A quality Identity Theft Protection service can limit the damage from identity theft and aid in recovery. Our No. 1 rated service, Aura, is a great fit for most people but some users may have specific needs or wants that make a different service in our rating a better fit. Read our rating of the Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2024 to choose one that’s right for you.
Below is a detailed look at our Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2024. Note that all prices indicate the rate for a month-to-month subscription. Many companies offer a discount for paying annually.
- Monthly Plan Cost: $12.00
$24.00 - Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $9.00
$20.00
Pros:
Security for up to 10 devices
Cons:
No social media monitoring
Has trouble showing some streaming services
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Individual
Testing: We found Aura’s web and Android interfaces to be attractive and easy to use. They both have a rather spare, blue-and-white aesthetic that isn’t the most attractive but makes various features easy to find. We customized the service to track various information like our birth certificate, driver’s license number, email address, Social Security number, etc. Any alerts the service found were clearly displayed.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $29.95
- Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $24.96
Pros:
Includes features to protect children
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- UltraSecure + Credit
Testing: We found that the dashboard contained a lot of information such as articles about ID theft, but it was easy to read and navigate. To access credit monitoring, we had to enter our Social Security number again and answer some questions to verify our identity.
The Android dashboard didn’t have the informational articles but otherwise was similar. Overall, we liked IdentityForce and thought it was a good service.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $14.99
$29.99 - Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $12.99
$25.00
Pros:
Different plans to meet different budgets and needs
Powered by IBM’s Watson
Faster alerts than other companies
Cons:
Lower tier plans don’t offer a lot of features
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Ultra
Testing: After entering our name, date of birth, Social Security number, and other information to create an account, we then had to answer a few questions to verify our identity before accessing the credit monitoring feature.
The web and Android interfaces are divided into various sections (on the web) or tiles (for Android). Both were easy to understand and navigate.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $20.99
$34.99 - Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $19.99
$28.33
Pros:
Norton 360 cybersecurity available
Top plans are very comprehensive
Cons:
Among the more expensive ID theft protection services in our rating
Prices for most plans increase after first year
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Ultimate Plus
LifeLock’s plans all offer monthly payment options, but users can save by prepaying for a full year of service. All annual plans come with a 60-day money-back guarantee that ensures customers can fully try out all of LifeLock’s features without the risk of losing money. Lifelock is owned by the digital security giant Norton. While the service is separate from other Norton offerings, LifeLock users do have access to Norton add-ons like a password manager and a VPN.
Testing: We navigated through the web portal to sign up by entering the usual information (email, Social Security number, date of birth, etc.). We also downloaded the Android app without incident. Both were attractive and easy to navigate, with black text on a white background and yellow accents.
We thought LifeLock did a much better job of integrating other services like a VPN and antivirus software (neither of which we tested for this review) with its ID theft protection service than McAfee, a chief LifeLock rival.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $29.99
- Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $25.50
Pros:
Excellent credit monitoring
Cons:
Some Windows-only features
Extra cost for Bitdefender and other add-ons
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Secure Max
Testing: IdentityIQ’s sign-up process was a bit longer than some of the other services we tested. Among other things, it asked us if we wanted to “explore credit card offers,” which we declined, as we find this sort of upselling annoying.
Its web dashboard had more colorful text and graphics than many others. While it was fairly easy to navigate, we thought it was a little overcomplicated. That said, the service was easy enough to use overall. By contrast, the Android app was too simple and didn’t really do much other than provide alerts, account information, and contacts for technical support.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $19.95
- Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $19.95
Pros:
Budget-friendly individual plans
Excellent recovery services
Cons:
Relatively expensive family plans
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Individual 3 Bureau
Testing: When we signed up, IDShield first asked us if we wanted to “customize our protection based on our needs.” We said yes and answered questions about whether we used social media, used public Wi-Fi, were married, had dependents, had been a victim of ID theft, etc. We answered yes to all of them except the question about having been a victim of ID theft. It then asked us about our goals like improving our credit score, etc. We liked this more personal approach compared to some of the other services we’ve tested.
