Is DeleteMe legit? How it works and reviews

DeleteMe is a legitimate subscription-based data removal service that finds and removes personal information from public data broker websites and search engine results. It launched in 2011 and is owned by the Massachusetts-based parent company Abine.

When you sign up, you’ll complete an authorization form that grants DeleteMe limited power of attorney, allowing it to request the removal of personal information from websites on your behalf. This service is designed to reduce your online exposure, in turn addressing your vulnerability to scams, fraud, and identity theft.

The company is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, which means it has been audited to ensure that any sensitive data you share remains confidential and secure. There’s a similarly named company, deleteme.com, which is a different (but also reputable) service. The website for the DeleteMe service we’re discussing in this article is joindeleteme.com.

How DeleteMe works

First, you have to share the types of personal information you want to find and remove with DeleteMe. The service then filters through a list of data broker websites and submits opt-out requests on your behalf. According to DeleteMe’s website, their automated process leaves the average customer with 15 fewer public Google-able listings within the first few days of subscribing.

Here’s how to use DeleteMe to reduce your online exposure:

1. You submit your information: After signing up, you need to complete a form with the details you want DeleteMe to search for, such as your name(s), addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. DeleteMe only searches for and removes the information provided.
2. You authorize the service: You need to sign an authorization form granting limited power of attorney so that DeleteMe can send data opt-out requests on your behalf.
3. DeleteMe searches data broker sites: DeleteMe’s team searches up to 976 data broker sites for your information. Your first exposure report is typically delivered within seven days of signing up — check out this example.
4. DeleteMe automatically removes your data: DeleteMe automatically sends removal requests to many of the sites where it finds your info. It can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks for your info to get wiped, depending on the broker. And when a removal happens, you’ll receive a confirmation email.
5. You submit custom removal requests: Some sites require you to take manual steps, such as filling out additional forms or verifying your identity. In these cases, DeleteMe gives you step-by-step guidance to help you remove your info from the data broker.
6. DeleteMe regularly rescans and sends reports: After signing up, DeleteMe will send you quarterly reports with any new personal information they found, where they found it, and the status of your removal requests.

DeleteMe was ranked as the best dedicated service for data broker removal by Wirecutter in 2025. However, it’s important to remember that data broker removal is only one of many important steps you can take to boost your privacy.

And all of these steps are really only a means to a specific end — the ultimate goal is to improve your privacy to reduce your vulnerability to risks like scammers, fraudsters, and identity thieves.

What other features does DeleteMe offer?

DeleteMe is almost entirely focused on what it does best — automating the data broker removal process. However, the service comes with a few additional features, such as:

• Quarterly privacy reports: Every three months, you’ll receive a report summarizing what information was found on which data broker websites, along with the status of removal actions taken.
• Personal expert: A DeleteMe subscription includes access to individualized service from a digital privacy expert who can help answer your questions.

Notably, DeleteMe doesn’t extend beyond data brokers and people-search websites. That means it can’t help you with dark web monitoring, data breach alerts, or social media monitoring.

If you’re just looking for a way to reduce your exposure on public data broker websites, that’s not a problem. But if you want to take a broader approach to reducing your vulnerability to scammers and fraud, a fully-fledged identity theft protection service may be a better fit.

While specialized removal tools like DeleteMe focus on one specific vulnerability, identity theft protection services often include an automatic data broker removal feature in addition to monitoring that covers social media, credit reports, and the dark web.

What data does DeleteMe handle?

DeleteMe can help you remove many types of personally identifiable information from data broker websites, such as your date of birth, full name, photos, and email addresses. Here is a breakdown of the types of info the service deals with:

• Full legal name, including aliases and maiden names
• Date of birth and birthplace
• Current and past home addresses
• Active phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Photos
• Occupation and employer information
• Marital status
• Relatives and known associates
• Property value

This kind of personal information might not seem particularly sensitive, but the more of it that cybercriminals can access, the easier it is for them to impersonate you in fraud or target you with scams. Removing the information from public websites decreases the pool of data bad actors can work with, making you a harder target.

DeleteMe can remove it from most data broker websites on your behalf. But you may need to take manual action for certain data brokers that DeleteMe can’t automatically opt you out of.

It’s also worth noting that DeleteMe cannot remove information from social media profiles, the dark web, public records, or other websites that aren’t data brokers. It also may not be able to remove highly sensitive data — such as your Social Security number — from public data repositories that hackers often make public after data breaches.

Does DeleteMe actually work?

Yes, general consensus indicates that DeleteMe is an effective way to remove personal data from data broker websites. It often appears at or near the top of expert round-ups, including The New York Times’ Wirecutter list and AllAboutCookies' 2026 list.

However, it has a 3.9-star Trustpilot rating, as of July 2026, indicating mixed opinions from real customers. Positive reviews focus on benefits like a decrease in incoming spam calls and the speed at which information is removed. However, some negative reviews indicate that results weren’t as comprehensive as expected.

How much does DeleteMe cost?

DeleteMe plans and pricing vary depending on how many people you want to protect and the subscription term. Prices range from $129 for an annual, one-person subscription to $499 for a two-year subscription for a family of four.

Before signing up, you can get a free scan from DeleteMe to see which data brokers have your information, and whether you might want to pay to have it removed.

Do more to protect your data

Data removal services can help you boost your online privacy, minimize how easy it is for cybercriminals to target you, and perhaps reduce the number of robocalls and spam emails you receive. But identity theft protection services like LifeLock go way beyond data removal to provide more robust protection against scams, fraud, and identity theft.

As a LifeLock member, not only do you get access to an automatic data broker removal tool, you’ll also benefit from credit monitoring, dark web monitoring, data breach alerts, reimbursement coverage for scams and identity theft, and expert support if you ever need it. Combined, these features can help you protect against a broader range of threats, online and off.

FAQs

Does DeleteMe sell your data?

No, according to DeleteMe’s privacy policies, the service will never sell your personal data. Your information will only be shared with data brokers for the purposes of getting your data removed from their websites.

When does DeleteMe send your first report?

After you provide all the requested information, DeleteMe will send your first report seven days later. Additional reports are sent out once every three months (quarterly).

Are joindeleteme.com and deleteme.com the same?

No, these two services are not the same. The official site for DeleteMe is joindeleteme.com. deleteme.com is a different removal service that charges one-time, one-action fees.