By: Mitch | Last updated June 25, 2021 
There might come a time when you want to know the whereabouts of your old friends or estranged family members. Or maybe you want to know about somebody that you met online, or if there are any sex offenders near the place that you plan to move to.
Knowing such information is not only useful but could also be important in your decision-making process. And since they are the kind of information that is available to the general public, you could find out about them, if you know where to look and willing to spend time and hard work to acquire them.
But now, there are other options that you could take if you want to know about such information. And that is by using background checking or sometimes known as people searches, services. But not all background checking services are created equal. Some are better than others. So read our list to find out who we think offers the best background check for this year.
- Truthfinder
What makes Truthfinder the best background check service is simply the wealth of information that they manage to provide and the accuracy of said information. From the current and past address, financial information, work history, and tons of other information that you won't easily find anywhere else. It’s all available here.
To make it even better, Truthfinder is also easy to use and has a very intuitive timeline. You could find information about almost everybody that lives in the United States. Unfortunately, they use subscription pricing plans and there's no option to simply purchase one individual report.
- Instant Checkmate
Instant checkmate offers lots of basic information that you could find from any other background check services in this list. But what makes it stand out from the rest are its additional features. When you perform a search on a certain individual, Instant checkmate would also present you with pictures that are associated with the individual.
Going a step further, Instant checkmate also gives the person's social media accounts. This is especially useful for looking into people that you met online, such as through online chat rooms or even online dating services. Looking through a person's social media account will tell you so much information about them. The only downside of Instant Checkmate is the fact that their search process is quite slow.
- Verispy
Unlike the previous two companies above, Verispy offers its service in a different way. Rather than giving every information that the user might or might not need, they let their customers choose what kind of report that they want, and only charge an additional cost for more information.
That way, Verispy could afford to charge less for their services compared to their competitors. You could also sign up and pay for more searches for a certain amount of time, therefore saving even more money. But since they're still growing their database, occasionally there will be inaccurate information within your search results.
- PeopleFinders
Similar to Verispy, People Finders also thrive by selling only information that their customers need. The difference being, rather than limiting the information, PeopleFinders would give you the information only on a certain individual that you're looking for. And you only need to pay for that report once. That being said, they also offer subscription plans for those who want to search for multiple people in a month.
There are two plans that you could choose from, The people search membership and the background check membership. The difference between the two is the kind of information that you would receive. The only downside of PeopleFinders would be the lack of information that it could offer, especially when compared to other top brands in this list.
- GoodHire
As the name implies, GoodHire focuses on providing their customers with information that could help them determine whether to hire somebody or not, such as employment history, criminal records, financial information, etc. What's more, they also have information from more than 220 countries, especially regarding education.
And unlike most companies on this list, GoodHire is compliant with the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act). This means you could use their report as a base decision on looking for eligible potential employees. GoodHire has three different subscription plans that you could choose from according to your particular needs. Unfortunately, their services are quite expensive.
- Inteligator
Inteligator have a lot of great things going for them. They have a massive database that covers all fifty states and nearly 95% of the people living in the US. They also offer tons of different background information, such as address history, phone numbers, relatives, associates, etc.
But the most outstanding thing about Inteligator is the ability to perform unlimited searches once you sign up for their membership program. Not only that, but you could also ask Inteligator to opt out of their database. Unfortunately, their search results are not that accurate. Incorrect information would still occasionally appear.
- BeenVerified
BeenVerified has one of the most streamlined interfaces and search processes out of other companies in this list. The result of their searches is also presented in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. And what makes BeenVerified an even better choice for the customers is the fact that they have mobile apps for both Android and iOS.
As for the reports themselves, you have several interesting options there. You could choose to pay only for certain information. Additional information means an additional price. Or you could also pay for their premium results to get the whole information. But more often than not, the kind of information that you'd get from their premium options is not worth your money. You could find similar information from other companies for a cheaper price.
- PeopleLooker
PeopleLooker is quite possibly the best option when it comes to affordable background checking services. They offer one-month and three-month subscription plans at a very cheap price. And if you choose the three-month plans, you get an unlimited number of searches.
They also have mobile apps that are available on both Android and iOS devices. But the weird thing is, the app could do a lot more stuff than the desktop version. And since PeopleLooker is a background check service that focuses on being an affordable option, the amount of information that you could get from them is quite limited.
- Intelius
At first glance, Intelius seems to have lots of attractive features and offerings that rivaled even the best in the industry. It has a ton of information that you could peruse at your own leisure. Not only that, but Intelius is also easy to use, has a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices, and you could also opt-out of their database.
But the deeper you look into it, the more Intelius no longer seems like a good option. It has lots of pricing plans that could easily confuse its users. There are also hidden fees here and there. They also have a rather bad reputation, especially when it comes to customer services. That's why although it provides decent services, it ends up at the bottom of the barrel.
There are many instances when knowing more about someone would prove not only beneficial but also crucial for you. Hiring the right person for the job means your company would prosper while dating the wrong person could hurt you mentally, financially, and even threaten your well-being.
There is a lot of public information available that could greatly help you with your decision-making. And with the advancement in technology, you could now gain access to them all in just several clicks of a button. That's what background checking services are all about. Bringing convenience and solutions to your problems.
But as stated at the beginning, not all background checking services are created equal. And out of hundreds of such services that are currently available, the companies in this list are the cream at the top. You won't go wrong with choosing either one of them, especially the top three companies.