Once on the web dashboard, we found it simple and easy to navigate, with blue and black text on a white background. The Android app also was generally easy to use. However, we were unable to activate credit score tracking because it said it couldn’t verify our identity, even though we had answered all of the security questions correctly.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $9.99
- Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $9.17
Pros:
Cheap bundles with add-ons like a VPN
Rare features like home title fraud protection
Cons:
No credit-bureau monitoring
Not as many basic comprehensive features as most competitors
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Individual Elite Cyber Bundle
Testing: The web dashboard was easy to read, with black text and blue icons. Overall, we found Zander to be a good ID theft protection service, but nothing in particular stood out about it.
Although the Zander ID theft app was unavailable on Google Play, we were able to download the iOS app, which worked fine. A customer service representative said the company was “looking into” the problem with the Android app. We would make sure the Android app is up and running before subscribing to this service, as mobile ID theft alerts are a key component of an identity theft protection service.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $25.99
- Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $25.99
Pros:
Family plan upgrades are relatively affordable
Cons:
Expensive compared to similar plans from other companies
Poor customer service in our experience
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Premier
Testing: We found IDnotify’s web interface to be straightforward, with blue and yellow text on a white background. All of our monitored information was clearly laid out. There also was an explanation of why we should monitor each data point, which we found useful.
Unfortunately, there was no Android app specifically for the identity theft protection service at the time we tested. There was an iOS app, but we couldn’t get it to work. There are apps on both platforms for the company’s virtual private network and password manager, but we didn’t try those. This was a serious demerit in our book and would give us pause before subscribing to IDnotify.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $21.95
- Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $18.33
Pros:
Easy-to-navigate dashboard
Unique features and alerts that other competitors don’t have
VPN and password manager add-ons available
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- ID Watchdog Premium
Testing: We downloaded the Android app from the Google Play store with no difficulty and navigated through the web interface to sign up, entering basic information like our name, date of birth, and Social Security number. After clicking a verification link sent to our phone, we arrived at the web dashboard, which was straightforward and easy to navigate.
A prominent section on the homepage showed we had no unreviewed alerts, and we found all of the main features quickly. The only problem we had was seeing our credit reports and scores, but this was soon resolved (see below). The Android app was similarly easy to use, although overall we found that it had less functionality and displayed less information than the web interface.
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- Monthly Plan Cost: $24.99
- Annual Plan Cost (Per Month): $24.99
Pros:
Extensive feature list on all plans
Extra perks like emergency travel assistance
- Family Plan Available:
- 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring:
- Comprehensive Plan:
- Privacy Guard Total Protection
Testing: Signing up for PrivacyGuard was straightforward. Our only issue was that it limited our account password to just 6-10 characters, which isn’t enough for the most robust password security – especially for an ID theft protection service that has all of your most sensitive personal data.
The Windows dashboard was easy to use, with six sections at the top leading to various parts of the service. The Android app’s home screen was also intuitive and featured colorful blue and white icons on a black background. Both interfaces prominently displayed our credit scores, alerts, and other key information.
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Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal or financial information without your permission, USA.gov explains. For example, they may open an account in your name, purchase items with a stolen credit card, apply for a loan, or reroute your mail. All of this can damage your credit rating and cost you a lot of time and money.
Some of the most common types of identity theft are government documents or benefits fraud, credit card fraud, and loan or lease fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) Consumer Sentinel Network.
Unfortunately, it’s relatively easy to commit identity theft, especially if the victim didn’t take adequate precautions, like subscribing to an identity theft protection service, using strong passwords, and installing antivirus software. Plus, even though some financial services providers attempt to deter identity theft by (for example) warning you of unusual purchases, there are ways to bypass these precautions.
