US Search Review

Sunday, December 5th

2021 Background Check Service Reviews

US Search

• Cost: From $1.45 to $39.95 for a one-person report, depending on the desired level of information
• $19.95/month for OmniSearch

US Search is an alternate business name of Intelius, another service in our review: they are both owned by parent company PeopleConnect and share a listing with the Better Business Bureau.

Surprisingly, we found the search experience on US Search to be easier to use than the Intelius interface. When we entered our name and city/state, we did get a display of information that helped us confirm that the record matched the person we were looking for, including aliases, relatives, and address history. On that page, it said that a background check report would include these items:

• Full Name
• Age
• Recent Address
• Address History
• Phone Numbers
• Aliases
• Maiden Name
• Relatives
• Associates
• Properties
• Home Value
• Email Address
• Social Network Search
• Criminal Records
• Lawsuits
• Misdemeanors/Felonies

Here's where we got lost: when we clicked on the button to get our report, it said that when you buy a basic background check report through US Search for $19.95, it includes the following:

• Full Name
• Age
• Current Address
• Phone Numbers
• Address History
• Enhanced Relatives
• Associates Plus
• State Criminal Search

For an additional $5, you can access a nationwide (43-state) criminal search as well.

You may notice that several things that were described on the first list (such as email address, home value, and social network search) are not listed in the two options on the "add to cart" page. As it turns out, you'll have to add the social network search for an extra $12.95 if you opt for a single background check.

As you can see, US Search's pricing isn't very clear. The regular prices for the basic and nationwide criminal search were $19.95 and $24.95, respectively, but there was a 25% discount offered with a trial of their OmniSearch product. According to the site, OmniSearch does give you those missing items (social network, address history, and so forth) for a monthly fee of $19.95. You'll get a 2-day trial if you opt for the 25% discounted price on the background check report described earlier.

We appreciate the enhanced search results offered by US Search, compared with Intelius, and the fact that both companies have an "A" rating with the Better Business Bureau is a plus. But, US Search's confusing pricing and expensive add-ons make them less attractive than many of the other services we considered.