Why this comparison exists
Optery and Incogni are the two most-searched automated data broker removal services in 2026. Both automate opt-out submissions, data tracking, and re-listing monitoring; both charge a recurring subscription. The differences sit in pricing, coverage depth, family options, and the kinds of proof each service offers.
This page compares the two side by side using figures re-verified against optery.com/pricing, optery.com/about, incogni.com/pricing, and the Wikipedia entry for Incogni on 2026-10-10. Any future edit to a price, tier name, or coverage count should re-fetch those sources and re-verify before publishing.
💰 Affiliate Disclosure
Both Optery and Incogni are paid affiliate partners of this site. The links below use the tracking parameters issued to this site, so a purchase credits this site's affiliate account at no extra cost to the reader. Editorial verdicts below are independent of that arrangement. See the affiliate disclosure for the standing policy.
Optery: Start a free Optery exposure scan
Incogni: Start an Incogni Standard plan
Quick verdict
Pick Optery when
- The priority is the largest broker coverage at a paid tier (up to 630+ sites with the Ultimate plan).
- Search engine outdated-content removal to Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Yahoo is required.
- Before/after screenshots of removals are wanted as evidence.
- A free tier or free exposure scan is preferred before any commitment.
Pick Incogni when
- Multiple household members need coverage under one bill (up to 5 with the Family plans).
- The lowest monthly price for an automated service is the priority.
- The reader is already a Surfshark or NordVPN customer and prefers one ecosystem.
- Custom removals from more than 3,000 additional sites are wanted (Unlimited and Family Unlimited tiers).
Side-by-side pricing
Both vendors bill monthly or annually. The annual price below is the total paid up front for a 12-month term; the per-month figure assumes that annual total divided by 12.
| Tier | Optery | Incogni |
|---|---|---|
| Entry (monthly) | $3.99 | $7.99 |
| Entry (annual total) | $39 per year | $95.88 per year |
| Mid (monthly) | $14.99 | $14.99 |
| Mid (annual total) | $149 per year | $179.88 per year |
| Top (monthly) | $24.99 | $22.99 (Family Unlimited) |
| Top (annual total) | $249 per year | $275.88 per year (Family Unlimited) |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✗ |
| Built-in family plan | ✗ | ✓ |
| 30-day money-back guarantee | ✓ | ✓ |
Notes on the pricing table:
- Optery's entry tier is Core. A free Basic tier sits below Core with self-service tools and quarterly exposure reports.
- Incogni's mid tier is Unlimited; its top single-user tier is also Unlimited. The Family and Family Unlimited plans cover up to five members and are the only family options between the two services.
- Both vendors advertise a 30-day money-back guarantee on their pricing pages.
Coverage comparison
Coverage here means the count of broker sites the service actively submits opt-outs to under each plan. Optery uses a 2026 framing called Expanded Reach: the headline site count on the pricing page assumes Expanded Reach is on, and the count drops when it is off. Both numbers are shown below for clarity.
| Coverage item | Optery | Incogni |
|---|---|---|
| Sites covered (entry paid tier) | 380+ (Core) | 420+ (Standard) |
| Sites covered (mid tier) | 555+ (Extended) | 420+ plus 3,000+ via custom removals (Unlimited) |
| Sites covered (top tier) | 630+ (Ultimate) | 420+ plus 3,000+ via custom removals (Family Unlimited) |
| Custom removal requests | Ultimate only | Unlimited and Family Unlimited only |
| Search engine (Google, Bing, DDG, Yahoo) outdated-content removal | Ultimate only | ✗ |
| Google/Apple Maps blurring | Extended and Ultimate | ✗ |
Expanded Reach, in Optery's own framing, broadens the broker search by adding sites beyond the default core list. The Core plan shows 380+ sites with Expanded Reach on and 150+ with it off; the gap narrows on higher tiers where the core list already covers more ground.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Optery | Incogni |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier or scan | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automated opt-out submissions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ongoing re-listing monitoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Before/after screenshots as proof | Extended and Ultimate | ✗ |
| Weekly progress emails | ✓ | ✓ |
| Assigned human privacy agent | Extended and Ultimate | ✗ |
| Live phone support | Ultimate only | Unlimited and Family Unlimited only |
| Family plan (up to 5 members) | ✗ | ✓ |
| 30-day money-back guarantee | ✓ | ✓ |
Both services submit opt-out forms on the reader's behalf and re-check for re-listings. The differences below sit in the kind of proof and human help each one offers.
- Before/after screenshots are an Optery Extended and Ultimate feature. Incogni sends weekly progress emails but does not advertise screenshot proof on its pricing page.
- A human Privacy Agent is an Optery Extended and Ultimate feature. Incogni offers live phone support only on Unlimited and Family Unlimited plans.
- Search engine removal (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo) for outdated content about the reader is an Optery Ultimate feature and is not listed on Incogni's pricing page.
