Searches you can start
- Intelius
- Name, phone number, and address, including reverse phone and reverse address lookups.
- TruthFinder
- Name, phone number, address, and property, including reverse phone and property search.
Comparisons · Updated July 31, 2026
Intelius vs TruthFinder (2026): Records, Fees & FTC Case
Compare Intelius and TruthFinder: which records each lists, how billing works, whether you can buy one report, and how reliable the results really are.
Intelius centers on general people-search starts like name, phone, and address, while TruthFinder advertises a wider set of listed record categories, including court, property, and a sex-offender locator. The choice usually turns on how much record breadth you actually need, how clearly each service states pricing and single-report options, and how you weigh TruthFinder's 2023 FTC stipulated order, which its case page still labels Pending.
Key differences at a glance
Start with the question you care about, then compare what each service offers.
Record categories advertised
- Intelius
- Criminal records plus public-record data that may include arrest, civil court, property, marriage, and bankruptcy information.
- TruthFinder
- Court and criminal records, property and address history, marriage and death records, reverse phone, and a sex-offender locator.
How you pay
- Intelius
- Trial and membership pricing varies by entry point, and downloadable reports may cost extra. No fixed price appears in its official material, so confirm the total and renewal at checkout.
- TruthFinder
- Its US iOS listing shows report options from $19.99 to $67.99, phone reports at $4.99, email reports at $2.99, and unlimited plans at $27.99, but does not state the billing period for every option.
Free access before payment
- Intelius
- No free full report is established in its official material.
- TruthFinder
- App copy mentions access to some free public death and birth records, but no free full report is established.
Use restrictions
- Intelius
- States it is not a consumer reporting agency and cannot be used for credit, insurance, employment, housing, or other FCRA-covered decisions.
- TruthFinder
- App listings state it is not a consumer reporting agency and prohibit use for credit, housing, insurance, employment, and tenant screening.
Best fit
- Intelius
- An established, general-purpose people search for contact details and quick public-record starts.
- TruthFinder
- Broad access across phone, criminal, court, property, and sex-offender lookups.
Features and prices can change. Check each service for the latest details.
What Actually Differs Between Intelius and TruthFinder
Both compile public records into paid reports, but they separate on which record categories each advertises, how billing works, how far the data can be trusted, and one service's regulatory history. Here is what each split means before you rely on either.
Which record categories each one advertises, including offender info
Intelius positions itself as a broad people-search and background platform covering names, phone numbers, addresses, and criminal records, with property, bankruptcy, and lien details that may appear in its public-record reports depending on the person and available sources. TruthFinder's current app listings advertise a wider stated set: court and criminal records, property and address history, marriage and death records, reverse phone, and a named sex-offender locator. TruthFinder names that offender-locator feature directly; Intelius's official product material does not make the same specific promise.
Why it matters: A longer advertised list is a wider set of stated categories, not proof of deeper, more complete, or more accurate results. If an offender-registry check or older marriage and death records sit at the center of your question, TruthFinder names those features directly. If your search starts from a name, phone number, or address, Intelius supports those general contact-oriented entry points, and you would confirm any specific category against the actual listing before relying on it.
How you pay, and whether you can buy one report
TruthFinder's US iOS listing shows report purchases from $2.99 to $67.99 without stating renewal terms for every option. Intelius publishes no single fixed price, and downloadable reports may cost extra.
Why it matters: For both services, an introductory or per-report price can sit next to a recurring membership. Confirm at checkout whether a given charge is one-time or renewing, and read the cancellation terms, before entering card details. Because the listed purchase options do not disclose the billing period and renewal terms consistently, the billing period matters as much as the headline number.
How current and complete the results tend to be
Neither service is a substitute for official sources. Both aggregate public and third-party records rather than guaranteeing accuracy, and that data can be incomplete, stale, unavailable, or matched to the wrong person with a similar name. Both also state that they are not consumer reporting agencies and cannot be used for credit, insurance, employment, housing, or other FCRA-covered decisions.
Why it matters: Before you act on anything serious, pull the original court, property, or registry record yourself. Treat a result from either service as a starting point to check, and remember that a missing entry does not prove no record exists.
