Intelius Person Search: Complete Guide to Features, Pricing, and Better Alternatives

What Is Intelius Person Search?

Intelius is one of the oldest people search platforms on the internet, founded in 2003. The service aggregates public records from federal, state, and county databases to create comprehensive reports on individuals. With over 20 billion public records in their database, Intelius offers people search, reverse phone lookups, address history, and background check services.

The platform is owned by PeopleConnect Inc., which also operates TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, and US Search—so if you've used any of those services, you'll find Intelius operates similarly.

How Intelius Person Search Actually Works

When you run a person search on Intelius, the platform scans multiple public databases simultaneously. You can search using minimal information—just a last name works, though adding first name, city, or state improves accuracy significantly.

Here's what a typical Intelius report may include:

• Full name, age, and date of birth
• Current and past addresses (address history)
• Phone numbers and email addresses
• Known relatives and associates
• Social media profiles
• Criminal records (varies by jurisdiction)
• Court records and legal filings
• Property ownership records
• Educational and employment history

One feature worth noting is Intelius Connections, which maps relationships beyond a person's immediate circle—useful for tracking down distant family members or understanding someone's social network.

Intelius Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

Intelius pricing can be confusing, and that's by design. Here's the breakdown of their current pricing structure:

Pay-Per-Search Options

• Basic People Search: $0.95 (trial price, converts to subscription)
• Statewide Criminal Record: $14.95
• Nationwide Criminal Record: $29.95
• Single Background Check: $39.95

Subscription Plans

• People Search Monthly: ~$25.11/month
• People Search Bi-Monthly: ~$21.34/month ($42.69 total)
• Reverse Phone + People Search: ~$35.30/month after trial
• Premier Plus Membership: $29.95/month (unlimited searches + monthly background check)

Important warning: Those $0.95 trial offers automatically convert to full monthly subscriptions if you don't cancel within 5-7 days. Many user complaints center around unexpected charges after trial periods. Always set a calendar reminder if you sign up for a trial.

Is Intelius Accurate? Real User Experiences

Intelius accuracy varies significantly based on several factors. Here's what actually affects your results:

When Intelius Works Well

• Unique names: If you're searching for someone with an uncommon name, expect cleaner, more accurate matches
• Established landlines: Reverse phone lookups work best for long-held landline numbers
• States with updated records: Some jurisdictions update their public records more frequently than others

When Accuracy Suffers

• Common names: The platform may merge records from multiple individuals with similar identifiers, creating mixed profiles
• Mobile and prepaid numbers: Recently reassigned or prepaid phone numbers often produce outdated results
• Recent changes: If someone recently moved, changed numbers, or had legal records updated, Intelius may lag behind
• Criminal records: County and state record update frequencies vary wildly—some jurisdictions don't update for months

The platform has an A+ BBB rating, but user reviews are mixed with an average around 2.5 stars. The main complaints involve data accuracy and subscription management, not outright fraud. Intelius is legitimate—it just has real limitations you should understand.

Who Should (and Shouldn't) Use Intelius

Good Use Cases

• Reconnecting with lost family members or old friends
• Pre-date background screening (personal use only)
• Identifying unknown callers
• Researching new neighbors
• Finding someone's current contact information

What Intelius Cannot Be Used For

Intelius explicitly prohibits using their data for FCRA-regulated decisions including:

• Employment screening
• Tenant background checks
• Credit decisions
• Insurance eligibility

If you need background checks for hiring or housing decisions, you need an FCRA-compliant consumer reporting agency—Intelius isn't one.

Free Alternatives to Intelius Person Search

Before paying for Intelius, consider these approaches that might solve your problem without a subscription:

For Basic Contact Information

If you're trying to find someone's email address for legitimate business purposes, try a free email finder tool first. These work well when you know the person's name and company, giving you verified professional contact information without a monthly subscription.

For Background Verification

Our free Background Checker provides comprehensive background reports with trust scores—useful for verifying someone's identity and history without committing to Intelius's subscription model. You get similar public record aggregation without the confusing pricing.

For Phone Number Lookups

If reverse phone lookup is your primary need, our Mobile Number Finder can help you identify unknown callers and find cell phone numbers from email addresses or LinkedIn profiles.

Professional Use: When You Need More Than People Search

If you're using person search tools for sales prospecting, recruiting, or business development, Intelius probably isn't your best option. The platform is designed for personal use and explicitly prohibits commercial applications like lead generation.

For B2B professionals who need to find decision-makers, verify business contacts, or build prospect lists, purpose-built tools work better. Platforms like RocketReach or Lusha are designed specifically for business contact discovery and include features like company information, job titles, and direct dial numbers that consumer people search tools don't provide.

How to Get the Best Results from Any People Search

Whether you use Intelius or an alternative, these techniques improve your success rate:

Start with What You Know

The more details you provide upfront, the better your results. Before searching, gather:

• Full name (including maiden names or aliases)
• Approximate age or birth year
• Last known city and state
• Any associated phone numbers or email addresses
• Names of relatives or associates

Cross-Reference Results

No single people search service has complete data. For important searches, run the same query across 2-3 different platforms and compare results. Where information aligns across multiple sources, confidence increases.

Use Free Resources First

Before paying for a report, exhaust free options:

• LinkedIn (for professional information)
• Facebook and other social platforms
• Google searches with quotation marks for exact name matches
• State and county court record portals (often free)
• Property tax records (publicly available in most jurisdictions)

Understand Data Freshness

Public records aren't updated in real-time. Courts, property registries, and government databases all have their own update schedules. If you're checking on recent events (last 30-90 days), be aware the information may not have propagated to aggregators like Intelius yet.

Canceling Intelius: What to Know

If you've signed up for Intelius and want to cancel, here's what you need to know:

• Cancel before trial ends: Set a reminder for day 4-5 of any trial period
• Cancellation methods: Use your member dashboard or call (877) 564-3253
• Support hours: Customer service is available Monday-Friday, 7am-5pm PST
• Data removal: Canceling your subscription doesn't remove your search history or account data from Intelius

If you want your own information removed from Intelius (opt-out), that's a separate process from subscription cancellation. You'll need to submit a removal request through their privacy page.

The Bottom Line on Intelius Person Search

Intelius is a legitimate people search platform with a massive database and decent accuracy for general lookups. However, the confusing pricing, subscription auto-renewals, and mixed accuracy for common names make it less appealing than it initially appears.

Use Intelius if: You need occasional deep-dive reports on individuals for personal reasons and don't mind managing a subscription.

Skip Intelius if: You need business-grade contact data, FCRA-compliant background checks, or prefer pay-per-use pricing without subscription traps.

For most users, starting with free tools makes sense. Try our free Background Checker to see if it meets your needs before committing to a paid subscription elsewhere. You might find it gives you exactly what you need without the monthly fees.