If you’re researching reliable data removal services, DeleteMe and Optery are two names that frequently pop up in searches and recommendations. While both dominate the market, how do they compare when it comes down to practical utility?
In this DeleteMe vs. Optery comparison, we’ll look past marketing claims and break down how each service handles coverage, reporting, pricing, and customer queries. You’ll discover how these options differ, as well as what privacy gaps still remain even after using data removal services.
How DeleteMe Works
DeleteMe is one of the longest-running services in the personal data removal space. It helps reduce your online exposure across data brokers and people-search websites by submitting opt-out requests on your behalf. DeleteMe is available across multiple regions, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Singapore.
The service operates on a generally predictable workflow; here’s how:
- You submit the personal details you want removed.
- DeleteMe scans hundreds of data broker and people search sites for matching profiles.
- It then submits automated or manual opt-out requests.
- Periodic rescans are performed to remove new or resurfaced listings.
DeleteMe doesn’t sell or share subscriber data with third parties, only using your information to deliver the core service.
How Optery Works
Optery is a relatively newer data removal service with a stronger focus on transparency via evidence and stronger user controls. It’s currently available to residents of the United States and Canada.
Optery’s data removal process looks like this:
- Optery runs automated searches to compile an initial exposure report based on your details.
- Depending on your plan, you can either carry out automated or DIY removals.
- You receive email reports showing the progress, with screenshots as evidence of successful removals.
- Optery runs monthly scans for ongoing protection.
Like DeleteMe, Optery also doesn’t sell your data to any third party, and you can request any collected data to be deleted at any time.
Bonus: Find out how DeleteMe and Optery compare with other data removal services in our guides:
DeleteMe vs. Optery: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Let’s take a closer look at DeleteMe and Optery across their similarities, differences, and user feedback. We’ll break down six key areas:
- Data broker coverage
- Ongoing monitoring and scan frequency
- Reporting capabilities
- Privacy and data masking
- Pricing
- Customer support
1. Data Broker Coverage
DeleteMe advertises coverage of 850+ data brokers, which sounds broad at first. In practice, only a portion of those sites, about 85–100, support automated removals. For other databases, you have to identify the sites and submit manual opt-out requests, which can take longer and may not be as effective.
Some users have pointed out this gap in reviews, reporting that DeleteMe’s coverage is narrower than expected and requires more hands-on effort.
Optery is more explicit about what's included, publishing a clear breakdown of the websites supported under each plan for automated, verified removal:
Plan | Automated Websites Supported |
Core | 365+ |
Extended | 535+ |
Ultimate | 635+ |
Optery’s real-world results may also not be perfect. Some users feel it focuses on smaller sites first, while their listings on major people-search sites linger for longer, and that addressing some may still require manual opt-outs.
While Optery does provide higher coverage and greater visibility, both services may struggle with bigger, more persistent data brokers.
2. Ongoing Monitoring and Scan Frequency
Because personal records can resurface over time, ongoing monitoring and periodic rescans are essential functions of data removal services.
Both DeleteMe and Optery provide recurring monitoring, but the frequency and processes differ:
- DeleteMe runs a full quarterly cycle of scans and automated removal requests for all subscribers, with Privacy Reports delivered every three months and covering matching listings and their removal status.
- Optery runs automated scans and removal requests for paid users at least once every 30 days. You receive quarterly Removal Reports signaling the status of actual opt-outs. Free-tier users receive quarterly exposure scans for DIY removals.
Outside the scheduled cycles, both services let you submit custom removal requests at any time, but the turnaround windows couldn’t be verified at the time of review.
3. Reporting Capabilities
Both offer clear and comprehensive reports that show progress and help you track removal requests, but Optery emphasizes transparency with real-time status details and visual proofs, while DeleteMe focuses mainly on periodic outcome summaries.
DeleteMe’s Privacy Reports include the following details:
- Activity summary: Total data brokers found, number of records successfully removed, and estimated hours saved.
- Status list: A site-by-site breakdown showing whether your information is being processed or has been cleaned.
- The personal data targeted: This includes name, age, current and past addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives' names, property valuation, and associated social media profiles.
Optery takes reporting to another level by providing before-and-after screenshots as verifiable proof of each removal. You also receive a list of the specific data broker profiles discovered, information found on each site, and live status of every opt-out request in your dashboard.
4. Privacy and Data Masking
Both companies state compliance with major privacy laws like the CCPA and GDPR, but their data retention policies differ.
