Aura vs. Incogni: What You Need To Know Before You Buy

Which Is Better, Incogni or Aura? 

Aura and Incogni are two of the most popular data removal services and can help remove your sensitive information from data broker lists and people search sites. However, while both services improve your online privacy and safety, they differ in their approaches, features, and pricing. 

The main differences between Aura and Incogni are:

• Aura provides all-in-one online privacy and identity theft protection. Aura takes an in-depth and holistic approach to online privacy and safety, combining automatic data broker removals with award-winning identity theft protection, credit monitoring, a full suite of digital security tools, and 24/7 U.S.-based support. Aura’s identity theft protection solution has been rated #1 by CNET, Security.org, Tom’s Guide, and others. 
• Incogni only focuses on data broker removals. Incogni is solely focused on data broker and people search site removals, covering hundreds of data brokers (with support for thousands of other sites through its custom removal requests). 

The choice between Aura and Incogni isn’t a simple apples-to-apples comparison. Instead, you have a choice between Incogni’s ability to target a larger number of supported data brokers or Aura’s more comprehensive protection against the many modern threats to online safety and privacy. 

Here’s what you need to know about both service providers to help you make an informed decision.

Aura vs. Incogni: Features, Pricing, and Privacy Overview

Before comparing Aura and Incogni’s individual features and pricing, it’s important to understand the issue they’re trying to solve. Personal data is a valuable commodity used for everything from personalized advertising to market research, background checks, and even government decision making. 

The global data broker market size is estimated to be worth over $250 billion, and is expected to grow to $441.4 billion by 2032. 

It’s easy for data broker removal services like Incogni to point out these numbers and cite how essential it is to remove your data from as many data broker lists as possible — and it is. However, this singular focus ignores some of the bigger issues at play: 

• There are hundreds, if not thousands, of active data brokers. The PrivacyRights Data Broker Database identified over 750 data brokers in the United States alone. Not only is it nearly impossible for data broker removal services to keep up with the sheer number of brokers; but brokers regularly re-add your data, create duplicate profiles, or ignore opt-out requests.
• Many data removal services aren’t as effective as they claim to be. A 2024 Consumer Reports study found that seven of the most popular data broker removal services were less effective for consumers than simply sending manual removal requests (note: Incogni and Aura were not included in this study).   
• Data broker opt-out services only tackle a small part of the problem. Major data breaches have exposed the sensitive data of hundreds of millions of Americans. Leaked data almost always ends up on the Dark Web, where it can be bought and sold by hackers and scammers. Data broker opt-out tools can’t help remove your data from the Dark Web. 
• Americans lost over $12.8 billion to fraud and identity theft last year alone. While removing your data from data broker sites can help protect your privacy, it won’t protect you from the numerous ways in which scammers and identity thieves use information that has already been exposed. 

Achieving true online privacy and safety is an ongoing process that requires defenses in many different areas — from data removal services to privacy protection tools, digital security, and Dark Web monitoring. 

Unfortunately, Incogni’s singular focus on data broker removals means customers need to sign up for multiple tools to keep themselves and their families safe online. 

Here's a brief look at the essential features provided by Aura and Incogni:

The bottom line: Both services can help if you're concerned about your personal information being available online — but Aura is the only one of the two that protects you and your family against scammers, hackers, and identity thieves who use your information against you. 

Incogni Pros and Cons: Who Should Choose Incogni?  

Incogni is a data removal tool owned by SurfShark VPN that operates in the United States, Canada, the European Union (EU), and a few other European countries. Incogni leverages existing privacy laws to force data brokers and people search sites to remove user data. This includes the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

The company’s services are basically broken up into two buckets: 

• Standard plans send automatic data removal requests to over 420 supported data brokers.
• Unlimited plans layer on custom removals from an additional 2,000+ support sites, as well as provide access to phone support. 

It’s important to understand that Incogni’s custom requests aren’t automatic. Instead, users are required to find and submit URLs where their personal data is being shared. 

Users can track opt-out requests from the Incogni dashboard, which will show the number of removal requests sent and their statuses.

