DeleteMe VS. Privacy Bee [2022 Comparison – Fully Updated]

When it comes to taking control of your privacy, and you’re hiring a data-removal company to help you, choosing the right service to help you is very important, indeed.

That’s why DeleteMe’s mission is to keep you informed about all the data-removal services available to you, and to break down how exactly they compare to one another.

Today we’re going to take a look at Privacy Bee, and explore the pros and cons of signing up with their service. We’ll cover pertinent information like:

• Privacy Bee’s company background
• Privacy Bee provided services, and how the process works
• The cost breakdown of Privacy Bee services
• The effectiveness of Privacy Bee’s customer support system

Like DeleteMe, Privacy Bee promises to remove personal information across various data-broker platforms, as well as other websites. But the reality is, there are so many service options, you need detailed information to choose the service right for you.

Company backgrounds

Privacy Bee was registered in 2020, so it’s a relative newcomer to the marketplace. Truth be told, background information is scarce. But the Privacy Bee LinkedIn page suggests 40 team members are spread across the world, but it’s headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. 

DeleteMe has been a trusted company since being founded in 2011 in Massachusetts. It is owned by Abine Inc., another trusted company. 

Available services

Privacy Bee isn’t transparent about service processes, but according to the website, they scan for privacy violations across the web 24/7. They monitor opt-out statuses on the Do Not Call Registry and National Yellow Pages, among other lists, to ensure they are current. 

It appears that Privacy Bee sends automated blanket removal requests to long lists of companies, that unfortunately include many that might not have your data at all. Requests like these are continually sent, presumably until the data is removed. 

The website FAQ page says two to three removal requests are processed per day. That means, no matter how many sites your data is on, Privacy Bee only targets a few on any given day. Meanwhile, they claim to erase data from more than 200 sites overall.

In addition, Privacy Bee offers a browser extension you can use to flag untrusted websites. For instance, if you don’t trust a particular website, flag it and Privacy Bee will automatically send a removal request to the site on your behalf. 

In stark contrast, DeleteMe maintains a human element in everything we do. So, instead of blanket removal requests to companies that may or may not have publicized your data in the first place, our privacy experts find the sites where your data has gone public and remove it. 

DeleteMe maintains a transparent database of more than 580 data brokers that we’ve discovered and removed data from in the past. Once you sign up with us, you get a report of our progress within the first seven days. Then, we rescan sites every few months.

Membership costs

Privacy Bee has a simple pricing structure, but, as it compares to the marketplace, it’s definitely on the high end. 

A Privacy Bee 1-Year Plan for one person costs $16.42 a month, or billed annually, is a one-time charge of $197.

If there are tiers or options for other pricing, they were not published on the website. 

DeleteMe makes taking control of your privacy more accessible with affordable pricing. 

• DeleteMe 1-Year Plan for one person: $10.75/month or billed annually ($129)
• DeleteMe 2-Year Plan for one person: $8.71/month or billed annually ($209)

Customer service breakdowns

Privacy Bee’s website has no details about support structure, just a link to a simple contact form. There is a support bot that answers basic questions, or theoretically puts you in touch with the support team by opening a claim ticket. 

DeleteMe believes transparency is essential, and it affects how we provide support to our clients. You can contact DeleteMe anytime via email, and during office hours you can contact us in a live chat as well. You can cancel DeleteMe subscriptions at any time. 

Company trustworthiness

While some reviews of Privacy Bee express satisfaction with the company’s services, there’s at least one issue that can’t be overlooked. Privacy Bee seems to have a habit of sending removal requests to sites that did not have your information in the first place. 

In order to do this, Privacy Bee would have to share certain personally identifiable information (PII) of yours with that website or data broker. What that means is, instead of getting your information removed, Privacy Bee may actually end up inadvertently sharing your private information with those sites, including your name, date of birth, email address, home address, or phone number. 

On top of that, many sites in question have complained that removal requests from Privacy Bee are nearly incessant, and often go to the wrong departments. They are so constant, in fact, some companies have labeled it harassment, or being “stung.” Others claim that the laws Privacy Bee cites in these removal requests are not even current or in effect. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Privacy Bee has no profile with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). They are also missing from many other major customer review sites, like G2 and Gartner. Reviews from sites like these assess a service’s overall reputation and quality. 

While it’s understandable that positive user reviews can be hard to come by, there are quite a few complaints about Privacy Bee—specifically that they delete data from sites you want to use and don’t let you choose which sites to remove your data from. 

If you do choose to use Privacy Bee, we recommend you contact them first and get more clarification on how much control you have over your own privacy. 

By contrast, DeleteMe has an A+ score with the BBB and is listed as the number one privacy site on SiteJabber, where the company has a customer rating of 4.7 (of 5) stars. 

Privacy Bee vs. DeleteMe: Which do you choose?

Privacy Bee may not be a scam, but it’s hard to gauge just how effective the company’s services are. It doesn’t have a great online presence. Furthermore, it seems they may be sharing private information with websites that never had your data in the first place. 

When you choose to take control of your privacy, you’re doing so because you understand the dangers of having your personal information exposed online. The last thing you should do is trust in a proclaimed privacy site that may be doing just that. 
Who you choose to trust with your privacy is an important decision. Our goal at DeleteMe is to inform you of your options and empower you with the knowledge you need to get you started. That’s why we strive to be open and transparent in everything we do.