If you cancel, DeleteMe retains your profile information for at least six months for legal and operational reasons. Optery doesn’t specify a fixed retention timeline but retains your data for “as long as needed” to deliver its services and meet legal requirements. You can still request deletion by exercising applicable GDPR/CCPA rights.
Each service offers additional tools that supplement its privacy setup. For example, DeleteMe lets you mask your:
- Email (free)
- Phone ($7/number)
- Card numbers ($2–$9.50/card)
These features help you create disposable contact details or card numbers to use online, shielding your real details from data collection during signups or purchases.
Optery, on the other hand, offers a free Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser extension that signals websites not to sell or share your data, reducing the need for manual privacy configurations.
5. Pricing
The way DeleteMe and Optery charge for their services is different in terms of transparency and flexibility.
DeleteMe currently offers these four plans:
- One person: $129/year
- Two people: $229/year
- Four people (family): $329/year
- Business: Custom pricing
The pricing page doesn’t mention what’s included in each plan. For example, there’s no clarity on how many brokers support automated removal or how many custom requests you can make in a year. Additionally, there are no monthly billing options or free trials available.
Optery generally has lower-priced subscriptions, including a free plan:
- Free Basic: $0
- Core: $39/year
- Extended: $149/year
- Ultimate: $249/year
Optery defines what you get with each level, including the broker coverage and features. It’s more flexible with monthly billing options and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
DeleteMe’s refund policy is more restrictive. You can only request a full refund before your first privacy report has arrived (typically happens within seven days of signup).
6. Customer Support
Both services offer customer support through email and live chat, but DeleteMe also offers support over the phone, which appeals to users who prefer speaking directly with a human.
The main problem with DeleteMe is their hours. Support is only available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., which has been unpleasant for some users, especially for sensitive issues like password resets.
Optery doesn’t offer phone lines, but other support is available 24/7, which is reassuring in cases that demand urgency. Users also praise the speed and helpfulness of Optery’s support team. Still, some people had negative experiences with the live chat. The initial interactions are managed by an AI that can't answer complex questions, resulting in long wait times.
Verdict: Should You Pick Optery or DeleteMe?
DeleteMe and Optery are generally well-received by users and maintain strong reputations based on public reviews.
On Trustpilot, DeleteMe has 180+ reviews with a TrustScore of 4/5, while Optery has 160+ reviews and a slightly higher TrustScore of 4.4/5. The right choice ultimately depends on what you value in a service.
DeleteMe is great if you:
- Prefer a simple, annual subscription covering all available features
- Are comfortable with handling DIY requests for specific sites
- Need to protect multiple people under one account
Optery does well for people who:
- Want visual proof of data removal through screenshots
- Prefer flexible, monthly billing and the option to start for free
- Want broader automated coverage
Why Data Removal Services Still Keep You Vulnerable
Data removal services are excellent for scrubbing your public-facing footprint, but many brokers often repopulate profiles using public records, marketing databases, or third-party data sources. One of the biggest gaps these tools can’t address is the personal data stored and shared at the network level, especially by your mobile carrier.
Even if DeleteMe or Optery clears your web footprint regularly, your traditional mobile carrier continues building a detailed profile of your movements, call logs, and usage habits in the background. This data is often stored on your carrier’s unencrypted servers for years and is immune to standard opt-out requests, increasing the risk of:
- Phishing scams
- Identity theft
- Financial fraud
Using privacy-first mobile carriers like Cape can make all the difference if you want to avoid being targets of SIM hijacking attacks and data breaches that plague almost all carriers today.
While legacy telcos struggle with outdated infrastructure and security practices, Cape addresses network-level privacy risks by avoiding unnecessary data collection and securing its infrastructure with modern cryptography and private routing.
Cape Makes Security the Standard
Cape is America’s privacy-first mobile carrier, providing premium, unlimited, and nationwide call, text, and data. Unlike other providers, our service is built from the ground up with privacy and security at its core.
Mainstream carriers track you and store your data, often without your consent. Cape takes a different path: we collect the absolute minimum amount of information to provide you with service.
Any information we do collect is retained for the minimum amount of time possible. Most carriers store call data records (CDRs) for years, sometimes indefinitely. Cape stores yours for just 24 hours, and we have a commitment to never sell your data.
What Cape Offers
Cape service includes security features that no other carrier offers:
- Minimal Data Collection: During onboarding, we don’t ask for your name, Social Security number, or address. We only collect what’s necessary to provide you with service, and we retain it for the minimum amount of time possible.