Identity fraud is closely related to traditional identity theft, except that a consumer usually remembers interacting with a criminal through a text, call, or email in which their personal information was taken. By contrast, with traditional ID theft, someone usually can’t pinpoint when their identity was stolen. A 2022 report by Javelin Strategy and Research found that identity fraud losses in 2021 totaled $52 billion and affected 42 million U.S. residents.
A 2022 report published by GBG, an identity verification company, found that:
- Almost 10% of consumers have been victims of identity fraud in the 12 months preceding the report’s publication.
- More and more consumers will refuse to do business with a company that doesn’t keep their information secure or delivers a poor customer experience.
- 57% of consumers say that security is the most important consideration when opening a new digital account.
- Nearly a third of businesses don’t use an identity verification service.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that more than 300,000 victims reported about $52 million in losses from phishing scams in 2022. In a phishing attack, the hacker usually sends the victim an email that looks like it’s from the victim’s bank, another financial institution, or another company that the victim uses. However, the website linked in the email is actually controlled by the hacker. If the victim clicks on the link and enters their personal information into the website that comes up, the hacker can steal it.
Consumer Reports notes that:
- Almost three-quarters of consumers (74%) are somewhat concerned or very concerned about people stealing their personal data.
- Nearly all Americans (96%) believe that companies should be required to take additional steps to protect consumers’ privacy.
- Most people who own internet-connected products (62%) believe they can present a privacy risk.
- People who have experienced a data breach are generally more willing to pay for privacy.
The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) says that it received 14,817 reports of identity theft in 2022, compared to 14,947 in 2021 – a decrease of less than 1%. According to the ITRC’s report:
- 55% of reported identity crime cases were related to compromised credentials, 40% of reported cases were due to misuse of credentials, and 1% were due to victims being notified about attempted but unsuccessful misuse of their credentials.
- Identity misuse was primarily due to account takeover or new account creation in 2022. 46% percent of non-governmental and non-financial accounts were misused, with social media accounts making up 72% of non-governmental/financial account abuse.
- 61% of reported identity misuse was due to existing account takeover. Second to the existing account takeover in 2022 was misuse related to new account creation (32%).
- In 2022, 80% of identity compromises involved using identity credentials as part of a scam, compared to 77 percent in the previous year. 61% percent of people who contacted the ITRC about compromised identities were the victims of Google Voice scams.
There’s no way to entirely prevent identity theft, even if you subscribe to an identity theft protection service. That said, this type of service provides a critical function: It monitors important personal information like your Social Security number, financial accounts, social media accounts, and other personal data so that you don’t have to (which is very time-consuming). If the service detects that your data has been compromised, it alerts you right away on your cell phone or other device.
An ID theft protection service can also monitor changes to your credit file—caused by someone trying to take out a loan in your name, for example—through one or all three of the major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. And it can send you credit reports periodically and monitor the dark web and data breaches for your personal information, etc.
Robert Siciliano, CEO of Safr.me explains that all of these services collectively allow you to limit the damage an identity thief can do by promptly notifying stores where you have lines of credit, your bank and other financial institutions, as well as other parties. Plus, many identity theft protection services offer help from trained agents who can assist you in restoring your identity if it is stolen.
In addition to subscribing to an identity theft protection service, there are other ways to protect your identity:
- Regularly reviewing bank and credit accounts for suspicious activity
- Setting strong passwords with a good password manager
- Using a VPN to protect your identity online
- Protecting your devices from viruses and other malware with antivirus software
- Collecting your physical mail regularly and using a locking mailbox so no one steals bills or other documents containing personal information
Below, we discuss more of the benefits of an identity theft protection service, features that a good service should include, and other important information. We also list our Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2024 to help you choose.
While you don’t strictly need an identity theft protection service, as explained above, it can go a long way toward protecting your identity and finances against scams and hackers. An ID theft protection service can also assist you if you have become a victim of identity theft by assigning a trained, U.S.-based investigator to help restore your good name.
