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How to Get a Public Data Check Online – 2024 Guideline

Public data lookup services such as BeenVerified and PeopleLooker have greatly simplified the process of accessing publicly available information about individuals. These services are highly reliable when it comes to checking public data, making research on individuals more efficient.

There are various reasons why you might want to perform a public data check on someone. It could be for reuniting with long-lost loved ones or ensuring the safety of an online date before meeting them in person. Alternatively, you may simply be interested in knowing what information about yourself is accessible to the public through a personal background check.

The top-notch public data lookup services utilize both public and sometimes private sources to retrieve information about one or more specific individuals. This sets them apart from credit checks and police checks, which rely solely on government sources.

With these search engines for public data, you can uncover details regarding real estate properties or even identify unknown callers. Allow us to introduce you to the finest market-leading providers of these invaluable public data search services.

>> Try Out BeenVerified >>

8 Best Public Data Check Services On the Market

BeenVerified – Best Public Data Check Service Overall

If you need to conduct a public data check on someone, BeenVerified is an excellent online service to use. It provides users with detailed and up-to-date information by searching public records, social media accounts, and other online sources.

BeenVerified’s White Pages lookup is a people finder that has four main categories – name, address, phone number, or email address. Using the username search field, you can also search for someone on social media. In addition to personal information, you can access a person’s criminal and arrest records, properties, relationships, and more.

None of BeenVerified’s features are free, and no membership trials are available. However, the service is affordable and offers a range of subscription plans to suit different budgets. BeenVerified takes privacy seriously and uses state-of-the-art encryption technology to protect users’ personal data. The site doesn’t share or sell any information to third parties.

BeenVerified has a user-friendly interface that makes it simple to navigate and search for information. The search results are presented in a clear and organized format.

BeenVerified offers a variety of features, including People Search, Criminal Records Search, Public Records Search, Reverse Phone Number Lookup, and Email Address Lookup. These features can help users find contact information, previous addresses, criminal and traffic records, education and employment history, and other personal details.

Pros

  • Multiple search options
  • Smooth navigation
  • Excellent customer support

Cons

  • Some data is expensive
  • No individual reports

>> Try BeenVerified’s Service >>

PeopleLooker – Best for Fast Results

peoplelooker

PeopleLooker is a public data check website that offers quick, cost-effective, and convenient access to trustworthy public records for individuals. By using PeopleLooker, you can discover information that may not be readily available on Google.

With an array of features including public data check, reverse phone number lookup, username search, address lookup, email address lookup, B2B search, and unclaimed money lookup all in one place, PeopleLooker is a valuable resource for finding the information you require on a daily basis.

PeopleLooker is generally considered to be simple to use. Its interface is user-friendly and intuitive, making it simple for individuals to conduct searches and access public records without much difficulty.

Additionally, PeopleLooker provides detailed search reports that are simple to understand and navigate, which can be helpful for those who are not familiar with the process of searching public records. Overall, PeopleLooker is a straightforward and convenient tool for individuals seeking to access reliable public records.

PeopleLooker operates on a monthly subscription model and provides customers with the option to trial the service for $1 for a period of 7 days. If customers wish to continue, they can select from two premium plans: a monthly membership priced at $23.99 per month or a 3-month membership priced at $19.19 per month.

Subscribing to their service offers unlimited access to background reports, contact information, arrest records, phone lookups, and email address lookups, as well as more search options and quicker searching capabilities.

Customers can cancel their subscription at any time by contacting customer service via phone or email address. However, we found the customer support team lacking as the agent we spoke with provided only generic information and did not appear overly helpful.

Pros

  • Simple to use
  • Comprehensive search reports
  • Excellent customer service
  • Includes social media and genealogy search

Cons

  • Doesn’t offer single reports

>> Try PeopleLooker’s Service >>

TruthFinder – Best for Public Records Search

TruthFinder can provide a variety of public data check options that include both public and private sources, as well as tools for self-monitoring so you can see what information others may find out about you.

Many of the capabilities you might anticipate from other public data search services are available with TruthFinder. Along with the ability to find prospective acquaintances and possible relatives of your search topic, these include searches that include both public and private sources.

