The Best People Search Providers

Saturday, April 26th

2025 People Search Provider Reviews

SpyFly

• Monthly fee of $29.97 includes unlimited basic reports (people, property, phone)
• Account includes proactive monitoring and email alerts for your own public data profile
• Very fast searches
• 24/7 customer service
• "A” rated and accredited by the BBB
• Over 1,000 5-star reviews
• In business since 2012

Although you may not have heard of SpyFly, it's the #1 service on our list for people searches. In operation since 2012, this company gives you hassle-free access to a wide range of public records. Better yet, when you become a SpyFly subscriber, you'll also have proactive monitoring and email alerts for your own profile; if something turns up in public records related to you, you'll know.

Exceptional accuracy

But, let's take a look at what you can expect from this fantastic service when using it to look for someone else. Across all of the people search platforms on our list, we picked an individual to use as a test case: a man whose location we knew with 100% accuracy and certainty, with a verified criminal background, and who had at least two confirmed aliases. How did SpyFly do? In less than a minute, the platform had correctly identified him under both aliases (even though we had only specified the current name and given no inkling that there was an alias to be found). We were super-impressed by those results.

Great previews of preliminary info

Once you're relatively sure that SpyFly has landed on the right person, it'll take a few minutes for the search to finish processing. You'll see several screens that teach you more about what to expect here from the types of records that will be scanned. Those can include voter registration, relatives and neighbors, criminal history, and more. You'll be given a preliminary idea of what your target person's report might contain; in our case, there was one item of contact info and four connections to likely relatives/associates. To continue, you'll need to create a SpyFly account, though.

No low-cost trial (or sneaky billing tactics)

Among all of the people search services we tried out, SpyFly is one of the only to not offer any kind of trial: if you want to see what your target individual's report contains, you'll have to go right to the $29.97 monthly charge. They don't beat around the bush - they come right out and say that "free reports don't exist”. That's true. And, many of SpyFly's rivals are notorious for getting people on the hook with a low-cost trial, only to make it extremely difficult to cancel. There are none of those sneaky marketing tactics to endure here. You can end your subscription at any time; just reach out via SpyFly's 24/7 customer service phone number and they'll take care of it right away.

"A” rated and over 1,000 5-star reviews

And, when it comes to reputation, SpyFly has a great track record. There were only 12 complaints registered with the BBB over the last year (compare that with some rivals who have rants in the hundreds), which is a big part of why the Better Business Bureau has awarded SpyFly an "A” rating and accreditation. Like any people search service, SpyFly has some users who wish that the reports here had a little more detail, but most people say that they get exactly what they need when using the platform - so much so that the service has averaged 4.4 stars out of 5 across 1,300 ratings just on Google.

Top pick among people search websites

We're excited to give SpyFly the #1 spot on our list of people search services. So much of what you'll find out there can feel scammy (...and some of them ARE...), it's such a great change to use a platform like this one. It delivers fast, accurate results with none of the sensational language and promises you'll see elsewhere (hinting at "graphic” and "embarrassing” details that might be in a report). When you need to track someone down, give SpyFly's people search service a try.

US Search

• Search by name, phone, address
• No-nonsense, straightforward platform
• $19.86 per month for unlimited reports
• $1.99 for a 5-day trial
• Easy to start searching with a name, address, or phone number
• "A+” rated and accredited by the BBB under sister site's listing
• In business since 1994

US Search is one of the "OG”s of people search platforms, helping people (re)connect since 1994. As one of four services within the PeopleConnect group of websites, US Search is the highest-ranked of them all and also comes in as our second-most recommended service. You'll find it to be affordable and accurate, whether you start your search by name, address, or phone number. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Continue reading to see in greater detail why US Search is such a fantastic resource for people searches.

Search process is much smoother than most rivals'

Sometimes when you use a people search website, you get an annoying series of screens to click through, each one trying to draw you in with hints that the report might have "embarrassing” information about the person you're looking up. Or, you'll have an answer question after question as the site (supposedly) uses that info to zero in on your target. Refreshingly, US Search does none of that - even when at least two of their people search "sibling sites” do.

Accurate and super-fast

Better yet, even without all of that kind of drama, US Search is remarkably accurate. When we entered the first and last name of the individual we used as a test subject across people search services, this platform correctly located the person under both of his known aliases in less than a minute. We did have to provide our own name and email address to continue any further, but we saw on the following screen that US Search had identified one phone number and one location, over 20 email addresses, and four online accounts that it believed were connected to that person (and, as far as we could tell, they were correct).

