Best for deep searches- Simple mobile app
- 100% anonymous searches
Conduct searches on the dark web
“TruthFinder is the best background check site for those who need to conduct criminal record searches.“ (Jun 2024)
- Best for tailored search
- iOS and Android apps
- Reverse phone lookup
- Access your contact’s social media and history
- Best for bulk reports
- Unlimited searches
- 3 types of reports
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- Best for fast people search
- Unlimited searches
- State-of-the-art database
- Best for in-depth checks
- Purchase one-off reports
- Scours social media
- Best for quick lookups
- Access to public records and personal info
- Identify unknown calls or texts
- Best for deep searches
- Simple mobile app
- 100% anonymous searches
- Conduct searches on the dark web
“TruthFinder is the best background check site for those who need to conduct criminal record searches.“ (Jun 2024)
Note: Some or all background search services featured on this site are not subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., ("FCRA") In order to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance, make sure you choose the appropriate service for you. Be advised that only consumer reporting agencies may provide consumer reports. This is applicable, but not limited to, a background search, credit background check, criminal background check, and/or driving record.
Purchasing A Background Check Service
Spend a little time on Google and you should be able to find a lot of information about most people. You can find social media accounts, blog posts, even news articles in which they may have been mentioned. A deeper dive can turn up court records and criminal histories, though if you really want to get extensive, well-organized results, you’re going to need to contract a paid service and consider costs and pricing.
Paid background searches can help you find out about any skeletons that new neighbor may be hiding, and can also help you find out if there’s anything about you that can be unearthed and used against you.
What Is A Background Check?
Paid background check services can provide you with a wealth of public information without you ever leaving the house. Previously you would have had to go on your own to the courthouse to get records, whereas with a paid service the information comes to you, all organized neatly in a single report. Paid background checks go beyond just a criminal record – they can dig up employment history and other information that shows the life someone has lived and also if they are who they say they are.
Why Would You Use A Background Check?
You can use a background check in order to verify buyers and sellers online. On a more personal level, these days more and more people are using background checks to discover lost love or even to prepare themselves for a blind date. For those interested in learning a little bit more about a potential roommate, background checks are an ideal way to get a headstart.
What To Look for in a Quality Background Check Service?
• Report Information Accuracy
Inaccurate reports not only stand in the way of you meeting your needs, but they can also set you up for expensive liabilities. The best background check services will have a reputation for accuracy and professionalism that will help you make an informed decision.
• Search Customization
It’s good to cast a wide net, but not all background checks are the same. You may want to be more specific and focus on employment history, and you need a company that can really narrow down the results to what you’re looking for. A top background check service will have multiple categories of information so that you’re always getting the details you need for your situation.
• Ease of Use/Navigation
You’re not a private detective and you shouldn’t need any professional or tech know-how to navigate a background check site. The best background check websites should be easy-to-use and provide information in a format that is simple and clear. The best service will always provide you with the easiest method possible and the fastest turnaround time.
• Customer Support
Top background check reviews will have a strong customer support team that knows the ins and outs of the field and will be able to answer whatever questions you may have. If for some reason your search keeps running into walls, they should be able to tell you why. Furthermore, record search companies should be focused on getting the best results for their customers, and not trying to upsell searches that may not be relevant to what you need.
A paid background search is a great way to find the information that you need but may not be able to find on your own. With most paid companies, the information will be collected and sent to you in a format that is easy to read, with all information collected in a senior spot.
Now, much of this information you could find on your own if you knew where or how to look but paying for a service is more than worth it, and could potentially be far less expensive than letting the wrong person into your life without doing any due diligence.
Our Top 3 Picks
- 1Finding the truth is a few clicks away
- Best for - Reconnecting with friends and family
- Pricing - From $28.33/month ($4.99/month for reverse phone lookups)
- Reports Offered - Social networks, Dark Web, public records
Finding the truth is a few clicks awayRead TruthFinder ReviewTruthFinder is one of the most popular background check services for people searches. It's an invaluable resource for consumers looking to reconnect with a friend, family member, or colleague as it supports multiple search methods and provides thorough checks. Depending on the membership level, TruthFinder allows users to search by name, address, phone number, or email address.
