Bottom line
- Incogni ranks first at 8.1: its Standard plan handles removals at 420+ brokers and costs $7.99 a month billed yearly.
- Optery ranks second at 8.0 and is the one to try first, because its free Basic plan shows where your details appear and lets you opt out by hand before you pay.
- Site counts are not comparable from one service to the next, so I weighed what each plan automates against what it costs. The paid plans here run from $39 to $804 a year.
I scored five data removal services on my five usual checks. The heaviest check is core features at 30, then ease of use, privacy and data and value at 20 each, with support at 10. The method is on How I test. A removal service scans data broker and people-search listings for you, then files an opt-out request with each site that holds them. That makes four questions matter: how many sites it handles for you, how much work is left to you, how much of your own data you hand over, and what it costs per year.
Two published lists supplied most of the coverage and price figures, one from PCMag and one from TechRadar, and I checked prices against each company’s pricing page. Where a service has its own review on the site I link it, and the scores match: Incogni, Optery and DeleteMe. Privacy Bee is new to the site, so its scores are explained in its entry.
The ranking at a glance
| Service | Score | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Incogni | 8.1 | $7.99/mo, billed $95.88 yearly | Hands-off automation at a fair price |
| 2. Optery | 8.0 | Free, paid plans from $3.99/mo | Trying a free plan first, with proof of each removal |
| 3. DeleteMe | 7.9 | $129/yr for one person | People who want specialists and a personal expert |
| 4. Aura | 7.8 | $12/mo, billed yearly | Removal bundled with identity theft protection |
| 5. Privacy Bee | 7.7 | About $8/mo, billed yearly | The widest coverage, at the highest price |
Prices come from each company’s pricing page and two published reviews, checked August 2026. The Pricing section shows what each plan includes.
Incogni: best overall
Incogni is the one I would start with for most readers. Its Standard plan is $7.99 a month on annual billing, which the pricing page shows as $95.88 a year, and it automates removal requests at 420+ data broker sites. Monthly billing exists at $15.98 a month, which is double, so the yearly plan is the one to look at.
What I like is that the broker count is not tied to the tier. Every plan covers the same 420+ sites, and the Unlimited plan at $179.88 a year adds custom removals for 3,000+ further sites and live phone support. One list argues that a cheaper service leaving half your data online defeats the purpose, which is a fair way to look at the price. The Family plan covers up to 5 members at $191.88 a year.
Outside checking helps here. One list credits its features to an independent audit, and another names Deloitte as the verifier. The trade-offs are that there is no free plan, only a 30-day refund window, and that the same list says its free exposure scan does not link to do-it-yourself removal guides. The lists also disagree on the yearly price: one shows $89.88, but the pricing page and the other list show $95.88, so I use that.
If you are choosing between this and the longer-established name, my Incogni vs DeleteMe comparison sets them side by side.
Why 8.1. Core features get 8.5 for automated requests at 420+ brokers, repeat removals and custom removals on the higher plan. Ease of use gets 8.0 because you can set it up and leave it to run. Privacy gets 8.5 for the outside verification, value gets 7.5 because monthly billing doubles the price and Optery’s entry tier costs less per year, and support gets 7.5 for live chat on every plan and phone support on Unlimited.
Scores: core 8.5, ease 8.0, privacy 8.5, value 7.5, support 7.5. Total 8.1.
Optery: best free plan, with proof of removal
Optery is the one to try first. Its free Basic plan needs no credit card and comes with a personalized exposure report that includes screenshots, a check of your Google and Bing search results and tools for removing listings yourself, so you can opt out by hand and decide later whether to pay for automation. I covered the details in my Optery review.
Core is $3.99 a month and automates removals at 380+ sites, or 150+ if Expanded Reach is switched off, for one name and one city and state. Extended is $14.99 a month for 560+ sites (330+ without Expanded Reach), with unlimited name variations and an assigned human privacy agent. The top paid plan is $24.99 a month for 635+ sites (405+ without), and it adds unlimited custom removal requests that take the total to 950+ sites.
Billed yearly, the two lists give $39, $149 and $249 for the three paid plans. Expanded Reach is the setting to understand: one list notes that it can send your details to brokers that did not hold them before. The lists also give different site counts. One of them counts 130, 305 and 400+ for the three plans and 245 extra sites with Expanded Reach, so I use the pricing page, which is current.
