Personal background check services can be used to search publicly accessible databases to track down long-lost relatives, childhood friends, or reconnect with an old neighbor.
My team of experts has tested over 20 of the best background check services, looking at search types and search customizations, as well as results filtering, search accuracy, simplicity and value for money. Instant Checkmate is the best service for most people, but PeopleFinders and Intelius also offer great background check services.
Personal background checks are for general searches and personal curiosity, so if you are looking to conduct a background check on a future or current employee, you would be better served by the best employee background checks instead.
The best background check service of 2025 in full:
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Best background check service overall
Instant Checkmate is primarily a people search finder with some criminal and traffic records searching and reverse phone number checking built in, but overall, we found that the data it can produce is extensive. According to the company, it has completed around 1.5 billion searches in total.
Getting your hands on the data in the first place may put you off, though, because users are presented with several prompts, warnings, and other pop-ups, and results aren’t instantaneous.
While it only checks public records, so it doesn’t do anything that its competition couldn’t do, it manages to compile data about properties, vehicles, addresses, family members, marriages, and bankruptcies in its reports, among other legal and criminal and traffic record information. If you can overlook the disappointing user experience, it could be worth your time.
Read our full Instant Checkmate review.
For a more comprehensive background check service
As seems to be the case for most background check services, PeopleFinders traces its roots back to being a people-finding tool, unsurprisingly given its name. It works on the basis of reverse searching with the data you have.
In the very likely event that you get multiple results, some data like the person’s age and potential relatives are free to see, to help you narrow down the search before you commit to paying. Then, you can pay for a report, or an enhanced report with criminal and traffic records, or you can choose to subscribe and access unlimited reports.
We found its service comprehensive and it uncovered some data that rivals didn’t. For example, PeopleFinders told us about a company owned by one of our targets that other sites didn’t report. However, it lacks social media data.
Read our full PeopleFinders review.
Best background check service for long-term users
The sorts of checks that Intelius can conduct are fairly thorough, which is one of the reasons for its healthy score in our tests. As well as the typical sorts of data, like addresses, criminal and traffic records, and financial information, Intelius is also able to delve deeper into education history.
The company markets itself under several promises, including being somewhat of a people search tool, as well as uncovering criminal and traffic records and other background check information. It also has a pair of reverse search functions for addresses and phone numbers, if you need to clarify who called you, for example.
We found it quick to work and the intuitive interface was especially helpful. Billing practices can be a bit convoluted and it’s likely that you’ll need to sign up for a long-term membership to access things, which makes it a fairly costly proposition. If you’re a regular user, the quality of the data it can produce makes it worth the expense, but as a casual user you may want to look elsewhere.
Read our full Intelius review.
Best background check service for those on a budget
US Search allows you to pull up all manner of detail and find people by name, phone number, email address, or home address.
Unlike other background checks, there’s no paywall stopping you from accessing some of the data, so you’ll only pay if you want to open up the full and more detailed report.
When the time comes for you to part with your cash, there is a subscription that entitles you to unlimited reports. Overall, US Search promises to be a good tool for reconnecting with long-lost friends and relatives, and is the ideal place to start your search if nothing else.
Read our full US Search review.
Best background check service for features
Like many other background check tools, TruthFinder can pull data from a number of public sources, but it can also delve a little deeper into certain private sources, giving you access to even more information.
Besides this, you can run its self-monitoring tool to find out what other people may be able to learn about you. You can claim your own record too, allowing you to correct potential misinformation about yourself or hide your profile from other TruthFinder users.
TruthFinder is a helpful tool if you need to perform reverse phone lookups and check if your personal information is being sold on the dark web. Rest assured, the website is reliable and secure. However, it is important to note that a monthly membership fee is required for unlimited searches. If you only need to conduct a single search, it may be more practical to consider an alternative service that offers pricing based on individual reports.
Overall, it’s an impressive platform with a wealth of knowledge, and while it’s not cheap, you can run unlimited background checks as part of your monthly plan.
Read our full TruthFinder review.
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Best background check service FAQs
What is a background check?
A background check can help uncover information on people you know, or people you are going to meet. Background checks can inform you on past activities, such as education, where they have worked, and in some cases their criminal and traffic records. On the personal level, individuals can use the detailed information to narrow down potential long-lost relatives or friends.
Some background checks can be very limited to just name, address and telephone number, and paying for an in-depth check can be expensive, so if this is the only info you need why not check out our guide to the best people search finders.
What should I use a background check for?
If you are looking for old school friends to organize a reunion, or searching for a long-lost relative to get back in contact, background checks can help narrow down your search. They can also be used to check the histories of those who are entering yours or your loved one's lives.
Another use case is checking to see if someone is a real person to avoid romance scams, potential fraud or phony purchases and sales. You can also use a background check service to see what information is available about yourself.
What to consider when choosing a background check?
When choosing the right background check service for you, it is important to consider several factors, including the breadth and depth of the information collected. For example, if you are looking for a background check that covers lots of information such as social media accounts and criminal and traffic records, its important that the information collected on these areas is detailed and specific, rather than just providing a social media handle or criminal and traffic records summary.
It is also important to consider how easy it is to customize your search and navigate the service to get the results you are looking for. A service might provide a detailed search, but if you can't tailor the search to your specific needs then it might be worth considering a service that is more user friendly.
Considering the time it takes to complete a search is also an important factor when choosing a background check service. If you require a very detailed search across multiple aspects of a person's life, it could take days, weeks or months for documents to be sent through. However, if you are just looking for a brief overview, some sites will return results much faster than others.
Some sites will also include additional features tailored to specific use cases, such as landlords checking out a potential new tenant, or someone looking to list a property. These can help you get more bang for your buck by providing a highly specialized search that's right for you.
How far back does a background check go?
Laws and regulations dictate how long certain information can be held for. For example, educational records are permanent, but most general information (outside of employment history and driving records) is held for between 7-10 years.
Should I pay for a background check?
If your use case is very basic, such as tracing a missed call then you may find a better free service online. But if you are looking up detailed information on friends and family members to get back in touch, or if you intend to use the information you receive then it may be worth paying for a service. However it is best to check that the details you are looking for aren't available for free using a different service.
How long does a background check take?
Background checks can vary depending on the detail and type of information you are looking for. If you need a name, address and phone number then the check can be instant. Educational records can take up to a few days, depending on the school or institution in question. However if you are looking for police and arrest records, the checks can take up to weeks or even months to get the information.
Paying for a service can speed up how quickly you get the information, but this often relies on whether the information is digitized or has to be collected manually.
How we tested the best background check services
We've tested the best background check services across numerous aspects, like the type of background checks they perform, how long they take to complete checks, and the simplicity of their user interface.
We considered how easy the platforms are to access and how user-friendly their interfaces are, and whether there’s any human guidance and support features.
Finally, checking for information on pricing and hidden fees rounded up our analysis.
Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
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