Under $20/month, try it for $1.99

If you make it to that point in your own people search, this company will give you some options. You could jump right in and subscribe for just $19.86 per month - much less expensive than most of the platforms on our list. And, like many of its rivals, US Search offers a 5-day trial for just $1.99; if you don't see that right away, wait a while on the website and it'll pop up after a time. US Search's fellow PeopleConnect sites usually come up with another option, a one-time price for a single report, but we didn't get that here no matter how long we stalled.

Terrific reputation

And, where most people search companies struggle to maintain a positive reputation, US Search shines. You'll have to look under Intelius' Better Business Bureau rating to find US Search's, but it's an "A+” and accreditation - and it doesn't get better than that. Looking on third-party review platforms too, US Search has earned a fantastic 4.7-star average; verified users said that they've been able to successfully use this people search service to research their family connections, verify addresses for mailing lists, confirm the owner of a property, and many more purposes. Out of all of the PeopleConnect services and even beyond, US Search rises to the top.

Everything you could want from a people search service

There's not much you could want from a people search website that US Search doesn't deliver. Accuracy? Check. Affordability? Check. Great reputation? Check. Although this service is just a bit short from earning the #1 position on our list (largely because our experience with at least two of its sister sites was pretty disappointing, leaving us wondering about the "engine under the hood” here, so to speak), we can wholeheartedly recommend using US Search whenever you're trying to track someone down.

Intelius

• Search by name, phone, address
• Highly accurate results
• $25.11 per month for unlimited monthly reports
• $42.69 for 2 months of unlimited monthly reports
• 5-day trial for $1.99
• Single report for $29.95
• Great customer service
• "A+” rated and accredited by the BBB

PeopleConnect holds four people search companies under its umbrella, and Intelius is one of the best. Despite being owned by the same "parent”, each site varies in terms of results accuracy and overall experience, and Intelius does quite well. But, see for yourself.

Thorough and accurate

When it comes to finding the right person, this people search website is excellent. We used someone we knew as a test case across all of the services we evaluated - someone whose location was 100% certain, with at least two aliases and a documented criminal background. Intelius impressed us by identifying that individual under both aliases, even when we only initially provided a first and last name. Our results also gave us a third option as a possible match, even though the person was outside of the age range we later specified.

Lots of questions and screens

The search process here can be a little annoying, in all honesty, regardless of whether you search by name, phone, or address. Like all of the services in the PeopleConnect portfolio, you'll go through multiple screens of additional questions to verify what you know about the person you're searching for (like known relatives or possible cities he or she has lived in). You have to keep your attention on the Intelius site in order to get to the end of the process, and you'll get a bunch of screens that tell you about what they're supposedly scanning at that moment (like "Social Media Summary” or "Key Information”).

About $25/month

Eventually, you'll get to the options for viewing your report. Once you've determined that yes, Intelius identified the right person in your search and you want all of the nitty-gritty details, you can pay $25.11 for unlimited access each month. Or, if you'd like a discount, Intelius offers two months of access for $42.69.

Wait for it...

However, we've discovered the secret to many people search platforms: if you don't choose a subscription option right away, you'll almost always get a pop-up with a better offer. Here at Intelius, we waited around a bit and got a 5-day trial offer for $1.99. Hesitating even longer, we then got a final offer of a single report at just $29.95.

Trial subscription = higher monthly rate

Whichever one you choose, your plan will renew automatically until you cancel in your member dashboard or over the phone. One little detail we spotted is that if you start with the trial subscription, your monthly price will be $29.63 instead of $25.11. We don't love that taking advantage of the $1.99 trial makes the subscription an extra $4+ per month, but it is what it is.

No trickery here

And reputation? Intelius gets the Better Business Bureau's highest accolades with an "A+” rating and accreditation, despite 200+ complaints filed with the BBB in the last three years. Beyond the BBB, we found the usual issues of people feeling like their reports weren't detailed enough; Intelius tends to earn an average rating of about 2.5 stars because of that. On a more positive note, though, this people search doesn't get the same kinds of rants that many rival services do, with respect to memberships and cancellations: from what we can see, Intelius isn't trying to trick anyone into a subscription, only to then make it impossible to terminate the membership.

Reputable option among people search services

Intelius is our third-favorite choice among people search services. The results are remarkably accurate, the pricing is competitive, and reputation-wise, Intelius stands above many of its rivals who come across as sketchy at best. The next time you're attempting to track someone down, don't hesitate to give Intelius a go.