That said, even people who don’t subscribe to an identity theft protection service have some protection. For example, credit card companies monitor their customers’ accounts for suspicious charges that could indicate a stolen card and they help resolve those charges with merchants. Still, an identity theft protection service is worth the monthly cost for most people.
But even if you subscribe to one of these services, Robert Douglas, an information and security consultant and certified identity theft risk management specialist, says not to let your guard down. “If you honestly don’t look at bank statements that often and won’t use these tools yourself, then an identity theft protection service functions by standing in for you and giving you the monitoring capabilities that you might already have with [credit cards and banks],” he says.
To sign up for an identity theft protection service, you will have to provide personal information, including your Social Security number, financial account numbers, and other personal data, for the service to monitor. This means you need to be comfortable disclosing that information.
Plans offered by the identity theft protection services in our rating vary widely in cost from $9.99 to $50 a month. Although higher prices generally reflect more services, this isn’t always the case, so be sure to comparison shop. Paying for an annual subscription upfront usually results in a lower effective monthly cost. You can also take advantage of the free trials that some companies offer.
The table below shows the month-to-month and annual prices of our Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2024.
Price Comparison of Identity Theft Services
Theft Protection Service?
Look for an identity theft protection service that offers the protection that matters most to you and fits your budget. When shopping for an identity theft protection service, a top-tier plan may seem like the best choice, but a cheaper plan could be a better fit depending on your needs and budget. Basic credit monitoring and reporting, including alerts for suspicious activity in your financial accounts, are important for almost everyone and are included in most plans, no matter the tier. If these features are all you need, a cheaper plan will be just fine.
If you’re looking for additional protection beyond basic credit and financial monitoring, midrange plans can be useful. Some midrange plans include dark web monitoring, social media monitoring, and change-of-address alerts. Midrange plans can also include identity recovery services, like a dedicated customer service agent and insurance to help with recovering your identity if it’s stolen. Along with protection, midrange plans can include planning features, like credit score simulation tools to estimate how major financial decisions, such as taking out a second mortgage, will affect your credit.
Premium identity theft plans offer even more services. These can include single-bureau or three-bureau credit reporting, file-sharing network searches, medical ID monitoring, reports from sex offender registries, and real-time notifications if someone tries to use your personal data to open an account. Some ID theft protection companies also offer computer protection, including safe web browsing tools, protection from malware, and/or a VPN.
In addition to looking at the services a company offers, Henry Bagdasarian, founder and executive director of the Identity Management Institute, says to scrutinize its privacy policies, which outline how the company handles and protects your data. A good ID theft protection service will submit to periodic audits by independent security experts. “This is the best way for consumers to know the company has gone through an independent security test,” he says. In addition, choose a company that permanently deletes your data if you cancel the service. “It is likely stored in perpetuity unless their terms of service and conditions say otherwise,” Siciliano says.
Finally, read the privacy policy’s terms and conditions carefully. These explain exactly what the plan covers and doesn’t cover, how much assistance (if any) you’ll receive to restore your identity if it’s stolen, and what identity theft insurance covers. You’ll notice a lot of fine print on the companies’ websites, Siciliano says. “There are lots of little asterisks, and you have to read carefully to understand what you are really getting,” he says. “Before you make the investment, understand what your risks are and what could occur, and ask for examples of what the company will or will not compensate for — what is protected and what is not.”
Identity Theft Protection
Credit monitoring is a helpful tool for individuals to keep an eye on all activity associated with their credit accounts and reduce the risk of identity theft. Usually included in an identity theft protection plan, a credit monitoring service alerts you immediately to any changes to your credit report, and if someone tries to open a bank account, credit card, or other financial account using your name and social security number. This alert allows users to address any issues of fraud as quickly as possible which can limit the damage an identity thief causes.
Below are the credit monitoring features of our Best Identity Theft Protection Service of 2024.
