Every industry has its pairs of rivals, and in the background check world there are two no better suited to the term than Intelius and TruthFinder. While they were both founded in 2003, their individual takes on presenting public records to an inquisitive user differs by quite a margin. Where Intelius believes that people should have multiple tools to categorize the results, TruthFinder instead aims to create a report that is comprehensive for everyone. It’s clear as day that the two services cater to completely different audiences.
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Intelius is a hardcore background check service, which means that it distinguishes between different levels of reports. There are simple people searches that return with birth records, location history and associate network. Then there are dedicated criminal checks that go into official databases to recover the subject’s arrest history, court documents, and uncover any possible judgements. And finally there are the full-fledged background checks that promise the most results, including everything from in the reports above plus financial details such as bankruptcies and liens.
Intelius has some nice surprises in store for users. For starters, there is an app version for iOS and Android that has the added benefit of cross-searching the identity of an unknown caller. For an added fee it is also possible to hide yourself behind a virtual identity shield that instantly notifies you if someone does a credit check on you, which is coupled with private access to the company’s fraud resolution experts. These reports can be viewed either by subscribing to a membership for $19.95 or purchasing standalone copies, which ranges from $0.95 to $39.95 depending on the report type.
TruthFinder is a highly polished background check service whose website is filled to the brim with useful information on how to perform a public record search, what kind of data is available and it even boasts tutorial videos demonstrating how the reports should look. There are multiple ways to perform a search – including reverse phone and email lookup – but the most noteworthy feature is the deep web scan that reveals whether your personal information has been leaked on hidden forums.
Just like Intelius, TruthFinder has also established a presence on the mobile platform, presenting a compact alternative for touch-based devices. The reports are comprehensive and easy to navigate thanks to the user-friendly layout. They feature all the necessary information that you might wish to know about the target, starting from basic personal details and ending with sex offense records, civil judgements, social media and weapon permits. The results are unveiled only after subscribing, the monthly membership fee being $27.78, although there is also a seven-day trial for $1.
Both Intelius and TruthFinder are excellent choices when it comes to professional background checking. The former offers multi-layered searching with optionally purchasable identity shielding. The latter grants you access to deep web scanning coupled with a report system that doesn’t place premium results behind a paywall. In terms of costs, it’s better to choose Intelius if you only need a few results about someone’s background because it is possible to purchase people search reports for a lower, one-off fee, while TruthFinder is the better option for those who wish to run several complete background checks. It also has a trial period that doesn’t charge a cancellation fee, which isn’t the case with Intelius.
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