spam, decrease the risk of identity theft, and clean up your online presence, the best data removal service can help. But which one of these is going to be the best for you?
DeleteMe: Best for bundling with phone and email protection
Incogni: Best for hands-off data removal
Aura: Best for bundling with identity theft protection services
HelloPrivacy: Best for low maintenance use
Optery: Best for DIY data removal
Honorable mentions
How we tested the best data removal services
Are data removal services worth it?
What is a data broker and how do they get my information?
Best data removal services FAQs Bottom line: The best data removal services
The best data removal services 2024
While data brokers aren’t illegal, they are legally required to delete your information if requested. Unfortunately, not all of them comply with data removal requests, so a removal service like one of the five below can go to work battling the brokers to give you more online anonymity.
Data privacy is important. It can help reduce the spam clutter in your life and help you avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.
- DeleteMe: Best for bundling with phone and email protection
- Incogni: Best for hands-off data removal
- Aura: Best for bundling with identity theft protection services
- HelloPrivacy: Best for low-maintenance use
- Optery: Best for DIY data removal
Comparing the top 5 ways to remove your personal data from the internet
Data removal service | ![]() |
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Starting price | $10.75/mo (billed annually) |
$6.49/mo (billed annually) | $9.00/mo (billed annually) | $9.99/mo | $3.99/mo |
Free trial | Yes — 14 days | ||||
Data broker opt-out | |||||
Number of data brokers covered | 750+ | 180+ | 20+ | 50+ | Up to 300+ |
Privacy reports | |||||
Mehr erfahren | Get DeleteMe
Read Our DeleteMe Review |
Get Incogni
Read Our Incogni Review |
Get Aura
Read Our Aura Review |
Get HelloPrivacy
Read Our HelloPrivacy Review |
Read Our Optery Review |
DeleteMe: Best for bundling with phone and email protection
What we liked
Have you ever gotten an early morning call that turned out to be a telemarketer? DeleteMe can help with that. In addition to personal data removal services, DeleteMe offers email, phone, and credit card masking.
![DeleteMe's list of masked emails, when they were created and used, and options for forwarding.](https://cdn.allaboutcookies.org/filters:quality(75)/images/2023/05/18/deleteme-review_09.jpg)
That way, you can still browse the internet doing things you want but with the added security of having your information masked. Who doesn’t want less spam, fewer text messages, or to not be bothered by calls asking about your car’s extended warranty?
DeleteMe contacts over 750 data brokers to remove your personal data, which is the most data brokers we’ve seen on this list. Its commitment to privacy and data removal is really impressive.
That commitment is extended for the entire life of your subscription with DeleteMe continuing to remove data every three months. Over time, you’ll notice less spam as the service continues to remove your sensitive data from the internet.
![DeleteMe's privacy dashboard with report info, subscription info, and data broker statistics.](https://cdn.allaboutcookies.org/filters:quality(75)/images/2023/05/18/deleteme-review_02.jpg)
What we didn’t like
The phone, email, and card masking are such great features that can really reduce spam. The phone masking, however, comes with a $7.00 one-time fee. It’s not a deal-breaker, but since you’re paying for the service already, it could be included.
We also noticed that in addition to email and phone support, there’s a chatbot on the customer service page, but it’s only active from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time. If you need assistance outside those hours, you’ll have to wait for a reply email. Phone support is available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.
DeleteMe specs
Price range | $8.71–$27.42/mo |
Free trial | No |
Data broker opt-out | Yes |
Number of data brokers covered | 750+ |
How often is data rechecked? | Quarterly |
Privacy reports | Yes |
Mehr erfahren | Get DeleteMe
Read Our DeleteMe Review |
Incogni: Best for hands-off data removal
What we liked
Incogni lists all the sites it contacts on your behalf and what personal data those sites collect. It checks 120 data broker websites and 60+ people search sites. This gives you a well-rounded overview of how you’re being indexed online.
Something else you’ll find throughout your dashboard is helpful tips or general information regarding data removal. All of it goes together to give you not only a good product but also a better understanding of how these data brokers work.
Incogni is owned by Surfshark, the powerful VPN service that offers many online safety features. At first, Surfshark didn’t offer a bundle plan that included Incogni, but now it offers Surfshark One+, which includes Incogni. We like having the option to purchase the service by itself or wrap it into Surfshark’s VPN, antivirus, and identity protection services.
![Incogni doesn't send reports, but you have the ability to log in at any time and see the progress of your data removal inquiries.](https://cdn.allaboutcookies.org/filters:quality(75)/images/2023/05/31/incogni-review_02.png)
What we didn’t like
Incogni doesn’t include email privacy services, privacy reports, or real-time alerts. You’ll have to keep logging in to your dashboard to check progress. While this isn’t a deal breaker, it’s still a little annoying.
You can get these services if you bundle Incogni into a Surfshark One+ subscription, but that can be pricey if you're not interested in a full cybersecurity suite.