What the FTC action against TruthFinder actually means
The FTC case page currently labels FTC v. TruthFinder LLC (No. 3:23-cv-01674-TWR-MSB) as Pending, while a federal court entered a stipulated order for the settling defendants on October 11, 2023. That order required the named settling companies collectively to pay a $5.8 million civil penalty to resolve FTC charges over deceptive criminal-record advertising and alleged FCRA violations, and it states those defendants neither admit nor deny the complaint's allegations except as specified.
Why it matters: This is a settlement order, not an adjudicated finding of wrongdoing, and the case page still reads Pending. Treat it as documented regulatory history to weigh against TruthFinder's stated feature breadth, not as proof of current conduct.
Where this leaves you
Which option is right for you?
Choose Intelius when the job is a straightforward people search that starts with a name, phone number, or address, including contact and address history, and you want an established general-purpose lookup. Choose TruthFinder when you want a broader explicitly listed set of background-style record categories covering criminal, court, property, marriage and death, reverse phone, and sex-offender locator records, and you accept subscription-style billing plus the FTC context covered above.
Either way, treat the results as a starting point rather than a verdict. Review what these reports can and cannot establish, and verify anything important against the original court, registry, or property record. Confirm the price, billing period, renewal, and cancellation at checkout before you pay. Neither service is for hiring, tenant, credit, insurance, or other eligibility decisions; review what these services can and cannot legally be used for.
TheTeaReport is another private people-search option for permitted personal, informational research about any adult in the United States. It offers a single-report path with offender-registry and public-record context and specializes in potential-partner research, without limiting lookups to dating situations.
Common questions about Intelius vs TruthFinder
Does TruthFinder sell a single report, or only a subscription?
TruthFinder's US iOS listing shows report and unlimited-access purchases, but it does not state the billing period or renewal terms for every option, so the listing alone does not confirm any purchase as a true one-time buy. Intelius uses trial or membership-style access, and its terms note downloadable reports may cost extra. Neither publishes a clear standalone single-report price. For one lookup, confirm the total, whether it renews, what it includes, and how to cancel at checkout.
Does TruthFinder's FTC case mean the service is shut down?
No. The FTC case page lists FTC v. TruthFinder LLC as Pending, and a court entered a stipulated order for the settling defendants on October 11, 2023, but neither of those means the service stopped operating. The settling defendants neither admitted nor denied the allegations, so the complaint's claims are not adjudicated findings. It is not proof that current reports are accurate or inaccurate.
Can either service be used for hiring or tenant screening?
No. Both are non-FCRA people-search services, not consumer reporting agencies. Intelius states this in its terms, and TruthFinder's app copy lists the prohibited uses. Use either only for permitted personal research, not to make employment, housing, credit, insurance, tenant, or other eligibility decisions.
Will the person know they were searched?
Neither service's official material reviewed for this page states whether a searched person is notified, so do not assume either outcome. Searches run through the service and its data providers, so absolute anonymity should not be assumed either. If discretion matters, read each service's privacy policy before searching.
How reliable are the results likely to be?
Results are more dependable when several details, such as full name, age, location, and address history, point to the same person. Common names or partial details increase the chance of a mismatch, while older or unavailable source records can leave gaps. Before relying on a result, confirm that several details, such as age, location, and address history, identify the same person, then check any serious finding in the original court, registry, or public record.
Sources and further reading
- Intelius people-search site: Intelius's own site, covering its people-search positioning and the searches it accepts, such as name, phone, and address.
- Intelius Terms of Use: Intelius's terms, including its statement that it is not a consumer reporting agency and cannot be used for credit, insurance, employment, housing, or other FCRA-covered decisions.
- TruthFinder app listing (Apple App Store): TruthFinder's official US iOS listing showing the in-app purchase options and amounts cited on this page; it does not state the billing period or renewal terms for every option.
- TruthFinder app listing (Google Play): TruthFinder's first-party listing showing its record categories, limited free public-record language, in-app purchase options, and prohibited FCRA-covered uses.
- TruthFinder Terms of Use: TruthFinder's service terms, covering its consumer-use restrictions and the prohibited FCRA-covered uses referenced on this page.
- FTC v. TruthFinder LLC case page: The Federal Trade Commission's official case page for No. 3:23-cv-01674-TWR-MSB, currently labeled Pending.
- FTC stipulated order (entered October 11, 2023): The court-entered order for the settling defendants, resolving specified charges without turning the complaint's allegations into adjudicated findings.
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