Top 7 People Searches

ThatsThem

Since its launch in 2016, ThatsThem has been one of the top free people search engines. It offers a wide variety of common searches allowing you to find people how you know them including by name, address, phone, email and more. To date, ThatsThem continues active development on new features including a social handle search, account features and a criminal background search site. ThatsThem is also building out a developer portal for programmatic, bulk api-access allowing developers to integrate people search functionality directly into their applications. No release date has been announced for this yet.

Pros: 

• Completely. 100%. Free.
• Find people how you know them.
• Provides all  data upfront. No paywalls.
• No long searching animations, getinstant access to their data.
• Doesn’t license data in bulk so maintains records that other providers don’t have.

Cons:

• Ads! 
• Varying data coverage across all searches.
• No detailed car history data on VIN search.
  
• No profile pictures or social profiles.
• Few major UI improvements since its release.

Intelius

Founded in 2003, Intelius has become one of the most trusted people search websites in the business, providing a variety of high-quality background check services. From marriage and divorce records to criminal charges, you’ll be able to find all the information you need with Intelius—as long as you’re willing to spend the money. Compared to other paid search websites Intelius is one of the more expensive options, however that just shows how confident they are in their data quality and coverage. They are also committed to data privacy, as all searches are kept private to ensure their users feels safe searching on Intelius. 

In terms of website navigation Intelius went with a simplistic approach to their UI, focusing heavily on what they believe to be their core services—name, phone, and address lookup. This feels somewhat outdated given that Intelius has grown into a well-known background check service, though I’m sure Intelius has good reasons behind their UI. 

Pros:

• Straightforward & step-by-step searches.
• Seven search types leading to comprehensive reports.
• Some of the best criminal background check data.

Cons:

• Long loading animation with several user questions.
• Premium product, expensive.
• Simple UI, slightly dated.

InstantCheckmate

InstantCheckmate, created recently in 2010, is one of the newest people search websites on our list. However despite their late start, InstantCheckmate has already established themselves as one of the heavyweights in this field. Like Intelius, their background check search engine comes at a premium, offering high-quality data for a high price. Their UI is also fairly intuitive which allows for seamless navigation through their website, however page load times can be slow at times. 

InstantCheckmate also provides social media accounts with their searches, something most people search websites don’t allow for. With how competitive this niche is right now, it won’t be long until social media profiles are included in every website’s searches, however for now InstantCheckmate is definitely ahead of the game.  

Pros:

• High-quality data.
• Photos associated with records.
• Extensive knowledge-base.

Cons: 

• Long animation load-times.
• Expensive.
• Limited search options.

BeenVerified

After their launch in 2007, BeenVerified has become one of the fastest growing companies in the people search space, with mentions all throughout the internet. They have reliable data, an easy-to-use UI, and solid customer service; however what separates them from the other paid search websites is the unique information they offer. Not only do they offer the standard search services (name, phone, email, etc.), BeenVerified can also provide data on car history and property information. And if that’s not enough, they can also tell you if you have any unclaimed money due to tax refunds or medical bill rebates. 

Pros:

• Very unique search options.
• Easy to use website with lots of documentation and knowledge-base.
• High quality industry leading data especially for auto history, property details and unclaimed money.

Cons:

• Long load times.
• Paid.

Whitepages

Established in 1997, Whitepages was the first people search website made and can be considered the founding father of the industry itself. This head start has definitely contributed to their overwhelming presence in the industry, however they have also put in plenty of work themselves to stay a cut above the rest of the competition. They have optimized their website to be as user friendly as possible, opting for a modern, slick, and easy-to-use UI over something too complex. They have a business search option, which most people search engines do not have, with prices competitive in the industry, charging no more than the average paid search site. And lastly they even offer a developer API for programmatic access to their data, something uncommon in the industry.  

Pros:

• Been around the longest.
• Developer API.
• One of the largest datasets.
• Instant access to records, no long searching animations.
• Offers business search.

Cons:

• Paid.
• Some data is outdated and historical.
• No email search.

Spokeo

Created in 2006, Spokeo is another giant in the data industry, trusted by many and recognized by several reputable anchors including CNBC, Forbes, and The New York Times. Like the others on this list Spokeo has top-notch data coverage while offering a wide variety of search options to choose from. Their website is very easy to use, with a more modern UI compared to others, however their search speed can be a bit slow at times. 

In terms of pricing Spokeo is definitely cheaper than most other paid search options, with a generous trial price for first time users looking to test the waters. They are also fairly transparent with their pricing and fees, something that other paid websites often try to mask or hide. Overall a good company for those new to the scene who don’t want to pay a large amount of money.

Pros:

• Loads of interesting fields including social profiles, family members and historical addresses.
• Highly reputed.
• Several inexpensive searches.
• Easy to cancel or refund.
• 24/7 U.S. Support.

Cons:

• Paid.
• Slow search animation.
• Very good historical data but not always up-to-date.

Socialcatfish

A newer player in the people search space, SocialCatfish started sometime around 2016 and has already established themselves as a reliable way to find people online. The selling point of SocialCatfish is their social username search, which can help you find who you’re really talking to online to prevent you from being catfished—something that has become increasingly common in this age of social media. They are also the only search site on this list that offers a reverse image search, allowing you to get the contact information of someone with just a photo. Their pricing, although not cheap, is fair for the quality of data you get from their services, and they also provide great customer support if you run into any trouble. They do have long animations for every search, which can be annoying, however overall their website is fine.

Pros: 

• Unique ways to search, very innovative.
• Excellent support.
• Thoughtful search results with profile images and social handles.

Cons: 

• Paid.
• Long animations for full records.

Note that none of these websites are FCRA certified. This means you can't use them for employment for tenant screening purposes.

If you have any questions or would like to suggest a topic we should cover in our next post, please contact us at info@thatsthem.com. Feel free to share this article if you found it helpful!