Who should choose Incogni? Incogni makes sense if you want a user-friendly way to remove your information from a large number of data broker lists, and you already have other online safety and privacy tools in place — such as a virtual private network (VPN), antivirus software, credit monitoring, and other security features.  

How much does Incogni cost? 

Incogni offers straightforward plans and pricing, including two tiers for both individuals and families, as well as monthly and annual plans. 

Here’s a breakdown of Incogni’s plans and pricing (as of November 2025):

NOTE: All Incogni plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, but no free trial. 

Is Incogni a legitimate company?

Yes, Incogni is a legitimate data removal organization that is owned by Surfshark, a reputable VPN company. Along with its stand-alone data removal service, Incogni can be purchased as part of the SurfShark One+ package, which includes a VPN, antivirus protection, and data leak alerts.

📚 Related: The 9 Best Incogni Alternatives Right Now →

What are the downsides of using Incogni?

Incogni’s main downside is its premium pricing. The Unlimited plan costs nearly $200/year for individuals — and that’s with a discount for paying annually. 

Incogni’s pricing makes it more expensive than Aura’s all-in-one solution, as well as many other stand-alone data broker opt-out tools (including similar plans from DeleteMe and Optery). 

Cost aside, there are other serious limitations and downsides to using Incogni that users should be aware of: 

• “Blind” opt-out method. Incogni scans public people search sites for your personal information and sends targeted opt-out requests. However, many data brokers don’t list public profiles. In these cases, Incogni may actually provide your information to brokers that don’t already have it. This is a problem with the way almost all automated data broker opt-out services work. 
• Lack of verifiable proof. Unlike some competitors (such as DeleteMe), Incogni does not provide detailed privacy reports telling you what information has been removed. While this limits the personal data that Incogni has of yours, it also makes it difficult to verify that the removal request worked. 
• Coverage gaps. Incogni supports opt-out requests with 424 data brokers at the time of this writing. However, some of the biggest people search sites are missing from Incogni's list, such as Intelius, Whitepages, Truthfinder, and Instant Checkmate. 
• No protection against identity theft or hacking. Incogni claims to help prevent identity theft and fraud by limiting exposure to your private information. In reality, its services can’t do much to protect you from the consequences of these crimes. When hackers breach broker databases or buy your personal information from them, Incogni has no tools to warn or defend you from being targeted.
• Limited customer support. Incogni advertises a 24/7 customer support team, but that's only on the live chat tool. Users can also email Incogni at any time of day, but responses take up to 24 hours. Phone support is only available to Unlimited plan members, and is available Monday to Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (EST).
• Potentially inflated claims of reducing spam. Incogni claims that it helps reduce spam calls for users by removing it from data brokers. However, it doesn’t do anything to actively block spam or scam calls and messages. If your information has already been leaked, or is with a data broker they don’t support, you’ll still receive spam. ‍
• No free trial. Incogni offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, but no free trial. This means that users need to register and pay upfront for the service without knowing if it's right for them or not.

Aura Pros and Cons: Who Should Choose Aura? 

Unlike Incogni’s singular focus on data broker removal, Aura is an all-in-one online privacy and identity theft protection solution. All Aura plans include automatic data removals from over 140 data brokers and people search sites — along with daily rescans to ensure that your data hasn’t been added back to a broker’s database.

Aura will also help you send takedown requests to Google to prevent your sensitive information from appearing in Google search results. 

The biggest difference between Aura and Incogni is Aura’s strong focus on protecting you from how scammers and criminals use your personal information.

Aura’s identity theft protection monitors more than 100 pieces of personal information — including your Social Security number (SSN), phone number, and account passwords — across the Dark Web, data breaches, public records, and more, and alerts you in near real-time if anything is detected. 

Aura also monitors your credit file at all three major bureaus (Experion, Equifax, and TransUnion), and provides the most reliable and fastest fraud alerts in the industry³.

Every plan also comes with advanced cybersecurity and scam protection tools to protect you from hackers, malware, and phishing. This includes antivirus software, a military-grade virtual private network (VPN), password manager and more. 

If the worst should happen, Aura provides 24/7 U.S.-based support via phone, email, or chat, as well as up to $5 million in identity theft insurance to cover eligible losses and expenses.

