Data Broker Removal Services Compared

What to Look For in a Removal Service

Before comparing specific services, it helps to know which questions actually matter. The removal service market has grown quickly, and marketing language can obscure real differences in coverage and methodology. Here is the evaluation framework we use.

Broker coverage

How many data broker sites does the service monitor and submit removals to? This is the most fundamental metric, but the number alone does not tell the full story. A service that covers 500 sites but includes social media platforms, review sites, and corporate directories is inflating its count. What matters is coverage of actual people-search and data broker sites -- the ones that aggregate and sell your personal information. Ask specifically about people-search sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, and Radaris, not just the total number.

Removal verification

Does the service confirm that your data was actually removed after submitting an opt-out request? Many services submit the request and mark it as "done" without ever checking whether the broker complied. A legitimate removal service should re-scan each broker after submission to verify the profile is gone. This is harder than it sounds -- brokers take anywhere from 24 hours to 6 weeks to process removals -- but it is essential for knowing whether the service actually worked.

Re-monitoring and re-removal

Data brokers regularly relist profiles. A person who was removed from Spokeo in January may reappear by April, because brokers continuously ingest new data from public records and commercial databases. Any worthwhile removal service must monitor for re-listings and submit fresh opt-outs when profiles reappear. Ask how often the service re-scans and what happens when data comes back.

New broker discovery

The data broker ecosystem is not static. New sites appear regularly, and existing sites change their URL structures and opt-out processes. Does the service actively discover and add new brokers to its coverage list? A service running the same static list it launched with three years ago is missing sites that may have your data today.

Price-to-coverage ratio

Pricing ranges from under $8/month to over $20/month. More expensive does not always mean better coverage. Calculate the effective cost per broker covered to understand what you are actually paying for. A service that charges $15/month and covers 40 brokers costs roughly $0.38 per broker per month. A service that charges $8/month and covers 180 brokers costs $0.04 per broker per month. The math matters.

Transparency about methodology

Does the service explain how it works? Can you see which brokers it scans, which ones found your data, and what the removal status is for each? Opacity is a red flag. If a service shows you a dashboard that says "85% removed" without listing which sites were checked, which had your data, and which removals were confirmed, you have no way to evaluate whether the service is actually doing anything.

The Honest Comparison

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the major data broker removal services as of early 2026. We have tried to be fair. Every service on this list does useful work -- the question is which one fits your needs and budget.

A few notes on this table. DeleteMe is the longest-running service in this category and has the broadest site count, though their definition of "sites" includes categories beyond traditional people-search brokers. Kanary has built a strong product with genuine continuous monitoring and competitive pricing. Incogni, backed by Surfshark, offers solid coverage at the lowest price point but provides less granular visibility into removal status. OneRep provides a free scan upfront and good broker coverage. Privacy Bee targets a more premium segment with broader privacy services beyond just data broker removal.

Delist.ai is our service, so we will be direct about where we stand: our free scan covers 1,000+ data broker and people-search sites. Our scanning engine actively discovers new brokers and verifies removals by re-scanning after opt-out submission. Our paid removal service is launching soon. Where we are still building is in automated opt-out coverage -- some brokers require manual intervention due to CAPTCHAs or phone verification, and we are transparent about which ones those are.

What Most Services Don't Tell You

The removal service market has a transparency problem. Most services present a polished dashboard that shows requests submitted and profiles removed, but the details behind those numbers are often murky. Here is what tends to get left out.

Submitting a request is not the same as removing data

The majority of removal services submit opt-out requests and then report the request as "complete." But submitting a form is not the same as verifying the data is gone. Brokers can ignore requests, partially comply (removing your name but leaving your phone number), or take weeks to process them. A service that does not re-scan after submission has no way to know whether the removal actually worked. Ask any service you are considering: do you verify removal, and how?