Incogni specs
Price range | $6.49–$12.98/mo |
Free trial | No |
Data broker opt-out | Yes |
Number of data brokers covered | 180+ |
How often is data rechecked? | Monthly |
Privacy reports | No |
Mehr erfahren | Get Incogni
Read Our Incogni Review |
Aura: Best for bundling with identity theft protection services
What we liked
Aura offers a service that's useful for the entire family. We liked that it monitored our spending based on the threshold we set, which can be helpful when teaching teens with jobs about money management.
Also, Aura provides parental controls and identity protection for even the youngest family members. If you're living a child-free life, the tools are just as effective for singles and partners, with the ability to monitor the dark web for your data and request data removal from brokers.
![Aura requests your data removal from data broker sites like Whitepages.](https://cdn.allaboutcookies.org/filters:quality(75)/images/2023/06/09/aura-review_04.png)
Admittedly, Aura isn’t just a personal data removal service. That’s why it’s great for people bundling their data removal services with identity protection services. Aura asks some questions when you first sign up to make sure it covers all of the things that are important to you. If you aren’t sure what aspects of your data protection you want to cover, Aura can help you figure that out. We were fans of how comprehensive this service is for anyone.
![Aura alerts you to new account activity, compromised passwords, new transactions, and malware as well as if your data is spotted on data broker sites.](https://cdn.allaboutcookies.org/filters:quality(75)/images/2023/06/09/aura-review_02.png)
What we didn’t like
Aura can be expensive, and you can’t purchase services a la carte. If you’re looking for data removal and nothing else, this is likely not the service for you.
Also, we would have liked it to provide both VantageScore and a FICO score. We only received our VantageScore, which could make it difficult to gauge what you need for a new purchase, depending on your lender.
Aura specs
Price range | $9.00–$30.00/mo |
Free trial | Yes — 14 days |
Data broker opt-out | Yes |
Number of data brokers covered | 20+ |
How often is data rechecked? | Unknown |
Privacy reports | Yes |
Mehr erfahren | Get Aura
Read Our Aura Review |
HelloPrivacy: Best for low maintenance use
What we liked
There’s a dark web scanner built into HelloPrivacy as well as the data broker scanner. It also offers advice and templates on how to request your personal data be removed from sites that don’t respond to its efforts. Finally, if the data broker continues to retain your information, HelloPrivacy walks you through how to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to have your information removed.
The dark web scanner allows you to scan multiple email addresses for potential data leaks. You can scan up to five separate email addresses, which means you can cover all your accounts or multiple people’s accounts. If you find your email on the dark web, HelloPrivacy walks you through the next steps.
![Your HelloPrivacy scan results likely include your personal info as well as alerts about people who share your name.](https://cdn.allaboutcookies.org/filters:quality(75)/images/2023/05/05/helloprivacy-review_010.png)
What we didn’t like
There are no other features offered other than the dark web scanner and the data removal services. Also, it’s not the most robust in terms of the number of data brokers it scans. While DeleteMe checks over 750 data brokers, HelloPrivacy checks just over 50.
HelloPrivacy specs
Price range | $8.33/mo to $9.99/mo |
Free trial | No |
Data broker opt-out | Yes |
Number of data brokers covered | 50+ |
How often is data rechecked? | Monthly |
Privacy reports | Yes |
Mehr erfahren | Get HelloPrivacy
Read Our HelloPrivacy Review |
Optery: Best for DIY data removal
What we liked
Out of all of the data removal services, we like Optery for its free plan that shows you (most) everywhere your personal data is listed online. This is helpful for people who want to reduce their online footprint but may not have it in their budget to include another monthly subscription.
Optery aggregates the data so you can begin to request removal yourself. The process takes more effort when you DIY data removal, but Optery provides a welcomed first step.
Optery’s free plan sends you a report every 90 days. If you choose to pay for an upgrade, you’ll receive monthly automated scans and other features like the ability to opt out of new data broker sites. We love the ability to choose between upgrading or sticking with a free plan.
![Optery's main dashboard, which displays your exposure report and screenshots of data broker sites with your personal information.](https://cdn.allaboutcookies.org/filters:quality(75)/images/2023/05/12/optery-review_02.png)
What we didn’t like
Optery doesn’t always use AES-256-bit encryption. If you aren’t familiar, this is military-grade encryption used to secure data. Any data stored in Optery’s coffers is encrypted with AES-256, but any data in transit (like a request to remove your information) only uses TLS, which isn’t as secure. While we don’t love this, it could be acceptable if you’re doing the removal requests yourself.
Optery specs
Price range | $3.99–$24.99/mo (for paid plans) |
Free trial | No |
Data broker opt-out | Yes |
Number of data brokers covered | 300+ |
How often is data rechecked? | At least quarterly |
Privacy reports | Yes |
Mehr erfahren | Read Our Optery Review |
Honorable mentions
We’ve done the rounds checking out the data deletion services available. The five data removal services we chose for this piece aren’t the only ones we’ve had the chance to review. Bitdefender, Hogo Privacy Defense, and Privacy Bee all offer data removal. If none of our prior suggestions fit your bill, try:
How we tested the best data removal services
Our expert writers tested and reviewed each service for features, price, usability, and convenience. Based on our testing, we chose the top five data removal service providers and included a nod to three others we found useful (but didn’t quite make the cut).
