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It's not always easy to tell the difference between someone with good intentions and someone with ulterior motives. Background check sites can take some guesswork out of getting to know someone new by using advanced algorithms to gather information. This can range from a cashier you interact with on a regular basis; to someone you're dating; to someone dating a loved one.
We’ve done the research to bring you a list of the best background check services available, each of which allows you to discreetly access a wealth of information, including contact information, social media profiles and criminal records. These comprehensive background checks are easy to use and can provide a full background check in just minutes.
We give you detailed information about each company, how the service works and customer feedback to ensure you get all the information you need to feel confident and safe.
Remember, you have the right to know who you’re dealing with — and each of these background check sites gets it right.
Top 3 Best Background Check Sites
- Best Background Check Service for Beginners: Truthfinder
- Best for Criminal Records: Instant Checkmate
- Best Social Media Search: Spokeo
1. Best Background Check Service for Beginners: Truthfinder
Benefits:
- User-friendly search
- Minimal information needed to get started
- Discover possible relatives, friends and relationships
- Reports include criminal and property records
- Subscription includes unlimited background check reports
About TruthFinder
As one of America’s most popular background check services, TruthFinder has been uncovering information since 2015.
One of the best parts about TruthFinder is that you don’t need much information to start looking into someone’s background check. Even if you only have a single piece of information — like a name, address, phone number or email address — that’s all you need to begin your search.
TruthFinder uses an algorithm that pulls up public records within minutes, saving you from spending hours behind your laptop trying to find more information.
In TruthFinder's background check reports, you learn about everything related to the person you’re curious about, including personal information like employment and education, possible relatives, possible social media profiles, possible associates and even possible romantic relationships.
The detailed background check report also uncovers any related links, social media profiles, location history, possible neighbors, and even a person’s criminal history and property records.
What Customers Love
Customers appreciate having access to this background check service because it gives them peace of mind. They love that it’s super easy to use and quickly delivers all the information you want. One customer says that if you are concerned about anyone in your life, it’s one of the best background check services, and it's absolutely worth it to pay for it. It allows learning everything you need to learn and taking action appropriately based on the full picture you get.
Membership
While you can perform a search for free, when you purchase a membership on this background check site, you get unlimited reports. Even though this is a membership, there is no obligation to keep it long-term. You can cancel it anytime by submitting a cancellation request via the website or calling them.
2. Best for Criminal Records: Instant Checkmate
Benefits:
- Covers traffic, criminal, and arrest records
- Search by state, city, or ZIP code
- Criminal history records include sex offender database findings
- Search hunting/fishing and weapons permits
About Instant Checkmate
Instant Checkmate specializes in Traffic, Criminal and Arrest Records searches and is the best background check service to uncover a person's past arrest records. The process is easy and affordable. You'll have access to valuable information that is usually hard to get that can help you protect yourself and your loved ones.
Think about it. Every day, thousands of crimes happen all over the country. And behind every crime is a criminal who could strike again at any time. With this service, you can have peace of mind knowing you have the information you need to make informed decisions about the people around you.
You can even check out crime stats in your area by searching by city, state, or zip code. Background checks are also a great way to stay informed about what's happening in your community.
Instant Checkmate is committed to providing its customers with the information they need, no matter how limited your initial information is. Sometimes all you have is a phone number or a name, and this background check site ensures you can still access the information you need in their detailed reports.
Their background check reports include criminal records, employment history and property records when available. This makes Instant Checkmate one of the best background check services to uncover the criminal history of anyone who is a bit too suspicious.
One thing that sets this background check service apart is its ability to deliver criminal records, including information from the sex offender database. The criminal history report gives you everything you need to know about a person, including their name, location, age, the court where they had any cases, potential offenses, when charges were filed, when there was a disposition and when the offense was.
If someone has a criminal past and they’re trying to hide it, they can’t because you have access to a background check service that delivers those records into your inbox within minutes!
Instant Checkmate also stands out from the competition thanks to its user-friendly website and level of customer support. If you need extra help, customer representatives are just one click or a phone call away. This background check company takes your feedback seriously and uses it to improve its data, technology and overall services.
What Customers Love
Customers who use this background check site appreciate the ability to access criminal records as it helps them keep their families safe. Having access to detailed information about the people their family members get close to is crucial. For example, they use background checks to vet new associates or friends before they are welcomed into their homes.
Many customers also run searches on themselves. They can see what public records are available about their past. This can be an eye-opening experience! The level of detail and thoroughness of the report is often surprising.
Membership
Instant Checkmate offers the option to begin with a complimentary search, which returns a list of possible results. The free search gives you a glimpse of what the full report may contain. However, a membership is required to access the entire background check report.
