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:
- Manual: You can remove the data yourself.
- 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:
- Data removal capabilities
- Reporting features
- Additional options
- Pricing
- 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:
Data Removal Characteristic/Capability | Incogni | Optery |
Coverage | 420+ data broker sites and 2,000+ additional sites covered | 1,360+ sites covered |
Custom removals | Unlimited custom removals available on more expensive plans | Unlimited custom removals available on the most expensive plan |
Automated/manual removal requests | Automated; Incogni handles data removal requests for you | Manual or automated; you can fill out data removal requests yourself or let Optery handle them |
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:
Tool | Description |
It encrypts internet traffic to enhance your online privacy and security. | |
Alternative ID | It allows you to create a brand-new online identity and email to use online for maximum privacy protection. |
Alert | It notifies you whenever your personal information appears online. |
Antivirus | It protects your device from malware, spyware, corrupt files, and other threats. |
Search | It allows web browsing without trackers or ads, showing only organic results. |
CleanWeb | It blocks pop-ups and ads. |
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:
- Standard: $7.99/month
- Unlimited: $14.99/month
- Family: $15.99/month
- Family Unlimited: $22.99/month
These prices apply if you subscribe to the annual plan.
Below are Optery’s plans:
- Free: $0
- Core: $3.25/month
- Extended: $12.42/month
- 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:
- Email: Send an email to support@incogni.com
- Live chat: Tap the dialog bubble on your screen after signing up. This option is available 24/7
- 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:
- Email: Send an email to support@optery.com
- Chat: Available through Optery’s website 24/7. Typical response times are 1–2 hours
- 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 mirror user satisfaction with their performance. There is, however, a notable difference when comparing their ratings: Optery holds around a 4.5/5 Trustpilot rating, while Incogni's is approximately 4.4/5, with several thousand more reviews. This makes Incogni the more-reviewed service, though not necessarily the higher-rated one.
Reviews for both services typically highlight the following:
- Simple and comprehensive data removal
- Easy-to-use dashboard
- Fantastic service
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.
Cape: The Carrier Built for Security and Privacy
Cape is a privacy-first mobile carrier designed to keep your communications safe from surveillance and misuse. Unlike traditional cell phone plan providers, our business model centers around providing you with premium and secure call, text, and data, rather than harvesting and selling your information.
Our service is built from the ground up with privacy and security at its core, offering unique features like:
Privacy & Security Feature | Description |
Cape doesn’t ask for your name, address, or Social Security number. We only collect the information necessary to provide service, and we retain that information for the minimum amount of time possible. | |
Traditional carriers rely on a fixed International Mobile Subscriber ID (IMSI) to connect your device to cellular networks. This is a vulnerability that lets carriers, advertisers, and bad actors identify and track your device. Cape lets subscribers automatically rotate their IMSI every 24 hours, making it infinitely more difficult to track you or your device. | |
Many services ask for your phone number, but sharing it exposes you to spam, scammers, data brokers, and a variety of other risks. VoIPs, on the other hand, don’t work with 2FA, cost extra, and aren’t encrypted. With Cape, you get two free additional SMS/MMS lines that are middle-to-end encrypted. | |
Most U.S. carriers store your call and text metadata for years, sometimes indefinitely. Cape is built to forget, so call data records (CDRs) are deleted after just 24 hours. | |
Cape nullifies the threat of SIM swapping by completely removing humans from the loop. During signup, you receive a 24-word phrase that generates a private key tied to your number. This effectively means that no one (but you) can move your number to a new carrier or device, not even Cape. | |
Legacy network protocols, like SS7, leave you vulnerable to hackers that can track your location, intercept your calls and texts, and steal sensitive information. Cape’s Network Lock relies on a proprietary signaling proxy to verify that your device’s physical location matches the network it’s trying to attach to. If we detect anything out of the ordinary, Cape automatically blocks the connection, nullifying the potential threat. | |
Traditional voicemail systems are outdated, unencrypted, and another security hole bad actors can exploit to gain access to your sensitive information. Cape encrypts all voicemails, ensuring only you can access them. | |
While roaming, your phone connects to local telecom providers to enable service. But, who knows who might be listening on the other end. Cape provides you with peace of mind by routing your traffic through our U.S.-based mobile core, ensuring your identity, data, and communications remain private and secure. |
Ditch Legacy Carriers: Get Cape Today
Cape is a “Heavy” Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), meaning we own our mobile core and provision our own SIMs. This gives us full control over how accounts are authenticated and what data is collected (and for how long), and is how we are able to provide privacy and security features no other carrier on the market can offer.
Get started with Cape today and enjoy the peace of mind, knowing you are fully protected against scammers, hackers, bad actors, and other mobile threats.
To help protect more than just your phone, we’ve partnered with Proton. As a new Cape subscriber, you can choose between Proton Unlimited and Proton VPN Plus for just $1 for six months.
FAQs
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