Edit: I have decided to go with Incogni, and it worked really well for me, my data is removed from Google search. Btw I used a coupon from some comment I’ve found, “discount55”, it still worked for me.
I’m searching for a reliable service to help me delete some of the unwanted Google search results. After reading some reviews on Reddit, it’s down between Incogni vs Aura. Both services cover many people finder sites, provide reports, and offer a money-back guarantee.
The few differences to set them apart are that Incogni covers a wider range of data brokers, it has recurring scans, works not just in the US, but the EU, UK, and Canada too, and is cheaper. On the other hand, Aura comes in a bundle with an antivirus, VPN, and password manager. (This post was, in particular, helpful to compare both services: https://www.reddit.com/r/TechnologyProTips/comments/1bjbfid/tpt\_i\_made\_a\_comparison\_table\_to\_find\_the\_best/)
Anyone who has used one or both of these services before, can you please share your experiences to help me choose between Aura and Incogni? I’m curious to learn more about their effectiveness, or maybe they have features I don’t know about.
Welcome! We’re here to help with any cybersecurity questions you may have. Get started protecting yourself online with these tools:
VPN - PrivadoVPN: VPN $1.48 Deal From PrivadoVPN | PrivadoVPN
Browser - Firefox: Get Firefox browser — Mozilla (US)
Password Manager - Bitwarden: Bitwarden Password Manager Pricing & Plans | Bitwarden
Search Engine - DuckDuckGo: About DuckDuckGo
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
If your primary concern is Google, try using Google’s free tools before paying a company to do it.
Here’s just a few of the different services Google has for taking down information and monitoring for new data.
(more details here: https://www.kanary.com/blog/use-google-to-remove-yourself-from-google FYI I’m on the Kanary team, and wrote up this list)
Also make sure you search both of these companies on Reddit, there are some important discussions about how they handle your data.
G-
I just signed up for Incogni over the weekend. I’ve already scrubbed Google using the Google tools. I’ve read a bunch of threads about how you need to give them information and maybe they are a shadow data broker providing more info than some data brokers have.
I’m gonna go against the grain here. I don’t think they’re doing that, and here’s why. You sign a limited power of attorney so they can make the request on your behalf. Obviously they need enough info to confirm you are the person that matches in data broker Db- but its name; age and address (you give them your dob- but they provide age only to tie to address. My thought is- everyone has that info.
You do provide email addresses you want cleared (this is best for direct match since everyone only has one email address) but mine is on my website- it’s not a state secret.
But in two days- I’ve gotten 4 confirmations from data brokers that I was deleted. A lot of what they are clearing is public data source material (voter registries; State of FL licenses (think fishing, driver summaries etc) which are exactly the DB’s that new data brokers scrape from.
Incogni tells you which data brokers they contacted- and gives you a progress report. Also provides a rating for brokers who resist deletion or those who usually/easily comply.
In a month- I’ll be down to maybe 20-30 that refuse and I will contact them personally- but it would have taken 100’s of hours to even find all these crazy brokers.
So far- the service looks legit. I’ll check back in a month and let you know. For $90- it was worth the shot.
I recommend you to go with Incogni
When you’re looking for a data removal service, it’s important to check reviews and ratings to find one that fits your needs. You might also want to consider checking out Optery, to get a free scan.
Or you can check out PCMag series on data broker removal services: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/optery
Full disclosure, I’m part of the Optery team.
I actually use both, and honestly I have found it to be worth the extra cost. I have always been on the national do not call registry, but up until I had both of these services I just got spam calls left and right anyways. Now that doesn’t happen nearly as often, I’d say probably about 1-2% of what it used to be. I get spam calls about once every two weeks now.
Incogni just gets your data off of people finder sites and monitors for that data. Aura has a lot more features to it, with credit monitoring and a couple other more niche items.
I’m gonna say neither, because these services don’t work the way they want you to believe they do.
So in other word’s. If you want your data off of data broker sites over anything else. (say to stop a daily barrage of spam texts, emails, and calls) ASAP, use Ingoni. If you want a watered down version of that plus some other fun features like a VPN use aura?
DO NOT RECOMMEND AURA SUITE SERVICES. The company has no integrity and does not provide refunds even with a request less than 24-hours request from the charge. They did not allow me the option to only have one service and said it was a package deal for identity theft, password manager, and VPN.
- password manager is dysfunctional and frequently creates second log-ins rather than updating. Or I would have passwords saved with a password but not the username. The password generator is good, allowing you to choose length or special characters to use or not use. This feature is pointless if passwords are not saved correctly.
- the password manager extension in Chrome was buggy. I would get stuck in loops of trying to log-in but never gaining access. I wasted too much time and stopped using the feature.
- VPN blocks access to websites. With Nord VPN, with the option to change VPN location, I often can access any website with ease. After explaining my reason for requesting a refund and that their records would show that I stopped using their services, I still was not offered a partial refund!!!
It’s been a month, how is your experience been going my friend? I’ve been debating ditching life locks services for Aura but reading less than stellar experiences from users lately. Almost feels like getting individual services like VPN, data broker service etc may be the way to go albeit more expensive in the end. Any invite on services or opinions to pass on would be greatly appreciated. 
Aura tries to be a jack of all trades (PII removal + antivirus + parental controls + VPN…) but performs poorly in most areas. I came across a video (search “UltraAV: Kaspersky’s replacement after US Ban” on YouTube) testing out their antivirus. It is completely mediocre. Their PII removal is also quite mediocre, with about 20 data brokers covered. Incogni does better with around 180 sites covered. Privacy Bee has the largest coverage (900+ sites) of any data removal service and they are also PCMag Editors’ Choice.
I guess a good baseline is that these services need personal information to supposedly help get information about you removed from databases. Which is also placing a lot of trust in a service that potentially doesn’t have to do anything and still takes your money. Kinda like insurance. Nevermind that theh can be bold-facedly lying to you and just giving/selling your information to more data brokers.
Once any kind of information about you is on the internet, it’s next to impossible to get it removed. it’s highly presumptuous that just because database removal is requested, that it actually gets done or isn’t backed up.
