Is There a Totally Free Background Check? The Ultimate Guide
These days, it seems like you can‘t be too careful about who you let into your life. Whether you‘re going on a first date, hiring a new employee, or just want to reconnect with an old friend, running a background check has become standard practice.
But let‘s be real – no one wants to spend a bunch of money on something like a background check. That‘s why so many people search for free background checks online. After all, if you can get the same information for free, why pay?
The truth is, when it comes to background checks, you often get what you pay for. While there are plenty of sites and services claiming to offer totally free background searches, the reality is not so simple.
In this ultimate guide, we‘ll dive deep into the world of free background checks. We‘ll explore:
- Why there‘s no such thing as a completely free background check
- The limitations of "freemium" background check services
- How to use a cheap trial for reputable sites like BeenVerified
- Why manual searches using public records still cost time and money
- Our expert recommendations on the best way to run a background check
By the end, you‘ll have a complete understanding of the background check landscape and how to get the information you need without getting scammed by fake "free" services. Let‘s get started!
The Myth of the Free Background Check
First, let‘s address the elephant in the room – are there any legitimate free background check services? The short answer is no.
Here‘s the deal: Gathering the detailed personal information that goes into a background check costs time and money. Reputable background check companies spend significant resources pulling records from various government agencies, courthouses, and proprietary databases. They also must comply with strict legal regulations around the use of personal data.
All of that overhead means that these companies need to charge for their reports to turn a profit. So how can a site claim to offer free background checks? They use a few different tactics:
-
The "Freemium" Model – Some sites will let you perform a search for free but then charge you to actually access the results. So while the initial search is free, you don‘t get any useful information without paying.
-
Advertising – Other sites may give you a very basic report for free but plaster the page with ads and affiliate links. They make money off your clicks, not the background check itself.
-
Selling Your Data – Beware of sketchy sites that want a lot of personal info upfront to run your "free" check. They turn around and sell that data to marketers and spam you with offers.
The bottom line: Legitimate background checks cost money because the data costs money. Free services are usually extremely limited at best, outright scams at worst.
Just how big is the background check industry? The market was valued at $3.7 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $5.7 billion by 2028 according to Grand View Research. It‘s big business, which is why you see so many sites trying to cash in.
The Limitations of "Freemium" Background Checks
So we‘ve established that you shouldn‘t expect a full, detailed background report from a free service. But what exactly do those "freemium" sites provide? Let‘s take a closer look.
Most free background check offers will start with a simple search form where you enter a name and location. You hit search and get a list of potential matches – so far so good. But what happens when you try to access a report?
Typically you‘ll see some very basic info like:
- Name and possible aliases
- Age and date of birth
- Current city/state of residence
- A list of past cities/states of residence
What you won‘t see for free is the detailed, sensitive information most people want from a background check:
- Criminal records (arrests, convictions, sex offender status)
- Bankruptcies, liens, and judgments
- Lawsuits and court cases
- Relatives and known associates
- Social media profiles and online mentions
To get at that info, freemium sites will prompt you to sign up for a paid subscription or membership. And those costs can add up quickly, often $20-30 per month.
So while freemium background checks can be useful for basic contact info and location history, they fall short for true due diligence. You‘ll need to pay to get the full picture.
How to Get a Cheap Background Check from BeenVerified
If free background checks are too limited but you don‘t want to spend a lot, there is one option worth considering: Taking advantage of a cheap trial from an established background check company.
Our top recommendation is BeenVerified. They‘re one of the biggest names in online background checks, with over 100,000 subscribers and a robust database with millions of records.
Normally a BeenVerified subscription goes for $26.89 per month – not exactly cheap. But there‘s a little-known way to get full access to BeenVerified‘s reports for just $1. Here‘s how:
Step 1 – Go to BeenVerified.com and start the signup process for a new account.
Step 2 – On the subscription page, fill out your info but don‘t submit the form. Instead, try to navigate away from the page or close the tab.
Step 3 – A pop-up window should appear offering you a 7-day trial for just $1. Accept the trial.
Step 4 – You‘ll then have 7 days of unlimited reports from BeenVerified for only $1. Just be sure to cancel before the trial is up to avoid rolling over to the full subscription price.
With this method, you can run comprehensive checks on as many people as you want for a full week for pocket change. It‘s the cheapest way to access premium background check data.
Is BeenVerified the best though? Let‘s see how they stack up to other popular sites:
| Site | Database Size | Report Cost | Trial Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| BeenVerified | 10+ billion records | $26.89/mo | $1 for 7 days |
| TruthFinder | 100+ billion records | $28.05/mo | $1 for 7 days |
| Instant Checkmate | 10+ billion records | $34.78/mo | $1 for 5 days |
| PeopleFinders | 6+ billion records | $24.95/mo | $1 for 3 days |
As you can see, BeenVerified has the most generous trial and a competitive database size. But TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate are also solid options.
How to Run a Free Background Check Using Public Records
Let‘s say you strike out with the BeenVerified trial method. Your last resort for a free background check is to go straight to the source: Public government records. In theory, a lot of the data in a paid background check is public info. Things like criminal records, court cases, and licenses are often accessible through government databases and courthouses.
The catch? Actually tracking down and requesting those individual records takes a lot of time and effort. You‘ll likely be searching across multiple agencies and record types. And many government offices still charge an access fee for public documents.
For example, let‘s say you want to run a criminal background check on someone in Cook County, IL. You‘d need to submit a request form and pay $9 per name to the Cook County Clerk‘s Office. Then to get court cases, you‘d need to search the Cook County Circuit Court records and pay $2.50 per page for copies.
Repeat that process across multiple counties/states and different record types and you can see how it adds up in both time and cost. A single comprehensive background check could take hours of research and fees.
That said, if you have the time and determination, it is possible to DIY a background check with enough public record sleuthing. Here are some of the most useful (and free) databases:
-
State Sex Offender Registries – Every state maintains a public database of registered sex offenders. Usually searchable by name and location.
-
County Court Records – Most county court clerk‘s offices provide public access to their records, sometimes online and sometimes in person. Useful for finding criminal records and court cases.
-
Federal Court Records – All federal court cases are accessible through the PACER system. It‘s free to search but costs $0.10 per page to access documents.
-
State Licensing Boards – Looking for a doctor, lawyer, or other licensed professional? Most states have online license lookups to verify someone‘s credentials and disciplinary history.
-
Voter Registration Records – Voter rolls are public record in most states. They can be useful for confirming someone‘s full name and current address. Usually available through the Secretary of State‘s office.
While it‘s possible to cobble together a background check using these public databases, it‘s frankly a major headache. You‘ll spend hours tracking down records, often to find that the info you need isn‘t even available for free.
Our advice? Bite the bullet and pay for a reputable background check service. The time and effort you‘ll save is well worth the cost.
The Bottom Line on Free Background Checks
So back to our original question: Is there such a thing as a totally free background check?
After investigating all the options, our conclusion is a resounding no. The reality is that good data costs money, so any legitimate background check service must charge for their reports. Free services are extremely limited at best and potential scams at worst.
While you can piece together some info yourself from public records, the process is time-consuming and still often costs money in record fees. It‘s just not an efficient solution for anything more than a very basic check.
Our expert recommendation is to take advantage of BeenVerified‘s $1 for 7 days trial offer. It‘s the best way to get full, detailed reports for cheap. And since it‘s a well-established company, you don‘t have to worry about getting scammed. Just remember to cancel before the trial ends!
Paying for a legit background check service is a small price for the priceless peace of mind that comes with knowing you‘re making informed decisions about the people you interact with. In today‘s world, that‘s not something you can afford to skimp on.
