Aura vs Identity Guard (2026): What's the Difference? (Same Company, Different Products)

If you've searched "Aura vs Identity Guard," there's something most comparison articles don't lead with: these aren't really competitors. Aura and Identity Guard are part of the same corporate family.

That doesn't mean the comparison is pointless, though — the two products are priced and built differently enough that knowing which is which actually matters. Here's the real breakdown.

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Aura and Identity Guard Are Sister Brands

Aura, as a company, was formed in 2019 through a merger that brought together Intersections Inc. — the original company behind Identity Guard — with iSubscribed. The combined company took the Aura name and built a new, broader product under it, while continuing to sell Identity Guard as a separate, longer-standing brand.

In practice, that means:

• Aura is the newer, flagship product — built from the ground up as an all-in-one platform
• Identity Guard is the older, established brand — historically focused on credit and identity monitoring
• Both are sold by the same parent company, to different segments of the market

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Aura vs Identity Guard: Quick Comparison

Feature	Aura	Identity Guard
Starting Price (Annual)	~$10/mo (Individual)	~$7.50/mo (Value)
Mid-Tier Price	~$18/mo (Couple)	~$16.67/mo (Total)
Top-Tier Price	~$29/mo (Family)	~$25/mo (Ultra)
VPN	✅ Included, all plans	❌ Not offered
Antivirus	✅ Included, all plans	⚠️ Safe Browsing extension only
Password Manager	✅ Included, all plans	✅ Included, all plans
3-Bureau Credit Monitoring	✅ All plans	⚠️ Varies by plan
Identity Theft Insurance	Up to $1M–$5M (by plan)	Up to $1M
Family Plan	✅ Up to 5 adults + kids	✅ Available

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Key Differences Explained

1. VPN and Antivirus

This is the single biggest functional difference. Aura includes a full VPN and antivirus on every plan, including its cheapest tier. Identity Guard doesn't offer a VPN at all — its security tools are consolidated into a Safe Browsing app and browser extension instead.

If you want one subscription to replace a separate VPN and antivirus app, Identity Guard won't get you there — Aura will.

2. Pricing Overlap

Identity Guard's entry-level plan is cheaper than Aura's, but the gap closes quickly once you compare like-for-like. Identity Guard's top "Ultra" tier ($25/mo) costs more than **Aura's Individual plan ($10/mo)** while still not including a VPN or antivirus — and is close to Aura's Couple plan (~$18/mo), which covers two adults plus VPN, antivirus, and a higher insurance ceiling.

3. Identity Theft Insurance

Aura's insurance coverage scales with plan size — up to $1M on Individual, up to $2M on Couple, and up to $5M on Family. Identity Guard caps out at $1M across its plans, regardless of tier.

4. Credit Monitoring Depth

Aura includes 3-bureau credit monitoring on every plan, from the cheapest tier up. Identity Guard's credit monitoring coverage varies more by plan, which matters if catching new accounts or hard inquiries across all three bureaus is your main concern.

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Why Does the Same Company Sell Both?

It comes down to brand recognition and market segmentation. Identity Guard has existed since well before Aura did, with its own customer base and search recognition. Rather than retire that brand, the parent company kept it running as a separate option — often at lower headline prices — while building Aura as the more complete, modern flagship product.

For a new customer choosing between them today, this mostly comes down to one question: do you want a bundled VPN and antivirus, or not?

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Which One Should You Choose?

👉 Choose Aura if you want:

• A VPN and antivirus bundled in, on every plan
• 3-bureau credit monitoring regardless of tier
• The highest available insurance coverage (up to $5M on Family)
• One subscription that replaces several separate security tools

👉 Identity Guard might make sense if you:

• Specifically want the lowest possible entry price and don't need a VPN or antivirus
• Already have other security tools you're happy with and just want basic identity/credit monitoring

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🏆 Final Verdict

For nearly everyone, Aura is the better value — even at a similar price point to Identity Guard's mid-to-upper tiers, it includes a VPN, antivirus, and higher insurance limits that Identity Guard doesn't offer at any price.

Identity Guard isn't a bad product, but as its own parent company's pricing makes clear, Aura was built to be the more complete option — which is reflected in how aggressively it's priced relative to Identity Guard's higher tiers.

For full plan details, see our Aura pricing guide or Aura review.