DeleteMe vs Incogni (2026)
Last reviewed September 25, 2026 · pricing snapshot 2026-09-24/25
Evidence base: both sides evaluated on the published audits, attestations, and documented pricing cited below. No in-house lab testing, no success-rate claims (none exist in the fact packs). How we evaluate
Both are subscription data-removal services, but they are built differently and that difference decides the answer. DeleteMe is the older, hands-on service: human operators file removals and custom requests across 750+ broker sites, with quarterly reports and an annual subscription model. Incogni is the automated one: an EU/GDPR-based service from the Surfshark family that runs continuous resubmission cycles against 420+ brokers, with a Deloitte-audited process report and cheaper monthly-equivalent pricing. If you want human handling and custom requests on a specific exposure, DeleteMe is the fit; if you want set-and-forget recurring removals at a lower price, Incogni is. If you can spend a few evenings submitting opt-outs yourself, the free path is real — what you're buying here is time and re-scan cycles.
Head to head
| DeleteMe | Incogni | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | 750+ broker/people-search sites; up to 40 custom removal requests per person per year | 420+ brokers (per the Deloitte-audited report) |
| Method | Human operators; quarterly reports; custom removal requests | Automated removal requests with recurring resubmission cycles — 60 days (public data) / 90 days (private) |
| Pricing (snapshot) | Individual $129/yr; Couple $229/yr; Family (4 people) $329/yr; 2-yr $209/$349/$499; Premium ~$180–199/yr; no monthly billing | Standard ~$7.99/mo billed annually (~$95.88), ~$15.98 monthly; Unlimited ~$14.99–17.99/mo annual; Family ~$15.99–22.99/mo annual; 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Audits / certifications | SOC 2 Type 2 attestation; ISO/IEC 27001 certification; GDPR/CCPA-aligned handling; third-party pen testing (self-described; no public pentest reports) | Deloitte ISAE 3000 limited-assurance engagement (report published Aug 2025): 420+ broker coverage, 245M+ removal requests processed, 60/90-day resubmission cycles, subscriber data not monetized |
| Jurisdiction | Abine, Inc. (d/b/a DeleteMe), Boston, MA — founded 2011 | Surfshark B.V., Amsterdam — EU/GDPR |
| Resurfacing handled by | Quarterly scan cadence; removed data can resurface as brokers re-scrape | Built-in recurring resubmission every 60/90 days because brokers re-add data |
| Guarantee terms | ~7-day refund window per third-party summaries (verify current policy) | 30-day money-back guarantee |
Sources for each row are in the fact pack and listed below. The Deloitte report PDF is directly linked — that is the strongest audit artifact on either side.
What the audits actually say
Be precise about the evidence classes, because they differ:
DeleteMe holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001 — certifications of operational controls. Its security page describes third-party penetration testing, but no pentest report is public. That is normal for a service company, but it means the audit trail is attestations, not published reports.
Incogni has a published Deloitte ISAE 3000 limited-assurance report (Aug 2025) covering its removal process — the 420+ broker figure, the 245M+ processed requests, and the 60/90-day resubmission cycles come from that audited report, which is linked in full. Limited assurance means Deloitte examined the process description; it is not a guarantee of outcomes.
Neither audit says anything about how much of your data gets removed — that depends on which brokers hold it and whether they comply, which is why neither service (and this page) claims a success rate.
Choose DeleteMe if…
- Your exposure includes specific listings you want custom removal requests against (up to 40 per person per year).
- You want human operators handling the paperwork rather than an automated pipeline.
- Annual billing fits your budget and you're comfortable with auto-renewal (the pack flags recurring-billing complaints — read the refund window before subscribing).
Choose Incogni if…
- You want continuous resubmission handled for you — the 60/90-day cycles exist precisely because brokers re-add data.
- You prefer monthly-equivalent pricing (~$95.88/yr standard vs DeleteMe's $129/yr) and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- You want a service whose process is externally audited with a published report.
Where both fall short
DeleteMe (from the fact pack): removals take weeks to months — brokers have 30–45-day legal windows and scans run quarterly; removed data resurfaces as brokers re-scrape; the “750+ sites” framing counts more broadly than the ~80–120 automated primary brokers plus custom requests; BBB shows an A+ rating alongside recurring billing/auto-renewal complaints.
Incogni (from the fact pack): removal is probabilistic, not guaranteed — broker compliance varies; coverage is limited to supported regions (~30+, mainly North America and EU); and the recurring resubmission exists because brokers re-add data — pausing the subscription pauses the cycle.
And the honest third option: doing it yourself. Every major people-search site has a free opt-out process, and California residents have a one-stop deletion request (DROP) that reaches 600+ registered brokers. Free opt-outs cost time, not money — each broker must be requested separately, requests expire, and profiles reappear when data is re-collected. A paid service mostly buys back that time and automates the re-scan cycle. The hub guide walks the free path step by step.
The honest bottom line
DeleteMe is the hands-on service with custom requests at a higher annual price; Incogni is the audited, automated one with recurring resubmission at a lower one. Both are honest about the same underlying reality: broker data re-collects, so removal is maintenance, not a one-time cleanup. Both are evaluated here on published audits and documented processes — not first-hand testing — and neither claim on this page is a success rate.
DeleteMe — pending approval
Our DeleteMe affiliate application (Impact/CJ, manual approval) is not approved yet, so no commission link appears here. When it lands, this slot becomes a disclosed affiliate CTA (“Check current price at DeleteMe”) under the site's standard: disclosure above the link, rel="sponsored nofollow", no invented ratings.
Incogni — pending approval
Same status for Incogni (Awin/Impact/MyLead tiers): the slot is marked, not linked. Per Incogni's own affiliate terms, no “100% removal” claims are allowed — a rule this page adopts editorially: neither service (and no audit) supports a success-rate claim.
Where to next
- How to delete yourself from the internet — the free DIY ladder, step by step.
- NordVPN review — the privacy-VPN layer of the same stack (approved links only on that page).
- How we evaluate.
Sources
DeleteMe and Incogni facts trace to the IG fact packs; the DIY/CCPA items to primary sources retrieved 2026-09-25:
DeleteMe
Incogni
Prices are snapshots from 2026-09-24/25 and must be re-verified on each official page. Both programs are pending approval for this site — no affiliate links until approved. This is a comparison built on published evidence, not purchasing advice, and no claim on this page is a success rate.