Incogni vs. Optery: Which Data Removal Service Should You Choose?

Incogni and Optery are among the most popular data removal services that promise to reduce your digital footprint and protect your privacy. Since the services share similar features, choosing between them can be challenging.

To help you make an informed decision, we’ve thoroughly explored both services, focusing on their capabilities, ease of use, and pricing in this impartial Incogni vs. Optery comparison.

What Is Incogni?

Incogni is a privacy service that removes your personal information from data brokers and other risky websites. It automates the data removal process by sending requests on your behalf, so your information is removed with minimal involvement on your end.

Incogni is best known for its:

• Wide coverage
• Detailed reports
• High security

What Is Optery?

Optery is a data removal service and an Incogni alternative that helps you delete your information from data brokers, Google, and people search websites. The service offers two ways for handling data removal:

1. Manual: You can remove the data yourself.
2. Automatic: You can allow Optery to act on your behalf to remove the data.

Optery offers ease of use, extensive coverage, and a comprehensive dashboard that gives you detailed insights into the removal progress and real-time updates.

Optery vs. Incogni: A Detailed Comparison

To offer an objective Incogni vs. Optery comparison, we’ve established key aspects for our analysis, including:

1. Data removal capabilities
2. Reporting features
3. Additional options
4. Pricing
5. Customer support

1. Data Removal Capabilities

Both Incogni and Optery are well-known names in the data removal realm, and while they share many similarities, they also have several notable differences. Here’s an overview of their data removal capabilities:

In addition to the apparent difference in the number of covered sites, it’s essential to note that Incogni has a broader coverage overall. Optery mainly focuses on people search sites and marketing data brokers, while Incogni also covers risk mitigation, recruitment data, and financial information brokers, offering more comprehensive information removal.

Incogni offers only automated removal requests, which saves you time and effort, although it doesn’t give you as much control over the removal process. If you prefer a hands-on approach, you can combine automatic and manual requests with Optery.

2. Reporting Features

Both Incogni and Optery take reporting very seriously, albeit with slightly different approaches to it.

Incogni sends automated monthly reports directly to your dashboard. These reports contain the following:

• Information on the progress of each removal request Incogni has submitted on your behalf
• Details on the data broker that has your information
• Severity of data exposure
• Information on requests that need to be repeated

Optery begins its reporting process by sending you a free exposure report, which includes dozens of screenshots showing where your information appears. You also get quarterly reports with a detailed summary of the information that has been removed. These reports also contain screenshots, which clearly prove that your data was actually removed from specific sites.

Overall, both services provide excellent reporting capabilities. If you prefer more frequent updates, you’ll enjoy Incogni’s approach. In case you appreciate a high level of detail and visualization, Optery may be a better fit.

3. Additional Options

While Incogni and Optery focus on removing data brokers, both offer additional capabilities that enhance their functionality.

In this regard, Incogni is the clear winner. The service is a part of the SurfShark One+ cybersecurity bundle, which also includes the following:

By getting SurfShark One+, you sign up for a new level of device and online activity security, with a special focus on identity protection.

Optery isn’t a part of any bundle, and its additional features primarily focus on simplifying and improving the data removal process. Here are some of them:

• Detailed instructions for manual opt-outs
• AI-generated reports
• Public API

If your sole interest is data removal, you can’t go wrong with either service. However, if you want to boost your overall security and privacy, Incogni is a better option as you can get it within the SurfShark One+ bundle.

4. Pricing

Both Incogni and Optery offer four plans.

Here are Incogni’s pricing options:

1. Standard: $7.99/month
2. Unlimited: $14.99/month
3. Family: $15.99/month
4. Family Unlimited: $22.99/month

These prices apply if you subscribe to the annual plan.

Below are Optery’s plans:

1. Free: $0
2. Core: $3.25/month
3. Extended: $12.42/month
4. Ultimate: $20.70/month

Optery’s free plan offers solid options, including the initial exposure report and profile visibility at hundreds of sites. You only get self-service removal tools with the free plan; automated requests are available only on paid plans.

