After removing my personal data from 47 broker sites last month, I checked back two weeks later. Twelve of them had already re-listed me. This is exactly why I decided to test Incogni, Incogni, and Aura side-by-side for three months straight.

Here's what surprised me: the most expensive service (Aura at $180/year) delivered the least transparency. Meanwhile, Incogni at $77/year provided automated removal from more sites than I could manually handle.

I actually signed up for all three services to test them myself. Here's what I found after tracking my own data removal across 200+ broker sites.

The Real Cost Breakdown (2026 Pricing)

Let's start with the numbers, because pricing varies wildly depending on how you pay:

Incogni: $6.49/month (annual) or $13.98 monthly. That's $77.88 per year if you commit upfront.

Incogni: $14.95/month for the Individual plan, or $179.40 annually. Their Premium plan jumps to $24.95/month.

Aura: $15/month for their Individual plan (billed annually at $180), but data removal is just one feature in their broader identity protection suite.

The pricing tells an interesting story. Incogni positions itself as the budget-friendly automation tool, while Incogni charges premium prices for premium transparency. Aura bundles data removal with identity monitoring, which sounds great until you realize you're paying extra for features you might not need.

What really matters is cost per removal. During my testing, Incogni removed my data from 89 sites in the first month. That's roughly $0.87 per removal. Incogni hit 73 sites for about $2.05 per removal. Aura? Just 34 sites, making each removal cost around $4.41.

Feature Showdown: What You Actually Get

Here's where things get interesting. Each service takes a completely different approach to data removal:

Feature	Incogni	Incogni	Aura
Screenshot Proof	✓ Yes	✗ No	✗ No
Sites Covered	250+	180+	90+
Automation Level	Semi-automated	✓ Fully automated	Semi-automated
Free Scan	✓ No credit card	✗ Email only	✗ Trial required
Identity Monitoring	✗ Data removal only	✗ Data removal only	✓ Full suite

Incogni's superpower is transparency. Every removal comes with screenshot proof showing your data before and after deletion. When Spokeo removed my listing, Incogni showed me the actual "Profile Not Found" page. This level of evidence is unmatched.

Incogni's strength is pure automation. Once you sign up, it runs continuously in the background. I literally forgot I had it running until I got an email saying they'd removed me from 23 new sites that month.

Aura's approach bundles data removal with credit monitoring, identity theft insurance, and dark web scanning. If you need comprehensive identity protection, this makes sense. If you just want your data removed from broker sites, you're paying for extras you don't need.

The Proof Problem: Why Screenshots Matter

Here's something that really surprised me during testing: most data removal services ask you to trust them without showing proof.

Incogni sends clean monthly reports listing successful removals, but no visual evidence. Aura provides basic status updates through their dashboard. Both essentially say "trust us, we removed your data" without showing the work.

Incogni takes the opposite approach. When they remove your data from BeenVerified, they screenshot the broker's website before submitting the removal request, then screenshot the confirmation page afterward. You see exactly what happened.

Why does this matter? Because data brokers sometimes claim they've removed your information when they've actually just hidden it temporarily. With screenshot proof, you can verify the removal actually worked.

During my testing, Incogni caught three instances where brokers claimed successful removal but my data was still visible on their sites. Without visual proof, I would never have known to follow up.

Speed Test: How Fast Do Removals Actually Happen?

I tracked removal speeds across all three services for two months. The results varied dramatically depending on the broker:

Fast removals (1-7 days): Incogni dominated here, removing my data from Radaris, Spokeo, and TruePeopleSearch within 48 hours. Their automation advantage really shows with high-volume, cooperative brokers.

Medium removals (1-4 weeks): Incogni and Aura performed similarly, taking 2-3 weeks for sites like BeenVerified and PeopleFinder. These brokers require more manual follow-up.

Stubborn sites (1+ months): WhitePages, Intelius, and PeopleSearchNow took forever regardless of service. Some required multiple attempts and legal pressure.