When looking at a data removal service, you’ll want to make sure it has some key aspects. Since there are so many data broker websites, you’ll want to make sure the one you choose sends requests to a lot of them, as well as follows up and searches for more. Some key points to look out for include:
- Follows up to make sure personal data stays gone
- Searches for new brokers regularly
- Offers templates or guides when you have to request the removal yourself
- Automatically removes as much sensitive information as it can without requiring too much effort from you
- Credit monitoring
- Dark web monitoring
- Money-back guarantee
- Fraud monitoring with easy access to changing passwords for accounts with weak, compromised, or reused passwords
- Monitors social media accounts or other online accounts that hold a lot of personal info
Are data removal services worth it?
Data removal services are worth it for several reasons. First, they can help reduce the amount of annoying spam you receive in the form of phone calls, emails, and text messages.
They’re especially worthwhile if you’ve ever been the victim of a phishing scam. Phishing scams like credit card number grabbers or fake tech support scams aren’t just from data breaches.
Additionally, data removal services can increase your peace of mind by increasing your online privacy. You also lower your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft or cybercrime. Criminals are looking for fast, easy targets. If they have to hunt down information about you, they’re more likely to move on to a person who requires less effort.
What is a data broker and how do they get my information?
A data broker collects information from all over the web and pieces it together to create a complete (and very creepy) picture of you. Data brokers collect information from what’s free and available online, as well as purchasing it from other sources.
Ever sign up for a new internet service provider (ISP) and suddenly notice your spam emails shoot up? That’s because that company double-dipped by charging you for your service and selling your info to a data broker. Data brokers, in turn, sell your data to people search sites, marketing lists, and anyone else willing to pay for it.
Social media sites, public records, loyalty programs, mobile apps, and anywhere else you share something personal about yourself can sell that data to a broker. Websites track you online, and all of this is compiled into little virtual folders of information on you just waiting to be sold. It’s all completely legal because the information is usually public record, so you should be cautious about how and what you share online. And, unfortunately, these data broker websites are just as susceptible to a data breach as any company.
One of our favorite episodes of Parks and Recreation is when Leslie Knope finally finds out Ron Swanson’s birthday. Ron couldn’t resist a free scoop of Rum Raisin he received by signing up for a birthday club, and Leslie could track it down. Next time you share something online, consider whether that proverbial scoop of Rum Raisin is worth it to give up your data.
Best data removal services FAQs
How do I remove my data from the internet?
You can remove some of your data from the internet in several ways. While it’s likely you’ll never remove all of your data, you can significantly reduce your online footprint by hunting down each and every data broker (there can be thousands) and requesting each one remove the data it has stored on you.
If that sounds exhausting, you can use a data removal service to automate this process for you. Often, good data removal services will continually check to make sure the information doesn’t find its way back onto those same brokers’ sites.
How do I stop companies from collecting my data?
You won’t be able to completely stop companies from collecting your data, but you can reduce the amount they’re able to collect. There are several tools that help reduce your online footprint.
Tracker blockers are a good defense against trackers that follow you around the internet and build profiles on you. You can also use private browsers and private search engines that don’t log your data. For encrypted browsing, make sure you have one of the best VPN services turned on.
Is DeleteMe or Incogni better?
We think DeleteMe is better as a comprehensive data removal service. It comes with quarterly privacy reports and masking tools, which Incogni lacks.
However, Incogni may be a better choice if you're looking for a complete cybersecurity suite. Incogni is included in the Surfshark One bundle, which also features Surfshark VPN, Surfshark Antivirus, Surfshark CleanWeb, and much more.
Is DeleteMe or Kanary better?
Kanary seems like a personal service that’s still in its start-up era. When we were poking around the internet looking for ways to compare the two, we stumbled upon a Reddit thread where the actual CEO of Kanary popped in to invite people to try it.
It is a little more expensive than DeleteMe but offers easy ways to add family members. In the end, we would think it would boil down to what your specific needs are — price or number of people covered.
Bottom line: The best data removal services
In all our testing, we haven’t found a truly horrible, worthless data removal site. We chose these five for the features they include or the simplicity offered. Whether you’re looking to DIY your data removal and need some help getting started with such a time-consuming activity or want a full-fledged data removal powerhouse behind you, you’ll find that with one of these services.
5 best data removal services 2024
Starting price | Free trial | Data broker opt-outs | Privacy reports | Mehr erfahren | |
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$10.75/mo (billed annually) | Get DeleteMe
Read Our DeleteMe Review |
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$6.49/mo (billed annually) | Get Incogni
Read Our Incogni Review |
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$9.00/mo (billed annually) | Get Aura
Read Our Aura Review |
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$9.99/mo | Get HelloPrivacy
Read Our HelloPrivacy Review |
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$3.99/mo | Read Our Optery Review |
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