People Search - 25 Tools Investigators Use to Find Anyone Online
By Lance Casey — Licensed California Private Investigator — CA PI #27617 — Updated Mar 2026
People search is the foundation of almost every investigation I run. Whether I am locating a witness, serving legal process, tracking down a judgment debtor, or running a child custody investigation, finding a person quickly and accurately is the first priority. After 25+ years as a licensed private investigator in California, I have built up a toolkit of people search resources that I use every day in the field. This guide breaks down 25 tools investigators use to find anyone online — from free public resources to professional-grade databases. For the complete investigator toolkit see my Full OSINT Guide - Investigator's Edition.
Need a professional people search? I offer a licensed, DPPA-compliant people search service through Lance Casey & Associates. Results are verified and documented for legal use. Visit lancethepi.com to find anyone online.
// The 25 Tools
01
My professional people search service run out of Sacramento, CA. As a licensed California PI with CA PI License #27617 and 25+ years of field experience, I run DPPA-compliant people searches for attorneys, insurance companies, process servers, and individuals with documented permissible purpose. Results are verified across multiple databases and documented for use in legal proceedings. When free tools come up empty, this is the service that finds people.
02
A dedicated people search resource covering investigator-grade methods for locating individuals online. Covers skip tracing techniques, database strategies, and the step-by-step process a licensed PI uses to find anyone online. A practical reference whether you are running your own search or trying to understand what a PI does before hiring one.
03
PeopleFinders is one of the most comprehensive consumer people search platforms available. It aggregates public records, address history, phone numbers, relatives, and associated individuals into a single report. I use PeopleFinders as a cross-reference tool to verify identity and surface associated contacts during investigations. The depth of historical address data is particularly useful for skip tracing cases where a subject has moved multiple times.
04
Spokeo pulls from hundreds of public data sources to build a comprehensive profile on a subject including address history, phone numbers, email addresses, social media profiles, and relatives. Spokeo is particularly strong for surfacing social media accounts connected to a real identity — useful in surveillance prep and social media OSINT. See my Full OSINT Guide for social media investigation methods.
05
TruePeopleSearch is one of the best free people search tools available. It returns name, current and historical addresses, phone numbers, and relatives without requiring an account or payment. I use it as a first-pass tool on every people search investigation before moving to paid databases. The relative and associate data is particularly useful for locating subjects through connected individuals.
06
WhitePages is a long-established people search directory covering name, address, and phone lookups across the United States. While the free results are limited, WhitePages is useful for quick identity verification and current address confirmation. The reverse phone and reverse address features are solid starting points before running deeper database searches. See my Reverse Phone Lookup guide for more methods.
07
FastPeopleSearch aggregates public records into free searchable profiles covering current address, historical addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and neighbors. The neighbor data is a feature I find particularly useful — when a subject cannot be located directly, canvassing neighbors is a standard PI technique and having a pre-built neighbor list saves significant field time.
08
ThatsThem allows you to search by name, phone, address, email, or IP address and cross-reference across all fields. This multi-field search capability makes it one of the most versatile free people search tools available. If you have a phone number but not a name, or an email but not an address, ThatsThem can often bridge the gap. See my Reverse Email Lookup guide for email-based search methods.
09
Intelius provides paid background check reports that include criminal records, address history, phone numbers, relatives, and employment history. The criminal record component makes Intelius useful for cases where a subject's legal history is relevant — custody investigations, fraud cases, and tenant screening. Results are more comprehensive than free tools but require a subscription or per-report purchase.
10
BeenVerified is a subscription-based people search platform that pulls from billions of public records to generate comprehensive background reports. Strong for address history, criminal records, and social media profile discovery. BeenVerified's mobile app makes it a practical field tool for investigators who need to run quick searches while on surveillance.
11
Pipl is a professional-grade identity resolution platform used by investigators, law enforcement, and fraud prevention teams. Pipl indexes the deep web and social web for identity data that standard search engines miss — forum posts, dating profiles, classified listings, and more. It requires a professional account and is priced for business use, but the depth of coverage is unmatched for hard-to-find subjects.