At first glance, Incogni is slightly more expensive. Considering that the service offers broader coverage, recurring removals, and fully automated requests on all its plans, the price difference is negligible.

Both Incogni and Optery offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If the chosen service doesn’t meet your expectations within this period, you can cancel it and receive a full refund, no questions asked. While this policy is a plus, keep in mind the specific nature of these services; it’s nearly impossible to see their effectiveness within just 30 days.

5. Customer Support

Incogni offers three ways to reach customer support:

1. Email: Send an email to support@incogni.com
2. Live chat: Tap the dialog bubble on your screen after signing up. This option is available 24/7
3. Form: Fill out the online form, and someone from Incogni’s customer support team will reach out

The service also has a comprehensive help center, where you can find answers to frequently asked questions and learn more about its features, security, and subscriptions.

Optery also offers a help center, which is conveniently organized by category, allowing you to quickly find answers to your questions and resolve any uncertainties. If you’d like to speak to the customer support team, here’s how you can do it:

1. Email: Send an email to support@optery.com
2. Chat: Available through Optery’s website 24/7. Typical response times are 1–2 hours
3. Social media: Optery is present on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube

Both platforms have excellent customer support teams, at least according to user reviews. Incogni’s customer support agents are praised for their patience and kindness. For Optery, users mention that the team is responsive and efficient.

How Do Users Feel About Incogni and Optery?

Both platforms have high TrustPilot ratings, which prove their efficiency. There is a significant difference, though: Optery has a 4.5/5 rating and fewer than 150 reviews, while Incogni has a 4.4/5 rating with over 2,000 reviews. When it comes to popularity, Incogni is the clear winner.

Reviews for both services typically highlight the following:

• Simple and comprehensive data removal
• Easy-to-use dashboard
• Fantastic service

With both Incogni and Optery, users noticed a reduction in spam, which confirms the platforms’ efficiency.

Although most reviews are positive, some negative feedback is also present. Interestingly, the nature of this feedback focuses on the same aspect: the platforms’ questionable efficiency. Users state that not all data gets removed and that removals become slower over time.

The Final Verdict: Incogni or Optery?

Incogni and Optery are excellent data removal services, but they cater to slightly different audiences.

Incogni is more suitable if you:

• Want broader coverage
• Prioritize custom removals
• Want 100% automated data removal requests
• Wish to use other tools from the SurfShark One+ bundle

Optery might be a better fit if you:

• Want a free plan
• Wish to combine manual and automatic data removal requests
• Prioritize more comprehensive reporting

Whatever service you opt for, note that it can protect your online privacy and security only to a certain extent. Incogni, Optery, and other data removal services can’t delete all of your information from the internet or guarantee maximum privacy protection.

With this in mind, it’s crucial to be aware that data removal services should be a part of your privacy protection strategy, not the only tool you’ll rely on. To set up protection on all fronts, consider how your information gets exposed in the first place. In many cases, the “leak” could be your mobile carrier.

Traditional carriers rely on outdated, trust-based infrastructures, and even well-known names in the industry, such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, have experienced numerous data breaches in recent years. On top of that, carriers often collect a lot of your personal information and have weak data-sharing and storage policies, which further increase the risk of unauthorized access.

This is where Cape stands out as a unique alternative. Unlike traditional carriers, Cape takes an entirely different approach. Instead of relying on legacy systems and heavy data collection, it offers:

• A proprietary infrastructure that isn’t trust-based
• Advanced mobile privacy and security features
• Minimal data collection

For the best results, pair Cape with a data removal service and enjoy a new level of privacy.

Meet Cape: The Secure Carrier Designed for Today’s Threats

We share the most intimate details of our everyday lives with our cell phones. In order to stay connected, our cell phones share that information with local cell networks, and in turn, those cell networks share our data with each other.