PeopleWhiz

• Over 67 billion searchable records
• $27.99/month for unlimited reports
• $65.85 for 3 months of unlimited reports
• $89.70 for 6 months of unlimited reports
• Satisfaction guaranteed
• 24/7 customer service
• "B” rated and accredited by the BBB
• Almost 20,000 5-star reviews

PeopleWhiz puts over 67 billion searchable public records at your fingertips. Whether you're looking for fun celebrity facts, tracking down a cousin you haven't heard from in years, or checking your own profile, PeopleWhiz can help. You can search by name and location, or click on "Advanced Search” to include the age of your target individual. In theory, you can also use this people search platform to do a reverse phone or reverse address search, but PeopleWhiz keeps that pretty hidden. (We didn't find it.)

Didn't hit our target

When it came to accuracy, PeopleWhiz was a "miss” when we searched solely by name with no other information. Though we were glad to see that they allow people to see preliminary details to determine if their searches are landing on the right individuals (like name and age of the possible matches), none of the ones we got even had the same name: picture searching for "John Smythe” and only getting results for "Jon Smith”. (And, as an aside, we thought it was a little telling that "relavence” was misspelled in the "Sort By” function of the entire website.)

Still a miss even with more details

Then, even when we entered the state where we are absolutely certain that our target individual has lived for more than 10 years, PeopleWhiz came up empty again. Other search platforms were able to identify him correctly, so we had to dock some points for that here.

Page after page to click

But, let's assume you get better results for your people search. What happens when you click "Get Report”? PeopleWhiz will continue to gather data from social media accounts, public records, criminal records, and every other database on the platform. You'll have to click through several screens to get to the end of the process; if you click away, the progress bar will be paused, so stick around. And, to "save your progress”, you have to create an account with your email and desired password. And then there are MORE screens to click through while everything is "compiled”. "Tedious” is putting it mildly when describing the process at PeopleWhiz.

No short-term trial

Finally, you'll get to the pricing page. We weren't offered any kind of trial here, so plan on being asked to pay for a subscription from the get-go. At the time of our review, PeopleWhiz was offering a month-to-month subscription for $27.99, a 3-month plan for $68.85, and a 6-month plan for $89.70. That comes with unlimited reports. And, if you're unhappy with any part of your service, PeopleWhiz asks that you reach out to their customer service number to take advantage of their satisfaction guarantee, but they don't spell out what you can expect (a refund or something else). We were glad that someone did pick up the phone when we called, even though we had our doubts when we saw the 2019 copyright date of the website.

Feedback from users is mixed

PeopleWhiz' reputation is tricky to figure out. The Better Business Bureau gives this people search company a "B” rating and accreditation - despite having over 700 complaints filed with the BBB in the last 3 years. On the other hand, on SiteJabber, we found over 18,000 5-star reviews. (And, 10,000+ were just 1-star, for what it's worth.) Some users get everything they need through PeopleWhiz, while others say that the search failed to identify even their own information. We also saw several complaints that referenced feeling bait-and-switched, being asked to pay more for further information on someone for whom they had gotten a preliminary report. Overall, your mileage may vary with PeopleWhiz.

Good but not great

While PeopleWhiz failed to locate the person we searched for, the service earns points for at least giving a preview of the data it does have, so that we knew it wouldn't be worth it to pay for a search subscription in our case. And, there are thousands of people who have used PeopleWhiz and loved it enough to give it a top score. The platform is subject to the same complaints as most people search sites - some people don't think it's worth what they spent - but by not offering a paid trial period, it avoids the rants that some rivals get for "tricking” people into subscriptions they didn't want. See how PeopleWhiz does in finding your person of interest.

PeopleLooker

• Search by name, online username, phone, email, address
• $1 for 7-day trial for 100 username reports
• $5 for 7-day trial for PDF report downloads
• $24.99 + tax for monthly membership including up to 100 reports
• Opt in for notifications when reports change
• Satisfaction guaranteed
• Customer service available 7 days a week
• In business for over 10 years
• "B” rated by the BBB

PeopleLooker is proud to say that they offer friendly and helpful support as you search for long-lost friends, snoop into your coworker's life, or check out your neighbors. You can get help 7 days a week through PeopleLooker's toll-free number or via email. Let's take a look at what you can expect if you use this people search platform.