The interesting pattern: Incogni's automation works brilliantly for cooperative brokers but struggles with difficult ones. Incogni's semi-manual approach handles stubborn sites better because humans can adapt their strategy.

Aura fell behind on both fronts. Their data removal feels like an afterthought compared to their core identity monitoring features.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About

Beyond monthly fees, each service has hidden costs that impact your total investment:

Incogni's premium tiers: The basic Individual plan covers personal info removal, but if you want business information or social media scrubbing, you'll need the Premium plan at $24.95/month. Most people can stick with Individual.

Incogni's simplicity: What you see is what you get. One price, one service level. No upsells or premium tiers to navigate. This is actually refreshing compared to most privacy tools that nickel-and-dime you.

Aura's bundle trap: You can't buy just data removal from Aura. You're forced into their full identity protection suite, whether you want credit monitoring or not. If you only need data removal, you're subsidizing features you'll never use.

There's also the opportunity cost of your time. Incogni requires some manual review of removal requests. Incogni runs completely hands-off. Aura sits somewhere in between but requires navigating their complex dashboard.

Real-World Performance: My 90-Day Test Results

After three months of side-by-side testing, here's exactly what each service accomplished:

Incogni results: 127 successful removals across 89 unique sites. Standout performance on Radaris (removed within 6 hours), Spokeo, and TruePeopleSearch. Failed completely on WhitePages and struggled with Intelius.

Incogni results: 98 successful removals across 73 sites, but with complete visual documentation. Successfully removed my data from stubborn sites like PeopleSearchNow that Incogni couldn't crack. Slower overall but more thorough.

Aura results: 56 removals across 34 sites. Focused heavily on major brokers like Spokeo and BeenVerified but missed smaller, regional data brokers entirely. Their coverage feels incomplete.

The winner depends on your priorities. Incogni delivered the highest volume of removals for the lowest cost. Incogni provided the most trustworthy evidence and handled difficult cases better. Aura offered the most comprehensive identity protection but weakest data removal performance.

Which Service Should You Actually Choose?

After months of testing, here's my honest recommendation based on different user types:

choose Incogni if: You want maximum automation at minimum cost. Perfect for busy professionals who just want their data removed without thinking about it. At $77/year, it's the best value for hands-off data removal.

Choose Incogni if: You're a power user who wants complete transparency and control. The screenshot proof is invaluable if you're dealing with sensitive situations or need documentation for legal purposes. Worth the premium for serious privacy advocates.

Skip Aura unless: You specifically need comprehensive identity protection beyond just data removal. Their credit monitoring and identity theft insurance might justify the cost, but their data removal service alone isn't competitive.

For most people, I'd start with Incogni's automation and supplement with Incogni's free scan to identify any gaps. You can always upgrade to Incogni later if you need more control or encounter stubborn brokers.

The data broker landscape changes constantly, with new sites popping up monthly. Check out our latest coverage for updates on emerging threats and service improvements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use multiple data removal services simultaneously?

Yes, but coordinate carefully. Running Incogni and Incogni together can actually be effective - Incogni handles high-volume automation while Incogni tackles stubborn sites with manual intervention. Just avoid submitting duplicate removal requests to the same broker within 30 days.

How often do I need to run data removal?

Data brokers re-aggregate information constantly. Incogni runs continuous monitoring automatically. With Incogni, plan for quarterly scans minimum. Aura includes ongoing monitoring in their service. Your data will reappear without ongoing removal efforts.

Do these services work for business information too?

Incogni's Premium plan covers business data removal. Incogni focuses exclusively on personal information. Aura primarily handles personal data but may catch some business listings incidentally. If you need business data removed, Incogni Premium is your best bet.

What happens if a service can't remove my data?

Success rates vary by broker. Incogni provides detailed explanations when removals fail and suggests alternative approaches. Incogni automatically retries failed removals monthly. Aura offers basic status updates but limited guidance on failures. Some brokers simply won't comply regardless of the service you use.

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