The best free people search sites for 2024

person typing on laptop

There are a range of tools you can use to find someone on the internet, but choosing the best free people search platforms can make things substantially cheaper. 

Using these websites can help one confirm a potential hire’s identity and qualifications, or enable one to easily reconnect with an old acquaintance.

Often, the best free people search sites will provide a good deal of surface-level information to positively confirm someone’s identity, with a more detailed background check also available behind a paywall.

Below, we list the best options currently available, discussing and reviewing providers whose databases you can query using a name, phone number, photo, or even vehicle identification number.

Each service provides valuable free information in return for your search.

What do the best free people search sites offer?

If you’re on a budget and only need to verify basic information such as age, address, and phone number, the free solutions in this guide can help with that. 

The best free people search sites allow users to search based on these variables, as well as other identifiers such as a residential address, provided users don’t mind being limited to a set number of searches per day.

Free searches also don’t normally include criminal records or financial solvency checks. Most of the solutions below include the option to pay for full background reports, but a premium provider would be better suited to users with advanced requirements.

What are the best free people search sites?

After testing, we determined that the best free people search site is That’s Them.

This is due to the amount of personal data a free search provides, as well as its ability to perform reverse searches based on email, Internet Protocol (IP), and vehicle identification number (VIN).

Whitepages, Zaba Search, TinEye, and Peek You are close competitors, offering a range of free search services that rank them among the top free people search sites available. 

Keep reading to find out which is best suited to your specific needs.

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Free people search siteSearch methodIncludes phone numbersIncludes social media profilesPremium plan available
That's ThemName, address, phone, email, IP, VIN
WhitepagesName, phone, address, business
Zaba SearchName, phone✔ (partial)
TinEyePhoto
Peek YouName, social media username✔ (partial)

The best free people search sites available right now

That’s Them

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ProsCons
Can search by email, IP, and VIN Limited to 10 searches per day
Checks include address and phone numberRow 1 - Cell 1

That’s Them offers a comprehensive package of tools for finding information on specific people not offered by the majority of free people search sites. Users have access to reverse lookup search for name, address, phone number, email address, IP address, and vehicle identification number (VIN).

None of these require payment. This is notable as many of the best free people search sites restrict phone numbers and full addresses behind a paywall – so it’s notable that with That’s Them, users can access all of this information for free. 

That’s Them does offer a paid plan, starting at $19.95 (£15.87) per month, through which users can exceed the limit of 10 searches per day.

Whitepages

Whitepages' logo

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ProsCons
Can filter results by age and cityName checks don’t include contact details
Reverse address checks are in-depthReverse phone checks don’t include name or address
Reverse phone checks include spam riskRow 2 - Cell 1

Whitepages is widely known as a phone directory, but you can search by name and address as well as by phone number. 

Searching by someone’s name in Whitepages returns a list of individuals including their family members and the regions in which they have lived. This can be filtered by age or location. More detailed information, including full addresses and cell phone numbers, can only be accessed through a Whitepages premium plan which range from $5.99 to $32.99 (£4.76 to £26.22) per month depending on the level of detail required. Premium Business subscribers can conduct batch searches and filter by associates.

Disclaimer

Premium plans are only available for customers based in the United States.

Zaba Search

Zaba Search logo

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ProsCons
Can filter results by age and cityChecks don’t include past addresses
Checks include age and current addressOccasional ads
Unlimited free searchesRow 2 - Cell 1

Using Zaba Search, one can look for someone either through a reverse name or phone number search.

Results provided by this search engine include age, current address, and the first six digits of their phone number. With multiple search results, a toolbar at the top of the page allows you to filter by age and city, which is useful if the queried name is relatively common.

While its results aren’t as detailed as That’s Them — which lists email addresses, birthdays, and even IP addresses for free — Zaba Search enables you to quickly verify someone’s full address and age. 

