LifeLock Identity Theft Protection Cost and Plan Pricing

Plans and Prices for Norton LifeLock

We’re the glass-half-full type, and we see NortonLifeLock’s convoluted pricing structure as a sign that it gives customers the freedom to choose from multiple levels of service. You can either choose a LifeLock plan on its own, or bundle it with antivirus and device protections from Norton. That said, we know it can be confusing, so let’s break things down.

There are three LifeLock-only plans: Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus. Another plan, LifeLock Select, comes with Norton 360, an antivirus, VPN, and device protection plan. Lastly, you can bundle LifeLock Ultimate Plus to get the most comprehensive protection.

As you’d expect, the different subscription levels include different features. The leanest LifeLock plan offers us credit monitoring for one bureau, social security number monitoring, and some insurance coverage. The plans moving up the price ladder cover more bureaus, add extra monitoring features, and eventually bring the insurance coverage up to the industry standard of $1 million for stolen funds alone. The insurance plans cover other expenses, too, like lawyer fees. In other words, with LifeLock, there’s something for pretty much everyone.

A Snapshot of LifeLock Prices

LifeLock Plan Differences (and a few of our favorites)

LifeLock has enough plans and packages to fit just about any budget, but price isn’t the only thing you should consider to decide on a plan. So we recommend giving each option a closer look, and then pick the one (if any!) that strikes a balance between affordability and helpful features. Keep in mind that everyone is different, and the monitoring that’s important to us might not be important to you, and vice versa. Thankfully, LifeLock seems to cover the gamut!

LifeLock Monitored Information

You’ll unlock more features as you work your way up the plans. Keep an eye on the stolen funds coverage of each plan, as that’s one of the most significant differences between them. The coverage starts at $25,000 with the entry-level Standard and Select plans. That increases to $100,000 with the Advantage plan. And lastly, you’ll get up to $1 million stolen funds coverage with the Ultimate Plus plan.

Keep an eye on credit monitoring, too. We recommend credit monitoring in pretty much all cases and across the board for everyone. That said, we do think it’s most useful when you have all three major bureaus covered. Unfortunately, only LifeLock’s Ultimate Plus plan offers 3-bureau credit monitoring (and it’s not cheap!). All the other plans with one-bureau credit monitoring base use Equifax data only, leaving your TransUnion and Experian data unprotected.

Also keep in mind that Norton 360 features scale up with LifeLock’s plans, too. Higher-tier plans come with some really nice perks, like a VPN (virtual private network) for instance.

As we continue working our way up the LifeLock ladder, remember that every plan includes all of the features that its cheaper cousins have, plus extra features of its own. With each price tier, you’re only adding (or improving) features, never losing them. Now let’s dive into the individual plans to see how things shake out.

LifeLock Standard

LifeLock Standard is the cheapest option, hands down. However, it still includes crucial features like credit monitoring (for one bureau) and social security number monitoring. You’ll be covered if you’re ever a victim of an identity crime. The stolen fund’s insurance tops out at $25,000, though you’ll still get up to $1 million in coverage for lawyers and experts. At only $8.99 per month for the first year, we think it’s a good deal. But you might want more robust coverage.

Who it’s best for: LifeLock Standard is ideal for budget shoppers looking for essential coverage on the cheap.

Norton 360 with LifeLock Select

Norton 360 with LifeLock Select is similar in a lot of ways to the LifeLock Standard plan, but the big addition, as the name suggests, is Norton 360. This is Norton’s flagship device protection suite, which includes antivirus software, a virtual private network, a secure password vault, and parental controls. These added protections will keep you safe from digital threats, particularly malware and hacking, which could be used to steal your identity.

At $14.99 per month after the first year, Norton 360 with LifeLock Select is a solid option if you’re looking for both identity protection and device protection. Note that NortonLifeLock isn’t the only company that offers such protections. We saw similar protections when we reviewed IdentityForce, just as not comprehensive as NortonLifeLock. Perhaps the package that comes closest to Norton is the IdentityIQ plans with Bitdefender Total Security. You can read about it in our IdentityIQ review.

Who it’s best for: Norton 360 with LifeLock Select is a safe bet for budget shoppers who want device security and VPN services.