Limited to 100 reports per month

Pricing at PeopleLooker is structured a little differently from many of the search services we used. You can pay $1 for a week-long trial (more generous than most rival services) for full online access, or $5 for a trial that lets you download PDF reports of anyone you search for. After that, you'll pay $24.99 plus tax for a monthly subscription. But, it's very important to note that this is not an unlimited people search platform: PeopleLooker only gives you up to 100 reports a month for your membership. If you're just using the site casually, that's probably more than enough. However, if you're actively researching a ton of people (for example, to do genealogy work), that limit could put PeopleLooker behind the pack a bit when competitors are offering unlimited searches for about the same cost.

Can search by online username

But, there are also some benefits here that aren't always included by other people search platforms. First, you can look for people in the traditional ways - name, phone, email, address - but also by username. Maybe you're on Discord and want to see if you can track down a user there (your reasons are your own...). PeopleLooker lets you give it a shot.

Get notifications when someone's report changes

Also, this service lets you opt into notifications when reports change for any of the people you search for. That can save you the hassle of logging back in and running a new report (and, we assume, you won't have to use one of your 100 monthly searches to get that update).

Satisfaction guaranteed

Finally, PeopleLooker has a satisfaction guarantee. If you're unhappy with the results of your search or with any other aspect of their service, they'll either help you with your research (to hopefully get a more accurate result) or provide a refund.

Username results are hit-or-miss

So, how did this people search service do when we used it for our test case? We wanted to try out the username option first, since it's pretty unique. It didn't look like the results were super-accurate, the "likely owner's name” didn't match the person we had in mind for that particular search (we knew the owner's name, and it didn't line up with what PeopleLooker showed us).

Takes several minutes to run the search

So, we switched over to the individual we used across services and searched solely by first and last name. It took several minutes to scan through social media databases, public records, and all of the other information sources used to create a report. Be prepared to enter your email address after the scan is finished and before you can see anything about what PeopleLooker may have found, though.

No preview to see if it's the right person

Unfortunately, PeopleLooker is yet another site on our list that makes you pay before you have any idea if they've found who you're searching for. We have to dock points for that: many rivals show you everyone that they've determined could be a possible match and some basic identifying information (like their age or city/state) before asking you to make a commitment to a trial or subscription.

Not a ton of rants or raves

Turning to feedback from people who did do the trial (or even the subscription), we'd say it's pretty mixed. The Better Business Bureau gives PeopleLooker a relatively average "B” grade for having 110 complaints closed in the last 3 years. We found the expected problems with people who signed up for a trial and didn't read the fine print about it converting into a paid membership after that week, as well as some who said they canceled online but continued to be billed. A few complained that their results weren't accurate, but we didn't see tons of rants from people who were unhappy about the reports they got here. No news is good news?

Some room for improvement but okay overall

We give PeopleLooker a "just average” rating. They'd do better if they could give prospective subscribers a peek at whether or not their initial results are correct, but we're willing to give them some points for having a longer trial period and for the expanded capabilities that come with the username search. Take a look at PeopleLooker's higher-ranking competitors first, but overall this isn't the worst option for people searches.

Truthfinder

• Search by name, phone number, address, or email
• Billions of public records from across the US
• $28.33 for one month of unlimited reports
• $47.03 for two months of unlimited reports
• 5-day trial for $1
• Access a single report for $29.95
• In business since 2015

TruthFinder has been around since 2015, and the people search platform has been incorporated into the PeopleConnect family of brands. As such, you'll see a lot of similarities between the service here and its sister sites: Intelius, Instant Checkmate, and US Search. It's essentially the same engine under the hood, so to speak, but with a different chassis.

Search takes a long time but it's accurate

There are lots of ways to search using TruthFinder, from a simple first and last name to a phone number, address, or email. You should expect the search process to take a long time here, up to 10 minutes or more. You'll be asked questions along the way, so don't navigate away to another screen in the hopes that your people search can just run in the background. TruthFinder will give you an initial set of matches for the person you're searching for, so that you can determine if you want to continue. In our test case, TruthFinder correctly identified the person we used as our target. Although this platform didn't find him under both known aliases, we were happy that the search was accurate. We did notice that we were told we had three possible results, but TruthFinder only let us see one of them. (Fortunately, that one was the correct person.)

