DIY opt-outs (manual) vs Optery
Both are alternatives to Incogni. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Optery vs DIY opt-outs (manual) — same comparison, one verdict.
DIY opt-outs (manual)
Free, most thorough, and entirely in your control.
The sovereign route: file the opt-outs yourself using the community-maintained Big Ass Data Broker Opt-Out List, which documents the process for hundreds of brokers. Free, the most complete coverage possible — and honestly tedious: budget a weekend up front and a few hours each quarter to keep it clean.
Optery
Best measured removal rates, with a free exposure report.
Optery led independent testing with a 68% removal rate and is the only service with a genuinely useful free tier: exposure reports with screenshots of exactly where your data appears, before you pay a cent. Full coverage of the biggest people-search sites sits on the top tier, and it serves the US and Canada only.
Side by side
| DIY opt-outs (manual) | Optery | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 95 | 52 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Local-first | Yes | No |
| License | Free — community guides | Proprietary service |
| Pricing | Free — your time is the cost: a weekend up front, a few hours quarterly after | Free exposure reports; paid from ~$8.99/mo (365+ sites) to Ultimate (635+) |
DIY opt-outs (manual) edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
DIY opt-outs (manual)
Strengths
- +Costs nothing
- +You decide exactly what disappears first
- +Community guides cover more brokers than any paid service
Trade-offs
- −Hours of tedious form-filling
- −Must be repeated as brokers relist your data
- −Easy to burn out before finishing the list
Optery
Strengths
- +68% removal rate — best in independent testing
- +Free tier shows screenshots of where you're exposed
- +30-day money-back guarantee
Trade-offs
- −US and Canada only
- −Biggest people-search sites reserved for the top tier
- −Full coverage gets pricey
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-07-18. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.