AllClear ID | technological radar

AllClear ID | technological radar

Our series on identity theft protection apps will assess the features, cost options, competition, and overall usage value of each app. However, these are not detailed practical reviews, as it is virtually impossible to assess identity theft protection applications. This would require multiple months of testing, deliberate account hacking to see if the protection app works, transmitting personally identifiable information, running multiple credit checks, and the risk of exposing the examiner's personally identifiable information. .

The worst thing you can find is confusion when trying to choose an identity theft protection app. After all, there is already enough anger and chaos over hacking and losing access to a checking account. There is anxiety about the damage to your credit history and credit score. These days, cybercriminals can just wreak havoc and headaches, not to mention being in the middle of the pandemic. Let's face it, there really isn't a good time to deal with identity theft.

In this context, AllClear ID is an extremely frustrating product. While the low cost is tempting, users may be tempted to sign up. After all, what's the downside? Well, this product's site barely provides the advice you'd need to make a quality resolution. Before there was an alternative of plans, now there is only one for an individual, and the previous free plan no longer exists. You only see a basic laundry list of what is free in the single level of the plan, without further details.

Worse still, the product is set up for those with a code from an employer that gives AllClear ID as a part of their benefits package. (A report in Tom's Guide from XNUMX lies that the non-employer version no longer works.) a vibe of being too generic. (Here's one with voice assistants brimming with lengthy statements mixed with scaremongering and no real details.)

Pricing

(Image credit: ID AllClear)

packages and prices

AllClear ID offers a unique plan for individuals, but it just has a long list of quirks with no real details. The only other plan is for businesses, which an employer must offer as a benefit. Adding to the confusion, when you sign up as an individual, even before they take your basic demographic information, AllClearID only provides options to pay, Google Pay, or a credit card that costs €XNUMX a month. There is no option to pay annually for a discount or add a family member for a bundled cost.

Interface

The site has a clunky interface that looks like it was called in XNUMX and wants to get its site back. With bright blue links on a white background, you need to know exactly what to click and how the features are going to work. We are decades away from Norton LifeLock's point-by-point guide with its wizards, which neatly display the status of identity protection through its clean and professional interface.

Blog

(Image credit: ID AllClear)

There is a lack of clear product information on the company's site and in the app, and we are used to seeing more than one photo editing app. This is even more problematic when you realize that it is a personal matter if you are a victim of identity theft. It's also not reassuring that the AllClear ID site seems to emphasize its other product, AllClear Health ID, which is developed for the essential issue of proper patient identification and to reduce discrepancies between patients. However, this is not related to credit protection, so it is not as if the 2 products offer a real synergy.

Features

(Image credit: ID AllClear)

Features

AllClear ID offers the standard and routine features you expect from a credit protection provider. There are the usual fraud alerts (but no explanation of how they work or what they track). You get features like fraud alerts with credit monitoring (although it's not clear if it's all 3 credit unions or just one), an annual credit report with your Vantage score (although there are no details of what that is, we should have studied it separately here), and €1 million in identity theft insurance coverage (at least that's clear). There is also a feature called ChildScan Monitoring plus the explanation of "Scan for suspicious activity with minors added to your account" leaves us with as many questions as before reading the ruling.

We also procure applications for smartphones, both for Android and for iOS. We couldn't find an AllClear ID app for either platform, which isn't reassuring.

Support has only one contact option. It's by phone and it's open twelve hours a day; It is not stated whether it is closed on weekends and holidays, or whether it is open three hundred and sixty-five days a year. There are no other alternatives listed for mail, chat, or any other alternatives, and we found no self-help content such as FAQs, discussion forums, or articles.

Competition

There is no shortage of competition in the busy field of identity theft protection. AllClear ID doesn't stand on its own and doesn't stack up nicely with any of the other free apps out there today. By comparison, Norton LifeLock gives considerably more information on free features and a well-thought-out interface that is really helpful on the go. Another contender, Complete ID, also has a related cost if you're already a Costco member. Even the apps from Equifax and Experian end up being more forceful, though both companies have suffered data leaks before, while each at least makes clear what features are free and what the product can do.

final verdict

As is undoubtedly already clear, AllClear ID has its drawbacks. It's confusing to figure out what the functions do, and it's not even better if you have a registration code from your employer. The interface as a whole is pretty old and clunky, like a second-rate tax program from the XNUMXs. Support is too minimal for our liking, and too much detail remains unreported.

In the event that you need to troubleshoot a phishing issue, AllClearID doesn't spell out what's going to happen. Obfuscating features like ChildScan Monitoring can be useful, but it's not clear what they particularly accomplish. The site's wording is still confusing, while one of the features listed is fast and secure phone alarms. It looks like you're going to get alarms on your phone, but who knows the inner workings? Since it is not clear, it leaves us perplexed. Ultimately, this could make identity theft even more confusing than it is, so we advise asking for other alternatives than this.

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