DeleteMe VS. Reputation Defender [2022 Comparison – Fully Updated]

DeleteMe is on a mission to help provide you with an extensive overview of the data removal market. Many data removal services promise to clean up your online information. However, there are differences in costs and the way they operate that you need to be aware of. 

Comparing data removal services is a useful way to learn more about what’s right for you, so in this article we’re looking into ReputationDefender. This US-based company offers data broker removal services. However,  its main focus is producing favorable search results for its clients.  

Background

ReputationDefender is an online reputation management service founded by Michael Fertik in 2006. It’s headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, but it also has offices in Silicon Valley and the UK. 

DeleteMe has been in operation since 2011, when it was founded by Rob Shavell. The company is incorporated in Somerville, Massachusetts, and is  headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Availability

ReputationDefender is available to US and international customers in over 100 countries. 

DeleteMe is also available to US-based and international customers. 

The international version of DeleteMe is offered to people in the following locations: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 

Data Broker Removal Service

ReputationDefender’s specializes in “burying” search results that might have a negative impact on a customer’s reputation. However, it also offers solutions that can opt you out of data broker platforms. These include Privacy Pro and Executive Privacy. The latter is more extensive but also more costly. 

In contrast, DeleteMe focuses exclusively on removing your personal information from online data broker services. 

Sites Removed

ReputationDefender doesn’t specify how many data broker sites it removes PII from as part of its Privacy Pro solution, nor does it provide a full list of data broker platforms it targets. However, ReputationDefender’s ExecutivePrivacy plan removes data from 100+ sources. The company lists Spokeo, People Finders, and Nuwber as examples of data brokers it removes customer PII from. 

DeleteMe removes PII from over 580 data broker sites, including YellowPages.com, BeenVerified.com, and Spokeo.com. You can find the  full list of data broker sites DeleteMe removes data from here. DeleteMe continuously updates this list with new data brokers at no additional cost to existing customers. 

DeleteMe’s customers whose information appears on data broker platforms can contact DeleteMe’s team, who will look into helping customers remove their data from the platform in question. 

Information covered

ReputationDefender removes PII including your name, age and address. ReputationDefender’s Privacy Pro option covers two aliases, two addresses, and two emails. ReputationDefender’s ExecutivePrivacy option offers upwards of two aliases, three addresses and ten  phone numbers depending on the package you choose. Custom removal requests are only available for the top three tiers. 

DeleteMe removes PII including your name, age, address, phone number, email address, and photos of your home. There’s no limit to the number of names and addresses related to an individual customer that DeleteMe can remove. 

Removal Process

ReputationDefender’s data broker removal  process includes the following steps:

1. Customers sign up to the platform and select the plan  they want to go with it. 
2. Customers then provide personal details to ReputationDefender.
3. ReputationDefender runs  a data broker search.
4. ReputationDefender removes customer information from the data broker platforms it covers. 
5. ReputationDefender provides updates on data broker opt-outs via an online dashboard. It also gives customers a list of other data broker platforms that require customers to complete the opt-out by themselves. 
6. ReputationDefender scans data broker sites for customer PII reappearance at least four times a year. The exact frequency depends on the customer’s plan. 

DeleteMe uses in-house technology combined with a dedicated team of privacy experts to achieve the best results. DeleteMe is 100% focused on removing personal information from the hundreds of data broker websites that harvest and sell this data. 

Here’s how DeleteMe’s removal process works:

1. Customers sign up for DeleteMe and receive an email invite to their customer account 
2. Customers share  the required personal information via their secure customer account.
3. DeleteMe’s team of privacy experts identify customers’ PII on data broker sites and process opt-out requests on their behalf. 
4. Customers receive their detailed DeleteMe report in 7 business days. The report shows the type of information found and the status of each opt-out request. Here’s an example of what this report looks like.
5. DeleteMe monitors data broker sites for customer PII every three months, producing a total of  four DeleteMe privacy reports per year.
6. Customers that come across their information on a data broker site in between reports can fill out a custom removal request straight from their DeleteMe dashboard. DeleteMe’s team of privacy experts will investigate the situation and remove your data as quickly as possible. 

Scan Frequency and Turnaround Time

ReputationDefender’s website doesn’t reveal the time frame of its services or how long it takes for a customer’s PII to be removed. 

DeleteMe starts  removing your information from data broker sites as soon as you sign up for its services. After DeleteMe completes its first cleanup and successfully removes your data from all the data broker platforms it covers, it repeats the process every three months. 

Because the removal process is different for each data broker platform (i.e., some requests can be completed online whereas others require written confirmation), removal time can vary. However, most PII removal requests are honored within six weeks.

Track Record

ReputationDefender ranks 4th among marketing sites on SiteJabber and has a rating of 4.49 stars. However, some reviews have expressed frustration with the website and even called its services “terrible.” 

DeleteMe has processed over 10 million customer opt-outs to date. It ranks  1st among privacy sites according to SiteJabber and has a customer rating of 4.67. DeleteMe has also been awarded an A+ by the Better Business Bureau. 

Pricing

ReputationDefender offers both monthly and annual pricing plans as well as several different packages. These include: 

• Individual Privacy Pro plan – $9.95 per month or $99 annually 
• Individual Executive Privacy Essentials plan – $1000 per year
• Individual Reputation Defender Executive Privacy Plus plan – $5,000 per year
• Individual Executive Privacy Preferred plan – $7,500 per year
• Two-person Executive Privacy Premium plan  (for two people)- $10,000 per year

While the entry level Privacy Pro plan is offered at an affordable price point, it only removes customer data from a limited number of data broker platforms. The Executive plans remove customer data from more than 100 data broker sites and include additional features. However, these plans are much more expensive. 

DeleteMe offers yearly and multi-year plans. These include:

• 1-person plan – $129 annually/$209 every two years.
• 2-people plan – $229 annually/$349 every two years.
• Family plan (up to 4 people) – $329 annually/$499 every two years.
• Business plan – custom (contact customer support).

Regardless of which DeleteMe plan you choose, the number of data broker sites DeleteMe removes your personal information from doesn’t change. Also, with a DeleteMe subscription,  you can add as many people as you want. And, the more people you add, the bigger the discount.

Cancellation Policy

ReputationDefender customers must  contact customer service if they wish to cancel their subscription. Those on monthly subscriptions will be billed during the cancellation period.

DeleteMe customers can cancel recurring billing at any time via their customer account. If customers change their mind after signing up for DeleteMe’s service, they can get a full refund with no questions asked before their first report is complete or a pro-rated refund after that. 

Customer Service

ReputationDefender customers can contact the customer service team via email or telephone. 

DeleteMe’s customer service team is available  via email (24/7), live chat (office working hours), and phone (9 am and 8 pm Eastern time). 

DeleteMe vs ReputationDefender Conclusion

While ReputationDefender focuses on suppressing bad press in Google search, DeleteMe helps individuals and businesses to actually remove their personal data from data broker websites. As a result, DeleteMe is the only one of these two solutions dedicated to helping you keep your data safe from hackers, scammers, and other malicious individuals. 
Join DeleteMe today and immediately start securing your online information.