12
WebMii searches the public web for a person's name and aggregates mentions, images, and profiles from across the internet into a single scored result. Useful for gauging a subject's online footprint and surfacing profiles and mentions that do not appear in standard database searches. Strong for subjects with a significant online presence.
13
Xlek is a free people search tool that pulls from public records to return name, address, phone, and relative data. A solid free alternative when TruePeopleSearch and FastPeopleSearch return limited results. Running the same subject through multiple free tools and cross-referencing the results is standard investigative practice — inconsistencies between sources often reveal important leads.
14
BlackBookOnline is a free directory of public record resources organized by state and record type. Rather than being a people search tool itself, it points you to the official government sources — county assessor records, court portals, DMV resources, and voter registration databases — that contain verified public data. Essential for investigators who need to go directly to primary sources rather than aggregated databases.
15
Voter registration records are public in most states and contain the subject's full name, registered address, date of birth, and party affiliation. VoterRecords aggregates this data into a searchable national database. Voter registration addresses are particularly reliable because they must be kept current for election participation — making them one of the better free sources for current address verification.
16
FastBackgroundCheck provides free access to aggregated public records including criminal history, address history, phone numbers, and relatives. A useful free tool for initial subject research before committing to a paid database report. The criminal record data available through free tools is limited to publicly indexed court records — for comprehensive criminal history a licensed PI database search is required.
17
USPhoneBook is a free reverse phone and name search tool covering landlines, cell phones, and VOIP numbers. Useful for cross-referencing a phone number returned during a people search against a name and address. See my Reverse Phone Lookup guide for a full breakdown of phone-based investigative methods.
18
FindAGrave is a free database of cemetery records and memorial pages for deceased individuals. In people search investigations it is used to verify whether a subject is deceased — particularly important in identity fraud cases where a living person may be using the identity of someone who has died. Cross-referencing a subject's SSN against death records is a standard investigative step. See my Social Security Number Search guide for SSN verification methods.
19
FamilySearch is a free genealogy database maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints containing billions of historical records. Useful for tracing a subject's family connections, identifying relatives who may know a subject's current location, and verifying historical identity data. In adoption searches and heir location cases, FamilySearch is often a primary research tool.
20
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) provides access to federal court filings including bankruptcy records, civil cases, and criminal proceedings. Court filings contain verified personal information including addresses, employers, and financial details that subjects have submitted under oath. Bankruptcy filings in particular are a goldmine for asset and address information in judgment recovery cases.
21
Google Alerts allows you to set up automated notifications whenever a subject's name or associated keywords appear in new web content. Set up alerts for a subject's full name, known aliases, phone numbers, and business names. This passive monitoring technique surfaces new online activity without requiring active searches — useful for long-running investigations where a subject has gone quiet.
22
Once a people search returns an address, a reverse address lookup identifies all current and historical residents at that location — surfacing family members, roommates, and associates who may help locate a subject. I offer a professional reverse address lookup service as part of my people search investigations. See my Reverse Address Lookup guide for the full process.
23
When a people search returns limited address data, a vehicle-based approach can break the case open. If you have a known vehicle associated with the subject, a DPPA-compliant license plate lookup can return a current registered address that databases have not yet updated. See my License Plate Lookup guide for the full breakdown of vehicle-based investigative methods. The GoodCar and VinCheckup vehicle history tools can also surface owner history tied to a known VIN.
24
A phone number is often the most current piece of identifying information available for a subject. People change addresses without updating databases but rarely abandon a phone number they use daily. A professional reverse phone lookup can return carrier data, subscriber name, and associated address that is more current than public record databases. See my Reverse Phone Lookup guide for phone-based investigative methods.
25
The OSINT Framework includes a comprehensive people search section with links to specialized tools organized by data type — username search, email lookup, phone lookup, real estate records, and more. When the standard people search tools return insufficient results, the OSINT Framework helps identify specialized resources for specific data types and jurisdictions. For the complete investigator toolkit see my Full OSINT Guide - Investigator's Edition. Need a professional people search? Contact Lance Casey & Associates for licensed, DPPA-compliant results.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend tools and services I have personally evaluated.