- Family plans exist on Incogni only. Optery plans are single-user; multiple Optery accounts would be billed separately.
How each service works in practice
Both vendors run the same broad workflow: discover the reader's listings across their broker network, submit opt-outs on the reader's behalf under a written authorization, monitor for re-listings, and surface progress through a dashboard plus email. The differences are in the depth of automation, the optional human layer, and how each presents proof.
Optery's flow
- Free exposure scan. Optery searches a wide slice of its network before any charge, which makes the Core plan a low-risk upgrade once the scan surfaces enough hits.
- Automated opt-outs. From Core upward, Optery submits and follows up on opt-outs without the reader filling out individual forms.
- Human Privacy Agent from Extended. Beyond the automation layer, an Optery staffer takes ownership of hard cases and multiple name variations or past locations.
- Before/after screenshots from Extended. Captures the broker page before and after removal as visual proof in the quarterly report.
- Outdated-content search engine requests at Ultimate. Submissions to Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo to remove outdated snippets that name the reader.
Incogni's flow
- Authorization and sign-up. No free tier; the cheapest entry is Standard at $7.99 per month billed annually. Sign-up takes a few minutes per the vendor.
- Standard automated opt-outs. The Standard plan covers 420+ brokers. The Unlimited tier keeps that 420+ base and adds unlimited custom requests across 3,000+ additional sites, with live phone support attached.
- Weekly progress emails. Incogni's standard reporting cadence. Screenshots are not advertised.
- Family plans bundle up to five household members into a single bill and dashboard, the only family option between the two services.
Trust and ownership context
Ownership context matters because both services hold personal information long enough to run removals on the reader's behalf.
Optery
- Independent Delaware C corporation, founded in 2020 per the Optery About page.
- Three named co-founders: Lawrence Gentilello, Chen Atlas, and Dekel Barzilay.
- Backed by Y Combinator per the same About page; no large consumer-tech parent company named.
Incogni
- Created by Surfshark in 2021 and launched publicly in January 2022 per Wikipedia.
- The live Incogni pricing page lists the operator as Incogni Inc. with an address in Mission Viejo, California. Older third-party descriptions of Incogni as a Lithuania-based Surfshark subsidiary are not reflected on the current pricing page; the operator page should be checked again on the next review cycle before repeating any prior phrasing.
- Surfshark and Nord Security merged their parent groups in 2022 per public reporting; whether that group still controls Incogni's operating entity is not stated on the current Incogni pricing page. State it as "created by Surfshark in 2021" and link to Wikipedia for the lineage; do not assert a current parent without re-verification.
Who should pick which one
Choose Optery if
- The reader's exposure scan shows hits across many US brokers and the priority is to cover the most ground.
- The reader wants outdated-content removals from search engines (Ultimate tier).
- Before/after screenshots are needed as evidence for a specific dispute, restraining order, or HR request.
- The reader wants to start with a free exposure scan before any commitment.
Choose Incogni if
- Two to five household members need coverage and a single bill is preferred.
- The lowest entry price for an automated removal service is the deciding factor.
- The reader already pays for Surfshark or Nord Security products and prefers one billing relationship.
- The reader wants unlimited custom removals from a broad 3,000+ site custom set on Unlimited and Family Unlimited tiers.
Choose neither (or do it yourself) if
- The reader has a minimal online footprint and exposure scans return nothing actionable.
- Public records (property, court, voter registration) are the only listings and no service can remove those.
- The reader has time to fill out 50 to 200 broker opt-out forms by hand over a few weekends.
- Identity theft insurance, credit monitoring, and password management are also wanted, in which case a broader identity-protection bundle may be a better fit than either of these two.
Reality check
What neither service can do
- Remove legitimate public records from government sources.
- Force a broker that ignores opt-outs to comply (a small fraction will not).
- Guarantee that removed listings will not reappear weeks or months later.
- Protect the reader from new data breaches; that is identity-monitoring territory, not data-removal territory.
Both vendors explicitly say re-listings can happen and that ongoing monitoring is part of the service. The honest framing is that data-removal subscriptions reduce exposure and shorten the half-life of listings; they do not eliminate the underlying problem that data brokers exist and that public records stay public.
References
- Optery Pricing (live 2026-10-10): tier prices, Expanded Reach site counts, plan inclusions.
- Optery About (live 2026-10-10): founding year 2020, Delaware C corporation, co-founders, Y Combinator backer.
- Incogni Pricing (live 2026-10-10): Standard, Unlimited, Family, Family Unlimited prices; 420+ broker base; 3,000+ custom removal set on Unlimited tiers; Incogni Inc. operator address in Mission Viejo, California.
- Wikipedia: Incogni: created by Surfshark in 2021, launched publicly January 2022.
- Optery full review on State of Surveillance
- Incogni full review on State of Surveillance
- Broader comparison: Optery, Incogni, DeleteMe, Aura, Kanary
- DIY data broker opt-out guide