LifeLock Dark Web Monitoring

LifeLock Advantage

Moving up to the Advantage plan — priced at $22.99 per month after the first year — we’re introduced to extra monitoring features. This LifeLock plan lets you add bank and credit card accounts to monitor for suspicious transactions. It also expands public records checks to include crimes committed in your name. Thankfully, stolen funds coverage is bumped up to $100,000 for extra peace of mind. The drawback is that you’ll still only get one bureau credit monitoring. However, you will get an annual credit report and credit score from the same bureau, Equifax.

Who it’s best for: LifeLock Advantage is a good deal for those who want a bit more insurance coverage but don’t feel that they need three-bureau credit monitoring or the added device protection that Norton 360 provides.

Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus

This is LifeLock’s most expensive option, but it’s also the most complete plan. At $34.99 per month (after the first year), you’ll get three-bureau monitoring and up to $1 million in insurance coverage for stolen funds alone. We also like that this plan includes monthly score tracking, even though it’s only for one bureau, Equifax, but it could help you reach personal financial goals. Annual credit reports and scores are included, too, but this plan shares them from all three bureaus, not just one. This premier plan by LifeLock offers some of the best protection in the business.

Keep in mind that you can also add Norton 360 to this plan. Without Norton 360, Ultimate Plus costs $23.99 a month for the first year. If you add Norton 360, the first-year price will increase to $29.99 per month. However, after the first year, the price of the Ultimate Plus plan both with and without Norton 360 will run $34.99, so consider adding Norton 360 for the added protection.

Who it’s best for: Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus is best for folks who want complete identity theft coverage and total peace of mind.

The Best Current Deal on LifeLock

Great deals are hard to come by, but the best deals we’ve seen offered by LifeLock are the ones advertised on its website: the heavily discounted first-year prices we mentioned above. Just look at the difference. The first year price for LifeLock Advantage is $17.99, $5 less than the $22.99 regular price. That’s $60 in a year right off the bat.

That being said, it would be wise to think ahead while enjoying the discounted first-year prices. Particularly, you must decide if the service is still worth it once the price jumps $60 the next year. See below for LifeLock’s monthly fees beginning the first day of your second year of service.

LifeLock’s Overall Value

When you lock in the best price, we think you get good value from LifeLock. But even still, how does it measure up to the competition?

We think that LifeLock’s cheapest plan is one of the better budget-friendly options out there. It falls in that $10-15 per month price range we like to see for affordable protection, and it includes all of the important core features: monitoring, recovery, and insurance. Note that it’s not the cheapest option in the industry, but it’s a solid choice backed by a trusted name. Other low-cost options we recommend include plans from Aura (as low as $12 per month) and plans from IdentityForce.

LifeLock Dark Web Monitoring

LifeLock’s higher-tier plans are a little pricey compared to competitors like Identity Guard. But part of why LifeLock is more expensive is that it includes Norton 360. And we think Norton 360 brings a lot of value to the table. The VPN is a big plus, for example. VPN subscriptions on their own can cost around $5-10 per month. Not to mention, antivirus software like Norton 360 can help prevent malware designed to steal personal information stored on computers. Overall, we found Norton 360 with LifeLock to be a solid value for the money, despite its premium price tag.

About LifeLock

LifeLock has been around for a long time. Some might even say that it was the first to bring identity theft protection to the masses. But perhaps you’re most familiar with the LifeLock commercials back in the early 2000s, long before many of its competitors even existed. To us, LifeLock is a reputable brand. We’ve tested its products over the years, and we’ve come to trust LifeLock as a company.

With that said, LifeLock’s relatively long history has some dark moments. The company got into hot water over deceptive advertisements back in the 2000s.5 Some LifeLock ads made it sound like LifeLock would actually prevent identity theft from ever happening. It doesn’t. In fact, there’s not a service out there that can keep the bad guys at bay. Rather, it’s all about early detection and recovery.

LifeLock was also involved in an embarrassing scandal in the 2010s, when it accidentally exposed user email addresses.6 That’s a pretty bad look for a company in this business. At any rate, LifeLock weathered the storm and lived to tell the tale (well, they won’t tell it, but we will!). When the dust finally settles, we think LifeLock is a strong brand name in the identity monitoring business, despite their checkered past.

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