- Rated A+ by the BBB
- Simple mobile app
- Arrest records, contact info, and more
- Conduct searches on the dark web
“TruthFinder is the best background check site for those who need to conduct criminal record searches.“ (Jun 2024)
- Quick & easy access to public records
- Affordable access to information
- Search criminal records, properties & more
- Confidential reports for peace of mind
- Clear & easy opt-out options
- Search on-the-go with mobile apps
- Best for quick lookups
- Access to public records and personal info
- Identify unknown calls or texts
- 20 billion+ available records
- iOS and Android apps
- People search, criminal records & more
- 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
Start your search today
- Rated A+ by the BBB
- Simple mobile app
- Arrest records, contact info, and more
- 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 Search?
Paid background check services can provide you with a wealth of public information without you ever leaving the house. Lots of people want to use background checks to catch a cheater or find out more about someone with even just an email lookup. 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 credit history, employment history, financial records and other information that show 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. It's not just looking to catch a cheater but finding out if someone did cheat can be revealed with an in-depth search. The possibilities are endless with these thorough searches where you can use everything from phone to email lookup search filters. 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 or financial records, 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 different levels of background screenings so that you’re always getting the information 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 by email or phone. 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 cheat their way 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 $28.05/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, employment history, 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 - 2Millions of data points scoured instantly
- Best for - Social media username searches
- Pricing - From $26.89/month
- Reports Offered - People lookup, phone search, unclaimed money
Millions of data points scoured instantlyRead BeenVerified ReviewBeenVerified's web search is extensive and delivers results within minutes. It scours billions of records from public data sources and the deep web, turning up a wealth of information that may include address history, phone numbers, education and employment history.
While most background search services require consumers to enter search terms like a name, phone number, or address, BeenVerified includes an additional social media search option (which looks at more than 120 social media networks). This allows customers who only have a person's username to run a background check.
This is especially helpful for anyone conducting business transactions via social media who wants to avoid falling victim to scams, which, according to the Federal Trade Commission, are rising. In 2021, more than 95,000 people reported losing nearly $770 million to social media fraud—up from $258 million in 2020.
Why we chose BeenVerified: BeenVerified offers affordable access to public record information with seven different search options for a single monthly subscription fee. It also has a satisfaction guarantee, which promises users one-on-one assistance or a refund if they're unhappy with the results.
Our experience: We like that BeenVerified lets users monitor any changes on previously run reports. But while this service provides mostly accurate results, our report did contain a few addresses, emails, and academic institutions that weren't associated with the subject of our search.
BeenVerified Pros & Cons
PROS
Provides seven search options in oneOffers a seven-day trial period for $1Searches billions of recordsCONS
Reports per month are capped at 100Search results are not always completely accurate - 3Vast database of unique information points
- Best for - Running background checks on a potential date
- Pricing - From $22.86/month
- Reports Offered - Property records, known relatives+
Vast database of unique information pointsRead PeopleLooker ReviewPeopleLooker provides a wide variety of search options. Users can search by name, phone number, email address, property, social media username, or business name. Plus, they can also conduct an unclaimed money search.
This service's people search crawls millions of public records to uncover information like criminal records, contact details, employment verifications, traffic violations, assets, relatives and associates, financial information, education history, and social media profiles.
PeopleLooker offers a useful monitoring option that notifies you of any updates on your previously-run reports. It also features a mobile app, which provides the same search term options as the desktop site, plus an additional dark web search.
Why we chose PeopleLooker: PeopleLooker's unique search options, like the unclaimed money search and business name search, make it stand out from competitors.
Our experience: We had a positive experience using PeopleLooker's mobile app, which is easier to use than its desktop site. While both provide sleek and simple interfaces, the app more clearly lays out the variety of search term options available to users, which is one of the service's best features. On the desktop site, we found it challenging to locate the social media search functionality.
PeopleLooker Pros & Cons
PROS
Provides unique search optionsOffers a report monitoring featureUser-friendly mobile appCONS
Requires additional payments for certain informationReports per month are capped at 100