Credit Monitoring Features
To report identity theft to the police, you’ll need to:
- Obtain a copy of your FTC Identity Theft Report. File a report online with the FTC, so they can help you set up a recovery plan.
- Provide a photo ID. When filing a report with the police, you will need to verify your identity with a photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
- Provide your address. If asked, submit a mortgage payment stub, utility statement, or other proof of address.
- Provide proof of identity theft. Gather anything that can show you were a victim of identity theft, such as IRS notices, notices from a collection agency, credit card statements, or communications from creditors.
Having your identity stolen can be very expensive. Not only might you have to challenge unauthorized purchases, but your credit rating can suffer, causing you to have to pay more for loans. You also might have to pay legal fees, accountant fees, and child or elder care expenses. All of this requires a lot of time and effort to deal with, and you might have to take unpaid time off work to get it all done.
Identity theft insurance helps quite a bit by reimbursing expenses related to identity theft. However, it doesn’t cover stolen funds. Read your identity theft protection service’s terms and conditions carefully to see if any insurance comes with your subscription and what it covers.
Identity theft insurance isn’t the same as homeowners and renters insurance, which covers your dwelling and its contents if they are damaged. LifeLock, Identity Guard, and other ID theft protection services only reimburse for expenses pertaining to ID theft recovery.
Although ID theft insurance can be useful, it shouldn’t be the deciding factor in selecting an identity theft prevention service. “The insurance offered should be low on the scale of deciding whether or not you want to use a particular provider,” Siciliano says. “It does not have much impact when it comes to proactive protection or even restoring a stolen identity.
The first step to take if you believe your identity has been stolen is to file a claim with your identity theft insurance. If you do not currently have ID theft insurance, skip straight to filing a report with the Federal Trade Commission. (If you have identity theft insurance you’ll still want to file this report in addition to your insurance claim.) Once you have filed these claims and reports, you will also want to file a report with your local police department.
The next thing you should do is freeze your credit and place a fraud alert on your credit report. Sign up for a credit monitoring service and consider purchasing an identity theft protection service. Some of the companies in this rating have services to help users who sign on after an identity theft has occurred.
Review your credit report for accounts and inquiries that are not yours and add them to all reports. You will also want to scan your existing credit cards and bank statements for mystery charges and file a report with your bank or creditor. Change all financial passwords and security systems.
The following are common warning signs of identity theft.
- Unfamiliar charges on your bank or credit card statements
- New accounts appearing on your credit report that you did not open
- Unexpected bills or collection calls
- Emails or texts that an account you own has been unlocked
- A healthcare bill for services you didn’t receive
- Mail from creditors or bill collections agencies directed to your child
- A 5071C letter from the IRS notifying you of a suspicious tax return under your name
The following companies offer identity theft protection services that are popular but didn’t make our latest rating.
Need More Advice?
Our privacy and technology team has done countless hours of research on all sorts of consumer technology products and services. If you have a question that hasn’t been answered in one of our guides, send an email to digital-privacy@usnews.com and we’ll do our best to help.
Our Technology Expert
Jeff Kinney
Jeff Kinney began working as an editor for U.S. News & World Report in 2019, where he was instrumental in launching the company’s 360 Reviews vertical. He currently focuses on consumer electronics and personal security services for 360 Reviews. Prior to joining U.S. News, Kinney worked as a reporter and editor for Bloomberg, LexisNexis, and other news organizations covering legal and regulatory issues, with a focus on technology-related matters.
At U.S. News & World Report, we rank the Best Hospitals, Best Colleges, and Best Cars to guide readers through some of life’s most complicated decisions. Our 360 Reviews team draws on this same unbiased approach to rate the products that you use every day. To build our ratings, we researched more than 21 identity theft protection services and analyzed 17 reviews. Our 360 Reviews team does not take samples, gifts, or loans of products or services we review. All sample products provided for review are donated after review. In addition, we maintain a separate business team that has no influence over our methodology or recommendations.
