PersonFinder vs. Free Public-Records Searches
Free county and government portals are real, but fragmented and slow. PersonFinder searches across all 50 states and hands you one verified report in 24 hours.
Get Started| PersonFinder | free public-records searches | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Flat $95 per subject | Free, but your time |
| Turnaround | 24 hours, done for you | Hours to days of manual searching |
| Coverage | All 50 states, cross-referenced | One county or agency portal at a time |
| Data quality | Public + licensed data, corroborated | Public records only, no cross-referencing |
| Human verification | A researcher confirms the match | You interpret raw records yourself |
| Compliance | Permissible-purpose certification built in | Your responsibility to observe access limits |
The data is public, but scattered
Courts, assessors, recorders, and business registries each live on their own portal with their own format, and many are county-by-county with no statewide search. PersonFinder pulls those threads together with licensed commercial data and resolves them to one person.
PersonFinder data sourcesSome sources are gated for a reason
Motor-vehicle records (DPPA) and non-public financial data (GLBA) are not freely searchable and require a permissible purpose. PersonFinder accesses those sources only for lawful purposes and builds the certification into checkout.
Requirements & complianceWhen free public-records searches may fit
If you already know the county and just need to confirm one filing, a free public-records portal is a great tool, use it. PersonFinder makes sense when you don't know where to look, need multiple sources tied together, or simply don't have hours to spend chasing records.
50
States Covered
1B+
Records Searched
24 hrs
Standard Delivery
FAQ
PersonFinder vs. Free Public-Records Searches
Free county and government portals are real, but fragmented and slow. PersonFinder searches across all 50 states and hands you one verified report in 24 hours.