Best Free Background Check Sites [Our Reviews and Comparisons]

Trying to find a quality background check site these days is never simple or straightforward – especially when you are looking to get a free background check in the first place! 

Sure, there are plenty of sites and services that promise the moon and the stars when it comes to being the best free background check sites. But most of them aren’t all that useful, aren’t easy to use, and some of them are even flat-out scams.

That’s why we put together this detailed guide, though. 

Best Free Background Check Sites

Company	Features	Website
BEST PICK	Very fast reporting Detailed and accurate free background checks One dollar access to premium tools	https://backgroundhawk.com/instant-checkmate
	Lightning fast Pretty accurate reporting 100% free without strings attached (though premium plans are available)	https://backgroundhawk.com/intelius
	Well-designed mobile applications for both iOS and Android devices A lot of great search parameters in the free tool The recency of the information available is better than most other services	https://backgroundhawk.com/truthfinder
	lean, modern, easy to navigate interface Fast searches and detailed reporting Accuracy is top-tier	https://www.peoplefinders.com/
	Fast Very accurate and up-to-date Super easy to use	https://www.beenverified.com/
	Fast reporting Accurate information The user interface is clean and polished	https://www.peoplelooker.com/
	Some of the most complete background data archives in the business Really fast, really accurate reporting (for the most part) Very simple and straightforward to use tools that really work	https://publicseek.com/
	Simple, clean, easy-to-use user interface Really comprehensive reporting (even at the free level) Advanced search tools allow you to “remember” different background checks for later searches	https://checkpeople.com/
	Fantastic reputation in the background check industry Incredible in-depth tools available even at the free level Very easy to use and very detailed background check reports	https://www.ussearch.com/

Below we highlight all of our favorite choices for the top free background check sites out there today.

Sign up for any of these services and you’ll be good to go!

Our Best Free Background Check Sites – Reviews and Comparisons

1. TruthFinder

Product Highlights 

Another of the best free background check sites you’ll come across today, this is a premium service that also offers a free tier for those that don’t have to get incredibly in-depth background reporting – as well as those that don’t necessarily need to run background checks all that often.

Still, this is far and away one of the most accurate background check services you are going to come across these days (free or not).

The user interface is slick and easy to use, the details in the reports are easy to analyze, and the databases that this service pulls from aren’t your run-of-the-mill aggregates like most other free platforms.

Features

The databases that this platform pulls from are usually hidden behind “pay walls”, something that very few other free background check services include.

You won’t get full access to all of that information or reports (after all, the company sells a premium monthly service) but you are going to get a little bit more information than you usually would with free background checks. 

The ability to use this service on all of your favorite devices is another neat little feature. The mobile applications for iOS and Android devices are well-made and well put together.

What We Like About TruthFinder 

The mobile applications are really slick, and a big part of why so many people like this free service compared to a lot of other options that feel old and outdated. 

Having a bunch of different search parameters to run through the database is another big benefit of this service, especially compared to most of the other feature-limited free background check services on the web today. 

The recency of the information available from this background search platform is a big bonus, too.

What We Don’t Like About TruthFinder 

It would have been nice to see a “test drive” option – ideally, 100% free – to check out some of the more premium power features of this platform. Other sites have this kind of setup, but for one reason or another, this one does not.

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PROS

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• Well-designed mobile applications for both iOS and Android devices
• A lot of great search parameters in the free tool
• The recency of the information available is better than most other services
• Social media scraping included in the free tier is pretty cool

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CONS

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• There’s a weird emphasis on horoscope information
• A lot of gimmicky sales tactics are used to bump you up to the premium level
• You can’t run individual reports with a premium membership

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2. PeopleFinders

Product Highlights

Far and away one of the most complete free background check platforms on the planet today, a lot of the features that you’ll be able to use with this service you would have had to pay for with other platforms.

Fast, responsive, and easy to navigate, everything about this background check service feels premium – even if it doesn’t carry that premium price tag. 

Features 

The user interface is clean, modern, and smartly organized. The site and the information returned is very easy to digest and understand, too.

The platform has a history of producing very accurate information, even if some of it is (sometimes) incomplete. 

What We Like About PeopleFinders

The usability of this platform is exceptional, on par with the kind of user interface that a lot of other platforms (premium platforms) have.

The accuracy of the information here is also pretty impressive. It isn’t always the most complete reporting, but it’s very rarely off-base. 

What We Don’t Like About PeopleFinders 

Some of the information returned is very old and very outdated (particularly when it comes to previous address info, sometimes stretching back 25 years or more). 

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PROS

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• Clean, modern, easy to navigate interface
• Fast searches and detailed reporting
• Accuracy is top-tier

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CONS

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• Some gaps in research
• Some of the information returned is very old

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3. Intelius

Product Highlights

One of the most reputable free background check sites you’ll find today, this service is not quite as feature-rich as some of the other options out there – but it isn’t going to steal your information or scam you with spam and advertising, either.

You’ll gain access to people search, reverse address search, and other basic background check tools. As we said, the feature set here is a little bit on the light side of things but it is still a reliable free solution.

