California Delete Act

DROP vs paid removal services

Last updated: July 26, 2026

Short answer: if you live in California, start with DROP - it is free, legally binding, and covers every registered broker in one request. Add a paid service if you want coverage beyond registered brokers, live outside California, or want someone to monitor and re-remove your data continuously. They are complementary, not either-or.

	DROP (California)	Paid service
Cost	Free	Subscription (roughly $8 to $25+ per month)
Who can use it	Verified California residents only	All 50 states
Coverage	575+ registered data brokers (CPPA, Feb 2026)	Hundreds of brokers plus people-search sites, some not registered in CA
Force of law	Legally binding - brokers must comply or face state penalties	Contractual best-effort; sites can relist
Ongoing	Yes - brokers must keep suppressing your data	Yes - continuous monitoring and re-removal
Effort	One request; act now, brokers comply from Aug 1, 2026	Sign up; the service does the work across sites

When DROP is enough

If you are a California resident and your main concern is the big registered people-search brokers, DROP does the job for free and with the force of law behind it. It is hard to beat free plus legally binding.

When a paid service earns its fee

You live outside California and have no state-run tool.
You want coverage beyond the registered brokers - the long tail of smaller people-search sites.
You would rather not manage any of it, and value continuous monitoring that re-files removals when your data reappears.

Services like Optery, DeleteMe, and Incogni operate nationwide and cover hundreds of sites. Removals are best-effort rather than legally mandated the way DROP requests are, and no single service covers every broker, so treat them as broad coverage plus convenience rather than a guarantee.

The honest recommendation

Californians: file with DROP first (it is free), then decide whether a paid service is worth it for the remaining coverage. Everyone else: use our free opt-out guides for the major brokers, and consider a paid service if doing it by hand across dozens of sites is more time than you want to spend.

DROP vs paid removal questions

Is DROP better than a paid removal service?

For registered California data brokers, yes - it is free and legally binding, which no paid service can offer. For everything else it is not a substitute: DROP does not reach unregistered sites, search engines, social networks, or companies you dealt with directly, and it is California-only. The honest answer is that Californians should file with DROP first and then decide whether a paid service is worth it for the remainder.

Do paid removal services do anything I cannot do myself?

Nothing you technically cannot do. They file the same free opt-out requests you would, on the same forms. What you are paying for is breadth and repetition: covering hundreds of sites rather than the twenty you have patience for, and re-filing automatically when listings reappear a few months later. If you will genuinely do the maintenance yourself, the guides are free.

What actually gets my data deleted for good?

Nothing, strictly speaking, and any service promising permanence is overselling. Brokers continuously re-ingest public records, so a removed listing can return at the next refresh. DROP comes closest because registered brokers must keep suppressing your data rather than delete it once, which is a standing obligation instead of a one-off deletion.

How much do data-removal services cost?

Consumer services generally run from roughly $8 to $25 or more per month, with annual plans cheaper per month and family plans priced per person. Prices and coverage change often enough that you should check the current figure on the provider's own page before committing rather than trusting any comparison table, including ours.

Can I use DROP and a paid service at the same time?

Yes, and for a Californian who wants thorough coverage that is the sensible combination. DROP gives you binding deletion across registered brokers at no cost, and the paid service handles the sites outside that list plus the ongoing re-removal. There is no conflict between the two.

What if I do not live in California?

You cannot use DROP, but you are not without options. A growing number of states give you deletion and opt-out rights you can exercise company by company, and every major people-search site has a free opt-out regardless of where you live. Our state-by-state guide sets out what applies to you.

Are free opt-outs actually free?

Yes. Every major US people-search site is required to offer a no-cost way to remove your listing, and none of them may charge you for it. If a page asks for payment, a Social Security number, or a copy of your ID to process a removal, you are not on the broker's real opt-out form.