How Much Should Data Privacy Cost in 2026
Data privacy costs $5-25 a month in 2026. Optery free tier shows exposure, Incogni at $7.99 covers removal, Aura at $12 adds identity protection.
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Optery Free
Start with Optery free to see what is exposed. Pay $7.99 a month on Incogni for hands-off removal across several names, addresses and emails (Optery Core at $3.99 is cheaper if one name and location is enough), $12 a month on Aura for full identity protection plus credit monitoring plus insurance if you want the complete stack. Above $25 a month you are paying for executive-protection or breach-response features that solo founders rarely need.
Try Optery FreeAt a Glance
| Feature | Optery Free | Incogni | Aura | Optery Ultimate | Aura Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $7.99/mo (annual) | $12/mo (annual) | $24.99/mo ($20.70 billed annually) | $32/mo (annual) |
| Monthly Price | - | - | - | - | - |
| Coverage | - | - | - | - | - |
| Best Use Case | - | - | - | - | - |
| Best For | - | - | - | - | - |
Quick Comparison
Our Top Picks
Optery Free
0Free scan across hundreds of data broker sites with screenshot evidence. Best starting point.
- Genuinely free scan across hundreds of sites
- Screenshot evidence shows exact exposure
- No credit card required
- Free tier shows exposure but does not remove
- Removal requires upgrading to paid tier
Incogni
Hands-off removal across several names, addresses and emails. Best value when one name and one address is not enough.
- One flat price across several names, addresses and emails
- Strong GDPR-leverage approach
- Automated re-removal cycle
- Fewer sites than Optery Ultimate (420+ vs 635+)
- No free scan tier
Aura
Identity protection: credit monitoring, $1M insurance, VPN, password manager and data removal.
- Three-bureau credit monitoring and identity theft insurance in one plan
- $1M insurance, plus VPN and data removal
- Family plans available
- Pricier than data-removal-only services
- Annual billing required for $12/mo rate
Optery Ultimate
635+ sites plus custom removals for 950+. Best for high-exposure individuals.
- 635+ data broker site coverage (largest automated list)
- Monthly automated scans and removals
- Overkill for most solo founders
- Annual billing needed for the lowest rate
Aura Family
Family identity protection. Best for founders with spouse plus children needing coverage.
- Covers five adults and unlimited kids
- Parental controls included
- About $6.40 per adult, with $5M insurance
- Overkill for solo founders without family
How This Was Tested
Pricing reflects public list prices on vendor websites as of April 2026. Annual billing assumed where vendors offer it. Incogni, Optery, DeleteMe and Aura prices were re-checked against their pricing pages in October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan to spend $5-25 a month on data privacy in 2026. Start with Optery free to assess exposure. Incogni at $7.99 covers basic data removal. Aura at $12 covers full identity protection plus credit monitoring. Above $25 a month you are paying for executive-protection or breach-response features.
Optery Free for ongoing exposure monitoring plus Incogni at $7.99 a month for active data removal. Total cost $7.99 a month covers the basics for most solo founders. Add Aura at $12 a month if you also want credit monitoring and identity theft insurance. Aura plans include data removal too, so check the overlap before paying for both.
Yes. Data brokers expose names, addresses, phone numbers, family members, and employment history publicly. Even without specific harassment concerns, removal makes spam calls noticeably drop and reduces phishing attack surface. Annual cost ($60-300) is low relative to the time savings on dealing with spam and the risk reduction on identity theft.
Annual saves 15-30 percent on every major privacy service. Optery, Incogni, and Aura all push annual billing during signup. The privacy use case is genuinely long-term (data brokers re-add your data continuously), so the annual commitment makes sense.
Optery Free shows your exposure but does not remove. Manual self-removal from major data brokers (Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages) takes 40+ hours and requires repeat removal as sites re-add data. For most users, the time cost of DIY removal exceeds the $5-12 a month for an automated service.