Incogni vs DeleteMe: Privacy Protection That Lasts

If you’ve ever tried to erase your name, address, or any personal details from the web, you probably know by now that it’s not just a matter of clicking “delete.” Too many data brokers collect, handle, and resell your private information to advertisers, risk assessors, and marketing platforms, for example. But you’re not entirely powerless – that’s where services like Incogni and DeleteMe step in.

Both tools promise to contact data brokers and request removal on your behalf. However, while they share the goal, the way they work – and what they actually provide – is very different. Our comparison below looks at how they manage the task in detail to help you choose the right approach.

Quick Comparison: Incogni vs DeleteMe

Information verified as of October 2025.

Different Strategies, Same Goal

Both Incogni and DeleteMe exist to guard the privacy of your digital footprint, but how they do it couldn’t be more different.

DeleteMe relies on a privacy team that manually contacts public sites like Whitepages and Spokeo to ask them to remove your data. This human-led approach ensures attention to detail, but it’s slower, limited to visible databases, and requires frequent manual updates.

Incogni, by contrast, has entirely automated the process. Once you verify your identity, it contacts over 420 brokers on your behalf, both the public ones that show up in Google and private firms that sell behavioral, financial, and marketing data. Incogni’s system keeps monitoring the web for reappearances of your information, and then resubmits removal requests automatically, meaning your data stays off the market without you even thinking about it.

Scope and Broker Reach

When deciding on a data removal tool, it’s essential to know how many and what kinds of brokers they actually target.

DeleteMe focuses on public listings. It’ll be a good choice if you want to disappear from search results or make your information less visible to strangers and recruiters.

Incogni takes a broader approach. It manages both public directories and private brokers who are responsible for targeted ads, marketing profiles, and consumer risk scores. This wider coverage is especially beneficial when it comes to preventing your data from being redistributed later.

Transparency and Accountability

When you trust a company to manage your private data, you deserve to know what’s happening behind closed doors.

DeleteMe provides quarterly reports that clearly display where your data was found and what’s been removed, often including before-and-after screenshots. It’s a solid way to confirm progress, but it doesn’t give you too much insight into the deeper layers of the data broker ecosystem.

Incogni, on the other hand, goes beyond that. Its removal process has undergone independent limited assurance by Deloitte, verifying that everything proceeds as stated. The live dashboard shows current progress, confirmed deletions, and pending actions in real time. The only downside is that private brokers usually don’t provide any screenshots due to internal policies.

Pricing and Long-Term Value

Both providers use a subscription model, but the value you get per dollar differs.

DeleteMe costs about $10.75 per month when billed annually. It covers manual removals from roughly 100 public brokers and quarterly updates. Family options are available, and each additional member increases the total cost.

Incogni starts at $7.99 per month (annualized) and includes all the essentials in the most basic subscriptions – recurring removals, real-time reporting, and both public and private broker coverage. You can upgrade to add family protection or unlimited custom removals, but even the base plan provides comprehensive coverage.

Ease of Use

With DeleteMe, you’ll share your personal information once, then simply wait for quarterly updates. It’s incredibly easy to understand, but it’s more like a subscription service you have to check in on.

Incogni, on the other hand, feels like a privacy-guarding machine running quietly in the background at all times. After a quick verification, it starts sending requests and continues doing so indefinitely. You can log in anytime to see updates, but there’s no ongoing effort required from your side.

Choosing Between Incogni and DeleteMe

Different needs call for different tools. Here’s how to determine which provider fits your situation best:

• If you seek privacy without the homework, Incogni is the ideal choice. Its automated engine keeps scanning and resubmitting removal requests across public and private brokers, so you don’t have to think about it after setup.
• If you prefer more manual tasks and insight, DeleteMe might be suitable. Its quarterly reports show tangible proof of progress, but they come at the cost of slower turnaround and limited coverage.

Both tools simplify a process that would otherwise take dozens of hours – the difference lies in how hands-on you want to be.

Final Thoughts: Automation Wins in the Long Run

Both Incogni and DeleteMe share a common goal – helping you take back control of your personal data. However, they offer different means to achieve that.

DeleteMe leans on human precision and visible proof. It’s a familiar, dependable option for cleaning up what’s easy to find online. If your main concern is how your name appears in search results, it does that job well.

Incogni, conversely, is built for people who want privacy to run quietly in the background. It digs deeper, reaching into the private data broker networks that most of us never see; these are the ones that fuel profiling, spam, and targeted marketing. Its automated process means consistent removals, fewer blind spots, and no need for manual management.

So while both tools make online privacy more achievable, Incogni goes further. It turns what’s usually a tedious chore into a continuous system of protection, one that works quietly, reliably, and at a lower cost.

For anyone ready to reclaim their data and move on with their life, that’s a smart trade-off.