VPN provider Surfshark has a separate privacy service known as Incogni. This Is a subscription based service, designed for individuals to be able to get their data from a data broker’s service. This would be overly time consuming for an individual to perform manually, as there are hundreds of databases. Not only do you need to get the data out, but the next challenge is to keep it out, and Incogni will continue to sweep these many databases, searching for your name and personal info, and removing it, thereby keeping the info out of these databases.

Incogni: Features

Incogni has its goal to get back control of your data privacy, as folks end up with multiple pieces of their information in these databases. Data brokers continuously collect data on individuals, from a wide variety of sources, including scouring the internet including social media. Another source is the public sources, such as public databases such as property records to gain names with addresses, or alumni databases to find graduates of a certain school. 

Previous addresses of individuals are also of interest, so that they can compile a history of last addresses. They also try to identify relationships between individuals, such as spouses, parents, children and siblings. Finally, phone numbers, including landline and cell phone numbers are obtained from physical phone books, and online phone databases.

Once all of this data gets compiled, a profile gets built on the individual that can include a comprehensive amount of data. The online data brokers, then want to sell this information. Some of it can certainly be legitimate, such as for credit checks, but unfortunately this also puts the data at risk for nefarious purposes such as hackers, cybercriminals. 

There is also concern that even more data is tracked, such as political leanings, or weekend activities gets tracked into a “Shadow profile,” that can then be used to influence behavior. Most of these online databases, in the tiny print at the bottom, do allow for an opt out process, but it is rarely that simple, and the reality is that there are way too many of them to find them all.

This is where Incogni’s service comes in. This company has an exhaustive list of the data broker databases, and they state that they can save an individual the hundreds of hours of work to get your information out of them. Incogni provides a ‘Data removal tool,’ designed to be user friendly, to get your data back to where it belongs- private. 

To delve in deeper, Icogni uses tools such as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), and also the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is an EU law also from 2018, along with other privacy laws that apply to the location in question.

Incogni indicates that on the first day that a person joins the service, the requests to remove the data get sent out, that within a week there are responses, and then in the first month, that most of these data removal requests have been processed. From there, they then ‘Circle back,’ and follow up with the requests that were not executed, to make sure that the data gets taken down. Furthermore, and subsequently, they follow up to keep data off. Finally, users get weekly updates on the progress.

Incogni: Pricing

Unlike some other services that have multiple tiers of plans to choose from, Incogni takes it in the other direction toward simplification. Here, we have just one plan to choose from, making it a really easy choice.

Among that single plan, the only real choice is whether to pay monthly or annually. The plan is limited to US, UK, EU, Swiss and Canadian residents only. The payments are encrypted and secure, and there is no long term commitment, with no long term subscription, and a 30-day money back guarantee.

The month to month plan has a cost of $12.99, which gets paid each month. The other option is the annual plan, which gets paid a year at a time, at an oddball amount cost of $77.88, which works out to a more numerically sensible $6.49/month, for a substantial savings of 50% on each month of the service for committing to a year at a time.

We did not find an offer for a free trial which is a shortcoming.

Incogni: Support

Incogni does offer both direct and self-help support options, however, we would like to see more of both. Overall, it is too thin for our taste.

On the direct side of things, we did not locate a phone number, fax, email, snail mail address or chat box. Rather, there is but a single option for direct communication, a support portal. It does at least allow the user to include a file with the issue, which is useful for markup to explain an issue further.

For the indirect side of things, we would like to see it more rounded out as well. There is a searchable knowledge center, and while it does include a FAQ, this last part only had answers to but seven questions, which is kind of thin. Aside from this, there really is nothing else, and we did not find a blog, webinars, video content, e-papers, ebooks, whitepapers, or a community forum.

Incogni: Final verdict

Incogni offers a compelling service for users to take back their privacy. We value the annual discount, the weekly updates, the money back guarantee for 30-days, and that this can save a user hundreds of hours of work. Some areas for improvement would be a free trial, and more options to get support. Overall, for those that value their data privacy, Incogni is worth examining further.

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If you’re a small business that has fewer employees than a large corporation then some of the best payroll software out there might seem a little more than you need. However, SMEs need to be just as lean and efficient, if not more so, than those larger outfits, so having the right payroll and HR package can still be money well spent. Something our best HR software guide underlines only too well.

Breathe HR has been designed with SMEs firmly in mind, with features and functions that will allow you to save time, get administrative tasks done more efficiently and keep your employees feeling valued. It’s also a great package for ensuring your data is kept safe and secure. If you’re not convinced then it’s possible to try Breathe as part of a free 14 day trial.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Breathe HR: Plans and pricing

The Breathe HR pricing structure is based on a per organisation arrangement, rather than the per person route favourite by some software vendors. This in itself makes Breathe HR a practical and easy to fathom solution, which doesn’t have the convoluted structuring that some larger and better known rivals tend to have.