The TruthFinder platform can provide tools for self-monitoring, so you can see your record to see what prospective employers or other users of the site who search for you will see. You may even claim ownership of a specific document using TruthFinder.

By doing this, you’ll have the option to either conceal it from other TruthFinder users or rectify factual errors on it. It excels as a person search tool because TruthFinder offers a lot of details about the person you’re looking for. The capability to conduct an infinite number of public data checks is another critical attribute.

The primary drawback of TruthFinder is that it costs around $28.05 per month, but if you use it often, it’ll be well worth the investment. Read this TruthFinder review for a more in-depth look.

Pros

  • Unlimited searches when you subscribe
  • Free telephone customer service
  • Functions on desktop and smartphone
  • Some fresh info is discovered via deep web and social searches

Cons

  • Individual reports cost a lot of money
  • No trial offer

>> Try TruthFinder’s Service >>

DISCLAIMER: You may not use TruthFinder or the information it provides to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. TruthFinder does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (“FCRA”), which are incorporated herein by reference.)”

Intelius – Best for One-time Public Data Search

The public data checks Intelius performs are more thorough than others. It provides scholastic background in addition to the standard locations, criminal histories, and financial details if you’re attempting to utilize Intelius to contact someone from your past.

Intelius specifically advises utilizing its service to get in touch with old pals, look into someone’s criminal history, and find out what information is available online. You may also check the caller’s identity and the property information for your desired home.

The service provides you with the information you need quickly, and all searches are secret and discreet, so it won’t be evident that you looked for it. Seven distinct background search options and membership plans, from thorough public data checks to phone book searches, are available from Intelius. You must join up for a long-term subscription to utilize any of them, no matter which one you choose.

Each plan has a comparable monthly membership fee, although the cost of the first trial period varies. In addition to having an extensive database, Intelius is renowned for its user-friendly interface. This is one of the better public data search services, despite somewhat perplexing charging procedures. Additionally, we like how Intelius displays relationships as a graph, making it simple to see how objects are connected.

There’s also a monthly membership option available at $24.86 per month, which should be reasonable given the quality Intelius is putting out.

Pros

  • Social networking user
  • Effective visuals
  • Options for single reports and subscriptions
  • Include educational tools

Cons

  • Somewhat pricey in comparison to other options

>> Try Out Intelius >>

DISCLAIMER: You may not use Intelius or the information it provides to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. TruthFinder does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (“FCRA”), which are incorporated herein by reference.)”

Instant Checkmate – Best for Criminal Data Check

A people search engine called Instant Checkmate compiles information from public records and documents. The program is simple to use and provides a wealth of information, such as contact information and criminal histories.

It might be unpleasant when results take a while to appear, and the service asks you several questions and issues cautions before giving a report. You can use Instant Checkmate to find someone using their name, city, and state. A reverse phone number lookup tool is also available, albeit it might be challenging to discover it on the Instant Checkmate website.

When you search, you’re given a list of possible matches and can get a comprehensive report on any individual. There’s no information accessible with Instant Checkmate that you cannot get elsewhere as the program solely examines public data. The site does, however, cast a broad net and includes information on homes, cars, previous addresses, possible relatives, marriages, and bankruptcies in its reports.

The search engine will also let you know whether the person you’re looking for is a registered sex offender if they have a weapons license, and whether they have any arrest, criminal, or traffic convictions on their record.

When compared to other search engines, this site offers a large variety of data, which is one of its main features. It may be annoying to use Instant Checkmate since you have to go through more than a dozen pop-up windows to view the final report.

However, if you can overcome this shortcoming, Instant Checkmate is simple. The cost of a monthly membership with unlimited person reports is $35.12.

Pros

  • Timely and detailed data
  • Reports are unlimited with a subscription
  • Wonderful search tools
  • Decent value for the money

Cons 

  • No possibility for single reports

>> Try Out Instant Checkmate >>

DISCLAIMER: You may not use Instant Checkmate or the information it provides to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Instant Checkmate does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (“FCRA”), which are incorporated herein by reference.)”

US Search – Best for Ease of Use

US Search offers historical data checks in addition to a website that feels and looks like Yahoo. However, it seems that US Search has been able to spend more in comprehensive search choices and outstanding pricing points due to a lack of site design money.

