Top 25 Best People Search Engines to Track Someone Down

Updated on August 1st, 2019 by Quertime Writer in Search Engines

The world is a big place. If you are looking for one person out of the seven billion people that are currently on this planet, you are not even trying to find a needle in a haystack anymore – it is actually like looking for a single grain of sand in the Sahara Desert.

The power of the internet has made the world a much smaller place (at least digitally), so finding someone has become less difficult. It is as quick and simple as going online and finding the right people search engine.

Here is a list of the best people search engines you can use to track someone down:

1. MyLife

If you are looking for someone located in the U.S., or perhaps someone who used to live there, MyLife.com is a great people search engine to use. All you need to do is type in a name, and it will yield all the information you need to find and get in touch with whoever you are looking for. In addition to that, MyLife.com also offers a paid service for obtaining background reports on people, which should contain criminal records, work history, and more.

Conversely, you can also find out who has been searching for you and who has accessed your background report.

2. Spokeo

Spokeo.com allows you to search for people within the U.S. by entering a name, email address, phone number, or address on its site, which will yield a profile containing photos, contact information, location history, family background, and more. However, to view the full profile, you will need to pay a fee.

3. WhitePages

WhitePages.com allows you to search for anyone using the person’s name, phone number, or address. The service, however, is restricted to users located within the U.S. and provides only search results of people who are also based (or were previously based) in the U.S.

4. InstantCheckmate

InstantCheckmate.com markets itself as a public records search service that lets you perform online background checks on people using their first name, last name, and state. In addition to pertinent information such as residential address and listed phone numbers, it also serves a full background check that includes court records and any possible criminal offenses. However, much like the other people search engines that offer these services, you will have to pay a fee to gain access to all information.

5. Pipl

Pipl.com helps you find someone’s contact details, as well as social and professional information, by entering a name, email address, social media username, or phone number. You can also refine your search by adding a location or by choosing an age range. The results are free, but the amount of detail and information will still depend on how much info there is online about the person you are looking for. The most comprehensive result will include photos, home and office phone numbers, career and education history, address history, social media profiles, and even the names of the person’s friends and relatives.

6. Zaba Search

If you want to get someone’s phone number and address without having to pay any fees, ZabaSearch.com is a good search engine to check out. It also offers paid background reports, but it will redirect you to Intelius.com or USSearch.com.

7. Address Search

Here is something a little different than your average people search engine. AddressSearch.com lets you search for someone’s email address or home address by first name, last name, and state. Although the site will not give you the exact email or home address of the person you are looking for, it will allow you to send the person an email (for free) through the site.

8. PeekYou

Looking for someone who is not in the U.S.? Then this may be the search engine for you. PeekYou.com allows you to search for anyone in the world using a first name, last name, and location. But to get the actual information you need (e.g., phone numbers, address history, email addresses, and background report details such as arrest records or driving infractions), the site will redirect you to other third-party people search engines.

9. Radaris

If you are seeking information on people, properties, businesses, and professionals, Radaris.com is a public records search engine that offers one-time reports and monthly subscriptions. What sets it apart, however, is that it also has mobile apps for both iOS and Android users, which is useful for anyone with a monthly subscription. Using either the website or the app, users can search for anyone’s information (or obtain a full background check) using a name, address, or phone number, or search for a business using its name and location.

10. 411

411.com lets you sarch for people by name (along with city, state, or ZIP code), phone number, or home address. You can also search for a local business using the name, type of business, and location. To obtain the results, you will be redirected to WhitePages.com, where you will be prompted to avail of its Premium service.

11. SwitchBoard

Similar to 411.com, this people search engine asks for the same search parameters for finding people or businesses. Should you need contact information or full background reports, SwitchBoard.com will also redirect you to WhitePages.com’s Premium service.

12. Reunion

Looking for someone you went to school with but cannot find him on social media? Reunion.com is a great place to start. If you went to school anywhere in the U.S., Canada, or other U.S. territories such as Guam and Puerto Rico, you can find an old classmate by finding your school on the site. It will pull up a list of names of people who went to that school, along with the year they graduated to help you find the right person (in case there are similar names on the list). If you want to obtain the person’s contact information and background report, the site will redirect you to MyLife.com.

13. BeenVerified

Need unlimited searches regularly? For a monthly fee, BeenVerified.com provides unlimited access to its people search engine and background check services. You can conduct a search for free (using names, email addresses, phone numbers, or home addresses) on the site, but to view the person’s contact details and other information, you will need to pay for membership—there are no one-time payments. It offers 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month membership packages, which include unlimited searches, background reports, and more.