As mentioned above, if you’d like to explore its capabilities then Breathe HR is available, complete with all the features, free for 14 days.

Usefully, the Breathe HR website has a ready reckoner function, which can work out your costings, based on the number of employees you have. It starts from 1-10 people and goes up to 151-200. That’s a great way of covering the needs of a vast array of the small business community. All plans come with Core HR as a standard issue, which is ideally suited for everyday HR administration duties.

Currently, in its most basic guide, Core HR will therefore cost £13 per month or £140 annually. This is a per year, per account setup and covers one account. At the top end of the employee number, expect to pay £500 per month, per account or £5400 annually. 

Breathe HR also has a couple of add-ons in the shale of its Rota, Time & Attendance package along with a Learn module. However, at the time of writing the Breathe HR website notes that these are additional modules and cannot be purchased separately. Presumably then you have to add them when you first sign up for your account.

Breathe HR: Features

Although Breathe HR is aimed more at the small business community, that doesn't mean that it’s lacking in any department. In fact, Breathe HR is literally bursting with lots of features and functions, all within the framework of a simple to use system.

It lets you tackle all of those everyday HR tasks including leave and absence, rotas and shift planning, people and employee management, time tracking and wider HR management. The software can also be integrated with the Breathe API and Xero Payroll, which broadens both its reach and appeal still further.

Drill down inside those core features and you’ll find that Breathe HR can facilitate quick and easy staff and holiday planning, track employees holidays and monitor absenteeism. There’s scheduling for working out rotas, team management tools and a way of forecasting salaries too. You can also manage payroll, track performance and carry out both location and Covid 19 management as and when it’s needed.

Time is always money in the world of the SME, so it’s also good to know that Breathe HR can handle time logging, time tracking and there’s a time clock system for covering all bases during work time and shifts. Office administrators as well as bosses will also love the HR dashboard alongside the HR database that comes as part of Breathe HR while easy document management extends the appeal.

Breathe HR: Interface and in-use

If you’re running a business then one of the biggest chores for anyone is getting to grips with a new software package. However, Breathe HR has been designed and engineered specifically for SME’s and as a result of that it is very easy to master. The overall design and layout is quite minimalist, with a solid use of colour in all the right places.

Getting to grips with menus and other features and functions is surprisingly straightforward. At the same time, Breathe HR never looks or feels like it’s too basic. Small business owners should find it carries out all of their everyday HR management tasks with aplomb. The software should become even better once the integration with Xero Payroll comes to fruition too.

Breathe HR: Support

Once you’ve signed up with Breathe HR you’ll have all the trapping that come with a paid for account. Naturally, that means there’s support, which comes in all of the usual formats including online and messaging systems. There are valuable online FAQs and a help hub to get you past any minor difficulties. Breathe HR’s website is also home to lots of additional information, with blog posts and the like all adding to the strong sense of support that’s part of the package here.

Breathe HR: Security

Any company that has employees is duty bound to ensure they have security first in mind when it comes to protecting data. You’ll find that Breathe HR meets all the criteria for ensuring personnel records are handled discreetly and behind a secure curtain. This includes having a two-factor authentication system in place for all users. Breathe HR also has a dedicated page on its website, where it is possible to drill down and check all of its security credentials.

Breathe HR: The competition

A comparable alternative to Breathe HR is Gusto, which lets you handle HR but has payroll functionality as part of the package too. In fact, Gusto is primarily a payroll platform with HR add-ons. Another alternative is Zenefits, which is the opposite: a complete HR solution with features like org charts and performance reviews and a payroll add-on. Pricing goes from $8 to $21/month/employee, with payroll features adding an extra $6/month/employee. It also comes with a 14-day demo.

An alternative for larger businesses is OnPay, which has a very similar feature set, combining payroll and HR, but a simpler pricing structure. OnPay has a $36/month base fee plus $4/month/user, and you only pay for employees who are paid in any given month. It also has a 30-day free trial.

Breathe HR: Final Verdict

The additional bit of good news about Breathe HR is that the company is partnering with Xero, the payroll software provider. If all goes to plan you’ll soon be able to use the two in tandem, which if you’re a small business owner will probably make sound financial sense and hopefully the pairing will be seamless to boot. Overall then, Breathe HR looks to be an excellent and very cost effective option for anyone running a smaller outfit, with up to 200 employees.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software