With a membership, you get unlimited personal reports and location reports. They include birth information, photos, phone numbers, social media profiles, employment history, assets, criminal, traffic and court records.
Instant Checkmate allows customers to cancel their membership anytime, similar to other top background check services. The process of canceling is made easy — you can choose to do so via email, phone or the website.
3. Best Social Media Search: Spokeo
Benefits:
- Searches 120+ social media networks
- Industry-leading reports
- Reports get updated in real-time
- Award-winning customer service
About Spokeo
Spokeo defines itself as a people intelligence service. One of the most valuable aspects of its reports is the inclusion of social media accounts. With a quick search, you can access someone's social media profiles, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This can be extremely useful whether it's for personal or professional use.
For example, if you're trying to reconnect with an old friend, Spokeo can help you find their social media accounts and make it easier to reach out to them again. Or if you're a professional, Spokeo's social media information can help you to identify new customers or prevent fraud.
This background check service organizes over 12 billion records from thousands of data sources into easy-to-understand reports that include available contact information, location history, photos, social media accounts, family members, court records, employment history and much more.
With the wealth of information in its background checks, Spokeo helps you know more when you're in doubt and assists your internal compass in pointing true north.
Spokeo has been a pioneer in the people intelligence industry since 2006. It is one of the first background check companies that offered reverse phone lookups to help make people's searches easier. It started as a simple social media network aggregator and quickly grew into a complete background check site.
By 2008, it had transformed into a social search engine. And in 2010, it officially launched as a people search engine. Today, it boasts over 20 million monthly visitors, which is a testament to its ability to consistently provide a valuable service.
What Customers Love
Customers appreciate the convenience of this background check site. They use the service for various reasons like verifying the background of an online seller or finding information about an individual using just a phone number. The ease of use is also highly valued.
Membership
You have two options when you sign up for Spokeo. You can purchase a one-month or three-month membership, which offers the best deal. You can also easily cancel at any time.
With your purchase, you get reports that include a full address, email address, family members, birthdate information, phone numbers, and location history, among other records. Background checks containing criminal records are not included in the membership and cost extra.
How We Found the Best Background Check Sites
When creating the list of the three best background check services above, we considered various factors to ensure the recommended services are reliable, efficient and user-friendly.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is important when reviewing the best background check services because it can greatly impact the user's experience. A user-friendly interface allows for quick and easy navigation, making finding the information you need simple.
The top-rated background check sites on our list make it a breeze to get the information you need. You can begin your search with just a single piece of information — whether it's someone's name, email, address, or phone number. These sites work with whatever information you have, but the more details you provide, the more accurate and comprehensive your report will be.
You can try the free search option first. Simply enter the piece of information you have on the person you're checking and get a sneak peek into all the possible records. You can see how easy these background check sites are to use and what reports look like.
When you're ready, the sign-up process is super simple. All you need is your basic information and a form of payment. You'll be all set to pull as many reports as your heart desires. A word of caution — this might even become a little addictive!
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are a valuable resource when assessing the quality of a background check service. They provide insight into the real-life experiences of others who have used the service and allow us to see how well it performs in the eyes of actual customers.
This is why we put a lot of weight on customer reviews when curating this list of the best background check services. By reading through reviews, we got a better sense of what the reports are like, how user-friendly the interface for these background check sites is, and how responsive the customer support team is.
Customer success stories show us how background check services help people in business, with family and friends and possible romantic partners. In particular, people using online dating services could benefit from using one of these background check services as a part of their vetting process.
Easy Cancellation
To curate our selection of the best background check services, we considered customer satisfaction a factor of utmost importance. Cancellation of your membership should be made incredibly simple and possible at any time.
With our top 3 background check sites, whether you need a one-month membership to conduct your research or decide it's no longer necessary, canceling is as easy as making a phone call, logging into your account or sending an email. No fuss, no stress — just a straightforward and effortless process that puts you in control.
How to Choose the Best Background Check Services
When choosing the best background check site for you, there are a few key factors to consider. Not all background check services are created equal and it's important to find one that meets your specific needs and offers the most accurate results.
Consider what information you’re looking for
To choose the best background check site for your personal needs, consider what information you’re looking to discover. Determine what type of information you need and make sure the service you choose can provide it.
Some services offer basic background checks, while others offer more comprehensive reports, including employment history, credit information and criminal history.
For example, if you’re looking to uncover criminal records, go for a service that places a special focus on those records. If you’re more interested in learning a little bit about a potential romantic partner, you may want to choose a service that digs into their background, family, friends and possible relationships.
Consider price and membership options
Cost is also an important factor to consider. While you may be tempted to choose the cheapest option, remember that you often get what you pay for. Investigate the pricing, compare different services, and consider if there is a free trial and what is included in the cost.