- Identifier Rotation: Every SIM card has an International Mobile Subscriber ID (IMSI), a unique identifier which your device uses to register with cellular networks. Most carriers assign a fixed IMSI that stays the same for the life of your account, making it easy for your carrier, advertisers, and bad actors to identify and track your device over time. Cape breaks that pattern by allowing subscribers to automatically rotate their IMSI every 24 hours, so you appear as a different subscriber every day, making it much more difficult for anyone to follow or track your movements.
- Secondary Numbers: Your phone number is a target for data brokers and scammers. Retailers, websites, apps—everyone is routinely asking you to share your number with them, which exposes you to a variety of risks. Many turn to VoIP numbers to use as secondary lines, which can be helpful, but cost extra, don’t work with 2FA, and aren’t encrypted. Cape provides subscribers with two free additional SMS/MMS lines that are middle-to-end encrypted. With Secondary Numbers, you can reserve your primary number for communicating with your close friends and family, and use Secondary Numbers for anything from shopping and signing up for discounts, to receiving secure OTPs.
- Private payment: When you pay for your Cape subscription, we don’t ask for your name or billing address. Payment details are tokenized and stored securely with Stripe, completely separate from your phone number or account.
- Disappearing Call Logs: Call and text records reveal a lot about you, from who your closest relationships are to when and where communication took place. Most mobile carriers store your call and text metadata for years to indefinitely so they can build a detailed profile of you and monetize it. Since Cape is built to forget, we delete CDRs after just one day.
- Last Mile Encrypted Texting: SMS messages are unencrypted, yet many of us still use it to receive One-Time Passwords (OTPs) for our most sensitive accounts, leaving them vulnerable to a variety of threats. Cape allows subscribers to encrypt and route all SMS/MMS messages through the Cape app. When enabled, SMS/MMS messages sent to Cape subscribers will be middle-to-end encrypted and decrypted securely within the Cape app. This protects any messages that may be intercepted from being read. This feature is only available on iPhone. Android coming soon.
- SIM Swap Protection: A SIM Swap happens when an attacker convinces your carrier to transfer your number to their device, allowing them to receive your calls and texts, trigger password resets, and gain access to your accounts. Cape protects against SIM swaps by removing humans entirely from the loop. During sign-up, you receive a 24-word phrase that generates a private key tied to your number. This phrase is the only way to move your number to a new device or carrier. No one, not even Cape, can transfer your number without your phrase, giving you full control over your number.
- Network Lock: Traditional cellular networks were designed for interoperability, not security. Outdated and legacy network protocols like SS7 have vulnerabilities that allow attackers to hack in and track your location, intercept your calls and texts, and steal sensitive information. Cape’s Network Lock uses a proprietary signaling proxy to verify that your device’s physical location matches the network it’s trying to attach to. If anything looks suspicious, like a mismatched location, we block the connection.
- Encrypted Voicemail: Voicemails can reveal more than you think, from personal messages to authentication codes, yet most voicemail systems are outdated and unencrypted. Cape encrypts your voicemails so that only you can access them.
- Secure Global Roaming: While you’re traveling abroad, your phone connects to local telecom providers to provide you with connectivity. But not all networks are secure, and not all governments treat privacy the same. Cape routes your traffic through our US-based mobile core. Our Secure Global Roaming gives you the convenience of international data roaming without exposing your identity or communications. You get up to 15GB per month of international roaming included in your plan.
These features are made possible because we’re a “Heavy” Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).
Other MVNOs (such as Mint Mobile, Cricket, etc.) simply ride on top of the mobile core, SIMs, and physical infrastructure of their underlying MNO partner. At Cape, we actually own our own mobile core and provision our own SIMs. This gives us control over how accounts are authenticated, what data we do and don’t collect, how long we retain it for, as well as the ability to build proprietary features like Identifier Rotation. No other carrier on the market has this capability.
Reclaim Your Privacy: Switch to Cape Today
Ready to ditch traditional telcos and switch to a privacy-first mobile carrier? Visit cape.co/get-cape to sign up.
Try Cape completely risk-free for just $30 for your first month. No contracts, no personal or credit card info needed, no hidden fees or taxes, and no strings attached.
Thanks to our partnership with Proton, you can also take your privacy a step further and get Proton Unlimited or Proton VPN Plus for only $1 for the first six months.