The platform does provide paid services (starting at $19.95 a month) if you’re looking to bump up the depth of your background searches. Those tools are more comprehensive and complete, but still a little bit on the expensive side of things all the same.

Features

Basic people search and reverse address search capabilities, without too many bells and whistles or other special background features. You don’t get access to things like credit reports, for example.

What We Like About Intelius

The overall user interface is very simple and straightforward to use and the platform is pretty quick and responsive.

What We Don’t Like About Intelius

The number of features you get with this free service are very, very limited.

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PROS

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• Lightning fast
• Pretty accurate reporting
• 100% free without strings attached (though premium plans are available)

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CONS

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• Not as complete a search as some of the other options out there

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4. BeenVerified

Product Highlights

More than anything else, this platform is regarded as a bit of a “background info aggregator”.

Basically, you’ll be able to use this tool to find all of the same information that could have been found with a bit of Google searching – though the info will be put together in a neat little report and you won’t have to bounce all over the web to find it, either. 

The tools are pretty rudimentary (like the option above) but the information is very accurate and very up-to-date. The speed of this tool is impressive as well. 

Features

You’ll gain access to pretty much all of the background search tools you would have been able to find elsewhere online, including details like reverse address information, previous employment, and education information, and identifying details like age and current residence. 

What We Like About Been Verified

The speed of this tool is very impressive, and the accuracy of the info that is returned is pretty solid, too.

What We Don’t Like About Been Verified 

You don’t get access to information that would traditionally be behind “pay walls” with this service.

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PROS

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• Fast
• Very accurate and up-to-date
• Super easy to use

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CONS

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• Background information is incomplete

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5. PeopleLooker

Product Highlights

Some people find the results from this free service a little bit hit or miss, but most people agree that for a free background check service it does a great job at getting you “top-level” information as a background aggregate.

The premium services from this company definitely have a better reputation than the 100% free options (which is a little annoying) – but if you only need basic reporting when you are looking for some background data, this might be the tool for you.

Features 

The feature set is very simple, very straightforward, and very basic.

Think of this as an advanced Google search more than anything else.

What We Like About PeopleLooker 

The speed of reporting and the accuracy that you’re going to get out of these free tools is definitely noticeable. 

What We Don’t Like About PeopleLooker

Sometimes this free tool feels really pared down and almost handicapped, even compared to other free options. 

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PROS

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• Fast reporting
• Accurate information
• The user interface is clean and polished

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CONS

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• Data can be incomplete at times
• Doesn’t hold a candle to be paid tools from this platform

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6. Instant Checkmate

Product Highlights

If you want to be sure that you’re getting connected to a free background service that can be trusted – not only with the names and information that you are searching but with your own data as well – this is the way to go.

Instant Checkmate has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and (for the most part) glowingly positive reviews online.

The tools are feature-rich (for free tools, anyway), and the ability to try all of their premium options for just one dollar is a nice little bonus, too. 

Features

You get a lot of great background check tools for free with this platform and not just the standard aggregate information. 

We are talking about high-level data points here, though – you’re not going to get info like credit history, employment history, or things of that nature. 

What We Like About Instant Checkmate

The $1 trial for all the premium tools from Instant Checkmate is a really nice little bonus, especially if you want to see what its like to use a premium background check tool.

What We Don’t Like About Instant Checkmate 

You will need to manually cancel that trial so that you don’t get hit with a premium fee at the end of your free five days. Forget and you’re up the creek without a paddle!

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PROS

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• Very fast reporting
• Detailed and accurate free background checks
• One dollar access to premium tools

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CONS

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• Feels like a free trial version of a premium tool at times

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[su_button url=”https://www.instantcheckmate.com/” target=”_blank” style=”default” background=”#ffcc00″ color=”#000000″ size=”7″ wide=”no” center=”yes” radius=”auto” icon=”icon:info-circle” icon_color=”#000000″ text_shadow=”none” desc=”” download=”” onclick=”” rel=”nofollow” title=”” id=”” class=””]Learn More ![/su_button]

7. PublicSeek

Product Highlights

With access to more than 10 billion records (including information relating to criminal history, financial details, and social media profiles), this particular free background check service is one of the most in-depth and complete services in the business today. 

No, it does not have access to consumer reporting agency details (which handicaps its utility a little bit) – but if you’re looking for a top-tier free service with fast, accurate, and detailed reporting this is not a bad way to go. 

Features

With this service, you’ll gain access to all federal and state criminal information, detailed reporting about sex offender registries, and access to social media details, past addresses, as well as some education and employment information.

There are gaps in these details (to be sure), but for the most part, this info is really accurate and up-to-date. 

What We Like About PublicSeek 

The sheer volume of records that this service can comb through isn’t something to sneeze at. 

Anytime you have access to comb more than 10 billion records you’re going to get a lot of info that you are looking for – including a lot of info that would have otherwise been hidden behind some sort of paywall.

Combine all of that with a slick, easy-to-use interface and a pretty fast reporting service and there’s a lot to like with this particular solution. 