Who should choose Aura? Aura offers packages for people who want robust protection from modern online threats — including data brokers, cybercriminals, hackers, and identity thieves. Anyone who has had their private data leaked or posted publicly can benefit from Aura’s powerful identity monitoring and privacy protection tools. 

How much does Aura cost? 

Aura offers simple plans and transparent pricing with packages for individuals, couples, and families — with heavy discounts on annual plans. All plans include a 60-day money-back guarantee (when you pay annually). 

Here’s a breakdown of Aura's plans and pricing (as of November 2025) using this special discount link:

What are the downsides of using Aura?

Aura offers some of the most powerful identity theft protection features in the industry, but there are a few potential downsides that users should understand before signing up: 

• Fewer data brokers covered. Compared to a stand-alone data broker removal service, Aura has a smaller list of data brokers (over 140 as of October 2025). However, Aura can help you remove your sensitive information from Google search results, which makes your data much harder to be found. 
• Only available in the United States. Aura's features can only be used by U.S. residents, including its fraud protection, credit monitoring, parental controls, and data removal services. 
• Some opt-outs require extra authorization. For data brokers that don’t accept automated removal requests, Aura may require extra authorization to complete the opt-out. 
• Base plans can be expensive. Without annual discounts, Aura’s base plans can be more expensive than those offered by stand-alone data removal services like Incogni. However, when you compare the features you get with Aura to Incogni’s Unlimited plan, Aura provides significantly more for a lower monthly fee. 

What’s included in Aura’s 14-day free trial?

Every Aura plan includes a 14-day free trial, which gives you access to all of the same tools and services that paying members enjoy. Over those two weeks, you can:

• Remove your personal data from Google search results and over 140 data broker lists 
• Monitor the Dark Web, data breaches, and public records for your personally identifiable information (PII)
• Protect your devices against hackers with antivirus software, a VPN, Safe Browsing tools, and more
• Check your credit score, and monitor your credit reports for signs of fraud at all three major credit bureaus
• Access 24/7 support from Aura’s U.S.-based support team

The Bottom Line: Are Data Removal Services Worth It? 

Despite the fact that recent surveys show how nearly all Americans believe there should be better regulations for protecting personal information, data brokers have access to unimaginably large amounts of information. Even worse, there are few actual data privacy regulations in place to protect us. 

While you can manually contact most data brokers, the removal process is slow, and success is not guaranteed. Data broker removal services like Incogni automate the opt-out process, which is convenient and helpful — but only tackles a small part of a much larger and growing online privacy crisis.  

The best way to protect your information is to prevent it from being added to data broker lists in the first place. 

Here are a few things everyone can do to boost their online privacy: 

• Limit what you share online. You can shrink your digital footprint and limit the amount of information that data brokers have access to by sharing less of your data with apps and websites. You can also tighten up your privacy settings on social media to reduce your exposure.
• Plug any leaks. Find out if your passwords or other personal information have leaked online (before bad actors do) by using a scanner like Aura's Dark Web scanner. 
• Strengthen your online accounts. Review your password security, and add two-factor authentication (2FA) to every online account that offers this extra layer of protection. Your passwords should be unique and complex, so consider using a password manager to help you manage them.
• Close down old accounts. The information in your old accounts won't go away by simply abandoning them or deleting the apps. For best results, log in to any unused apps and websites and delete your account. Aura’s unused online account cleanup tool can help you uncover accounts you’ve forgotten about. 
• Remove online information. If you find sensitive information of yours in search engine results, you can submit a Google removal request. If this doesn't work, try contacting the website owner or administrator. Aura can also do this for you on your behalf. 
• Block trackers and ads. Anti-tracking, ad-blocking tools, and cookie blockers can limit websites from monitoring your browsing history. You might also use a VPN to give you more anonymity online. Again, Aura includes all of these tools with your plan. 

Effective data privacy requires a multi-pronged approach, and Aura can help you make the most of your efforts. 

With packages that offer robust credit and financial monitoring, digital security tools, and data broker removal services — plus extensive identity theft support and insurance coverage should something go wrong — Aura gives you peace of mind by protecting your privacy online.