You may use US Search to discover the reliable person you’re searching for by using their name, phone number, address, or email address. US Search will return a long list of search results. US Search doesn’t erect a paywall in front of the search results, unlike other search engines.

You only pay to get the whole report for a specific person, but you’ll be allowed to browse the list to locate the proper person. Basic details, including family members’ names, previous homes, properties owned, and any criminal history, are included in the reports. They also helpfully include any available phone numbers, email address, and social media accounts to contact the individual you seek.

Because of this, US Search is very helpful for contacting a former acquaintance or a long-lost family. Pricing choices range from a one-time fee for a report to a monthly membership allowing limitless searches.

Pros

  • Excellent search options
  • Results from searches are free
  • Current information
  • Reports provide contact details
  • Inexpensive reporting

Cons

  • No possibility to purchase a single report

>> Try Out US Search >>

DISCLAIMER: You may not use US Search or the information it provides to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. US Search does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (“FCRA”), which are incorporated herein by reference.)”

PeopleFinders – Most Accurate Public Data Check

peoplefindes

PeopleFinders is a people-finding service, as implied by the name, and it excels in this regard. It’s a simple-to-use web tool for researching people using public information, and it searches public sources to identify people using just their name, phone number, email address, or location.

One report may be purchased, or you can purchase unlimited access to do as many searches as you want. PeopleFinders provides a number of methods for finding people. You may input a known address, phone number, email address, or the person’s name and city.

PeopleFinders provides you with a list of probable matches for name searches with many possible matches, along with age and known family members, to help you focus your search. This is crucial since many comparable search tools show you a paywall before you even know whether your search has turned up any results.

PeopleFinders has a variety of price plans. There are two reports for a single person, a search report with basic contact details and a background report with criminal, property, and judicial records. A monthly membership can provide access to an infinite number of reports.

We thought their service was thorough and that it turned up some facts that competitors had missed. For instance, PeopleFinders informed us about a run by one of our targets that other websites omitted to mention.

Although it lacks social media data and the website cannot be viewed outside of the US, it isn’t that great for internet-related things. However, if you need to use it for a longer amount of time, it’s one of the most cost-effective solutions, with an initial price of $9.95 for the first month and then less than $29.95 each month after that.

Pros

  • Discovers information that competitors lack
  • User-friendly website
  • Great mobile applications
  • Reporting that is inexpensive and thorough
  • Buy individual reports

Cons

  • Zero social media data

>> Try Out PeopleFinders >>

Spokeo – Best Reverse Phone Number Lookup

You may access what Spokeo refers to as a broad variety of industry-leading sources by searching for a person’s name using their email address or other identity verification data.

Additionally, as new information is received, regular revisions to reports are to be expected. A person’s interests, education level, financial situation, dating profile information, and even certain music and gaming accounts, may all be found via Spokeo.

However, not all searches were successful since some names were misspelled, indicating a lack of human intervention. However, Spokeo gets a bonus point for its capability to do a reverse phone number search on annoying spam calls.

Pros

  • Comprehensive online searches
  • Periodic updates to reports
  • Reverse phone number lookups

Cons

  • Online name matching may not be detailed

>> Try Out Spokeo >>

Best Public Data Search Sites – Ranking Methodology

The finest public data search services have been put to the test in a variety of ways, including the types of public data checks they do, the length of time it takes to check, and the user-friendliness of their interface.

We assessed the services’ ability to provide inspections for the particular needs of sectors, including education, healthcare, retail, and more. We assessed the service’s usability on mobile platforms and any human guiding elements that could be present.

Along with other things, we examined their pricing strategies and how flexible they were with their goods and costs.

How to choose the best Public Data Search Services for you?

You should first define your requirements and the kinds of public data checks you need to undertake before choosing the finest public data search provider. Driving histories, criminal histories, employment histories, and credit reports are a few examples of public data checks.

However, if you merely need to confirm more straightforward details, such as the candidate’s educational background or social media use, you may choose to do it internally or use a straightforward public data search engine.

Next, you should gauge how long it takes for the service’s checks to be finished. The best course of action is to choose a service that won’t take more than a few days, even if more complicated checks could take longer. Finally, pay attention to the service’s simplicity of use and membership options.

>> Check Out BeenVerified >>

What is a Public Data Check Service?

