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Choose Incogni if you want a recurring removal workflow and may need custom requests on an eligible higher tier. Choose Optery if exposure visibility and screenshot-based reports matter more, or if its plan coverage better matches the sites you care about. Neither service can promise permanent deletion or removal from every data broker. Their advertised broker counts describe different plan catalogs and should not be treated as a direct measure of which will remove more of your information.
What separates Incogni and Optery?
Both services submit requests to data brokers and people-search sites, then provide some form of ongoing monitoring. Their current public materials emphasize different parts of that process: Incogni highlights automated recurring removals, while Optery emphasizes plan-based coverage, exposure visibility, and reports that can include screenshots.
Those differences describe product features, not independently established superiority. The useful comparison is whether a service covers the sites where your information appears, whether the plan you can buy includes the work you need, and how clearly it reports progress.
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The figures below are claims from each company’s current public materials, not a like-for-like efficacy test. Offerings, eligibility, prices, and covered-site lists can change; check the live plan page for your country before subscribing.
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| Decision | Incogni | Optery |
|---|---|---|
| Standard coverage | Its Help Center describes automated removals from 420+ sites. Incogni plan details | Ultimate is advertised as covering 635+ brokers and people-search sites, or 405+ without Expanded Reach. Optery pricing |
| Custom requests | Unlimited custom removal requests are listed for applicable Unlimited plans. Incogni plan details | Unlimited custom removals are listed with Ultimate; confirm the current tier rules on the pricing page. Optery pricing |
| Progress visibility | Incogni’s materials describe progress tracking; the Help Center lists a monthly Privacy Score for its family plan. Incogni plan details | Optery promotes exposure and removal reports with screenshot verification and real-time dashboard status. Optery pricing |
| Household plans | Family tiers support up to five members, according to the Help Center. Incogni plan details | Family plans are listed; check the live plan details for covered people and terms. Optery pricing |
| Regional limits | Protect and Concierge are described as U.S.-resident-only offerings. Incogni plan details | Coverage and plan terms depend on geography; use the country-specific pricing information. Optery pricing |
Which service covers more data brokers?
The headline counts are not directly comparable: they may refer to different plans, geographies, definitions of coverage, and dates. Incogni’s 420+ figure describes standard automated coverage in its Help Center; Optery’s 635+ and 405+ figures describe Ultimate coverage with and without Expanded Reach on its pricing page. A larger listed database does not establish that a service will find or remove more of your particular records.
An independent 2025 study by He and colleagues counted 743 unique brokers for Optery in its study dataset. That is a study-period measurement, not a current Optery plan count or a guarantee of today’s results. The paper counted 1,759 unique brokers across ten removal services and cited an estimate of approximately 5,000 brokers in operation; that estimate came from sources cited in the paper, not from a census conducted by the services. The study also reports that coverage evolves over time. Read the 2025 PoPETs study.
Does Optery show proof of removal?
Optery says its exposure and removal reports can include screenshot verification. That can make it easier to see a reported listing and track the status of a request. A screenshot is evidence of what was visible at a point in the process; it does not establish permanent deletion or prevent the data from appearing again.
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Does Incogni remove data from custom websites?
Incogni lists unlimited custom removal requests on applicable Unlimited plans. Optery also lists unlimited custom removals with Ultimate. If a specific site is your reason for subscribing, confirm that the exact plan accepts requests for that site and ask what response or evidence you will receive; a custom request is not a guarantee that the site will comply.
What does independent evidence say about effectiveness?
The 2025 study, “Measuring the Accuracy and Effectiveness of PII Removal Services,” by He, Snyder, and colleagues examined removal services using a defined collection period, selected plans, and a particular deduplication method. It is useful context for the limits of coverage, but it is not a current head-to-head verdict on Incogni versus Optery. Its participant study included 71 valid data collections after nine withdrawals, and its findings are bounded by its methods and sample.
The paper’s broader point matters more than treating any single count as a winner: services cover only part of a much larger broker landscape, and broker coverage changes. Neither a company’s marketing count nor a historical study count tells you whether a given plan currently covers the sites holding your information.
How to choose for your situation
Incogni may suit you if
- You prefer an automated recurring process and want to compare plans around standard removals.
- You have a known site requiring a custom request and are prepared to select an eligible higher tier.
- You need a household plan; verify the covered-member limit and applicable regional eligibility.
Optery may suit you if
- You value exposure visibility and reports that can show screenshots of listings or removal progress.
- You want to compare its coverage tiers, including the stated difference with and without Expanded Reach.
- You need custom requests and its current plan terms include the sites and people you need covered.
Check before paying
- Open the country-specific plan page and confirm the available tiers and eligibility.
- Look for the exact broker or people-search sites where you have found your information; do not choose from the headline count alone.
- Confirm which tier includes custom requests, how many household members are covered, and what personal information you must provide.
- Review annual renewal costs, monitoring cadence, cancellation steps, and refund terms. Incogni’s Help Center states a 30-day money-back guarantee for Standard; verify current terms before purchase. Incogni plan details
- Check what the dashboard counts as progress and whether a report documents the listing, the request, or a completed removal.
Why recurring removals matter
A one-time deletion does not ensure a record stays gone. Brokers may retain or republish information, and a request can take time or remain incomplete. Incogni’s pricing page says annual plans include year-round monitoring, exposure checks, and resending requests to address recirculation. The same page cautions that some requests take over 30 days and may be incomplete, and that data can reappear after a one-time removal. Incogni pricing and subscription plans
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Ongoing monitoring is therefore a practical feature, not a promise of permanent erasure. Before subscribing to either service, understand what it rechecks, how often it resubmits requests, and what happens when your subscription ends.
What neither service can promise
- Removal from every data broker, people-search site, or search engine.
- Permanent deletion when a broker may retain or republish information.
- That every request will succeed, be completed quickly, or cover every member of a household.
- Prevention of identity theft or all future exposure of personal information.
Incogni’s own comparison page is a company-authored description of its competitor, so treat its comparative statements as vendor claims rather than independent findings. Incogni’s comparison page
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