What We Don’t Like About PublicSeek

Of course, on the flip side, the lack of reporting when it comes to FCRA information (at the free level, anyway) is a bit of a disappointment.

It would have been really nice to see this kind of data included but it’s not hard to understand why it isn’t. This company does try to upsell you to their monthly subscription plan, with premium members getting access to all the information this service can harness. 

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PROS

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• Some of the most complete background data archives in the business
• Really fast, really accurate reporting (for the most part)
• Very simple and straightforward to use tools that really work

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CONS

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• Reporting lacks depth in key areas at the free level
• A lot of advertisements to entice you to jump up to the premium service

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 8. CheckPeople

Product Highlights 

Simplicity is definitely the name of the game here. 

Everything about CheckPeople – from the user interface to the analysis available, to the speed of the reporting, and so much more – just feels really easy to run through.

There aren’t a lot of obstacles put in place to prevent you from accessing the information you are after the way there are with a lot of other free background check services. 

No, you don’t get all of the same search parameters that you get with a premium account here (obviously). But you won’t feel like you are totally handcuffed from getting important information when you aren’t willing to pony up the cash for a free background check.

Features

The fact that you can “remember” background checks that you have run in the free version and then run them all over again later should you decide to bump up to the premium version is a really cool little feature.

A lot of other sites force you to run everything from scratch all over again, but that won’t be a problem here.

The way that you can dig deep into more granular background information on each search is another big benefit. The tools available in this department are (admittedly) a little bit light until you bump up to the premium version – but the fact that they exist at all at the free level is pretty impressive.

What We Like About CheckPeople

The whole user interface of this site is just a joy to use. 

Everything is really simple, the layout is elegant and easy to navigate, and everything “just works” – even when you are visiting from a mobile browser. 

What We Don’t Like About CheckPeople 

Initial searches (with the free version) can be filled top to bottom with so many different names and so many different people that it’s almost overwhelming. 

Without the premium search parameters, it can be difficult to zero in on exactly who you are looking up in the first place. That’s obviously done to convince you to bump up to the premium level, but it’s still a bit of an annoyance all the same.

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PROS

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• Simple, clean, easy-to-use user interface
• Really comprehensive reporting (even at the free level)
• Advanced search tools allow you to “remember” different background checks for later searches

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CONS

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• Sometimes free searches will stall or fail completely, necessitating a total reload
• A lot of the more advanced and detailed search tools are locked behind a paywall

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9. US Search

Product Highlights

As one of the original free background checking sites to hit the internet (all the way back in 1994), US Search has a bit of a legacy reputation in the industry and is one of the top options to use when you need real results in a hurry.

Originally conceived of as a tool to help people find childhood friends, long-lost family members, and coworkers that folks have lost touch with, today these tools are used for pretty much anything and everything a background check can be used for – including job applications, rental applications, and just getting a better idea of who your neighbors might be.

Features

The free level of services with US Search is a little bit limited, though you will have an opportunity to run quite a bit of different reports – rather quickly – when you sign up for the service. 

You just won’t have access to reading all the information that the multitude of reports pulled return (unless you bump up to the premium level, anyway).

On the one hand, you at least get a look at all the different reports you would be able to pull for someone if you did have a premium account.

And that’s kind of cool, considering there are a lot of free background check sites that promise you the moon and the stars when it comes to reports before you sign up only to shortchange you after you have.

On the other hand, though, it is a little bit annoying to see all the different reports that are available that you won’t have access to unless you hand over some cold hard cash. 

What We Like US Search 

The people search tools are some of the best anywhere on the web today, and certainly our top of the class when it comes to the best free background check sites on this list. 

Not only can you really dig down deep into the specifics of each individual that you are searching for, but you can also cast a wider net if you want to be sure that you’re getting everything on someone you are looking for. 

If you are running a background check with very little information about someone (an acquaintance, a new neighbor, etc.) you’ll be able to cast a pretty wide net, too.

The search parameters available at the free level help you find a lot of people with the name and location information you provide. From there you can kind of do your own digging to uncover what you’re after.

What We Don’t Like US Search 

The reverse phone lookup and reverse address lookup tools are a little bit lackluster, if only because they don’t have the most up-to-date information available right now.

It would be nice to see these free tools beefed up a little bit.

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PROS

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• Fantastic reputation in the background check industry
• Incredible in-depth tools available even at the free level
• Very easy to use and very detailed background check reports

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CONS

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• Isn’t quite as modern, as fast, or as “flashy” as some of the other background check options
• The free tools become a whole lot more powerful when you bump up to the very inexpensive paid level

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Final Verdict

At the end of the day, there are a lot of great options out there when you’re looking to run background checks without spending any extra money – but some are certainly better than others.

We can tell you that Truth Finder and PeopleFinders are certainly the best of the best free background check sites around, and are for sure the sites you’re going to want to use most often when you need a background check and don’t want to spend money on it. 

Obviously, paid background check sites are going to provide you with a little more information and a little more detail.

But these two sites – Truth Finder and PeopleFinders – will definitely uncover any information you might not have found on your own for no money down!