MyPrivacyAgent vs Optery (2026): Screenshots vs Verified Proof, Tiered Coverage, and Real Pricing

Last verified: September 2026.

Optery is, in our view, the strongest data-removal service on the market today — PCMag's Editors' Choice four years running (2022–2025) and the best performer in Consumer Reports' independent test. So this comparison, written by a competitor, will be unusually complimentary. It's also specific about where we think MyPrivacyAgent (MPA) does something Optery doesn't. Every factual claim links to Optery's pricing page or independent sources.

Pricing: Optery vs MyPrivacyAgent

Optery offers a genuinely useful free tier plus three paid tiers (optery.com/pricing):

MyPrivacyAgent Patrol is $19.99/month, billed monthly, cancel anytime — and full coverage is not tier-gated. No $249/yr tier stands between you and complete coverage. The exposure scan is free with no card required, and our 47 broker opt-out guides are free for anyone.

Note the shape of the comparison: Optery Core ($3.99/mo) is cheaper than MPA — but covers 380+ sites where MPA and Optery Ultimate cover far more. Optery publishes the named site list per tier — the most transparent counting methodology in the category — but it makes the tier-gating explicit: the best coverage costs $249/yr.

Coverage: tier-gated lists vs agents that go off-list

Optery's automated coverage scales with price: 380+ sites on Core, 560+ on Extended, 635+ on Ultimate (with its "Expanded Reach" option), plus unlimited custom removals across 955+ sites on Ultimate — eligible only after 30 days, with the customer submitting links and screenshots.

Two fair criticisms:

1. The best coverage is paywalled. Core is limited to one name and one city/state; the full 635+ list and custom removals live only at the top tier.
2. Expanded Reach has a PII trade-off. Per CNET (August 2026), it may send opt-out requests containing your personal information to brokers that didn't already have it — potential retention and breach exposure in the name of broader coverage.

Where MPA differs: our coverage isn't a static list. Removal work runs through programmatic opt-outs plus browser agents that navigate broker sites end-to-end — opening the official opt-out flow, completing what's automatable, handing you the steps only you can do (CAPTCHA, confirmation emails), and recording a filing only when the site confirms it. Because agents work each broker's real flow — compare FastPeopleSearch with LexisNexis — we reach non-standard brokers fixed-list services skip. If a site blocks the agent, you get honest instructions, not a fabricated status.

Proof: screenshots vs ongoing re-check verification

Optery's signature feature is before-and-after screenshots: Exposure and Removals Reports include live screenshots of your listing and its removal. Their line — "Live Screenshots Prove Our Work" — is fair; no other major service shows this much.

But a screenshot is point-in-time evidence: it proves a listing was gone when captured. Brokers re-list profiles — sometimes within weeks — which is why we wrote about why opt-outs come back.

MPA's model is removal with proof, on an ongoing basis: a per-listing evidence log, and a re-check that re-opens the listing page before anything is marked removed. Patrol keeps re-checking monthly and flags any listing that reappears so it can be re-filed. Optery runs monthly scans on paid plans, so this is a difference of degree — but our standard is the discipline we teach DIY users in the opt-out proof log guide: filed, confirmed, and verified are three different statuses, and only the third counts.

Method: "Humans + Machines" vs agent swarm

Optery's "Humans + Machines" approach combines AI/ML automation — it "fills out and submits opt out forms, solves captcha puzzles, clicks verification links, delivers legal demands" — with an assigned human Privacy Agent for QA on Extended and Ultimate (Core is bots-only). Optery holds two US patents, is SOC 2 Type II certified, and offers optional AI-powered removals running on OpenAI (opt-in; CyberInsider notes the data-sharing questions this raises).

MPA runs a continuous agent swarm: programmatic requests where brokers support them, browser agents that behave like a careful human where they don't, and human handoff for identity-verification steps — with re-check verification closing every loop (see what happens after a removal request). Optery's human QA is a genuine premium feature; our equivalent is that the browser agent is the careful operator, and every outcome is evidenced, not asserted.

Independent testing: Optery's crown

Credit where due: in Consumer Reports' "Data Defense" study (August 2024), Optery removed 68% of tracked listings at four months — the best paid service tested, just below the 70% manual DIY control. MPA has not yet been in a comparable independent test; our proof artifacts are per-listing evidence logs, and we're honest that third-party outcome measurement is the next bar to clear.

Verdict table

Who should pick which

Pick Optery if you want the most independently validated service available, you value screenshot evidence, you want a useful free tier, or you need coverage in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. Its Extended and Ultimate tiers are excellent products if the $149–$249 cost fits your budget.

Pick MyPrivacyAgent if you want full coverage without climbing to a $249 tier, monthly billing with no lock-in, proof that's ongoing (re-checks, not just a screenshot from the day it worked), and browser agents that handle brokers whose opt-out flows defeat fixed-list automation. Start with the free scan and compare what you find against Optery's free-tier report.

FAQ

Is Optery legit? Yes — the most credentialed service in the category: PCMag Editors' Choice 2022–2025, SOC 2 Type II, two US patents, and the top paid-service score (68% removal at four months) in Consumer Reports' 2024 study.

What's the catch with Optery's cheap Core plan? Core ($3.99/mo) covers 380+ sites but is limited to one name and one city/state. The full 635+ list, unlimited custom removals, and human Privacy Agent QA require Ultimate at $249/yr.

Are Optery's screenshots proof of removal? Strong point-in-time evidence — better than most rivals offer. The limitation: a screenshot shows the listing was gone when captured. Brokers re-list profiles, which is why MPA pairs per-listing evidence with monthly re-checks that flag relisted listings so they can be re-filed.

What is Optery's Expanded Reach, and should I enable it? It extends coverage by sending opt-out requests to more brokers — but per CNET's August 2026 reporting, it may send requests containing your PII to brokers that didn't already hold your data. Understand that trade-off first.

Does MPA match Optery's coverage numbers? We don't publish a raw broker count because our browser agents work each broker's actual flow rather than a fixed list — including non-standard brokers that defeat template-based automation. Our 47 free opt-out guides show the range we handle.

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Also in this series: Best data removal services of 2026, MyPrivacyAgent vs Incogni, MyPrivacyAgent vs DeleteMe.