With over $10B stolen in 2023 and Americans sitting at roughly a 1-in-4 chance of identity theft, I tested Aura vs LifeLock the way I’d want someone to test them for my own family: dark web alerts, credit monitoring depth, asset monitoring, support, and pricing. On paper they both check the same boxes—credit monitoring, asset monitoring, and dark web monitoring—but the details are where the gap shows up fast. LifeLock’s standard plan only monitors one bureau (Equifax). If you’re fine with single-bureau monitoring, I’ll be blunt: just use Credit Karma because it’s free. Aura gives three-bureau monitoring across plans, and it also monitors more “real life” assets—like birth certificates, IP addresses, and even loyalty cards (because yeah, I’m not letting someone steal my Jimmy John’s points). In my testing, Aura’s initial dark web scan came back quickly and was easier to review, while LifeLock took an extra 24 hours and returned repetitive results. LifeLock can offer higher insurance ($3M per adult) but only on the most expensive tiers. Aura includes $1M per adult (up to $5M total) and bundles a more comprehensive tool suite (VPN, antivirus, vault, parental controls, spam blocking, data broker removal). Add in Aura’s faster, more human support and clearer pricing, and for 2026 I recommend Aura for identity theft protection and overall bang for your buck.