Spokeo Search: What You Need to Know Before Running a People Lookup

What Is Spokeo and How Does It Work?

Spokeo is a people search engine founded in 2006 by Stanford graduates. Originally a social media aggregator, it pivoted to become a dedicated people search platform in 2010. Today, it pulls data from over 12 billion records to help users find information about individuals through name, phone number, email address, or physical address searches.

The platform aggregates publicly available data from sources including phone directories, property records, court filings, social media profiles, census data, and marketing surveys. When you run a Spokeo search, the system cross-references your input against its database and compiles matching information into a readable report.

Spokeo markets itself for personal use cases: reconnecting with old friends, verifying someone you met online, identifying unknown callers, or checking your own digital footprint. It's particularly known for its reverse phone lookup feature, which can identify who's behind mysterious calls or texts.

Spokeo Pricing: What You Actually Pay

Spokeo's pricing structure confuses many users, and understanding it upfront can save you frustration. Here's the breakdown:

• Free tier: Basic searches showing city, state, age, and relatives are free. You can see if a profile exists without paying.
• Trial offer: $0.95 gets you a 7-day trial with a full name report. If you don't cancel, you're automatically charged for a monthly subscription.
• Monthly subscription: $19.95/month for direct sign-ups, or $29.95/month if you convert from the trial.
• 3-month plan: $14.95/month ($44.85 total), the most cost-effective option for regular users.
• Professional plan: $69.95/month for businesses or heavy users needing deeper access.

Important caveat: criminal records and certain background check details require additional payment beyond your subscription. This catches many users off guard. The base subscription gets you contact information, addresses, social media profiles, and relatives—but upgraded reports cost extra.

What a Spokeo Search Actually Reveals

Running a Spokeo search can uncover several categories of information, depending on what's publicly available about your subject:

Contact Information

Phone numbers (landline and mobile), email addresses, and current and historical physical addresses. This is Spokeo's strongest area—it's essentially a modern phonebook on steroids.

Personal Details

Age, possible relatives, marital status, and household members. The platform maps out family connections, which can be useful for genealogy research or verifying someone's claimed background.

Social Media Profiles

Spokeo scans for public social media accounts, dating profiles, and other online presence. This is particularly valuable for verifying whether someone you met online is who they claim to be.

Property and Wealth Data

Estimated property values, home ownership history, and general wealth indicators. This isn't detailed financial information—more like public record property data aggregated in one place.

Court and Criminal Records

This requires an upgraded search (extra cost). You can potentially find criminal charges, arrests, civil judgments, and sex offender status. However, Spokeo explicitly states it's not FCRA-compliant, meaning you cannot legally use this information for employment screening, tenant decisions, or credit purposes.

Spokeo's Limitations You Should Know

Before running a Spokeo search, understand what you're actually getting—and what you're not.

Data Accuracy Issues

Multiple reviewers report outdated or inaccurate information. Spokeo aggregates data from various sources but doesn't verify each piece. You might find old addresses listed as current, or incorrect associations with relatives. Always cross-reference findings with other sources.

Limited Criminal Background Depth

Spokeo is designed more for contact information than deep background checks. Users expecting comprehensive criminal histories often feel disappointed. The platform itself states it "may not be complete, comprehensive, accurate or even up-to-date" and shouldn't substitute for proper due diligence on criminal matters.

FCRA Restrictions

This is critical for business users: Spokeo is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You legally cannot use Spokeo data for employment decisions, tenant screening, credit evaluations, or insurance assessments. Violating this can expose you to legal liability. In 2012, Spokeo was fined by the FTC for selling information to recruiters for employment screening purposes.

Search Quota Limits

Despite some marketing suggesting unlimited searches, Spokeo subscriptions include monthly search quotas. Unused searches don't roll over, and exceeding your limit requires purchasing additional searches.

When Spokeo Makes Sense (And When It Doesn't)

Good Use Cases for Spokeo

• Identifying unknown callers: Reverse phone lookup is Spokeo's strongest feature. If you're getting mystery calls or texts, it can often identify the source.
• Reconnecting with people: Finding updated contact information for old friends, classmates, or distant relatives.
• Personal safety checks: Verifying basic details about someone you met on a dating app before meeting in person.
• Self-research: Seeing what information about yourself is publicly accessible.

When to Look Elsewhere

• Professional background checks: If you're screening employees, tenants, or contractors, you need an FCRA-compliant service—Spokeo doesn't qualify.
• Comprehensive criminal history: Spokeo's criminal data is an add-on that many reviewers find incomplete.
• B2B prospecting: Sales professionals and recruiters need different tools designed for professional contact discovery.

Better Alternatives for Business and Professional Use

If you're using people search tools for sales, recruiting, or business development, consumer-focused platforms like Spokeo often fall short. Here's what to consider instead:

For Finding Professional Contact Information

Sales teams and recruiters typically need verified business emails and direct phone numbers—not home addresses and family trees. Tools like RocketReach or Lusha are designed specifically for B2B contact discovery, pulling from professional databases rather than public records.

You can also try our free Email Finder to locate someone's professional email from their name and company, or use our Mobile Number Finder for direct cell phone numbers—both built for business prospecting rather than personal people searches.

For Proper Background Checks

When you need reliable background verification—for hiring, partnerships, or business relationships—consider using a dedicated background check tool that provides trust scores and comprehensive reports. Our free Background Checker aggregates public data with verification layers to give you confidence in your business relationships.

Unlike Spokeo, purpose-built B2B background tools focus on information relevant to professional contexts: business history, professional credentials, and verified contact data rather than family trees and estimated property values.

How to Run an Effective People Search

Whether you use Spokeo or alternatives, here's how to get better results from any people search:

Start With What You Know

The more unique information you provide, the better your results. A name plus city dramatically narrows results compared to just a name. Email addresses and phone numbers tend to produce more accurate matches than names alone, especially for common names.

Cross-Reference Everything

Never rely on a single source. If Spokeo returns an address, verify it against other sources. Check social media profiles to confirm you've found the right person. False matches are common with aggregated data.

Check Multiple Search Types

If a name search returns too many results, try a reverse lookup with a phone number or email you already have. Spokeo's search algorithm auto-detects the information type, making it easy to try different approaches.

Know Your Legal Boundaries

For personal curiosity, people search tools are generally fine. For any decision that affects someone's rights (employment, housing, credit), you must use FCRA-compliant services and follow proper disclosure requirements. Misusing people search data can result in legal action.

The Bottom Line on Spokeo Search

Spokeo is a legitimate service that works well for its intended purpose: helping individuals find contact information and verify basic details about people in their personal lives. Its reverse phone lookup is particularly useful, and the interface is clean and accessible.

However, the pricing can be confusing with trials that convert to subscriptions, and the data isn't always accurate or current. Most importantly, Spokeo isn't appropriate for professional screening purposes—legally or practically.

For business users conducting prospecting, due diligence, or professional background verification, specialized tools deliver better results. Our free Background Checker provides trust scores and business-relevant data without subscription traps, making it ideal for sales professionals and recruiters who need reliable information for B2B relationships.

Whatever tool you choose, remember that people search is about starting your research, not ending it. Use findings as leads to verify rather than facts to accept at face value.