In 2023, U.S. consumers lost more than $10 billion to fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission, the highest amount ever recorded by the agency. That same year, the FTC logged more than a million cases of identity theft.
Billing itself as an all-in-one digital safety solution, Aura offers identity theft protection, spam blocking, antivirus software, parental controls and more. But the Aura app also includes benefits associated with personal finance apps, including credit score and credit monitoring reports.
Below, CNBC Select reviews Aura’s features, benefits and pricing and looks at how it stacks up to the competition.
Aura
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Cost
Individual plan: $9/month billed annually or $12/month billed monthly; Couple plan: $17/month billed annually or $20/month billed monthly; Family plan: $20/month billed annually or $32/month billed monthly
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Standout features
Protects against financial fraud, identity theft, spam calls, online theft, phishing and scam websites, viruses and malware, as well as offering security tailored to kids and financial alerts like credit score monitoring
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Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Pros
- Extensive security offerings that provide protection from hackers and online predators
- Credit score monitoring and access to credit report
- Discount if choose to bill annually versus monthly
- 14-day free trial and, on all annual plans, 60-day money-back guarantee
- Offers couple and family plans
Cons
- Costs for whichever plan you choose
Overview
Individual plan: One person and up to 10 devices
Couple plan: Two people and up to 20 devices
Family plan: Five adults, unlimited children and up to 50 devices
Aura’s top features include:
- Identity theft and fraud protection
- Credit monitoring and credit score
- Antivirus software
- VPN
- Spam blocking
- Password manager and vault
- Dark web monitoring
Aura’s family plan adds parental controls like content filters, screen-time limits and alerts about in-game threats, as well as the ability to track how long your kids have been online.
Features
Aura goes beyond securing your identity, offering robust protections for your credit report and online activity. Here’s a breakdown of Aura’s services:
Identity theft protection
- Identity monitoring: Aura will notify users if their Social Security number, driver’s license, passport, email or other accounts have been breached or found on the dark web.
- Identity theft insurance: Aura’s $1 million identity theft insurance policy doesn’t just cover financial losses and legal fees, it includes lost wages and child care while you resolve the issue.
- Home and auto title monitoring: If a scammer gets access to your title, they can use it as collateral for a loan or illegally sell your car or house. Aura monitors public records for any unauthorized changes or suspicious activity relating to your deed and title.
- Fraud resolution team: If you’ve been the victim of ID theft, Aura’s staff is on hand 24/7 to help initiate credit freezes, work with credit bureaus and notify creditors and law enforcement.
Credit protection
- Credit monitoring: Aura reviews all three main credit bureaus to alert you if someone tried to open a credit card or bank account in your name.
- Monthly credit score: Aura sends users their updated VantageScore each month. While lenders more often check FICO scores, your VantageScore can still give insight into whether good financial habits are paying off.
- Account monitoring: Aura notifies you about unusual activity in your bank and investment accounts.
- Lost wallet service: If your wallet is lost or stolen, Aura helps cancel credit cards and other sensitive items and order replacements.
Online protection
- Password manager: Aura can generate strong passwords for you and securely store them using encryption.
- Smart vault: Each plan member is given up to 1GB of encrypted cloud to store important or sensitive files.
- VPN: Aura’s VPN uses military-grade encryption to protect your online activity when using public WiFi. If you’re traveling, it can also connect you to a U.S. virtual location.
- Safe browsing: Aura’s AI-powered safe browsing feature prevents users from entering questionable websites, including scams or phishing sites.
- Privacy assistant: Aura will contact data brokers to remove your information so you’re not flooded with telemarketing calls and spam emails.
Fees
Individual plan: $12 per month (or $9 per month, if billed annually)
Couple plan: $20 per month (or $17 per month, if billed annually)
Family plan: $32 per month (or $20 per month, if billed annually)
How Aura compares to the competition
There are a lot of offerings in the identity theft protection market. Here’s how Aura stands up against two other services.
Aura vs. IdentityForce
Aura and the IdentityForce®+Credit plan offer comparable protection against identity theft and financial fraud, though IdentityForce’s plans provide $2 million in identity theft insurance, twice what Aura does.
IdentityForce®
On IdentityForce®’s secure site.
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Cost
UltraSecure Individual: $19.90 per month or $199.90 per year; UltraSecure+Credit Individual: $34.90 per month or $349.90 per year; UltraSecure Family: $24.90 per month or $249.90 per year; UltraSecure+Credit Family: $39.90 per month or $399.90 per year
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Credit bureaus monitored
3-bureau credit monitoring, alerts and reports: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion®, with UltraSecure+Credit Individual and UltraSecure+Credit Family plans only
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Credit scoring model used
VantageScore® 3.0, with UltraSecure+Credit Individual and UltraSecure+Credit Family plans only
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Dark web scan
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Identity theft insurance
Yes, at least $1 million with all plans
When it comes to cost, however, Aura comes out on top: Its individual plan starts at $12 a month (or $9 per month if you sign up for an annual plan) while IdentityForce+Credit is $35 a month (or about $29 a month for an annual plan).
Aura’s family plan is $32 monthly (or $20 a month billed annually), compared to about $40 per month for the IdentityForce+Credit family plan (or about $33 a month billed annually).
In addition, IdentityForce only allows two adults and 10 kids on its family plan, but that’s a moot point except for the largest of families.
Aura vs. Experian IdentityWorks
Experian IdentityWorks℠ is one of the few ID protection services with a free tier: Its basic plan gives users monthly access to their FICO score, plus credit report monitoring and dark web surveillance.
Experian IdentityWorks℠
On Experian’s secure site.
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Cost
Basic: Free; Premium: 7-day trial, after $24.99 per month; Family: 7-day trial, after $34.99 per month
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Credit bureaus monitored
1-bureau credit monitoring, alerts and reports: Experian, with Basic plan only and 3-bureau credit monitoring, alerts and reports: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion®, with Premium and Family plans only
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Credit scoring model used
FICO® Score 8, with all plans
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Dark web scan
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Identity theft insurance
Yes, up to $1 million with all plans
*Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
But to get more of the services that Aura offers — credit reports from all three bureaus, alerts about your bank accounts and Social Security number, $1 million in identity theft insurance and identity monitoring for up to 10 children — an IdentityWorks family plan costs $35 a month with no discount for an annual plan.
FAQs
Is Aura a legitimate company?
Yes, Aura is a legitimate company with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
How much is Aura a month?
An individual plan with Aura costs $12 per month (or $9 per month, if billed annually). The couple’s plan is $20 per month ($17 per month billed annually) and the family plan is $32 per month ($20 per month billed annually).
Does Aura provide credit reports from all three credit bureaus?
Yes, unlike some of its competitors, Aura offers regular updates from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.
Bottom line
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Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.