Data removal services compared: Optery vs DeleteMe vs Incogni and others

People-search sites and data brokers each have their own opt-out process. Doing them yourself is free and works, as we explain in how to remove your info from data broker sites. The problem is volume and repetition. There are dozens of sites, each wants confirmation, and listings come back after a few months.

A removal service takes that work off your hands. The basic loop is the same everywhere:

1. You give the service your name, past addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
2. It scans the brokers it covers, or simply sends requests to all of them.
3. It submits opt-out or deletion requests on your behalf, citing state privacy laws where they apply.
4. It re-checks on a schedule and re-submits when a listing reappears.

Note what step one means: you are handing a company the exact profile you're trying to hide. Choose one with a clear privacy policy that limits how it uses your data, and read it.

Ignore the broker count

Every service advertises how many brokers it covers. Those numbers are vendor claims, and they count differently: some include sister sites of one company separately, some count marketing brokers that never publish anything publicly, some include sites where they only provide you with instructions. A smaller number covering the big people-search sites well can do more for you than a larger one.

What does matter

• Proof of removal. Does the service show you the actual listing it found and confirm it's gone, ideally with screenshots or links? Or does it report "requests sent" with nothing you can check?
• Custom removal requests. Can you send it a URL for a site it doesn't normally cover and have it handled? Useful when your name turns up somewhere obscure.
• Family or household plans. Brokers link relatives. Removing yourself while your spouse's listing still shows your address only goes so far.
• People-search vs marketing brokers. Some services focus on the public sites a stranger can search. Others also send deletion requests to marketing and data aggregators you never see. Both matter, in different ways.
• Search results. Most services work at the broker level. Google's free Results about you tool handles Google Search results, so you may not need a service for that part.

We haven't listed prices. They change often, and several of these services price by term, household size or bundle. Check the current price on each company's own site. Where a cell says "check," we weren't confident enough of the current plan details to state them.

Optery

Optery's main distinction is transparency. Its free tier scans people-search sites and shows you screenshots of each listing it finds, with instructions for removing them yourself. Paid tiers submit the removals automatically, re-scan on a schedule and show before-and-after evidence. Higher tiers add custom removal requests and wider coverage, according to the company. If you want to see what you're paying for, that design suits you.

DeleteMe

DeleteMe, from Abine, is one of the longest-running services in this market. It combines automated requests with privacy staff, sends you periodic reports on what it found and removed, and accepts custom removal requests. It offers plans covering more than one person.

Incogni

Incogni was launched by Surfshark, now part of the Nord Security group. It sends deletion requests in bulk, including to marketing and risk-data brokers that never show up in a search, and tracks responses on a dashboard. You get less of a visual "here was your listing" trail than with Optery, so it suits people who are happy with automated coverage over proof.

Kanary, EasyOptouts and Aura

Kanary presents exposures in an app and handles removals from there. EasyOptouts keeps things minimal: automated opt-outs with little in the way of extras. Aura includes data broker removal as one feature inside a larger identity theft protection and security bundle. That makes sense only if you want the rest of the bundle; see is identity theft protection worth it? before you pay for one.

• Remove you from everything. Coverage is a list of brokers. New sites start up, and some sites ignore requests.
• Erase public records. Property deeds, court filings, business registrations and in many states voter records stay public at the source. A broker may drop your listing while the county website still shows your deed.
• Stop reappearance between scans. Brokers rebuild profiles from fresh data. A service catches that on its next pass, but a listing can be live in the gap.
• Undo a data breach. Stolen data trades on criminal markets where nobody files opt-outs. If your data was breached, follow what to do after a data breach, and freeze your credit. It's free and blocks new accounts in your name far more directly.

Start with a free scan so you know the scale of the problem. If it shows a handful of listings, remove them yourself in an afternoon and set a reminder to check again in a few months. If it shows dozens, or you want a household covered, or there's a safety reason to stay hidden, paying makes sense.

Then pick on what you value. Want to see evidence? Optery. Want people-staffed service with family plans? DeleteMe. Want the widest automated request net, including marketing brokers? Incogni. Already buying an identity protection bundle? Check whether it includes removal before paying twice.

Whichever you choose, keep doing the cheap things that reduce new exposure: email aliases for sign-ups, a second phone number for loyalty programs, and fewer accounts that tie your real name to your home address.