Identity theft can wreck your finances and credit in the blink of an eye. That’s why services like LifeLock and LegalShield exist to monitor your identity and alert you to potential fraud.
But how do these two leading identity protection companies compare when it comes to services, features, costs, and more? This comprehensive guide examines the pros and cons of LifeLock versus LegalShield to help you determine the better choice.
A Brief Comparison Table
| Category | LifeLock | LegalShield |
| Company History | Founded in 2005, focus on ID protection | Founded in 1972, added ID protection in 2003 |
| Headquarters | Tempe, AZ | Ada, OK |
| Members | Over 4.5 million | Over 4 million |
| Monitoring Services | Credit cards, bank accounts, credit reports, public records, payday loans, sex offender registries, SSN trace, dark web | Credit reports, public/court records, financial accounts, sex offender registries, social media monitoring, medical ID fraud |
| Restoration & Insurance | $25K service guarantee, $1M coverage for lawyers & consultants | $5M coverage for lawyers & investigators, $2M stolen cash reimbursement |
| Reputation Monitoring | Sex offender lists, payday loans, black market websites | Social media account takeover, suspicious login monitoring |
| Extra Features | Dark web monitoring, USPS address verification, fictitious ID monitoring | Legal services, medical advocacy, mobile app, discounted legal care, tax audit assistance |
| Starting Price | $9.99/month individual | $9.95/month individual, $13.95/month family |
| Customer Satisfaction | 1 star out of 5 on ConsumerAffairs, C+ from BBB | 3 stars out of 5 on ConsumerAffairs, A+ from BBB |
Overview of LifeLock and LegalShield
First, let’s look at what each company offers:
LifeLock
- Identity theft protection services founded in 2005
- Based in Tempe, AZ
- Over 4.5 million members as of 2022
- Known for ads featuring CEO Todd Davis publicly giving out his Social Security Number
LegalShield
- Legal services company that added ID protection in 2003
- Based in Ada, OK
- Over 4 million memberships
- Also provides prepaid legal services and a mobile app
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Key Differences Between Lifelock And Legalshield
Now let’s explore how they compare across key categories.
1. Monitoring Services
The core feature of both LifeLock and LegalShield is monitoring your identity and financial accounts for signs of misuse. Here’s what each keeps an eye out for:
LifeLock Monitoring
- Credit card activity
- Bank account transactions
- Credit reports and scores
- Public records
- Payday loan applications
- Sex offender registries
- Social Security Number trace
- Dark web sites
LegalShield Monitoring
- Credit reports and scores
- Public records
- Court records
- Financial account activity
- Sex offender registries
- Social media account takeovers
- Medical identity fraud
- Minors protection
The monitoring services are quite similar, though LifeLock watches more account transactions while LegalShield monitors additional records. Both provide robust protection.
2. Restoration and Insurance
If you do become an ID theft victim, you’ll need help recovering your identity and finances. Here are the restoration services included:
LifeLock Restoration
- $25,000 service guarantee
- Specialists handle cancelling accounts, paperwork, and communicating with authorities
- Lost wallet protection assistance
- Coverage for lawyers and expert consultants up to $1 million
LegalShield Restoration
- Licensed investigators work to restore your ID and credit
- Specialists make calls and handle paperwork
- Up to $5 million protection for lawyers and investigators
- Coverage for stolen fund reimbursement up to $2 million
LifeLock offers a higher dollar limit for consultants while LegalShield insures more for stolen cash reimbursement. Both provide end-to-end expert help.
3. Reputation Monitoring
In addition to financial identity, both services monitor your online reputation and social media:
- LifeLock scans sex offender registries, payday loan applications, and “black market” websites for your info.
- LegalShield monitors social media accounts for takeover attempts and suspicious login locations.
LifeLock’s reputation monitoring seems a bit broader.
4. Additional Features
Beyond core ID protection, LifeLock and LegalShield offer some supplemental features:
LifeLock Features
- Dark Web Monitoring
- USPS Address Change Verification
- Fictitious Identity Monitoring
- Real-Time Alerts
- Fraud Support Specialists
LegalShield Features
- Prepaid Legal Services
- Hospital and Doctor Medical Advocacy
- Mobile App
- Discounted Legal Care
- Tax Audit Assistance
LegalShield has some extras like legal services and a mobile app. LifeLock focuses solely on identity theft protection.
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5. Costs and Starting Prices
Now let’s look at how much these services cost:
LifeLock Pricing
- Individual Plan – $9.99/month (basic monitoring)
- Ultimate Plus Plan – $34.99/month (full monitoring + features)
- Discounts for annual subscriptions
LegalShield Pricing
- Individual Plan – $9.95/month (monitoring only)
- Family Plan – $13.95/month (2 adults + dependents monitoring)
- Discounts for annual subscriptions
- Law firm services require add-on fees
The basic monitoring plans cost the same. LegalShield’s family plan provides a discount, but LifeLock has more expensive premium options.
6. Customer Reviews
Here’s an overview of reputation and satisfaction ratings:
- LifeLock earns just 1 star out of 5 on ConsumerAffairs, citing billing complaints and poor customer service.
- It has a barely passing grade of C+ from the Better Business Bureau, again for customer service issues.
- LegalShield has 3 out of 5 stars on ConsumerAffairs. Some complaints around pushy salespeople.
- The BBB gives LegalShield an A+ rating for its transparency and responsiveness.
LegalShield emerges as the winner for higher customer satisfaction. LifeLock’s ratings raise concerns around service and support.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
For more analysis, here are answers to common questions people ask about LifeLock and LegalShield:
Top alternatives to LifeLock include IdentityForce, IDShield, IdentityIQ, Complete ID, and ReliaShield. All offer robust identity monitoring with better customer service ratings than LifeLock. Most cost $9.99 to $19.99 a month for individuals.
LifeLock offers more comprehensive identity monitoring services while IDShield has higher customer satisfaction based on reviews. IDShield lacks some protections like payday loan monitoring but costs $18 less per month than LifeLock’s top plan. Overall, they both provide robust protection but IDShield has better service.
While LifeLock does offer solid identity theft protection services, their poor ratings for customer service raise some trust concerns. Specifically, many people report issues with unexpected billing charges and difficulty cancelling services after free trials. It may not be an outright scam but happens enough to warrant caution before signing up.
The biggest downsides of LifeLock based on reviews are: Surprise fees or billing issues that customers struggle to resolve, Difficulty cancelling the service when your contract is up, Long wait times and unhelpful responses when dealing with customer service, Failure to prevent some types of identity theft despite monitoring. For the price, their poor reputation for service and billing problems are the main disadvantages to weigh.
Hopefully this gives you a comprehensive look at how LifeLock and LegalShield stack up. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions!
Also Read: Comparison Between AmEx CreditSecure And LifeLock
Final Thought
With this comparison in mind, here are some key considerations when choosing between LifeLock and LegalShield:
- LifeLock offers more robust identity monitoring, while LegalShield has broader restoration insurance.
- LegalShield has extra features like legal services, but costs more for family plans.
- If customer service is a priority, LegalShield seems superior based on reviews.
- Neither has fully glowing reviews, so check plans closely before signing up.
- LegalShield is a better value if you need ID protection plus legal services.
For most people focused solely on ID theft monitoring and restoration, LifeLock edges out LegalShield slightly on breadth of services and costs. But poor ratings for service and billing may be a dealbreaker for some.