DeleteMe Review (2026): Is It Legit and Worth It?

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Quick answer: DeleteMe is legit. It’s a long-running data removal service run by Abine, Inc. that sends opt-out requests to data brokers for you, includes custom removal requests and sends quarterly reports. But the only independent test we found, by Consumer Reports in 2024, saw it remove 27% of profiles after four months, while people who opted out by hand removed 70%. It’s worth it if you live in the US and would rather pay than spend a few hours on opt-outs. If you want fully automatic removals at a lower starting price, look at Incogni.

DeleteMe at a Glance

	DeleteMe
Run by	Abine, Inc. (Massachusetts)
Removing listings since	2010, according to DeleteMe
How it works	Privacy Advisors plus automated services
Brokers on its list	969 (some only on higher plans or by custom request)
Custom removal requests	Included on its plans
Reports	First report within 7 days, then quarterly
Independent test	27% of profiles removed after 4 months (Consumer Reports, 2024)
Plans	1 person, 2 people or a family of 4, for 1 or 2 years
Who can sign up	US residents, with separate plans for some other countries
Refunds	Full refund before your first report, prorated after

Prices change often, so check the current price on DeleteMe’s pricing page.

How DeleteMe Works

Data brokers and people-search sites collect your name, address, phone number, relatives and more, then sell or display them. DeleteMe asks them to remove you.

• You fill out a data sheet with the names, addresses, phone numbers and emails you want removed. Its plans let you add unlimited aliases, previous names and email addresses.
• DeleteMe sends opt-out requests to the brokers on its list, using a mix of Privacy Advisors and automated services.
• You get reports. DeleteMe says your first report arrives within seven days, then every quarter, showing what it found and removed.
• It keeps checking. Brokers often re-add people after a few months, so DeleteMe keeps scanning and re-sending requests while you’re subscribed.

Its “sites we remove from” page lists 969 data brokers (updated September 17, 2026). Some of those sites are only covered on higher plans, business plans, international plans or by custom request, so the number on a basic plan is lower.

Does DeleteMe Actually Work?

The best independent evidence is Consumer Reports’ August 2024 study with the security firm Tall Poppy. Volunteers signed up for seven removal services, then researchers checked 13 people-search sites four months later. A small group opted out by hand instead.

Method	Profiles removed after 4 months
Doing it yourself (manual opt-out)	70%
Optery	68%
EasyOptOuts	65%
IDX (Privacy tier)	40%
Kanary	34%
DeleteMe	27%
ReputationDefender	6%
Confidently	4%

So DeleteMe does remove listings, but in this test it removed fewer than half of what two other services and the do-it-yourself group managed. The test was small and is now two years old, and DeleteMe’s list has grown since, so treat it as one data point, not a final score. You can read the full numbers in the Consumer Reports report.

DeleteMe’s own terms are also honest about the limits: “DeleteMe will not remove all of your information from the Internet.” It removes broker listings, not court records, government records, news stories or your social media accounts.

Is DeleteMe Legit and Safe?

Legit: yes. DeleteMe is built and run by Abine, Inc., says it has been removing personal listings since 2010, and was one of the services Consumer Reports chose to test.

Safe: you have to hand over the very data you want removed, so this matters. Here’s what DeleteMe says:

• Security: its security page says it encrypts your personal data in transit and at rest (256-bit AES and TLS 1.2) and has maintained SOC 2 Type 2 compliance since 2021, a standard security audit for companies that store customer data.
• Power of attorney: its terms of service say you grant Abine a “Limited Power of Attorney” to act for you, including submitting opt-out requests, signing opt-out documents and creating accounts for you. It lasts until you cancel. This is normal for removal services, but you should know you’re agreeing to it.
• Share only what’s needed: give DeleteMe the details that appear on broker sites. It doesn’t need your Social Security number to find a people-search listing.

One thing to watch: the DeleteMe run by Abine is at joindeleteme.com. A site at deleteme.com also sells data removal. When we checked it on October 14, 2026, we found no mention of Abine on it, so make sure you’re on the right site before you pay.

Plans, Refunds and Cancelling

• Plans: DeleteMe sells plans for one person, two people or a family of four, each for one or two years. All of them include unlimited aliases, email and phone masking tools, custom removal requests and email, chat and phone support. There’s also a premium plan.
• Countries: the main plans are for US residents. Its pricing page also lists Canada, Australia and the UK.
• Renewal: plans renew automatically at the end of each term unless you cancel.
• Refunds: according to its terms, you get a full refund if you cancel before your first DeleteMe Privacy Report, and a prorated refund for the time left if you cancel after that.
• Cancelling: you can cancel any time by email or phone. Billing stops, and so do new removal requests. Brokers can re-add you after that, so check the big sites yourself every few months.

DeleteMe Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Long track record (since 2010)	27% removal rate in the 2024 Consumer Reports test
Custom removal requests on its plans	Plans are sold for 1 or 2 years, no monthly option
People, not just software, handle requests	Main plans are for US residents
Clear refund policy and SOC 2 Type 2 security	Some of the 969 sites need a higher plan
Family and couple plans	Doing it yourself scored higher in the same test

Is DeleteMe Worth It?

It depends on your time and your risk.

• Worth it if: you live in the US, you don’t have hours to spend on opt-out forms, and you want custom requests for sites that aren’t on any list. The quarterly reports also make it easy to see progress.
• Maybe not if: you only care about the big people-search sites. Our free guides for Whitepages, Spokeo and Radaris take minutes each, and doing it by hand beat every paid service in Consumer Reports’ test.
• If your safety is at risk, for example from a stalker or an abusive ex, don’t rely on any single service. Opt out by hand from the biggest sites as well and follow our complete data broker removal guide.

DeleteMe Alternatives

Service	Why consider it
Incogni (via Surfshark One+)	Fully automatic, 420+ brokers, monthly or annual billing, sold in the US, Canada, UK and Europe, and its process was checked by Deloitte. Not tested by Consumer Reports.
Optery	Best paid result in the 2024 Consumer Reports test (68%).
Do it yourself	Free and scored 70% in the same test. Start with our opt-out guides.

For a side-by-side comparison, read Incogni vs DeleteMe, or see our Incogni review. Whichever service you pick, Google’s free Results about you tool lets you ask Google to remove search results that show your phone number, address or email.

How We Reviewed DeleteMe

We didn’t subscribe to DeleteMe or test it ourselves. We read its home, pricing, coverage, security and terms pages, and compared them with the Consumer Reports and Tall Poppy test, the largest independent test of removal services we could find. We checked everything on October 13–14, 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we’ll update this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• DeleteMe: Home page, pricing and sites we remove from, checked October 13, 2026
• DeleteMe: Terms of Service and Security, checked October 14, 2026
• Consumer Reports: Services that delete your data from people-search sites (August 2024) and the full Data Defense report
• Google: Results about you

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