# Aura vs. LifeLock in 2026: How To Choose Which Is Best

By [Jason Fragoso](https://www.aura.com/author/jason-fragoso)

Jason Fragoso is SVP of Growth at Aura. As a father of two he cares deeply about creating a safer internet for all families.

Reviewed by [Jory MacKay](https://www.aura.com/author/jory-mackay)

Jory MacKay is a writer and award-winning editor with over a decade of experience for online and print publications. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Victoria and a passion for helping people identify and avoid fraud.

February 2, 2026  
Aura provides true all-in-one protection plans with transparent pricing, faster fraud alerts, and more family safety options, when compared to LifeLock.

## What Is the Difference Between Aura and LifeLock?
The main difference between Aura and LifeLock is that **Aura provides affordable all-in-one protection plans** **while LifeLock charges a premium for critical safety features**.

If you’re considering both Aura and LifeLock for identity theft protection, here’s what you need to know:

- **Every Aura plan includes robust identity, credit fraud, and online privacy features.** All Aura plans come with three-bureau credit monitoring, digital security tools — including a VPN, antivirus, and a password manager — automatic data broker removal, and at least $1 million in identity theft insurance.
- **LifeLock’s tiered plan options mean customers are forced to choose between safety and affordability.** Critical features, including three-bureau credit monitoring, financial account monitoring, and digital security tools are only available on LifeLock’s highest-priced “Ultimate Plus” plan with Norton 360 add-on — at more than double the monthly cost of Aura.

**Here’s a look at how similar plans from Aura and LifeLock compare on pricing and features:**

| Plan | Aura | LifeLock Ultimate Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Best price** | Starts at [**$9.99/month**](https://buy.aura.com/better-protection) for a fully-featured individual plan (when paid annually). | Starts at **$19.99/month** (when paid annually) — **renews at ~$28.33/month** after your first year. |
| **Identity monitoring features** | Monitors [**over 130 pieces of PII**](https://help.aura.com/s/article/add-to-my-Aura-Vault) — rated best overall by _Security.org, TechRadar, Forbes,_ and more. | Monitors [**under 60 pieces of PII**](https://support.norton.com/lifelock/en/us/home/current/solutions/v127344370?) — rated best overall by _Tom’s Guide_. |
| **Three-bureau credit monitoring** | Included on all plans — with the industry’s fastest fraud alerts3. | Only included on Ultimate Plus plan. |
| **Data security** | [**Does not sell your personal data**](https://www.aura.com/legal/your-privacy-choices). | [**May use your personal data**](https://www.nortonlifelock.com/us/en/privacy/global-privacy-statement/) to “promote and administer co-branded offers with trusted partners”. |
| **Online and device safety** | **Included with all plans** — antivirus, virtual private network (VPN), password manager, anti-track and ad blocker, email aliases, and Safe Browsing tools. | **Costs extra for the Norton 360 add-on**. |
| **Family plans and parental controls** | **Covers up to five adults, unlimited children, and unlimited devices**. Parental controls include content filters, screen time limits, Safe Gaming alerts, and advanced [**child online wellbeing tools**](https://www.aura.com/online-wellbeing). | **Covers up to two adults and five children** on the higher-tiered family plan. Parental controls are only available with Norton 360 add-on. |
| **Identity theft insurance** | Up to $1,000,000 per single/family membership — optional upgrade to $5 million in insurance coverage per member. | Up to $3,000,000 in total coverage (insurance coverage drops on lower-priced plans). |

## Aura Overview: Pros and Cons, Features, and Pricing
Founded in 2014, Aura has quickly become an industry leader in [**identity theft protection**](https://www.aura.com/identity-theft-protection), thanks to its easy-to-use all-in-one platform, transparent pricing, and powerful online, family, and privacy protection features.