Static broker lists age quickly

Many services launched with a list of 50 or 100 brokers and have not meaningfully updated it in years. The data broker ecosystem changes constantly. New sites appear, old ones rebrand, URL structures change, and opt-out processes get overhauled. A service that scanned 100 sites in 2022 may still list 100 sites in 2026, but if those are the same 100 sites with no additions, it is missing new brokers that have accumulated your data since then.

Re-monitoring intervals vary wildly

"Ongoing monitoring" can mean monthly, quarterly, or twice a year depending on the service. Some services re-scan only when you manually request it. The difference matters because data brokers relist profiles regularly -- a profile removed in January can reappear by March. If your service only checks quarterly, you could be exposed for months without knowing it. The ideal re-monitoring cadence is monthly or more frequent.

The cost per broker varies by an order of magnitude

When you divide a service's monthly price by the number of brokers it covers, the cost per broker ranges from a few cents to over a dollar. A service charging $16/month for 60 brokers costs about $0.27 per broker -- roughly 7x more per broker than a service charging $8/month for 200 brokers. This does not mean the cheaper service is always better (methodology and verification quality matter), but it is worth understanding what you are paying for.

How Delist.ai Works

We think the best way to earn trust in this market is to be specific about what we do and what we do not do. Here is our methodology.

What we do

• Scan 1,000+ data broker and people-search sites using a combination of direct profile URL checks, search engine queries, and automated page analysis. We do not inflate our count with social media or review sites.
• Analyze each page with AI to determine whether the listing actually belongs to you, not just someone with a similar name. We score confidence as High, Medium, or Low based on matching phone numbers, email addresses, locations, employers, and other profile data.
• Verify removals by re-scanning after opt-out requests are submitted. A removal is not marked complete until we confirm the profile is no longer visible on the broker's site.
• Re-monitor on an ongoing basis to catch re-listings. When a broker relists your profile, we flag it and re-submit the opt-out.
• Actively discover new brokers through automated analysis of search results. Our scanning engine identifies new data broker sites as they appear and adds them to our coverage list.

What we do not yet do

• Some brokers require manual intervention. Sites that use CAPTCHA challenges or phone-based identity verification on their opt-out forms cannot be fully automated today. We are transparent about which brokers fall into this category and provide clear instructions for manual submission when needed.
• Email confirmation flows are partially manual. Several brokers send a confirmation email after opt-out submission. We are building automated email handling but it is not yet live.
• We do not cover non-US brokers. Our current coverage is focused on US-based people-search and data broker sites. International coverage is planned.

What is coming

• Automated CAPTCHA solving to expand opt-out coverage to the remaining broker sites
• Automated email confirmation handling for brokers that require it
• Expanded broker list as we continue discovering and adding new sites
• Family plans for covering multiple people in a household

When Manual Opt-Out Is Actually Better

We sell a removal service, but we will be honest: not everyone needs one. In some cases, doing it yourself is perfectly reasonable.

You only have a few listings

If a scan shows your data on 2-3 broker sites, the manual opt-out process takes about 15-30 minutes per site. You fill out a form, verify your identity (usually by email), and wait a few days to a few weeks for the removal to process. For a small number of sites, this is a manageable task and there is no reason to pay a monthly fee for it.

You want to learn the process

Going through the opt-out process manually at least once teaches you how data brokers work, what information they have, and what the removal process actually involves. This knowledge is valuable regardless of whether you eventually use a service. We have a step-by-step guide if you want to try it.

When a service makes more sense

The calculus changes when your data appears on 10, 20, or 40+ sites. At that scale, manual opt-out becomes a multi-hour project that you need to repeat every few months as profiles reappear. The ongoing monitoring alone -- checking whether your removals stuck and catching re-listings -- is tedious enough to justify a service. If your time is worth more than $8/month, and your data is on a dozen or more broker sites, a service is the more practical choice.

There is also a middle ground: run a free scan to understand your exposure, manually opt out of the 3-5 sites that bother you most, and use a service to handle the long tail. This is a perfectly valid approach and one we support.