Editor's Overview:
- The Winner: WalletHub
- All three companies provide identity theft protection tools to watch over your personal information and send alerts to notify you about suspicious activity.
- WalletHub and Guardio offer free plans that provide basic identity theft protection features. LifeLock does not have a free plan.
- WalletHub and LifeLock allow you to view your credit score and report and get credit monitoring Guardio does not offer these features.
- WalletHub's premium subscription offers more features at a cheaper price than both Guardio and LifeLock.
- WalletHub offers the most tools for improving your overall financial health, such as tools for budgeting, paying off debt, tracking recurring bills, and monitoring your net worth.
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LifeLock vs. Guardio vs. WalletHub: Key Characteristics
| Features | LifeLock | Guardio | WalletHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average App Rating | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| Free Plan Available | No | Yes | Yes |
| Premium Plan Cost | $10.42 -$40/month (billed annually) | $119.88 - $279.90 / year | $7.99 per month, billed annually (SAVE 50.0%) |
| Number of Authorized Users | N/A | N/A | 5 |
| Credit Builder | No | No | Yes |
| Daily Updates to Scores & Reports | Yes | No | Yes |
| Credit Monitoring | Yes | No | Yes |
| Overall Financial Health Score (e.g. WalletScore) | No | No | Yes |
| Budgeting | No | No | Yes |
| Spending Tracker | No | No | Yes |
| Debt Payoff Plan | No | No | Yes |
| Dark Web Monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Identity Theft Restoration/Insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Net Worth | No | No | Yes |
| Investment Tracker | No | No | Yes |
| Compatible Devices | Web, Apple, and Android | Web, Apple, and Android | Web, Apple, and Android |
You can get more details about these companies below. We’ll also list which one comes out on top for key categories, such as identity theft protection, credit management, and budgeting.
LifeLock vs. Guardio vs. WalletHub: Identity Theft Protection
Winner: WalletHub
| Features | LifeLock | Guardio | WalletHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Report Monitoring | Yes | No | Yes |
| Real-Time Credit Inquiry Alerts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Change of Address Alerts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Password Monitoring | No | No | Yes |
| Social Security Number Trace Alerts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Credit Lock (with alerts and scheduling) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Identity Theft Restoration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dark Web Monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| $1,000,000 Identity Theft Insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced Loan Monitoring | Yes | No | Yes |
| Lost Wallet Assistance | Yes | No | Yes |
| USPS Address Monitoring | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bank Account Takeover Monitoring | Yes | No | Yes |
| Checking & Savings Account Application Alerts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Criminal Activity Monitoring | Yes | No | Yes |
| OFAC Sanctions List Monitoring | No | No | Yes |
| SMS for Urgent Alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
All three companies offer dark web monitoring and identity theft insurance. However, WalletHub and LifeLock have more robust identity theft protection tools than Guardio, offering features such as change-of-address alerts, Social Security number trace alerts, lost wallet assistance, and bank account takeover monitoring. Both apps also give you the ability to lock your credit report directly from your account.
WalletHub wins this category because it offers all these features, and many more, at a cheaper price than LifeLock and Guardio.
LifeLock vs. Guardio vs. WalletHub: Credit Tools
Winner: WalletHub
| Features | LifeLock | Guardio | WalletHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Scores | Yes | No | Yes |
| Full Credit Reports | Yes | No | Yes |
| Daily Updates to Scores & Reports | Yes | No | Yes |
| Credit Builder | No | No | Yes |
| Credit Analysis | No | No | Yes |
| Enhanced Credit Report Insights | No | No | Yes |
| Why My Credit Score Changed | No | No | Yes |
| Credit-Improvement Plan | No | No | Yes |
| Credit Score Goals | No | No | Yes |
| Credit Score Simulator | No | No | Yes |
| Debt Payoff Plan | No | No | Yes |
| Debt Payoff Goals | No | No | Yes |
You can check your credit score and report, and get 24/7 credit monitoring, with WalletHub and LifeLock, unlike Guardio. But WalletHub has the edge in this category since it provides a detailed breakdown of what’s impacting your credit score and a plan to improve it. WalletHub also gives you access to a credit score simulator and allows you to report your on-time rent and utility payments to the credit bureaus to build credit. Guardio and LifeLock don’t offer these features.
LifeLock vs. Guardio vs. WalletHub: Budgeting Tools
Winner: WalletHub
| Features | LifeLock | Guardio | WalletHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spending Tracker | No | No | Yes |
| Budgeting | No | No | Yes |
| Customizable Transaction Alerts | No | No | Yes |
| Financial Reports | No | No | Yes |
| Share Transactions | No | No | Yes |
| Number of Budgeting Methods Supported | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Subscription Manager | No | No | Yes |
| Savings Goals | No | No | Yes |
| Spending Trimmer | No | No | Yes |
| Transaction Validator | No | No | Yes |
| AI-enhanced Transactions | No | No | Yes |
Unlike Guardio, both WalletHub and LifeLock let you connect your financial accounts to track transactions. However, only WalletHub will break down your spending into different categories, allow you to track your recurring expenses in one list to make it easier to spot subscriptions you no longer need, and let you manage your budget right from your account. That is why WalletHub wins this category. LifeLock and Guardio do not offer these features.
LifeLock vs. Guardio vs. WalletHub: Investing & Retirement
Winner: WalletHub
| Features | LifeLock | Guardio | WalletHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Worth | No | No | Yes |
| Investment Tracker | No | No | Yes |
| Investing News | No | No | Yes |
| Sync Real Estate Values | No | No | Yes |
| Sync Vehicle Values | No | No | Yes |
You can sync your investments, such as brokerage and retirement accounts, with WalletHub and LifeLock. However, WalletHub is the only app here that allows you to monitor the performance of your investments over time. LifeLock is only tracking your investment accounts to monitor for suspicious activity.
WalletHub also lets you track your home value, monitor your net worth, and see investment news straight from your account. LifeLock doesn’t offer these additional features, and Guardio doesn’t have tools that let you track your investments.
LifeLock vs. Guardio vs. WalletHub: Additional Features
Winner: WalletHub
| Features | LifeLock | Guardio | WalletHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Alerts | No | No | Yes |
| Custom Dashboards | No | No | Yes |
| Auto Insurance Score | No | No | Yes |
| Financial Timeline | No | No | Yes |
| App Store Rating | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Google Play Rating | 4.4 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Details Loaded From Credit Report | Yes | No | Yes |
| Customer Support (like email/live chat/etc) | Phone & mail | Email & phone (only with the VIP plan) |
WalletHub provides many specialized features for an enhanced user experience, such as a customizable dashboard, a financial timeline that summarizes important alerts, and access to your auto insurance score and WalletScore. This gives WalletHub the top spot in this category. Neither LifeLock nor Guardio has any of these additional features.
