Is It Possible To Find Someone Free of Charge?

Finding people online is one of the most sought-after questions - and solutions - on the internet, and it varies from the information you need from someone. 

It can be for verifying identities for work or romantic relationships, finding their addresses for packages or businesses, looking up their contact details, locating family relations, and more.

Whatever your reason, you might have already encountered paid, premium people search sites or background check services requiring you to pay. 

These sites and services promise to find the person you are looking for in exchange for their rates and access to private data.

While the results may be helpful, the price can be a bit too expensive. This leads to one question: is finding people for free possible?

To answer the question - Yes, it’s possible. You can find people for free, but know it won’t be easy. In this article, explore the ways to to find someone free of charge today.

Where To Find Someone For Free

If the person you are looking for has been using the internet and social media platforms, they are likelier to leave digital footprints.

If you know the individual personally, you can find their information from record offices and local registries. 

However, some offices may require documents or proof to avoid identity theft and data breaches.

If you’re searching for someone, you will need the following information:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Location
• Photo
• Username

Here are some ways to find a person without charges or fees.

1. Social Media Platforms

Almost everyone has a social media profile which can provide information about the person you are looking for.

If you have their name, username, and email address, you have more than enough to find them on social media.

Here are common social media platforms, how to find them there, and what details you may encounter.

Facebook

Finding people on Facebook is easy - you must type in their name, username, or email address on the search bar and select People to filter your search.

A list of profiles with the name or similar names of the person within your area will appear. You can look at their profiles and click About for more details.

Many users of Facebook display their alternate names, gender, birth date, social media usernames, email address, workplaces, family connections, and other information on their profile. 

However, you should note that some Facebook profiles are private and may only show the name, location, or a single profile photo.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is another helpful platform encouraging users to show their real names and share career accomplishments. It’s similar to Facebook but focuses on formality and work relations.

To find them on the platform:

1. Type their name or username in the search bar.
2. Click search, and their profile should show.
3. If not, try adding their work position or company name beside their name (e.g., John Smith, CEO of XYZ) to specify your search. 

You can also use LinkedIn’s default search filters to help your narrow your results. Alternatively, LinkedIn will also be direct regarding searches - if a person’s name or username will not show, it means they’re not on the platform.

Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram

For social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram, you will need a person’s username or email address to find their profile. This may take some snooping and investigative work.

You can also search for them using their names, but this will depend on them having their names on their profiles. 

If you find them, you may have to dig deeper through their profiles since these platforms can only give little information, and some users change details occasionally.

The downside of people searching on these platforms is that their profiles might be private. In this case, you can use them as supplementary information for your search.

2. Web Browsers or Search Engines

Google, Bing, Yahoo! Search, and DuckDuckGo are valuable web browsers and search engines for finding people. If you use specific search methods, you can find them.

The best way to find someone on web browsers is to use as many details as possible and employ search symbols. When searching for a person’s name, add quotation marks to signify that you’re looking for the exact name.

You can add their details on the search bar, such as work, location, middle name, and more (if you have any). 

Web browsers are also great for reverse searches if you don’t have their names - all you need is their photo or phone number.

When searching for people using this method, use private networks or VPN to avoid localizing your search.

3. Reverse Image or Photo Search

You can try a reverse image search if you have an image or photo of them. This searches where the photo comes from and other details about the person from the picture.

You can try this on Google Lens. Go to Google Chrome and open Google Search. Click on the Lens icon on the search bar and upload the photo.

Initially, Google will only recognize items from the picture, such as clothing and accessories. It won’t recognize faces even when you click on it.

When this happens, click Find Image Sources on top of the photo to see search results identical to the picture. 

The results will reveal where the photo is uploaded or used - alongside information about the person.

The drawback of this method is that it’ll only search for the exact photo and most likely refer back to social media searches and results from web browsers.

4. Reverse Phone Number Search

If a random number calls you on your phone with no or hidden caller ID, you can search for them using a reverse number search. This is similar to a reverse image search but doesn’t require unique apps.

The best and most effective way to search for a person’s number is to type it on the search bar - you can type in the complete number with the area code (10 digits) or the subscriber number (7 digits). Other ways to search for phone numbers are:

• 10-digit number with area code.
• 7-digit number
• Location/Area + 7-digit number
• Location/Area + 10-digit number
• Location/Area numbers + 7-digit number.

However, this method only works if their number is posted or used online for business pages, online directories, websites, or social media profiles.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can search your local or national phone books or use free reverse phone search services for the phone number and see if it’s connected to someone.

5. Public Record Offices and Websites

Public records such as local directories or archives compile and sort data to make them available to the general public, including birth, death, marriage, divorce, land, tax, voter registration, and criminal records.

You can use a person’s name, number, local address, or business name to search for them in public record offices. Some of these are also available for viewing online. Here are a few:

• United States Government Census Data
• United States Government Court Records
• Public Records Online Directory
• United States National Archives

However, there are limitations when using public records data to search for people, as some documents are only available for viewing if permitted by the owner. In contrast, some information available needs to be updated or set to private according to judicial statutes.

6. Free People Search Sites

There are free people search sites that allow users to search for free. These sites run on local data from registries and public records to online data people share online.

You can browse for their names and phone numbers using these sites, and results will show with names and aliases. 

The search results will vary depending on the information you typed in - you may have to spend time on these sites as they will show all results as possible.

Here are free people search sites you can use:

• WhitePages
• TruePeopleSearch
• FastPeopleSearch
• TotallyFreePeopleSearch
• ThatsThem
• FamilyTreeNow

The disadvantage of these sites is that some information will or might be outdated. Most of the data available will be of those aged 30 or above.

Most will only offer basic information such as names, aliases, city or state, and partially covered phone numbers or addresses. 

You will also be redirected to paid search sites for more information. These are usually premium features or sensitive data.

If All Else Fails…

Not everyone likes to have their information posted on the internet, so some go to great lengths to hide their data.

People do this for privacy reasons or to remain anonymous online and offline. If you think this is happening to you, you may need to employ the help of paid search sites.

There is an affordable option that won’t break your bank. We tried this website called TruthFinder and found that they offer a special offer of $1 for a 5-day trial.

TruthFinder is a people search site that offers a comprehensive search tool for accurate and reliable information. 

Their features include a 3-point search of people, background checks, dark web scans, reverse data lookups, and to public and court records, and more.

Applying for a subscription on TruthFinder is also fast and easy, as are your search results.

Key Takeaways

• You can find people for free using the internet or local directories.
• Social media and search engines are the best ways to find someone without charges.
• Free people search sites are limited to a person’s name, age, location, and phone number.
• Free people search sites also lack quality and accuracy as they rely on public information and limited funding.
• If you still can’t find the person you are looking for, try TruthFinder for only $1.

Conclusion

Names, addresses, and personal information are important things that people value. Some websites and people prefer to keep this information private. 

This is why most search sites require payment, and some free sites lack information and detail.

Searching for people also requires time and attention. If the person you’re looking for is still nowhere to be found after all the method above, they probably chose to stay away from social media and keep a low profile. 

If you really need to find a person, free people search sites might not do the job - but premium services or investigators can.