For further information such as previous locations, contact details, and social media profiles, a premium plan is available for purchase from the provider’s affiliate, Intelius. Prices range from $24.86 (£19.76) per month for the firm’s people search tool, to $34.95 (£27.78)per month for its reverse phone lookup or address lookup services, which come bundled with people search.

TinEye

TinEye's logo

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ProsCons
Great if you don’t have a name or phone numberChecks don’t include LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram
Can add image via upload or URLRequires visiting external websites to verify identities
Can filter results by websiteRow 2 - Cell 1

With TinEye, you add an image file or URL, and the site returns a list of websites that may contain that image. This can be a powerful tool if you don’t have a person’s name, phone number, or address. It’s also useful for checking that someone is who they say they are, which could come in useful for checking candidates for a job application or making sure someone’s profile picture isn’t stolen from another source.

A disadvantage of TinEye is that it can’t generally search photos across popular social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. However, results can include other job platforms or blogging websites, which can help you verify basic information such as name, location, and profession.

Results can be filtered by website, which is useful when queried people have a significant online presence.

Peek You

Peek You's logo

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ProsCons
Can search by online usernameFull address and contact details on premium plan only
Checks include age, city, and family membersChecks don’t include Facebook profiles
Checks include some social media profilesRow 2 - Cell 1

With Peek You, you get a summary of someone’s online presence when searching for their name or online username. Say, for example, you got an unpleasant reply from an anonymous profile on X (formerly Twitter). 

You can paste their username into the search bar, and Peek You will retrieve online profiles associated with that username.

Results can contain possible photos and links to Instagram and X profiles, as well as high-level identifiers including name, age, family members, and city of residence. 

Premium plans that provide advanced data, including contact details and arrest records, are available through affiliates including Truthfinder and BeenVerified.

Best free people search sites FAQs

There are a number of factors to consider when looking for the best free people search sites, depending on the questions one needs to answer or the specific pieces of information required. Users often ask:

What is the best site to search for a person for free?

Our top pick among the best free people search sites is That’s Them, which provides a more comprehensive range of information than its free competitors. Using That’s Them, users can even search for people without their name or phone number, using an email, IP address, or vehicle identification number. 

The results you get include full address, date of birth, and phone number.

Are people search websites illegal?

The people search sites listed here are all legal, as they store and present users with publicly-available information and commercial data. If in doubt, it’s always best to research a search company before using their services and reading reviews gauge whether their offering is the right one for you.

Are there any true free people search sites?

The people search sites in this guide are completely free, though some have a daily search limit. They may promote affiliate paid plans for advanced background reports, but the information provided via a free search is often sufficient for basic fact-checking.

The benefits of people search sites

  • Fact check someone

Whether you’re researching a potential employee or checking the legitimacy of a registered vehicle, a people search site can put you at ease by confirming someone’s location, phone number, or online presence.

  • Save time

A people search website with instant access to public records can save you hours or even days compared to manually researching via Google and social media or liaising with public institutions.

  • Have information in one place

Accessing someone’s public records on one platform is convenient, particularly when a provider aggregates personal information and social media data.

How we review people search sites

When reviewing a people search site, we look at the array of features it offers and how user-friendly and effective it is at solving user problems. Additionally, we compare the provider’s pricing and plan structure with that of its competitors, thus establishing what type of customer the solution is best suited to.

The best free people search sites offer names, addresses, and phone numbers transparently and with no strings attached, with clear information about what’s included in their premium plans, and provide a quick, easy-to-use search platform.

Next steps with people search sites

Our breakdown of the best people search sites aims to compile the very best free and paid providers for people searching. For more detail on specific services, check out our PeopleFinders review and guide on TruthFinder.

Ioana Andrei

Ioana holds a BSc in Business Management from King's College London, and has worked for over four years as a management consultant in the industries of technology, media and telecoms. Ioana is also a successful entrepreneur, having launched several social enterprises. Writing interests include market research and planning, start-up culture and ethics, agile methodology, and financial modelling. No stranger to tech and hackathons, she is also an accomplished fintech and SaaS writer.