You're stuck answering questions

You would think that from there, you could just click on "Open Report” and be done with it. Not so fast. You're going to have to click through screen after screen while TruthFinder processes your search, including making you acknowledge that what you find out "might shock you”. Your name, email address, and zip code will be asked for; you'll also be asked if you want to opt into marketing messages (and we'd recommend skipping that). And, another not-so-fun aspect of using TruthFinder: if you try to browse in other windows while your people search is underway, your progress will stop until you return to the TruthFinder site. No one likes to feel like they're being held captive, but that's been our experience here while trying to get to the point of accessing a report.

Pricing feels like "Let's Make a Deal”

When all of that's finally complete, you'll be offered a plan of $28.33 for a month of access or $47.03 for a two-month membership. Ironically, at this point you do want to go browse in other windows for a while: the longer you wait to make a commitment to TruthFinder, the more offers you'll get. The first one is a 5-day trial of the people search service for just a dollar. If that sounds great, go for it; otherwise, you might be able to hold out a little longer and get a single report at a discounted price. We didn't spot that here, but it happened on more than one of TruthFinder's sister sites.

Unlimited reports until you cancel

If you subscribe, you'll get unlimited reports for as long as you're a member. When you decide you've had all of the people searches you can stand, you can cancel your subscription through your online dashboard or over the phone (as long as your call is during TruthFinder's standard business hours of M-F 7A-4P Pacific).

Plenty of complaints

While we applaud TruthFinder for accurately identifying the person we searched for, the company has a long way to go in the customer satisfaction department. The Better Business Bureau was in the process of updating the company's reputation when we checked recently; that's often an indicator of things not going particularly well. Jumping to user feedback on Trustpilot, we found a dismal 1.8-star average and a bunch of recently-written negative reviews. People have frequently complained that it can be really difficult to successfully cancel their subscriptions here, and that it's not often that anyone actually answers the phone at TruthFinder's toll-free number. This people search service also gets its fair share of users griping that information showing as "current” (an address or a phone number) is a decade or more out of date.

Reliable accuracy, but not the best site

On the whole, we really don't love TruthFinder because of the way it does business. On the other hand, this people search platform gets the job done: a "nice” company is not much use if it fails to find the person you're looking for, and at least this less-than-customer-friendly service was able to make the right match for our test case. Would we advise caution when using TruthFinder, with respect to cancellations and billing practices overall? Absolutely. Are there other services you should check out first? Yes - just look higher on our list.

Instant Checkmate

• $29.95 for a single background report
• $35.47 for 1 month of unlimited reports
• $85.13 for 3 months of unlimited reports
• $1 for a 5-day trial offer
• Search by name, reverse phone, criminal/traffic records or inmate name

PeopleConnect offers four people search services, and Instant Checkmate is one of them. Of those "sisters”, this is our least favorite platform (and you can read on to find out why), though it still gets points for overall accuracy. Let's dive in and see what you can expect if you use Instant Checkmate to search for someone.

Correctly identified the subject of our search

You've got a few ways to start looking someone up on this site: name, phone number, criminal/traffic, or inmate search (!). Whichever route you choose, brace yourself for a long process that's going to have you feeling a little irritated: you have to stay on the page, answering questions along the way while the search runs, or else your progress will stall. (Sneaky way to keep you there, right?) We were glad that the initial search only took a minute or so, but we were still a little baffled to be told that Instant Checkmate had identified two matches for the name we searched…but only one individual profile was displayed. Still, this people search accurately found our target person by his previous name (but not his current alias), and that's automatically an improvement over competitors that failed to do so.

Better have 15 minutes to spare

It's a good thing that Instant Checkmate earned some points early on, because everything else about searching for people here is a pain in the... you choose the body part. You'll see a lot of hype trying to lure you in with reports that could be "potentially graphic” and promising "a LOT” of juicy details, while you keep having to add information as you go (like your own name, email, and zip code, for reasons Instant Checkmate never offers). On that particular screen, pay attention to the checkbox: if you don't de-select it, you're consenting to receiving promotional/marketing emails from this company. All told, it took us about 15 minutes to work through each stage of the process on Instant Checkmate.

Quite expensive month-to-month

What will it cost you to get all of those tidbits that are hinted at? At first, you'll be given the option to get a month of unlimited reports for $35.47, which is much higher than most rival people search providers. If you plan to use the platform for a while, you can opt for the "power user” plan for 3 months at $85.13. But, don't commit to either one right away: wait around long enough, and Instant Checkmate will offer you a "full access trial membership” for 5 days, and it'll just cost $1. Hesitate even longer and you should get the option to buy a single report for $29.95.