Like other services we evaluated, TruthFinder's full background check report includes contact information, address history, social media usernames, academic records, information on associates, dating profiles, personal assets, criminal history, business information, and licenses.
A monthly membership gives you access to unlimited background searches. However, some services cost extra, like unlimited phone and email searches, printable PDF reports, report monitoring, and dark web searches.
Why we chose TruthFinder: TruthFinder offers dark web monitoring services, which scour the darker parts of the web to see if your personal information is being sold there. According to the Dark Web Price Index 2022, more than 9,000 vendors are actively selling personal information products on the deep web. This includes approximately 4.5 million credit cards, sold at $120 each.
Our experience: We liked the convenient "timeline" feature that showcases report highlights in chronological order and the "report quality score," which let us gauge the accuracy of the information included in our report. Our test report, for example, had a few stray email addresses, phone numbers, and photos that weren't associated with the subject of our search.
TruthFinder Pros & Cons
PROS
Variety in search optionsDelivers well-organized, chronological reportsAllows unlimited background searchesCONS
Some add-on services require additional paymentsNo trial period - 2Intelligent background checking
- Best for - A variety of pricing options and trial periods
- Pricing - From $24.86/month
- Reports Offered - Background checks, criminal records
Intelligent background checkingRead Intelius ReviewIntelius has a variety of search term options and pricing plans, which makes it a perfect fit if you know exactly what kind of information you're looking for. While many other background check providers require a flat monthly fee for all services, Intelius allows users to choose a monthly plan specific to the type of search they're most interested in.
For example, someone using the service to look up details about homes in their neighborhood could choose Intelius's unlimited reverse address lookup plan. With it, they can find property history, ownership information, property tax details, property value, and contact information.
In contrast, someone interested in conducting background checks could choose the site's unlimited people search plan. For the price of the plan, they get criminal history, social media, address history, photos, relatives and associates, lawsuits and civil judgments, traffic violations, and financial history.
These search options, including the criminal records search, public records search, and people search, are all available directly from the site's homepage. But because the pricing structure varies according to search type, knowing how much you'll need to pay for a particular service can become confusing.
Why we chose Intelius: Intelius regularly updates its search engine to ensure it consistently delivers quick, confidential, and detailed results. It is one of the most thorough background check services available and has access to over 20 billion public records.
Our experience: We were impressed by the various types of unlimited searches and different pricing plan options offered by Intelius. But we encountered several "special offers" during the pre-billing process, which made it difficult to determine each service's monthly cost. For example, the unlimited address search plan was initially advertised as $29 a month but was later reduced to a special price of $4.99 during checkout.
Intelius Pros & Cons
PROS
Provides multiple search optionsOffers various trial periodsHas access to 20 billion public recordsCONS
Confusing pricing structureSubscription cancellation can be lengthy - 3Detailed reports from wide databases
- Best for - Immediate access to background check results
- Pricing - From $35.12/month ($5.99/month for reverse phone lookups)
- Reports Offered - Criminal records, sex offender database+
Detailed reports from wide databasesRead Instant Checkmate ReviewInstant Checkmate combs through millions of data points and publicly available information sources to provide thorough background check reports.
Its full monthly subscription gives users access to various search functions that can pull up tons of information on a subject. This includes their relatives and relationships, social media accounts, criminal history, data about bankruptcies and liens, licenses, and address history.
In particular, Instant Checkmate's reverse phone lookup subscription is an affordable way to conduct quick background checks on suspected scam calls. The service also allows its members to run a tailored criminal history search and pull up crime statistics according to city, state, or zip code.
Why we chose Instant Checkmate: This service delivers detailed results in under five minutes. Its ability to look up federal inmates, a unique feature we didn't find on the other sites we reviewed, also sets it apart from other background check providers.
Our experience: Each search tab, both on Instant Checkmate's website and its mobile app, clearly explained what kind of information the sections required. This helped us know exactly what we needed to include. We also liked that we could search for traffic and criminal records directly from the homepage.
Instant Checkmate Pros & Cons
PROS
Offers an affordable phone search planSupports federal inmate lookupProvides a tailored criminal history search optionCONS
Price points vary between the website and mobile appExpensive monthly subscription plan