Aura pros:

- **Faster alerts.** Credit alerts are up to 185x faster than Norton LifeLock. Also includes near real-time alerts of data breaches that include your sensitive information and suspicious activity across your bank accounts.
- **Generous insurance coverage.** $1 million per adult on all plans (up to $5 million total for family plans). Option to upgrade to $5 million coverage per member.
- **Included digital security.** All plans include a VPN, antivirus, password manager, Safe Browsing tools, and more. An optional AI-powered [**spam call and text blocker**](https://www.aura.com/spam-call-message-protection) is the only add-on.
- **Better credit monitoring and tools.** Three-bureau credit monitoring is included on all plans, along with one-click Experian CreditLock.
- **Robust family plans.** [**Family identity theft protection**](https://www.aura.com/family-identity-theft-protection) for up to five adults and unlimited children on an unlimited number of devices. New child wellbeing features help parents surface risks in their child’s online behavior.

Aura cons:

- **Higher base pricing.** Individual plans can cost more than LifeLock's basic plans but include more features.
- **No personalized packages.** All plans include the same feature set (other than family plans which include additional family-oriented features).
- **Some features vary by device.** For example, Safe Gaming is only available for Windows PCs.
- **Basic password manager.** Aura’s included password manager is comparable to LifeLock’s, but has fewer features than stand-alone tools.
- **Doesn’t supply FICO® scores.** Includes monthly VantageScore® credit scores, not FICO.

### LifeLock Overview: Pros and Cons, Features, and Pricing
LifeLock was founded in 2005, making it one of the oldest identity theft protection services on the market. Symantec, the creator of Norton Antivirus, acquired LifeLock in 2017 and changed its name to NortonLifeLock in 2019.

LifeLock pros:

- **Household name.** Backed by a long history and familiar brand name..  
- **Optional bundle with Norton 360.** For an extra price, you can include cybersecurity protection from Norton.
- **Extensive threat scanning.** Risk management software claims to scan “trillions of data points” daily for leaks.
- **Wide-ranging monitoring and alerts.** Plans include SSN and identity, Dark Web, new account creation, and identity verification monitoring.
- **Child identity theft protection.** Family plans include child credit file detection and insurance coverage.

LifeLock cons:

- **Expensive, with high renewal fees.** Full-feature plans cost more than those of most competitors, including Aura. Plus, after your first-year promotional price ends, plans can renew at over 50% higher.
- **Complex plans.** More than [**10 plan options**](https://us.norton.com/pricing), offering a dizzying array of different monitoring levels, digital security tools, and number of people protected.
- **Misleading marketing.** Fined on numerous occasions for [**false marketing and deceptive advertising**](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2010/03/lifelock-will-pay-12-million-settle-charges-ftc-35-states) — culminating in [**more than $100 million in Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fines**](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2015/12/lifelock-pay-100-million-consumers-settle-ftc-charges-it-violated-2010-order).
- **Security issues.** A recent breach [**leaked passwords for nearly one million LifeLock users**](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/nortonlifelock-warns-that-hackers-breached-password-manager-accounts/#:~:text=We%20have%20secured%20925%2C000%C2%A0inactive%20and%20active%20accounts%20that%20may%20have%20been%20targeted%20by%20credential%2Dstuffing%20attacks.). LifeLock also came under fire for [**installing crypto mining software by default on users’ computers**](https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/7/22869528/norton-crypto-miner-security-software-reaction), and taking a 15% commission on earnings.

### Final Verdict: Which Service is Better Overall?
Choosing an identity protection provider is a personal decision that only you can make. But there are a few key factors to consider as you decide between Aura and LifeLock. The main difference between Aura and LifeLock is that Aura offers a comprehensive, all-in-one solution with faster fraud alerts, more robust [**data removal and privacy features**](https://www.aura.com/data-removal-service), and deeper identity monitoring, whereas LifeLock requires upgrades and add-ons to reach a similar level of coverage.

Decide if Aura is right for you — [try it free for 14 days](https://buy.aura.com/free-trial).