Independent Audits

We audit the services we refer you to

Honest audits of data removal services

When your scan finds exposures, we point you to removal services. Before we recommend one, we audit it: what it claims, what it delivers, and where it falls short. If a service underperforms, we say so and stop recommending it.

How we make money, in plain terms

If you sign up with a service through our links, we may earn a referral fee. That fee never changes a rating. Our audits are written first, and referral relationships come second. A service that pays us nothing can outrank one that does. Your scan results are never shared with any partner.

DeleteMe

Audited ยท July 2026

Operated by Abine (Boston, in business since 2010). Human privacy specialists submit and follow up on removal requests across data broker and people-search sites, with quarterly reports showing what was found and removed.

Coverage

Strong

DeleteMe publishes a list of the data broker and people-search sites it covers, claiming 750+ sources. Its coverage list is public and regularly updated, which is more than most competitors offer.

Effectiveness

Strong

Removals are performed by human privacy specialists rather than pure automation, and the service re-checks sources on an ongoing cycle since broker records commonly reappear.

Transparency

Strong

Subscribers receive detailed quarterly privacy reports listing where data was found and what was removed. This is the clearest removal evidence trail we have seen in the category.

Privacy practices

Good

To remove your data, DeleteMe necessarily has to hold your data. Its privacy policy commits to not selling customer information. That is the right commitment, but it means trust in the company is part of the deal.

Price and value

Good

Pricing starts at roughly $10.75 per month billed annually for one person (per published pricing at the time of this audit). Not the cheapest option, but the human-review model and quarterly reporting justify the premium for most people.

Watch-outs

Caution

Coverage is US-centric. International brokers are a weaker area. Annual billing renews automatically, so calendar your renewal date. Removal is a treadmill, not a one-time fix: cancel and records tend to return.

Our verdict

DeleteMe is the service we currently recommend first for US residents. Human-reviewed removals, a public coverage list, and quarterly evidence reports set the standard the rest of the category should meet. Know the limits: it is US-focused, it is a subscription treadmill by nature, and you are trusting the company with the data it removes elsewhere.

Visit DeleteMe

Referral link. See our disclosure above.

Audits in progress

Incogni

Coming soon

Automation-first broker removal by Surfshark. Our audit will focus on whether its automated approach matches human-reviewed services on completeness and proof of removal.

Optery

Coming soon

Known for before-and-after screenshots of removals and a functional free tier. Our audit will test its exposure-scan accuracy and how its paid tiers compare on real coverage.

How we audit

Coverage

How many brokers and people-search sites the service actually reaches, versus what its marketing claims.

Effectiveness

Whether removals actually happen, how long they take, and whether records quietly reappear later.

Transparency

Does the service show you proof of what was removed, or just a progress bar and a promise?

Privacy practices

What the service itself collects about you, how it stores it, and whether it ever shares or sells it.

Price and value

What you pay against what you measurably get, including renewal pricing and cancellation friction.

Support and accountability

How the company responds when a removal fails or a record resurfaces.

Ratings reflect our editorial judgment at the time of publication and are re-checked as services change. Found something we got wrong? We want to know.

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