The weak spot is that the coverage people want sits in the higher plans. One list says the most important brokers are covered only in those tiers, and that if you want to pay to have it done for you, Incogni is the better buy. I agree for most budgets, but the free plan and the screenshots keep Optery close behind.
Why 8.0. Core features get 9.0 for a free plan, 635+ sites on the top paid plan, screenshots as proof and a human agent from Extended up. Ease of use gets 7.5 because Core allows one name and the choice between plans means deciding about Expanded Reach. Privacy gets 8.5 for SOC 2 Type 2 compliance and a stated focus on removal alone. Value gets 7.0 because the top paid plan costs $249 a year, and support gets 7.0 for email on every plan and priority email only at the top.
Scores: core 9.0, ease 7.5, privacy 8.5, value 7.0, support 7.0. Total 8.0.
DeleteMe: for people who want a human in the loop
DeleteMe is the long-established option. Its pricing page says it has been in business since 2011, and it gives every plan a personal DeleteMe expert and quarterly privacy reports. The two-person card on that page also lists custom removal requests alongside the automated service, email and phone masking, and support by email, chat and phone. The full picture is in my DeleteMe review.
The price is where it loses ground. One person pays $129 for a year in both lists, and there is no monthly plan. The only card on the pricing page I saved is two people for two years, at $349.00 every 2 years, or $14.54 a month.
What the plans automate is smaller than the headline. Both lists put it near 85 sites. One notes that DeleteMe names almost 700 sites it can clear and takes custom requests for the rest, while the other says it claims more than 970 but gives no breakdown by plan. The counts in my own DeleteMe review differ again, so I would not rank this service on any of them.
The cons the lists name are capped custom removals, quarterly-only reports and a price above the average for the category. In return you get a named expert, which is the whole reason to pick it over a cheaper automated service.
Why 7.9. Core features get 8.5 for the human step and custom requests. Ease of use gets 8.0 because there is a personal expert and granular removal tracking. Privacy gets 8.0, value gets 7.0 because there is no monthly plan and the entry price is high for one person, and support gets 7.5 for email, chat and phone support.
Scores: core 8.5, ease 8.0, privacy 8.0, value 7.0, support 7.5. Total 7.9.
Aura: removal inside an identity theft suite
Aura is the odd one out, because data removal is one part of a larger package. The Individual plan is $12 a month billed annually, which both lists give as $144 a year, or $15 a month on monthly billing. It bundles antivirus, a VPN, a password manager and $1M of identity theft insurance per adult, and its pricing page offers a 14-day free trial.
Removal is the weaker half. The lists disagree on how many sites it covers: one puts it at roughly 140 and the other at 200+. The second also says there are no custom removals. If you are only after removal, a dedicated service covers more for less, and the first list rates Aura’s phishing protection and mobile apps as weak points.
It makes sense for someone who would otherwise pay for identity theft protection and wants removal included. The Family plan covers 5 adults at $32 a month billed annually, so a household that wants the identity theft side gets removal for everyone in one bill.
Why 7.8. Core features get 8.5 for removal plus monitoring, insurance and device security in one account, held back by smaller broker coverage and no custom removals. Ease of use gets 8.0, with points off for weaker mobile apps. Privacy gets 7.0 because a suite that includes credit monitoring needs more of your data than a removal-only service. Value gets 7.5 and support 7.5, with 24/7 customer support listed.
Scores: core 8.5, ease 8.0, privacy 7.0, value 7.5, support 7.5. Total 7.8.
Privacy Bee: the most coverage, for the most money
Privacy Bee is the service to look at if breadth matters more than price. One list gives it its top rating, so its last place here reflects cost and tiering, not weak removal. On its pricing page Pro covers 1,148 sites, which includes people-search sites and a wide spread of other brokers, and it supports custom sites without a stated limit. Essentials covers 517 people-search sites only. One list puts it above 1,000 sites and the other at more than 1,100 for Pro.
The price follows the coverage. One list gives $96 a year for Essentials, $216 for Pro and $804 for Signature, which is the plan for people in crisis or at high risk, and says there is no free tier and no monthly billing. The pricing page shows about $8, $16 and $67 a month billed annually. That puts Pro at about $192 a year, against $216 in that list, and the other list shows $197 a year. I would confirm the Pro price at checkout.
The lists also disagree on how much is automated. The pricing page and one list call it mostly automated, while the other says Privacy Bee leaves you to file the opt-outs, with detailed instructions. That list also notes that login uses an emailed code, with an authenticator app as an option, so the account is only as safe as your email.