14. People Search Now

PeopleSearchNow.com helps you find anyone within the U.S. by name, along with a city or state he or she once lived in. This site yields highly accurate results and even shows the name, age, a list of old addresses (city and state only), and even a list of the person’s relatives to help you determine if you have found the right person. The contact information, however, can only be obtained by paying for a monthly subscription. There are three types of subscriptions: unlimited people reports; unlimited people and phone reports; and unlimited people, phone, and background reports.

15. Ancestry

While mostly known for helping people find out more about their ancestry and map out their family tree, Ancestry.com is also a good place for finding certain public records. The site offers a paid monthly membership that allows you to use its search page to find someone’s birth, marriage, and death records; military records; school history; criminal history; and more.

16. PublicRecordsNow

With a database of over two billion records, this people search engine is another great resource for finding someone. You can use names, addresses, or phone numbers to find people and obtain public records, people check reports, or a full background check. This is also a paid service, and you will be redirected to trusted third-party sites for the full reports.

17. Classmates

Similar to Reunion.com, this people search engine lets you track people down based on the school they went to. If you are looking for someone you went to school with, or if you know what high school the person went to, this is a good place to start. To start, the site will prompt you to choose a state, city, and the first letter of the school name. Once you have found a school, you will have to register (for free) to view all of the school’s alumni profiles.

18. ReversePhoneLookup.com

This people search engine keeps things simple—it allows you to search for people only via phone numbers. The service is completely free, but it does have a limited database, so if you cannot find the person who owns the number you are searching for, it will redirect you to other paid people search sites.

19. Kiwi Searches

Kiwi Searches is an advanced public records search engine that allows its users to search for background information on any person in the U.S. The search process itself is easy to perform, simply enter the person’s full name or phone number, and the state they live in. You’ll receive a full report in minutes, which may include hard to find information such as contact information, social media profiles, location history, criminal records and more.

20. GovernmentRegistry.org

For a monthly fee, GovernmentRegistry.org allows for unlimited searches for anyone within the U.S. The site offers basic people searches, reverse phone lookups, classmate searches, reverse email address searches, sex offender searches, public records searches, and full background checks.

21. PrivateEye

Also a paid people search engine, PrivateEye.com lets you search people using names, phone numbers, or addresses. It also does criminal checks, full background checks, or public records searches. Once you find who you are looking for, the site will redirect you to a third-party site for the full reports.

22. LinkedIn

While known more as a social networking site, LinkedIn.com is also technically a people search engine. It is a handy resource for finding and getting in touch with someone, provided that the person you are searching for is a working professional who has a profile on the site. However, you have to create an account to view other people’s profiles. Some people will have their contact info listed on their profile, but others may not—in which case, you will need to either pay for a premium account (to be able to send messages) or send a connection request to contact a certain individual on the site.

23. Lullar.com

Lullar.com is not exactly a people search engine, but it can still help you find someone by serving you all the pages connected to a specific name or email address across all social networking sites.

24. Facebook

Pretty much everyone in the world is on Facebook nowadays, so it should be a cinch to find anyone on the social networking site. If the person has a very common name, you can refine your search further by specifying a country, city, school, or workplace. You can also try searching for someone using an email address or a phone number, but that will work only if the person added that same number or email to his or her profile.

Once you find the person, you can simply send a friend request or a private message to get in touch.

25. Yahoo! People Search

Yahoo’s people search is pretty easy and free to use. Just type in the name of the person you are looking for, and it will yield all the social profiles, images, and other relevant pages that are connected to that name. You may even get phone numbers, home addresses, or email addresses.

26. Google

Google.com can get the job done for free. It will take a bit more effort, but with the right search terms or by using specific search operators, you should be able to find the person you are looking for. For instance, you can place your search term (a person’s full name) in between quotation marks so that the results will include only the web pages that contain the same words in the exact same order (i.e. “John Doe Smith”). You can also place the search operator “allintext:” before your search term to ensure that Google gives you results that have all the words included in your search term within the text of the page (i.e. allintext: John Smith doctor Chicago).

Author: Liz Pekler

I am a travel photographer with more than 10 years of experience in the field. Being a freelance blogger enables me to help photography beginners and enthusiasts to tell wonderful stories of their travels as seen through their lenses. It also allows me to share my thoughts about another advocacy of mine: social equality and change.