Customer dissatisfaction practically guaranteed

Which one should you go for? Maybe none of them. Instant Checkmate doesn't have a handful or even several dozen complaints - try thousands of 1-star reviews instead. Even the $1 trial is risky; according to several users, they couldn't ever reach someone at the company in order to cancel the account before it converted into a month-to-month membership. Others were frustrated that when they paid to access the report, there was virtually nothing in it, and they had to answer even more questions (and possibly even pay for an "upgraded” report) in the hopes of getting any extra info. It's not going to be a surprise that many disgruntled customers have called Instant Checkmate a waste of time and money or even a scam. At the time of this review, the Better Business Bureau was updating their rating for this service - and 9 times out of 10, that's a sign that the previous rating is being lowered.

"A” for accuracy, "F” for everything else

All of that being said, Instant Checkmate still stays towards the middle of the pack instead of the bottom of the heap - largely because it did, indeed, identify our target person correctly (and not every people search option on our list succeeded). However, we've got some pretty big concerns about the marketing and billing practices here, so we'd still advise you to go with one of the higher-rated people search platforms in our evaluation instead of Instant Checkmate.

InfoTracer

• Over 5 billion public records
• 7-day trial of unlimited access for $2.95
• $24.95 per month for unlimited reports
• 24/7 customer service
• "A” rated and accredited by the BBB

If you think you might need a little extra help with your people search, InfoTracer is an appealing option: their service comes with 24/7 customer support, so you can get your questions answered, find help for fine-tuning your process, or learn more about what's in the report you get. Their databases include more than 5 billion public records, from addresses and phone numbers to sex offender databases and beyond.

Quick to search and an inexpensive trial

Compared with many people search platforms, InfoTracer has a much quicker process. It only took a few minutes for the site to give us a list of 14 potential matches for the individual we searched for, and we didn't have to wade through a seemingly-endless set of questions to get there. As we were browsing those results, InfoTracer popped up to offer us a week-long trial of unlimited searches for just $2.95.

Info preview to determine if it's the right individual

However, we weren't so interested in that trial when we realized that not one of the matches was the person we were looking for. We're glad that InfoTracer provides a bit of information about each possible match, to help searchers be sure that they've got the right person, but it was strange to see profiles of people who were over 110 years old. (In other words, InfoTracer shows reports for people who are deceased; the age is to show you how old they would be now, while still offering the records they have about the person from before they passed away.)

Didn't correctly find our test subject

We tried to give InfoTracer more to go on, by entering the city and state where we know for a fact that our individual has lived (which is also the state where they have an extensive criminal record). Still nothing. InfoTracer searched again, gave us the option to look in other states - even though we know our test subject didn't live there - and then offered us unlimited access for $24.95/month. That's a pretty tough sell, considering you didn't even find the right person.

Has a largely positive reputation

And yet, some users report that InfoTracer is the only option out there that's delivering accurate results. The company has earned an "A” grade and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, and on both the BBB and Trustpilot, you'll see ratings averaging over 4 stars spanning more than 3,000 reviews. As a big positive for InfoTracer, the company doesn't have the piles of complaints about it being hard to cancel, either. Instead, people have praised the accessible customer service and said that it was no problem to stop memberships when needed.

Nice company but didn't deliver

We wish that we could give InfoTracer one of our higher ratings, because a people search platform that doesn't come off feeling scammy is something of a rarity. But, because InfoTracer didn't even come close to locating someone whose name (and criminal background) we know with 100% certainty, we can't give the service a higher score. We hope to see more accurate results from InfoTracer in the future.

Spokeo

• Over 12 billion records (and counting)
• Over 1,000 sources
• 500,000 searches per day
• $0.95 for a full name report and 7-day trial
• $29.95/month after trial period
• Extra fee for criminal records searches
• "A-” rated and accredited by the BBB
• In business since 2006

Spokeo is a super user-friendly people search website. Around since 2006, this company compiles information from public records, social media platforms, online and offline directories, and much more, all so that you can find that person you've been hoping to get in contact with (or avoid?). More than 500,000 searches are done every day on Spokeo.

Not even close to accurate

As we re-evaluated people search services, our focus this time was accuracy: would the search correctly identify someone who was a known target? We chose someone whose location we knew with 100% certainty, an individual with a criminal background and at least two aliases, and whose relatives we also knew. We started our searches with just the first and last name, because our test case's name is pretty uncommon. On that basis, Spokeo was an epic fail: the results only rendered one possible match, and it wasn't the correct person. Rival services often came up with at least 10 different people by that name throughout the US, typically asking clarifying questions to narrow down the results to the right person. If our people search was an attempt to stay away from this person (or to confirm that he has a criminal background, which we know to be the case), we would have been left in the dark by Spokeo.