Keep in mind that some services charge a one-time fee while others charge a monthly or annual subscription fee. Make sure the background check service you consider spells out its terms upfront. Each of the background check companies we highlight in this article is transparent about their membership fees and what you can expect from them.
Whenever you’re handing over a payment method, there should be no lingering questions in your mind about what you’re getting.
Test a sample report
Many of the best background check services let you see a free sample report before subscribing to their membership plan. That way, you can know what to expect from their background checks and if their service fits your expectations.
By reviewing a sample report, you can better understand the type of information that is included in the report and the format it is presented in. For example, you can see if the report includes criminal records, employment history, or credit information.
Sometimes, you can also check if the service offers additional features or benefits that may be important to you — like a mobile app or online portal with easy access to your reports or alerts about changes or updates to the provided information.
Check if the background check site is easy to use
Another important aspect to consider when choosing the best background check site is whether their user interface is user-friendly. The best background check services should allow you to perform and order background checks easily — whether that’s looking up criminal records or social media profiles. You should be able to quickly find the information you need.
Features to look at are clear search fields and intuitive navigation. A well-organized layout for the reports is also useful.
Make sure the company has a quality customer service
A responsive customer service team can be invaluable when answering questions and providing support in case you have an issue with the report or your membership.
Look for a background check company that offers a variety of contact methods, such as email, phone, or live chat, and is available during convenient hours. You can also check for customer reviews or testimonials to see what others have to say about their experiences with that service.
What Does a Background Check Show?
You can discover a lot about a person with a good background check. Some of the most common information you’ll receive in your report are:
Personal information
When you pull a background check, you’ll get access to the person’s personal information.
This includes:
- Full name
- Age
- Date of birth
- Any known aliases
- Any possible photographs
- Job & education history
- Social media profiles
This basic information helps you confirm that you’re looking for the right person, which is especially helpful when looking up a common name. Once you’ve confirmed that you’re looking at the report for the right person, you can look into their background a little bit further.
Possible relatives, spouses and associates
You’ll typically get a list of possible relatives and the option to view a report of those individuals. You may even get a list of possible associates, including anyone from roommates to business partners or known friends.
Some background check services also list possible relationships. This could be known friends or even known romantic partners. You may even receive these peoples social media profiles in your search.
Contact information
With a background check, you also get access to that person‘s contact information, including phone numbers, social media profiles and email addresses. Some background check services also include a history of past addresses where the person has lived.
Criminal records
You may access criminal records depending on the type of background check you pull. This includes the date of any offenses, location of crimes, charge categories, expense descriptions, case numbers, and court names.
When you pull criminal record information, you also get access to the sex offender registry. If the person you’re looking into is listed, that information comes up in the background check.
Also, keep in mind that this information is for personal use. The Fair Credit Reporting Act does not allow you to use any information you find to make decisions about employees or tenants.
Are Free Background Check Services Legit?
Although there are some instances when something truly is free, in the case of background check services, it’s better to pay for it. In most cases, you only have to pay a small nominal fee to access your first background check report. Know that free background checks only offer sample information that is often not complete.
Vetting someone’s background information requires a service to compare different records and provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information. These services rely on the work of employees and advanced algorithms. Neither of which is free.
Most of the time, with the best background check services, you pay a fee of less than a dollar. You can always subscribe to a membership that gives you a large or unlimited number of reports later.
FAQs
What is the best background check service?
The short answer is — the best background check service is the one that delivers the information you’re looking for and allows you to make the best decision in the situation at hand, whether you’re looking for a social media profile or a criminal record.
While the best background check sites differ in specialty and how their reports look, you’ll get a great service for a basic background check from any of the ones listed above.
Are background check services worth it?
If you’re using one of the background checks listed above, you can uncover anything from social media presence and criminal records to financial assets and property records — all in a single report.
Although you may be great with investigative work online, your typing speed and know-how don’t compare to the intelligent algorithms these background check services utilize. They scour millions of public records within minutes to deliver a report that’s complete, up-to-date and easy to read.
What is the Fair Credit Reporting Act?
The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects your personal information as collected by consumer reporting agencies. Although you can pull a background check on anyone, the Fair Credit Reporting Act limits you to certain uses. For example, you can’t technically use background check reports to screen tenants or workers. You also can’t use a background check company to screen professional services or verify eligibility for insurance purposes.
Conclusion
It’s better to be safe than sorry. If it feels like something is off, run a background check. It may save you from a potentially dangerous situation and give you peace of mind.
Use our list of the best background check sites to find the one that fits your needs, whether you’re looking to deep dive into social media or look up criminal records. A good background check service puts you in better control of your life and the safety of your loved ones. It’s better to know upfront than to be shocked and saddened later.
Remember — information is power and the best background check service may give you the upper hand.
