Is There a Free Background Check?

Damjan Jugovic Spajic

Updated: May 25, 2023

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The internet is a treasure trove of free stuff. But while some things on the web are free, others, like the background checking services of a people search site, require buying. 

There really isn’t something such as a free background check site. People search sites pay sources to obtain public information and arrange their data into a comprehensive report. 

While a few may entice you with free services, they can only do a surface-level search. However, paid services can get you a long way. 

Paid services have premium information that is not easily accessible to the general public. They can even help find someone on platforms such as OnlyFans and other social media.

The closest you can get to spending nothing are sites that offer ‘almost free’ background checks. 

In this article, discover the subscription-based people search sites and other methods to do a background check on someone successfully.

Why You Need Background-Checking Services

Imagine you’re planning to go on a date with someone you just met on social media. Wouldn’t you want to know if they are who they seem before going on that date? 

As many as one in three Americans have something of a criminal record. A recent survey shows that one in five daters run background checks on their online dates before meeting them.

Another thing with people searching sites is that it gives hope in finding long-lost relatives. 

With background check sites, you can finally contact them if they’re alive somewhere. 

The reasons above are the reasons why many people look for free background check sites. 

Can I Conduct a Background Check for Free?

Sure, but paid people search sites can get you a long way. Almost free people search sites offer limited trials. 

Some let you access all premium services for around a dollar for a few days. 

Here’s a list of our trusted people search sites with the most affordable deals:

TruthFinder

TruthFinder is a top player when it comes to people search sites. 

The site sources public records like personal information, contact details, social media accounts, employment history, educational background, tax, and criminal records. 

TruthFinder has a 5-day trial for 1 USD only. 

Features

• People Search
• Reverse Phone Lookup
• Reverse Email Lookup

Pricing 

ruthFinder has a 5-day trial for 1 USD. You’ll get a 17% discount if you pay for the people search plan two months in advance, which decreases the monthly price from 28.05 USD to 23.28 USD.

How to Use TruthFinder

Step 1: Go to TruthFinder. Sign up, pick and buy a subscription plan, and log in to your TruthFinder account.

Step 2: Begin your search using the search box on the dashboard and hit “SEARCH”.

Instant Checkmate

One of the best public criminal records search engines is Instant Checkmate. 

Instant Checkmate holds millions of data from state and local governments enjoyed by its one billion daily active users. 

This site is a sister brand of TruthFinder. And like the latter, it also offers a 5-day trial for 1 USD.

Features

• People Search
• Reverse Phone Lookup
• Criminal Records Search
• Inmate search

Pricing

• Instant Checkmate has a 5-day trial for 1 USD

How to Use Instant Checkmate

Step 1:  Go to InstantCheckmate. Sign up, select a subscription plan for your needs, and log in to your account.

Step 2: Go back to the dashboard. Enter the information and hit “SEARCH”.

BeenVerified

Another excellent background check option is BeenVerified. Unlike previous sites that offer 1 dollar for a 5-day free trial, BeenVerified’s 1 dollar offer lasts for seven days. 

BeenVerified is not only a people search. You can use it to discover who owns a phone number or property, view a vehicle’s history, or find someone’s public social networking profile. 

BeenVerified receives about 10 million views each month. 

Features

• People Lookup
• Reverse Phone Lookup
• Reverse Address Lookup
• Email Lookup
• Relative Finder
• Criminal Records Search

Pricing

• BeenVerified has a 7-day trial for 1 USD

How To Use BeenVerified

Step 1: Go to BeenVerified. Sign up, pick a preferred subscription plan, and log in to your account.

Step 2: Go back to the dashboard and begin your search by entering the information you have on hand. Hit “SEARCH”.

US Search

US Search has access to billions of public records and has a good reputation for producing reliable reports. 

US Search is for you if you only need one report on a single search subject. They have lower pricing for one-off purchases and basic searches. 

Like many sites mentioned, US Search has a 5-day trial offer for 1.99 USD.

Features

• People Search
• Background Check 
• Social Network Search 
• Email Search
• Reverse Phone Lookup 
• Reverse Address Lookup
• Property Records Lookup

Pricing

Online sources reveal that US Search has several affordable pricing for one-off purchases and basic searches.

• 1.99 USD 5-day trial 
• 2.45 USD per the report of people search
• 14.95 USD per the report of one state criminal check
• 39.95 USD per background check
• 19.95 USD unlimited basic search per month
• 49.95 USD unlimited basic search per quarter

How To Use US Search

Step 1: Go to US Search. Sign up, choose a subscription plan, and log in to your account.

Step 2: Go to this page and enter your search subject’s information in the search boxes. Then click “Go”.

Intelius 

If you think the cheapest trial plan a people search site can offer is 1 dollar, you’re wrong. Meet Intelius, a people search site with a 0.95 USD option for a 7-day trial.

Serving its users for over a decade and a half, Intelius has maintained a high accuracy rating. 

The site has much to offer if you want to do background checks on anyone. Specifically, it has a database of over 20 billion public records.

Features

• People Search
• Reverse Phone Lookup
• Criminal Records Search
• Background Check
• Public Records Search
• Reverse Address Lookup

Pricing

Intelius has a 7-day trial for 0.95 USD.

How To Use Intelius

Step 1: Go to Intelius. Sign up, select a subscription plan, and log in to your account.

Step 2: Go back to the dashboard, enter the information on the search box, and click the green button that says “SEARCH”.

Open Public Records

You may be interested in finding their public records if you’re running a background check on someone. 

Public records in the country are accessible. You can get them at PACER.gov. 

The Public Access to Court Electronic Records is a government-run online portal for United States federal court documents. 

This portal makes it possible to access federal court records virtually. However, the program relies exclusively on fee revenue from users.

Don’t worry; you won’t be charged more than 3 USD per document.

Pricing

• Access to case information costs 0.10 USD per page based on the number of pages resulting from each search.
• A single document is capped at 3.00 USD

Bottom Line

There’s a higher chance you’ll get quality and accurate results with a paid subscription. We sourced the internet thoroughly, and our list above is the ones with cheap costs yet still provide quality reports. They surely won’t break the bank.