One of life’s greatest struggles in the 21st century is achieving maximum privacy. With smart home devices constantly listening and websites perpetually collecting user data, it can feel impossible to protect your personal information. It feels even more hopeless when you factor in data brokers, the nefarious entities who exist solely to collect and sell your information to the highest bidders. Thankfully, the 21st century has options for technological remediation, specifically in the form of services like DeleteMe and Incogni.
On the surface, both DeleteMe and Incogni serve the same purpose. Their primary goal is to remove your data from data broker databases. Both do so by submitting requests directly to the broker and following up if your data remains listed. That’s kind of where the similarities end, however, as one service takes a more extensive approach, and the other follows a rinse-and-repeat model.
Which works best for you may come down to a few elements, such as how thorough the service is and the annual cost.
|
Cost |
Starts at $129/year |
Starts at $77.88/year |
|---|---|---|
|
Options |
Plans for one user, two users, families, businesses |
Plan just for one user at a time |
|
Protection |
Targets more than 750 data brokers; employs human operators to follow up |
Targets more than 170 data brokers; persistent removal requests |
DeleteMe vs. Incogni: A Matter of Cost vs. Value
The most notable difference between DeleteMe and Incogni is cost. Incogni offers a low-cost $6.49 per month plan billed annually at $77.88 or a $12.99 month-to-month option. DeleteMe doesn’t offer a month-to-month plan, and its cheapest plan comes to $129 billed annually ($10.75 per month).
The higher cost for DeleteMe may be an immediate deterrent for some, but you have to know what you’re paying for to understand the cost difference.
Incogni: Effective but Limited
Being the cheaper option, Incogni doesn’t quite have the same scope as DeleteMe. For $6.49 per month, removal requests will be sent to over 170 different data brokers. However, there’s a catch. Because Incogni doesn’t collect anything beyond your personal information, its requests are sent to brokers that may or may not have your data. This means that of 170 requests, half could be sent to data brokers that don’t even have your personal information on file.
When it does get a hit, though, Incogni is persistent. If it finds a broker doesn’t respond to the initial request, it continues to track responses and submit repeat removal requests. It’s an effective system, if maybe a little inefficient at times. But for the cheaper cost, it can be a good value, especially if this is your first attempt at dealing with data brokers.
DeleteMe: The Hands-On Approach
DeleteMe is a little over $50 per year more than Incogni, but it feels more like a premium service than its competitor. One of the most significant differences between DeleteMe and Incogni is that DeleteMe targets more than 750 data brokers.
Where some users get skittish is that DeleteMe requires quite a bit of personal information before searching for your data. Former addresses, dates of birth, alternate names, relatives, employer information, and even a government-issued ID are needed to maximize DeleteMe’s removal services. DeleteMe does make up for this intrusion with how thorough it is. Whereas Incogni submits automated repeat requests, if a data broker doesn’t respond to DeleteMe, it employs human operators to follow up with requests personally.
DeleteMe vs. Incogni: Options for Businesses and Bigger Households
Incogni comes across as a budget option striving to match the premium service offered by DeleteMe. It may do what it does very well, but the scale is quite different between the two companies. This is made even more evident with DeleteMe’s additional pricing/subscription options.
Incogni’s annual service can only be registered for one user. DeleteMe, on the other hand, offers options for two users, families, and businesses and even features a cost-saving two-year plan.
DeleteMe vs. Incogni: Which Works Best for You?
Having to hand over personal information before DeleteMe kicks into gear may be off-putting, but it’s used to maximize the service’s efforts compared to Incogni, which may blindly submit removal requests to data brokers not actually holding your information.
Ultimately, deciding between DeleteMe and Incogni boils down to one question: How much is your information worth to you? If you’re looking for a more minimalist, budget-friendly approach, Incogni will certainly offer some protection. If you can spring for the premium service that DeleteMe offers, you’ll benefit from a more aggressive and hands-on approach to combating data brokers.