The following describes our 360 approach to researching and analyzing identity theft protection services to guide prospective consumers.
1. We researched the companies and products people care most about.
U.S. News analyzed and compared a variety of publicly available data, including internet search data, to determine which identity theft protection service providers Americans are most interested in. We found 21 companies that stand out in terms of the volume of searches and research among consumers, as well as across the different rating sources.
We then compared our top identity theft protection services across several criteria, including monthly cost, monitoring tools, tech features such as mobile applications and smartphone alerts, technical support, and other plan-specific unique features. Research shows that these are the most important criteria for people shopping for an identity theft protection service. With careful consideration, we highlighted the most comprehensive plan offered by each company based on the features mentioned above.
2. We created objective 360 Overall Ratings based on an analysis of third-party reviews.
Our scoring methodology is based on a composite analysis of the ratings and reviews published by credible third-party professional and consumer review sources. The ratings are not based on the personal opinions, tests, or experiences of U.S. News. To calculate the ratings:
(a) We compiled two types of third-party ratings and reviews:
- Professional Ratings and Reviews: Many independent identity theft protection evaluating sources have published their assessments of identity theft protection companies and products online. We consider several of these third-party reviews to be reputable and well-researched. However, professional reviewers often make recommendations that contradict one another. Rather than relying on a single source, U.S. News believes consumers benefit most when these opinions and recommendations are considered and analyzed collectively with an objective, consensus-based methodology.
- Consumer Ratings and Reviews: U.S. News also reviewed published consumer ratings and reviews of identity theft protection providers. Sources with a sufficient number of quality consumer ratings and reviews were included in our scoring model.
Please note that not all professional and consumer rating sources met our criteria for objectivity. Therefore, some sources were excluded from our model.
(b) We standardized the inputs to create a common scale.
The third-party review source data were collected in a variety of forms, including ratings, recommendations, and accolades. Before including each third-party data point into our scoring equation, we had to standardize it so that it could be compared accurately with data points from other review sources. We used the scoring methodology described below to convert these systems to a comparable scale.
The 360 scoring process first converted each third-party rating into a common 0 to 5 scale. To balance the distribution of scores within each source’s scale, we used a standard deviation (or Z-Score) calculation to determine how each company’s score compared to the source’s mean score. We then used the Z-Score to create a standardized U.S. News score using the method outlined below:
- Calculating the Z-Score: The Z-Score represents a data point’s relation to the mean measurement of the data set. The Z-Score is negative when the data point is below the mean and positive when it’s above the mean; a Z-Score of 0 means it’s equal to the mean. To determine the Z-Score for each third-party rating of a company, we calculated the mean of the ratings across all companies evaluated by that third-party source. We then subtracted the mean from the company’s rating and divided it by the standard deviation to produce the Z-Score.
- Calculating the T-Score: We used a T-Score calculation to convert the Z-Score to a 0-100 scale by multiplying the Z-Score by 10. To ensure that the mean was equal across all data points, we added our desired scoring mean (between 0 and 10) to the T-Score to create an adjusted T-Score.
- Calculating the common-scale rating: We divided the adjusted T-Score, which is on a 100-point scale, by 20 to convert the third-party rating to a common 0-5 point system.
(c) We calculated the 360 Overall Score based on a weighted-average model.
We assigned “source weights” to each source used in the consensus scoring model based on our assessment of how much the source is trusted and recognized by consumers and how much its published review process indicates that it is both comprehensive and editorially independent. The source weights are assigned on a 1-5 scale. Any source with an assigned weight less than 2 was excluded from the consensus scoring model.
Finally, we combined the converted third-party data points using a weighted average formula based on source weight. This formula calculated the consensus score for each product, which we call the 360 Overall Rating.
U.S. News 360 Reviews takes an unbiased approach to our recommendations. When you use our links to buy products, we may earn a commission but that in no way affects our editorial independence.
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