Start with a 7-day trial for less than $1

But, maybe your results will be different, and we do love how easy and pressure-free the Spokeo service is when compared with many people search options, so let's look at what you can expect. If you'd like to get the report that looks like it's a match for your individual, you can start off with a $0.95 full name report and 7-day trial of the platform. (That's a breath of fresh air: too many times on other websites, you'll be pushed into a monthly subscription and only offered a trial if you wait around without clicking.) Just be sure to cancel here before the 7 days are over, unless you want to subscribe for $29.95/month.

Reputation is on par with rival people search platforms

Spokeo has a decent reputation, starting with an "A-” rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. The 500+ complaints filed with the BBB in the most recent 3-year period are what you'll find with the majority of people search websites, saying that users felt like they'd been duped into a subscription or the reports didn't turn out to be as detailed as they had expected. That tracks across the 2.8-star average Spokeo gets on Trustpilot as well. But, that "A-” from the BBB means that Spokeo is appropriately responding to the issues and not actually tricking people into paying for something they don't want.

Not every report is included in your subscription

Speaking of feeling tricked, though, some users were unhappy to find out that for criminal records and other deeper background check-level details, Spokeo charges extra. The fact is, many other people search platforms do too; they just don't say it upfront. We were able to spot that info in Spokeo's explanation of the "Background+ Report” service, but the actual amount won't be disclosed until you hit that point in your people search. Just keep that in mind.

We like the company but it didn't get results

It makes us a little sad to give Spokeo a lower rating. We really appreciate its low-pressure people search process and we're glad to see the strong rating from the BBB. But, if accuracy is our biggest factor in evaluating the platforms on our list, Spokeo didn't do the best job compared with its rivals. Here's hoping Spokeo can regain its higher spot on our list in the future.

People Finders

• Billions of records spanning the last 40+ years
• $1 for a 3-day trial, then $29.95/month after
• $19.95 for the first month, then $29.95/month after
• $38.85 for a 3-month membership
• Good previews of preliminary information
• In business since 1999

If you like the sound of working with a people search platform that's been around since the 1900s (okay, 1999, but it still counts), PeopleFinders fits the bill. Their constantly-updated database holds billions of records covering more than 40 years, perfect for finding that friend from high school that you lost track of or seeing where your ex is living (avoid him or call him up, your choice...).

A swing and a miss

At least, that's the theory behind PeopleFinders, but we found that in practice, their people search results are deeply lacking. As a test case, we picked someone whose location we knew for a fact - because we know where he's incarcerated - and whose residency history in that state goes back 10+ years. While most of the higher-rated people search services on our list were able to correctly identify him, PeopleFinders didn't find anyone by that name - and a fairly unusual, easy-to-spot one at that - in that state.

Points for including first name initials in the search

On a more positive note, though, this platform did identify 10 other people by that name in different locations. Still not the right guy, but some of PeopleFinders' rivals only came up with one or two possible matches. And, it's another mark in PeopleFinders' favor that they go even deeper and return results matching the first initial and the same last name (including results for "B Smith” when searching for "Brandon Smith”).

Wait for a better offer

There's nothing stopping you from plugging in the name of the person you're looking up and seeing if PeopleFinders can hit the target. Be ready for the process to take a few minutes to create a report, after it's done scanning for the name, addresses, any aliases, and so forth. If you think that one match is the correct one (or you get several results that could be), you can pay $19.95 for a month of access to PeopleFinders or $38.85 for a 3-month membership. Stick around a bit, though, because you'll likely get a pop-up offer of $1 for a three-day trial; just be aware that you'll automatically be subscribed at $29.95/month if you don't cancel your account.

Sneaky billing practices

Here's where we started to feel some kind of way about PeopleFinders: it turns out that the 3-day trial isn't exactly three days. From user feedback, we spotted this little detail that's only known internally at the company and never posted to the public: your trial ends at 12:01AM on the third day. In other words, if you signed up on the morning of September 1st and you go to cancel it on September 3 in the afternoon, you may find that your trial ended and you were subscribed while you were sleeping. Sketchy? We think so too.