While this system is what makes connectivity possible, it was also built with interoperability as its priority, rather than security. The global cell network is vulnerable to a number of threats, as seen through headlines about major carrier data breaches we see time and time again. When major carriers aren’t losing our sensitive personal data in breaches and hacks, they’re actively selling it to ad networks, data brokers, and third parties.

At Cape, we believe that privacy and security shouldn’t have to be sacrificed for connectivity. That’s why we built our service with privacy principles and security features at its core, including:

1. Minimal Data Collection

Cape eliminates the risk of your sensitive data falling into the wrong hands by not even asking for it. When you make your Cape account, we don’t ask for your name, address, or SSN. We only collect the information that’s necessary to provide the service, and we retain it for the least amount of time possible.

2. SIM Swap Protection

During account creation, you receive a unique 24-word phrase that generates a private key tied to your phone number. This pass phrase is required to move your number to a new device or carrier. Nobody else, not even us at Cape, has access to the phrase, meaning there’s absolutely no way for bad actors to transfer your number to their device, effectively nullifying the possibility of SIM swapping.

3. Disappearing Call Logs

Your phone stores an incredible amount of data, which can be accessed through call and text records. Most mobile carriers store your call and text metadata for years, which can easily fall into the wrong hands.

Cape is built to forget, meaning we delete Call Data Records (CDRs) after just 1 day, ensuring nobody can see who you texted or called, track where the communication took place, or access the sensitive information within CDRs.

4. Identifier Rotation

All SIM cards are accompanied by International Mobile Subscriber IDs (IMSI). These function as unique identifiers devices use to register with cellular networks. Traditional telcos assign fixed IMSIs to user accounts, meaning the carriers, advertisers, hackers, and other bad actors can exploit them to identify and track your device.

Cape patches this security hole by allowing you to automatically rotate your IMSI every 24 hours. In practice, this means you appear as a different subscriber every day, making it much more difficult for anyone to identify your device or track your movements.

5. Last-Mile Encrypted Texting

Most people receive One-Time Passwords (OTPs) through unencrypted SMS messages, leaving their most sensitive data and accounts vulnerable to a variety of threats.

Cape allows you to route all SMS/MMS messages through the Cape app, ensuring that every message you receive is middle-to-end encrypted. The messages are then securely decrypted within the Cape app, ensuring only you can see and read their contents.

Note: This feature is only available on iPhone. Android coming soon.

6. Secondary Numbers

Are you tired of spam messages from brands, phone call surveys, and scammers trying to trick you into sharing sensitive information over the phone? The reason why most people are exposed to these nuisances is that we are often required to share our phone numbers with retailers, websites, apps, and service providers.

While messages and phone calls can be annoying, what’s worse is that your number can easily become a target for data brokers and bad actors. That’s why many people turn to VoIP numbers as secondary lines. VoIPs are a decent option, but they don’t fully solve the issue—they are not encrypted, you can’t use them for 2FA, and they’re an additional cost each month.

When you sign up for Cape, you get two free additional SMS/MMS lines that are middle-to-end encrypted. This allows you to use Secondary Numbers for online shopping, signing up for services and discounts, and receiving secure OTPs, while your primary phone number is reserved for friends and family.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Secure Global Roaming

To access phone service while traveling abroad, your phone typically needs to connect to local telecom providers. The trouble is, there’s no guarantee all networks are secure, and not every government treats privacy the same.

Cape doesn’t leave anything to chance. We let you route traffic through our U.S.-based mobile core, so you can safely use international data roaming without exposing your identity or sharing sensitive data or communications with foreign carriers.

With Cape, you get up to 15 GB per month of international roaming, included in your monthly plan.

Get Started With Cape Today

If you’re ready to make a switch from legacy telcos to America's privacy-first mobile carrier, visit cape.co/get-cape and test out Cape in practice for just $30 for your first month.

In addition to all the features listed above, you can further enhance your privacy and security with Proton. Our partnership with this technology leader allows you to get Proton Unlimited or Proton VPN Plus for only $1 for the first six months.