Comparison

Personal Web Defense vs Optery

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Personal Web Defense

Enhance your digital security with a suite of protection tools. Features include a VPN for private Wi-Fi access, secure browsing and banking protection, parental controls for online safety, and a password manager for generating and storing strong credentials.

Highlights
  • VPN for private Wi-Fi
  • Secure browsing and banking
  • Parental controls
  • Password vault
  • Cross-device profile sharing
Features
Read full description

Personal Web Defense lets you live your modern digital life with confidence. Access VPN, secure browsing, banking protection, and more. Please note: The features you see within your Personal Web Defense app may vary depending upon where you obtained your subscription. Some packages may come with only the VPN, only the household data protection features (safe browsing, family controls), etc. Personal Web Defense includes: • VPN for privacy on WiFi • Browsing and banking protection • Parental controls to protect your kids online • Password vault to generate and store secure passwords • Available also for Mac Personal Web Defense keeps you protected with: • VPN: Connect securely and privately to WiFi networks anywhere, whether you’re in a hotel, airport, café, office, or residence. With the flip of a switch, Personal Web Defense VPN encrypts your web traffic—so you can conduct business without worrying your passwords, account numbers, or other info you enter online will be captured through the network. • Browsing Protection: Prevent attacks from malicious sites with the Safari browsing extension. Browsing Protection alerts you about risky-looking webpages and blocks scam website content. • Banking Protection: Safeguard your finances when banking, shopping, and applying online. Automatic Banking protection notifies you when you visit a safe banking site with a secure connection. • Family Rules: Protect children’s safety online with Personal Web Defense’s family controls. Hide inappropriate content, filter allowed content by category, restrict screen time, get alerted when settings change, and manage devices remotely. Share one profile across devices and enjoy the convenience of one app for the whole household. • Password Vault: Manage access to all your online accounts with Personal Web Defense’s convenient password manager. Generate, store, and autofill strong passwords for each account securely, so that you just have to remember one master password. See real-time analysis of your passwords to avoid low quality, reused, or common passwords. Use Personal Web Defense and free up the whole household to work and play safely online.

About

Optery

This service helps protect your privacy by finding and removing your personal information from hundreds of data broker websites. It offers a free exposure report and paid subscriptions for automated removal, preventing attacks like phishing and identity theft.

Highlights
  • Free exposure report with screenshots
  • Automated data removal from brokers
  • Proactive defense against PII threats
  • Patented search technology
  • Visual before-and-after reporting
  • Data broker coverage
Features
Read full description

Optery is the award-winning personal data removal service trusted by hundreds of thousands of people to prevent attacks and keep their personal information off the Internet. No credit card is required to create an account and get started for free. Consumer Reports ranked Optery the #1 most effective of all personal data removal services tested in a recent study. Optery is the first company to offer a free exposure report with dozens of screenshots showing where your personal information is being posted by hundreds of data brokers online. Optery paid subscriptions automatically remove customers from these sites, clearing your home address, phone number, email, and other personal information from the Internet at scale. The service provides users with a proactive defense against PII-based threats such as phishing and other social engineering attacks, credential theft, identity theft, doxing, and harassment. Optery has completed its AICPA SOC 2, Type II security certification, and distinguishes itself with unparalleled patented search technology, data removal automation, visual evidence-based before-and-after reporting, and data broker coverage. Optery was awarded "Editors' Choice" by PCMag.com as the most outstanding product in the personal data removal category in 2022, 2023, and 2024, received Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech award for security and privacy in 2023, was named winner in the Employee Privacy Protection, Attack Surface Management, and Digital Footprint Management categories of the 2024 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, and received Cyber Defense Magazine’s Top InfoSec Innovator Award for Attack Surface Management in 2024. The Optery app gives you unmatched visibility into where your data is exposed and removes it from hundreds of data broker websites. Optery’s app makes it easy to remove your personal info from data brokers. How are we different? Patented Search Technology: Our advanced search technology uncovers more exposed profiles than anyone. Customers often switch to Optery after experiencing the limitations of other services, as Optery consistently identifies 20–50 profiles missed by competitors. With sophisticated anti-bot detection, matching algorithms, and monthly automated searches, Optery’s technology ensures accurate and superior discovery of exposed profiles. Humans + Machines Approach: Optery combines the efficiency of automation with the precision of expert human review, ensuring comprehensive data removal. Optery acts as your authorized agent to efficiently remove your data. Our data removal efforts far exceed the capabilities of competitors who rely on manual or limited automated methods. Proven Results: Optery is the only service to provide before-and-after screenshots with links to results in its detailed Removals Reports, sent quarterly, so you can see the impact of our work. Why Choose Optery? U.S. Based Company: Optery is a Delaware C corporation headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. No Data Broker Affiliations: Unlike some competitors, Optery has no partnerships with data brokers. Outstanding Customer Support: Available 24/7, our specialists are ready to assist with any questions or issues. Advanced Features: Enjoy detailed exposure and removal reports, family plans, real-time dashboard updates, public API access, ID verification, multi-factor authentication, custom scans, unlimited custom removals for data brokers not covered by our standard service, and more. 30-Day Money Back Guarantee: If you’re not happy with your first purchase, let us know within 30 days, and we’ll refund 100% of your money, no questions asked. Optery’s app empowers you to minimize your digital footprint and protect against phishing, fraud, password theft, account takeovers, identity fraud, spam calls and emails, doxxing, stalking, and harassment. Take control of your privacy today with the Optery app—download now and experience the most advanced personal data removal service on the market.

Screenshots

Personal Web Defense4 screens
Optery4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Personal Web Defense at 4.4 against Optery's 3.6. Optery's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Personal Web Defense sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Optery asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Personal Web Defense holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 93 and 86 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Personal Web Defense's written reviews are positive against 33% of Optery's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Personal Web Defense ships an update every 6 months, Optery every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Personal Web Defense versus Optery: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPersonal Web DefenseOptery
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (93 ratings) — better3.6 (86 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews32.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings93 — better86
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size274 MB130 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperGenerali Global Assistance CorporationOptery

Customer experience

Personal Web Defense

All ratings49 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Optery

All ratings83 ratings
Positive61.4%
Neutral4.8%
Negative33.7%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive32.6%
Neutral9.3%
Negative58.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Personal Web Defense

One-time1
  • 1 month / 1 device$4.99
None

Optery

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Personal Web Defense free?
Personal Web Defense is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Optery free?
Optery is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Personal Web Defense or Optery?
Personal Web Defense is rated higher. Personal Web Defense averages 4.4 out of 5 from 93 ratings, while Optery averages 3.6 from 86 ratings.
Do Personal Web Defense or Optery have ads?
Personal Web Defense shows ads; Optery does not.
Which is updated more often, Personal Web Defense or Optery?
Personal Web Defense ships an update every 6 months, and Optery every 2 weeks. Most recently, Personal Web Defense was updated on November 8, 2026 and Optery on November 5, 2026.

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