An "F” from the BBB

Is it a big surprise that the Better Business Bureau has given PeopleFinders an "F” rating, especially when you consider the 150+ complaints registered there? Another "fun” way that this people search service has made people mad is by somehow signing them up for two different trials at once; when they complain about being billed for a subscription after they canceled the trial, they're told by PeopleFinders' reps that they only canceled one and were automatically subscribed through the other. What?! Somehow, PeopleFinders still managed to earn a 4.4-star average on Trustpilot across 2,000+ ratings, but the comments we looked at from the month leading up to this review were all just 1-star rants.

Skip this people search website

At the end of the day, PeopleFinders failed all of our checkpoints. Not only was their search unable to locate someone who should be pretty easy to track down (and who rival services did identify correctly), but they have a reputation for dishonest business practices. You'll likely be a lot happier with one of the higher-ranked people search platforms on our list.

CheckPeople

• Search by name or phone number
• Reports may include full names, current/prior addresses, relatives, criminal/traffic records, sex offender status, social media accounts, online dating accounts, contact info
• $1 for a 5-day trial pass with unlimited premium reports
• $29.16/month after trial period for unlimited searches
• Unlimited monitoring/email notifications

CheckPeople is a pretty straightforward people search platform. You can enter what you know about someone (name, city, phone number) and see what's in public records through this service. Generally speaking, you're not going to be surprised by any aspect of using this service if you've ever done a people search in the past.

Decent number of preliminary matches

Across all of the people search services we used, we took a known individual as a test case to see how accurate each one was with identifying him when searching strictly by name. How did CheckPeople do? It took under a minute to process the initial search, which identified at least 10 name matches. We were asked to confirm some pieces of information, like whether or not the person in question had ever had a DUI, might have any hidden social media profiles (not sure how we'd know THAT), or might have a criminal history.

Do you believe the hype?

After that, we were told that CheckPeople's "premium reports” might have user comments that we'd find "shocking”. We see that kind of hype across many people search platforms, and it's not our favorite marketing ploy. For our individual, CheckPeople said that they had definitely discovered a criminal background (which was true for our target person), but it still took us to a "final step” processing page. All told, it took about 5 minutes for this service to get to the stage where we could decide if we wanted to pay for a report.

No preview of any search results

But, there was nothing to indicate whether or not the person identified was the right one. Most people search services will give you a list of possible matches and some specifics, like known relatives, aliases, age, or a city where they may have lived (current or previous). Not CheckPeople. To figure out if this service actually finds the right person for you, you'll have to opt into a $1 trial for 5 days of unlimited reports - essentially taking it on faith that you'll get accurate matches. After that 5-day trial, you'll be paying $29.16 per month to continue using this people search platform. (We'll also mention that there's an annoying countdown for when your "limited time offer" will expire, but you can count on getting that offer every time you come back.)

Email notifications when reports are updated

One aspect we actually liked about using CheckPeople is the unlimited monitoring and email notifications service. Let's say you want to keep tabs on someone indefinitely. You'll get an email anytime there's new information posted to that person's report, instead of having to keep coming back to check for new details.

Terrible reputation

Unfortunately, that's where the good times end. It was already a downside that there was no way to know the accuracy of the search without paying at least a dollar, but CheckPeople's reputation makes even that a risky proposition. This service has an "F” from the Better Business Bureau, for starters. That grade comes from getting nearly 150 complaints in the year leading up to this review, and a disappointing 716 complaints in the last 3-year period. Those complaints describe not only the usual issue with people search services - namely, that users wound up with a subscription they didn't realize would happen after the trial period - but also some new and unpleasant ones. One person signed up for that $1 trial, only to be charged in two transactions of $1 and $7 for no apparent reason. They got their money back, but that shouldn't be happening to begin with. Others keep getting billed after cancellation. Another user described getting billed not once but twice a month for a service they never wanted.

Information is wildly inaccurate

You won't find better results on Trustpilot, where 50% of the people taking the time to weigh in have only given CheckPeople a 1-star rating. People are ranting about the same issues reported to the BBB, but we found some new issues too. One Trustpilot user was angry, and rightly so, that their CheckPeople report showed someone as having criminal charges in California when it was a basic speeding ticket. Another said that information shown as "current”...was almost 40 years out of date.

A waste of time and money

To answer the essential question, "How accurate is CheckPeople as a people search option?”, you could pay that dollar and see for yourself. However, it's likely to turn into much more than $1, the results may be wildly off, and you could have a very hard time getting your money back or your subscription terminated once and for all. CheckPeople remains at the bottom of our list.