A public data check service searches the whole internet painstakingly to find information on the individual you’re looking for. Although you could potentially obtain the majority of the data the services have access to on your own, it would take you weeks or even months to get the information you want.

Background check services may quickly and thoroughly provide a report for you after searching through millions of documents. Online public data searches may uncover information such as credit history, job history, bank records, and other details about a person’s life that both confirm their identification and shed light on their criminal past.

Information Included in Different Types of Public Data Checks

You may do public data checks on a variety of levels, from very basic information to quite extensive criminal public data checks.

The level of detail you provide in your reporting often depends on the purpose of your public data search. If you’re just attempting to spy on an ex-boyfriend, for instance, you may not look into things as thoroughly as if you were, say, doing a public data search for a job at high-level security.

The most typical public data checks done nowadays include

  • Public data checks and professional licenses
  • Trace of social security number
  • Verify references
  • Public data checks for crimes
  • Public data checks for E-Verify
  • Public data checks that are universal
  • Checks on OIG public data
  • Personal data searches
  • Verification of education
  • Scans of social media
  • Credit checks for public data
  • International data verifications

The majority will include the person’s age and date of birth as well as basic information about them, such as contact information like addresses and phone numbers. Additionally, it will include more specific data including educational background, employment and educational career history, and criminal and arrest histories.

A public data search may also contain the following additional items:

  • Marriage certificates
  • Individual webpages
  • Bankruptcies
  • References
  • Civil documents
  • Listings on the sexual offender register
  • Military history
  • Associated photographs
  • Using social media
  • Driving background
  • Various other licenses (professional)
  • Wikipedia articles
  • Weapons licenses
  • Credit
  • Liens
  • Known aliases
  • Blogs
  • Family members

And maybe more, depending on the firm and rules you use to examine public records.

>> Use BeenVerified >>

Where Does Public Data Check Information Come From?

Depending on the report type you requested, the public data check information may originate from a variety of different places. For background checks, the public has no one place to go. Records from the following sources make up the national criminal database:

  • Departments of corrections
  • Case files from federal security agencies
  • Organizations that help state courts
  • District courts
  • Statewide sex offender sources

In order to compile results, database searches like reverse phone number lookup and email search subscription plans rely on readily available public information like phone books and public records. Sometimes this data is incorrect or out of date. Generally speaking, searches of public records are more reliable and cost-effective when conducted at the state or police agency level.

Is There a Public Data Check Free?

If you’re wondering if there’s public data check free, then the answer is no. Numerous outcomes from public data check free might be out-of-date and could even be confusing for certain individuals because of similar-sounding names.

Recognize that public data checks are sometimes assembled from datasets that are gathered by for-profit organizations.

The information in public data check free sites is sometimes obtained from questionable sources, including opt-in lists that exchange your data, contest and coupon registration sources, and magazine subscription sources.

Many of these entries are also out-of-date or derived from residential sources or obsolete phone book data. Additionally, public data check free sometimes lack access to state records (criminal, civil, and motor vehicle) and credit headers (latest contact information).

Best Public Data Check Services: The Takeaway

In order to create a final selection, we carefully examined the price range and the range of background checks offered by each candidate.

We found BeenVerified to be the most impressive option because it not only provides access to public records such as criminal sources and sex offender registries but also allows users to search private sources like the dark web and deep web. Additionally, it offers other types of records that are not typically available through free WhitePages-style searches that we’re accustomed to using.

If you have any suspicions about a potential new acquaintance, romantic partner, colleague who talks too much, family friend, or anyone who has been spending time at your home, it’s advisable to conduct a public data check today.

>> Check Out BeenVerified >>

All product names, logos, brands, trademarks, and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

DISCLAIMER: You may not use the non-FCRA-approved services mentioned in this article or the information they provide to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. These services don’t provide consumer reports and are not consumer reporting agencies. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (“FCRA”), which are incorporated herein by reference.) 

The information available on our website may not be 100% accurate, complete, or up to date, so do not use it as a substitute for your own due diligence, especially if you have concerns about a person’s criminal history. The services we mention do not make any representation or warranty about the accuracy of the information available through our website or about the character or integrity of the person about whom you inquire. For more information, please review each service’s Terms of Use.

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