Best data removal services 2026: ranked

We compared the five best-known data removal services on price, coverage, extra protection and family plans. Here is our ranking.

Our ranking

Full comparison table

Table: features as listed on each provider's pricing page (ProtectMyData figures for its Pro tier). "No" means we could not find the feature on that provider's published plans. Prices and features were checked on each provider's own pricing page on 1 October 2026. Prices change often, so confirm on the provider's site before you buy.

1. ProtectMyData — best overall (9.4/10)

ProtectMyData wins on value. The entry plan is $83.88 a year, and Pro ($167.88) reaches 550+ broker sites plus 5,000+ more, with weekly re-scans, dark web monitoring, spam blocking and Google and Bing checks. Family plans cover five people from $14.99 a month. Read our full review.

2. Incogni — best for hands-off removals (8.7/10)

Incogni covers 420+ brokers from $95.88 a year, and its Unlimited plan ($179.88) adds 3,000+ extra sites and unlimited custom requests. It lacks monitoring extras. ProtectMyData vs Incogni.

3. Optery — best free option (8.3/10)

Optery has a free tier and screenshot proof of removals. Paid plans run from $39 to $249 a year. ProtectMyData vs Optery.

4. DeleteMe — longest track record (7.9/10)

DeleteMe has run since 2010 and uses human reviewers, but costs $129 a year for one person. ProtectMyData vs DeleteMe.

5. Aura — best all-in-one identity bundle (7.4/10)

Aura bundles data removal from 425+ brokers with identity theft insurance, antivirus and more from $12 a month billed yearly. Good if you want everything in one app; overkill if you only want removals.

How we ranked them

We scored each service out of 10 on five things, using what each provider publishes on its own pricing and feature pages:

• Price for what you get (30%) — annual cost of the entry plan and the full-featured plan.
• Coverage (25%) — how many broker and people-search sites are covered, plus extra sites reached through custom requests.
• Extra protection (20%) — dark web monitoring, spam blocking, search result checks, social profile checks.
• Families (15%) — whether one plan can cover up to five people and how much that costs.
• Ease and trust (10%) — free scan before paying, money-back guarantee, clear plan pages.

These scores are based on published plans and features. We have not yet finished a long-term hands-on test of every service, and will update this page when we do.

Run a free ProtectMyData scan →

To put the rankings and features above in context, here is why personal data protection matters.

Why data protection matters

Your personal details — name, home address, phone number, email, date of birth, relatives and past addresses — are collected and resold by hundreds of data brokers. Most people never agreed to this directly; the data is gathered from public records, loyalty schemes, apps, online purchases and earlier breaches. Once it is in a broker's database, anyone can usually buy or look it up for a few dollars.

That matters because almost every scam, account takeover and identity fraud starts with information about you. The less of it that is easy to find, the harder you are to target.

How threat actors capitalise on breaches

When a company is breached, the stolen records rarely sit still. They are sorted, combined and sold on criminal forums, then used in several ways:

• Credential stuffing — leaked email and password pairs are tried automatically on banking, shopping and email sites. Anyone who reuses passwords is at risk.
• Targeted phishing — knowing your bank, your employer or a recent purchase makes a fake email or text far more convincing.
• Identity fraud — a name, address and date of birth can be enough to open credit, file fake tax returns or take over phone numbers (SIM swapping).
• Data enrichment — criminals merge breach dumps with data broker profiles to build a full picture of a person: where they live, who they live with and how to reach them.
• Extortion and doxxing — home addresses and family details are used to threaten, harass or pressure victims.

This is why breached data and broker data are a dangerous combination. A breach gives criminals a starting point; broker sites fill in the gaps.

Why you need to stay protected

Removing your data once is not enough. Brokers refresh their databases regularly, and many re-list people weeks after an opt-out. New breaches are disclosed every week. Staying protected means:

1. Removing your profiles from data broker sites and checking that they stay removed.
2. Using a unique password for every account with a password manager, and turning on two-factor authentication.
3. Watching for your details in new breaches so you can change passwords before they are abused.
4. Freezing your credit if you are not planning to borrow soon.
5. Treating unexpected calls, texts and emails with suspicion, even when they know personal details about you.

A data removal service handles the first step — the most time-consuming one — on a repeating schedule. That is why we rank ProtectMyData #1: weekly re-scans and broad coverage mean your profiles are found and removed again when they reappear.

Who benefits most

• Anyone caught in a recent breach who wants to cut down how much else criminals can learn about them.
• Families, since one exposed member can be used to target the others.
• People in public-facing jobs — healthcare, teaching, law, real estate — who are more likely to be looked up.
• Anyone who has had scam calls or texts that mentioned their name or address.

Run a free ProtectMyData scan →