Best Data Removal Services 2026, Ranked on Independent Evidence
We ranked 8 services that remove your personal information from people-search sites and data brokers. The order comes from published independent tests (Consumer Reports, 2024; a peer-reviewed PoPETs study, 2025), then price, coverage and refund terms. Commissions play no part.
The ranking at a glance
| Service | Price (1 person) | Coverage | Consumer Reports removal | PoPETs removal | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. EasyOptOuts | $19.99/yr | 200+ “high-visibility” data brokers and people-search sites | 65% after 4 months | not tested | 150-day money-back guarantee |
| 2. Optery | Free; paid from $39/yr | 375+ to 625+ sites depending on plan | 68% after 4 months | tested, see review | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| 3. Incogni | $95.88/yr | 420+ data brokers; Unlimited adds custom requests to 3,000+ sites | not tested | 76.6% after 30 days (self-reported) | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| 4. DeleteMe | $129/yr | “All major data broker websites” (no count on the pricing page) | 27% after 4 months | not tested | “100% Satisfaction Guarantee” (terms not stated on the pricing page); plans renew automatically unless canceled |
| 5. Kanary | $250/yr | Search engines, data brokers and more (count not stated on the pricing page) | 34% after 4 months | 23.4% after 30 days (self-reported) | not stated |
| 6. Aura | $144/yr (bundle) | 425+ data brokers, people-search sites, junk-mailers and Google results | not tested | not tested | 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans |
| 7. Privacy Bee | ≈$96/yr | 543 (Essentials) or 1,256 (Pro and Signature) sites | not tested | not tested | 30-day money-back guarantee on Essentials and Pro |
| 8. OneRep | ≈$99.96/yr | 317 people-search sites; Pro plans cover 876 brokers | not tested | not tested | A money-back guarantee is advertised; terms not stated on the pricing page |
Our picks, in order
#1 EasyOptOuts: Most US residents who want a cheap, proven baseline before trying anything pricier.
On independent evidence and price, EasyOptOuts is the strongest default. Consumer Reports measured it at 65% removal after four months, nearly matching Optery’s top plan, for $19.99 a year. Its list is shorter, so pair it with the free manual opt-outs in our guides for the sites it skips.
#2 Optery: People who want the broadest coverage with proof, and can pay for Extended or Ultimate.
Optery has the best independent effectiveness result of any paid plan, plus a useful free tier. The catch is price: that result came from the $249 Ultimate plan. Start free, and upgrade only if your scan shows listings that cheaper services don’t cover.
#3 Incogni: People who want hands-off requests to a wide range of brokers, including marketing brokers.
Incogni posted the highest removal rate in the peer-reviewed study, at a mid-range price. Two limits: the rate is self-reported by the service, and you can’t see the records it removes. Choose it for breadth, not proof.
#4 DeleteMe: People who value human-handled custom requests and don’t mind paying for them.
DeleteMe is the best-known name, but the independent test isn’t kind to it: 27% removal after four months, against 65% for EasyOptOuts at a sixth of the price. Choose it only if its custom requests matter to you.
#5 Kanary: People who mainly want Google-results monitoring and have tried cheaper options.
Kanary was tested twice by independent researchers and placed near the bottom both times, and it now costs $250 a year. We list it because it is a real non-affiliate option, but the evidence points elsewhere.
#6 Aura: People who already want identity-theft protection and would like data removal included.
Aura is an identity-protection bundle with data removal included, not a dedicated removal service, and its removal results haven’t been independently tested. Buy it for the bundle, not for removal alone.
#7 Privacy Bee: People who want the longest published broker list and accept that it hasn’t been tested.
Privacy Bee publishes the longest site list here, but no independent study has measured how many removals actually stick. It’s a reasonable pick if breadth matters most to you, but it’s unproven.
#8 OneRep: Only people comfortable with the ownership history documented by KrebsOnSecurity.
OneRep is priced competitively and rates well on Trustpilot. But in March 2024 KrebsOnSecurity reported that its founder had launched dozens of people-search services and kept a stake in one, Nuwber. Mozilla then said it would wind down its OneRep partnership, which finally ended in December 2025. No independent test has measured OneRep’s own results. We rank it last on trust.
How we ranked them
We put independent effectiveness evidence first, then price for one person for a year, published coverage, refund and trial terms, and trust issues such as ownership and recurring complaints. Services with no independent test rank below those with good results. We don’t award stars or scores, because we haven’t run our own test. Full methodology.
FAQ
Do data removal services actually work?
Partly. In Consumer Reports’ test, only 35% of 332 people-search profiles were gone four months later across seven services. Results ranged from 4% to 68% by service, and doing the opt-outs by hand removed 70%.
Is it cheaper to do it myself?
Yes, and it worked best in Consumer Reports’ test. The trade-off is time. Each site has its own form, and records come back, so you need to repeat the checks every few months. Our free guides cover the big sites.
Will a removal service stop spam calls and emails?
Not reliably. These services remove listings from data brokers and people-search sites. Spam that comes from data breaches or from lists already sold keeps coming. That’s the most common complaint in the user reviews we read.
Why don’t you give star ratings?
We haven’t tested these services ourselves, so a star score from us would be made up. We rank on published test results, price, coverage and terms instead, and we show the evidence for each placement.