Why 7.7. Core features get 9.0 for the broadest coverage in this ranking, breach monitoring and industry opt-outs, held back because Essentials leaves out data brokers. Ease of use gets 7.5 because a high protection level can overwhelm new users, and privacy gets 7.5 for SOC 2 Type II certification offset by the email-code login and an optional power of attorney. Value gets 6.5 because the useful coverage needs Pro, and support gets 7.0 because the sources give no response times.
Scores: core 9.0, ease 7.5, privacy 7.5, value 6.5, support 7.0. Total 7.7.
What the site counts mean
Every service publishes a count of sites, and the numbers are not like for like. One list warns that a competitor can reach a bigger number by counting several URLs that redirect to the same site, or by listing sites it only handles as custom removals. By that list’s count Privacy Bee is above 1,000 sites, Optery above 600 at its top plan, Incogni at 420, Aura at roughly 140 and DeleteMe at only 85.
I treat the sites a plan automates, for the price, as the figure that matters, since that is the work you are spared. A long list of custom-removal sites is useful when your details turn up somewhere unusual, but it does not remove anything until you submit a request. That is why Incogni, with 420+ sites on every plan, ranks above services with bigger headline numbers.
Are data removal services worth it?
They are worth it when your time is the cost. A scan by one reviewer found over 800 items of personal data on more than 90 websites, and at five minutes a site that is nearly eight hours of manual work. The same list says DeleteMe, Incogni, Optery and Privacy Bee let you use their scan results for free, which shows how big the job is before you pay.
If only a few sites list you, I would do the opt-outs yourself, using the free route in my opt-out walkthrough. If dozens do, or you will not repeat the work, a subscription pays for itself in time. It does not pay for a guarantee: Privacy Bee’s own page says public records such as property tax or arrest records can be hard or impossible to remove.
Two cautions apply to every service here. You give a removal service the very details you want hidden, so turn on two-factor sign-in where it is offered. One list says DeleteMe and Optery support authenticator apps. And removal is not all you need, since a password manager and antivirus also matter.
Not ranked
Three more services appear in the lists and not in my ranking, because I have no scores for them. Kanary is aimed at gamers and streamers, and one list prices it at $179.88 a year. PrivacyHawk is mobile only, with a free tier, and the same list puts it at $74.99 a year with around 100 curated broker sites. IDX Complete is a full identity suite at $355.32 a year. Those prices come from a list and not from a pricing page, so treat them as a pointer.
Pricing
| Plan | Entry price | Billing | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incogni Standard | $7.99/mo | $95.88 a year, or $15.98 monthly | 30 days |
| Optery | Free Basic, then $3.99/mo | $39 a year for Core (reviews) | 30 days |
| DeleteMe | $129 a year for one person (reviews) | No monthly plan | 100% satisfaction guarantee |
| Aura Individual | $12/mo billed annually | $15 a month on monthly billing | 60 days on annual plans |
| Privacy Bee Essentials | About $8/mo billed annually | Pro about $16/mo, Signature about $67/mo | 30 days on Essentials and Pro |
Prices from each company’s pricing page and two published reviews, checked August 2026. Figures marked reviews come from the published lists linked in Sources.
No saved pricing page gives a renewal price. Note the renewal date somewhere you will see it when you buy, and check the price a few weeks ahead. The services also bill differently: Privacy Bee is annual only according to one list, DeleteMe has no monthly plan, and Incogni, Optery and Aura all offer monthly billing.
FAQ
Are data removal services worth it?
Yes, if the alternative is hours of opt-out forms and you will repeat them. A free scan tells you how many sites list you, so run one before you pay. If only a few sites show your details, my guide to removing your information yourself costs nothing.
How much does data removal cost?
It runs from free, with Optery’s Basic plan, to $804 a year for Privacy Bee’s Signature plan. Incogni Standard is $95.88 a year, Optery Core is $39, DeleteMe is $129 for one person and Aura is $144 as part of a suite. One list puts the overall average closer to $200 a year.
Which is better, Cloaked or DeleteMe?
Neither of the lists behind this ranking covers Cloaked, so it is not ranked here and I cannot compare it fairly. Among the five I did rank, DeleteMe scores 7.9 and suits people who want a named expert. If you are weighing it against the top-ranked service, my Incogni vs DeleteMe comparison has the detail.
Can I remove my data for free?
Yes, by hand. Optery’s free Basic plan comes with an exposure report and tools for removing listings yourself, and most of the paid services publish a free scan. The cost is time, and the work repeats.